Initiative

by A. L. Kessler

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Initiative

  The King's Game Book Two

  A.L. Kessler

  Copyright © A.L. Kessler

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book maybe reproduced without the author's written consent.

  Blood & Ink Press thanks you for supporting indie authors.

  Chapter One

  Levi sat at his desk and stared at his paperwork. It'd been six months since Ira's attack with the blood-starved vampires. But the paperwork on his desk was for the PIB, the Paranormal Investigation Bureau, case that they handled, not paperwork for the council on the blood-starved vampires. Six months, and the PIB reports had finally arrived on his desk. The victims had been put to rest two months ago, released from the morgue to their families.

  The report hadn't said what the holdup was, but sometimes that's how things went. He tapped his pen on the paperwork. Things had been quiet in the territory, but he and the council were always vigilant of things that might hint at Ira being near.

  Ira. The vampire society's most wanted. The vampire who was trying to ruin everything Levi had worked for. His territory, his crown, his daughter. Known for his horrid experiments, Ira needed to be taken down and contained. Killing him wasn't an option right now. As much as Levi wished.

  As king, Levi could justify the execution or let PIB handle it. But whoever killed Ira would suffer a horrible death.

  Levi picked up the paperwork and turned to file it away. The case was done, closed, and it was behind him. The door to the office opened, and he looked up to find Mario standing there.

  The Italian vampire's black hair stuck up all over as if he'd just woken up, his shirt was half buttoned, and his belt hung down undone. Levi raised a brow. "Rough night?"

  Mario lifted his lips in a snarl. "We were interrupted." The Italian accent was even stronger when he was angry.

  Levi motioned to Mario's clothes. "I can see that."

  "There was a body that showed up, and Yorkingson was able to snag it before PIB handed it to Abby. Mason is the detective on the case though."

  Levi pressed his lips together. "And Abigail is doing what right now?"

  "Sleeping?" he suggested with a slight question in his tone and then shook his head. "Her caseload has been pretty easy lately. She and Nick have taken on a couple smaller cases."

  Maybe that meant she'd stay out of the way on this one. "Tell me about the body."

  "Drained of blood, typical vampire bites, but also the throat was torn out, and that was most likely the cause of death."

  Levi leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Make sure Yorkingson keeps in contact with me if anything else shows up."

  "Yorkingson thinks it's me."

  That made his head shoot up. "What?"

  "That's why I was caught mid…" Mario gestured to himself.

  Levi rubbed his eyes. "I'll talk to him. I don't see why he would interrupt your feeding and warn you."

  Mario glanced down at the papers and then to Levi's tapping pen. "I'll talk to you later; you're obviously busy."

  Levi snorted. "Just paperwork on the case with Agent Tomes and Grace. They sent me updates on the deceased since they were finally released. Said that they wanted to do some more research on the cause of deaths."

  "It's taken them that long?" Mario straightened the buttons on his shirt and tucked it into his pants.

  Levi looked up at him. "Yes, but I'm more interested in why Yorkingson thinks you have a connection to his case."

  "He knows about my past…mistakes, and the body fits my MO, so he thought maybe I had a relapse." Mario smoothed a hand through his hair, but it did nothing to calm the bed-head.

  Levi leaned back in the chair and met the other vampire's gaze. Mario hadn't had a relapse in centuries. Not since Levi first took him from Hannah's. "And your meal can attest to your whereabouts?"

  Mario nodded. "Yes, and Yorkingson saw for himself."

  Levi covered his eyes. "I'll talk to him about popping in uninvited."

  "Thank you, and about my innocence?"

  "Are you worried that he won't take your alibi?"

  "I'm worried that I'll lose my seat on the council and as your guard. I don't want to return to her, Levi."

  Her. Hannah. The woman who created Mario and made his entire existence unbearable. Levi nodded. "I know, and I won't let you return to her services full time. You work for the King." Though there was still another decade where Mario had to return to her on occasion, per the deal they had made.

  Mario headed back out the door, and Levi let him leave without question. The screeching of the security alarm had them both turning to see what was going on. They looked at each other and then transported themselves out to the front where the alarm was triggered.

  There in the bushes of the forest golden eyes stared at them through the brush.

  "Is that a tiger?" Mario asked, standing still next to Levi.

  "It is." Levi watched it stare at them.

  The tiger moved slowly, and Levi saw it limp. "It's hurt."

  "It's a tiger, Levi. In your territory."

  Levi had a moment of thinking that it might have been someone setting a trap, but when the creature collapsed and turned into a human, he didn't think that was the case anymore.

  "Call the doctor from the wolf pack."

  "They're a shifter, Levi, what is the wolf doctor going to do?"

  There was some animosity between the two kinds, but he didn't have another doctor he could call and trust with this situation. "Hopefully help."

  Mario made a noise that said he disagreed, but he disappeared anyways. Levi slowly approached the person that had taken the place of the tiger. Her body was covered in dry blood, matting her hair to her head and face, a nasty healing slice covered one of her eyes. He swept her up and took her back to one of the guest rooms in the basement of the mansion. There was no telling who she was or where she came from, but he couldn't just leave her out there.

  Levi sat back in the chair he placed in the guest room. He'd patched up the woman the best he could and covered her with a blanket. The rise and fall of her chest told him that she would survive whatever ordeal she had been through, but the wounds weren't healing like they should have been for a shifter.

  She groaned and opened her good eye. She met Levi's gaze and then jumped out of bed, springing into a defensive stand, barely flinching at the pain he knew it had to have caused her. "Where am I?"

  "You're safe, at my home." He motioned around. "I found you passed out in the forest."

  She looked relieved for a moment. "They didn't find me." She nearly collapsed on the bed. Exhaustion etched her face.

  "How trusting." He let his lips quirk up in a smile. "Anyone could have found you in the woods."

  She nodded. "You're not a lycanthrope. You're not one of them. They don't pair with vampires."

  "They?"

  She shook her head. "I'm not talking about it."

  "What is your name?"

  "Jaimie."

  "I'm Leviticus, leader of this territory. I'm offering you a safe place to stay until your wounds heal."

  She looked down at her body and then a hand went to her face. "They should heal up quickly."

  "I have a lycanth
rope doctor on the way from the local wolf pack."

  She shook her head. "You call them and tell them no. I don't need any medical help."

  There was a slight pitch in her voice that made him wonder what she was so scared of. "They won't hurt you. I'm not a medic of any kind so my patching job could use some double checking, and she might be able to save your vision, where I wouldn't know where to start with it."

  Jaimie took a deep breath but shook her head. "No."

  She was stubborn; he'd give her that. "You want things to heal faster? You're obviously on the run from something, so the longer you stay here, the more likely they are to find you."

  "Which is why I won't be staying long." She locked her jaw.

  "You won't make it far with all those wounds, especially in human form. And if you wander around as a tiger all the time, people are going to start spotting you."

  "Like I have a choice on being a tiger," she muttered, and he raised a brow.

  "Shifters have a choice in what animal they want to take."

  "There's the thing. I'm not a shifter," she snapped back. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I'd like to rest so I have the energy to get out of the city at least tomorrow."

  Levi resisted protesting. Normally the lycanthrope virus was purely wolves, but now was not the time to argue with the woman. He bowed his head instead. "Of course. I'll have a meal brought to you."

  She crawled back under the blankets and turned her back to him as he left the room. She clearly needed space, and he'd give it to her while still monitoring her movements around the mansion. If she left the room, he'd know it. She had a lot of healing to do before she'd be able to travel without pain, but it made him wonder who exactly was after her and why she would be willing to put herself at more risk just to keep moving.

  When he came to his office upstairs, he found Mario sitting in his chair, his feet up on the desk.

  Levi crossed his arms. "I am not amused. Where is the doctor?"

  "Greg sent me back with a message for you."

  Oh goodie, he couldn't wait to hear this. He motioned for Mario to continue.

  Mario cleared his throat and gave Levi his best accent-free attempt. "Tell Levi, fuck you. His witch almost screwed up our justice, and I owe him nothing."

  Levi ran a hand over his face. He hadn't gotten any details on exactly what happened when Abby went to the pack lands six months ago. Simon had only assured him that Abby was fine, but that she should probably steer clear of Greg for a bit. "It sounds like Greg is a bit grumpy."

  Mario laughed. "That would be one way to put it. How is the little tiger?"

  "Stubborn. She's running from something and is eager to keep moving."

  "Something? Do you think that she's a wanted person?"

  Levi shook his head. "No, I could feel the fear rolling off her. She's willing to put her health at risk to avoid whatever it is chasing her."

  "Must be something pretty terrible if she would rather die when fleeing."

  Levi nodded. "I'll talk to Greg. She doesn't seem to want any lycanthropes around, but I don't know how to deal with her wounds."

  Mario glanced at the office door. "Do you want me to go speak with her? Maybe she might be willing to talk some more after she rests?"

  "No, I think we should let her be for now and then we'll bring in Greg. He's dealt with stubborn pups before. So maybe he can help her see that he won't hurt her." Levi thought about the fear that he saw in her gaze. Something was tormenting her, but she shut up pretty fast when he asked about it. He shook his head, if he needed to, he could bring Abby in on it, but she had her hands full with the new partner and was being careful to do things by the book.

  Mario crossed his arms. "Do you think she's trouble?"

  "No, I think she's powerful, and if we can offer her protection, I think she'd make a great asset to the territory." If she could shake the fear off and learn to trust him and his people.

  He reached for his phone. "Let me talk to Greg about her and see where we might be able to start with that."

  Mario laughed. "Good luck with that. I'm going to go meet with Grayson and see if he is done interviewing my donor about my whereabouts."

  "Be careful. There are a few vampires who know about your past. If they wanted to make it seem like you were losing control again, they'd know how."

  Mario nodded. "I plan on having a witness for all my whereabouts until he gets this cleared up. I'll talk to you later."

  The door closed behind Mario, and Levi scrolled through his phone until he found Greg's phone number. He clicked on the name and waited for the wolf to answer.

  "What do you want?" Greg growled. "I already told your little minion no."

  Levi chuckled. "I know you did, but he didn't have all the details. I have a woman here that is claiming she's a tiger-lycanthrope."

  Greg was quiet for a moment. "Impossible."

  "I thought so too, but either way, she's in bad shape. Her wounds aren't healing like they should be, and I need your doctor to make sure that my patching job is okay."

  Greg grumbled. "You sent your adopted daughter after my pack."

  "No, technically you invited here as one of my people, and I sent her as one of my people, so she didn't go there as PIB. I helped you out. Anything that ensued after was your fault, not mine."

  "Abigail performed magic on my lands."

  Levi wiped a hand over his face. "In order to protect her life from what I understand. Are you going to help this woman or not?"

  "I need your help with something in exchange."

  Levi could only imagine what it was. "And that would be?"

  "One of our pack members has gone missing, and I need help finding her."

  "Okay, we'll discuss details when you get here." If anything, Levi could just have Abigail perform a tracking spell, and boom, missing werewolf located.

  "I'll see you in a couple hours then." Greg disconnected the call.

  Levi set his phone down and glanced at the security camera that was at the front door. No one else had been sneaking around since he found Jaimie out there. There was no reason to be paranoid about her enemies creeping up on his property. Most local creatures knew to stay away from here. The only thing he wanted was to make sure to keep Abby away from the case, or she'd want to take Jaimie to a hospital and get PIB involved. He had a feeling the tiger would flee if she knew someone with the authorities was involved.

  Levi waited for the wolf to show up. Part of him expected Greg to bring Simon and the doctor, but only Greg approached the door. "Where is your doctor?"

  "She's busy with some pups. Don't worry. I know enough to tend to a shifter."

  Levi thought better than to argue with the alpha wolf. If Greg didn't want to believe the tiger was a lycan, that was fine. As long as he took care of the woman.

  Greg motioned to the door. "Are you going to let me in?"

  "Yes." Levi stepped to the side and let the wolf into the entryway. "Now, what about this missing wolf?"

  "Let me see the tiger first, then we'll talk about my issue. Lead the way."

  Levi led him down to the basement to the room where he'd left Jaimie. He knocked on the door.

  "Just a moment," she called. After a moment of silence, she opened the door just a crack. "I told you I didn't want to see another lycanthrope." Her lip lifted up in a snarl.

  Greg crossed his arms. "Listen here, cat. I'm the alpha of the wolves. If you are a lycanthrope as you claim, then you should have asked permission even to cross this territory."

  Levi didn't miss the small movement as she flinched at the tone in Greg's voice. Neither did Greg, and his voice softened a little. "If you are hurt and want to continue traveling, you need proper care. I wouldn't leave anyone out and wounded to fend for themselves." He jerked his thumb to Levi. "This one here seems to think you're on the run from something."

 
"What's it to you?" she growled. "I'm healing fine. Go away." She went to shut the door, but Greg slammed his hand against it.

  "What's it to me? You have someone potentially dangerous following you, and I have a pack of werewolves, including pups, that I need to protect. Now, I don't know if the person after you will harm my people, but I'm not willing to risk it. So, the sooner you let me help, the sooner you heal, and the sooner you can get out of here."

  Levi stepped back and let Greg handle it. The alpha had a point, and he'd tried being nice. Maybe she understood aggressive better, or maybe she would realize the gravity of the situation.

  She paused for a moment. "You care enough for your pack that you don't want one woman threatening the safety of them?"

  Greg nodded. "You bet your ass I do."

  She bowed her head for a moment and then let Greg in, shutting the door behind him.

  Levi felt a little relief that she'd get the help she needed now. She was good at hiding her pain and fear, but as a vampire, he could smell it. Whatever she was running from fueled her adrenaline, and he wasn't sure he'd want to meet it in a dark alleyway.

  He rubbed his eyes and went back to his office. Greg would let him know if he needed anything, and meanwhile, Levi had things to look into. He had sightings to confirm, and there was the matter of Yorkingson trying to accuse Mario of murder.

  He entered to find the PIB agent already standing in his office.

  Grayson Yorkingson dressed like he stepped out of the 1920's, in his suit and tie and fedora hat. The hat helped shadow the his one bad eye, glazed over and white. He looked up at Levi. "We need to talk."

  Levi nodded and sat down at the desk. "Clearly. Mario said you popped in and accused him of losing control and killing someone."

  "A human, Levi. Not just anyone. A high-profile politician. We're lucky I got the call and not Abigail."

  They were always lucky when Grayson got the call instead. One day that luck was going to run out. Levi folded his hands. "Mario was here at the mansion taking a meal."

  "The murder happened last night. Mario already accounted for his whereabouts, but that means we have another vampire who is losing control."