Everyone has Their Demons

by A. L. Kessler

  I wanted to tell him, needed someone else to know, someone I could trust. I looked at Levi and raised a brow, silently asking if I could. Levi shook his head. "No, Abigail."

  It was for the best; I knew that. "I'm sorry Simon. I can't tell you." I wouldn't meet his gaze because at that point all I wanted was to send Levi away and let Simon comfort me and to tell him everything.

  "I understand. Since Levi's here, I'm going to take my leave. I need to check in with Travis; I'll be back in the morning." He walked out, and I pressed my lips together trying to figure out what I wanted to say.

  Levi stood and took the chair Simon had left open. "How do you feel?"

  "I'm in a little less pain now." I wasn't going to share why. "I'm ready to go home."

  "You never did like the hospital." He laughed a little. "Mario is still your guard, Abigail."

  "I can't trust him to guard me. Not after leading me into a trap. I don't know how you can either, even with the excuse that he was sparing me the full power of Hannah's magic." I shook my head and looked away. "He put me in a very vulnerable position that could have cost my life. He didn't even warn me about it so I could prepare myself. You out of all people should be furious."

  "Mario has served his punishment, but his reasoning is sound."

  I snorted. "I'll take my chances alone, thanks. But I won't fight you on going back to the mansion. Not right now, not this time."

  "Thank you. "

  "I am going to have Simon drive me back to my house first." I figured a little bit of honesty would go a long way right now. "I just need to make sure Osiris has enough food, and I need some clothes. All I have at the mansion is work clothes."

  "That's because all you do is work."

  I was about to disagree with him, but I couldn't since he was right. All I did was work; I was even planning on working in the hospital.

  It was time for a change in subject. "Exactly what are you hoping to get out of me meeting with Ira?"

  "I'm hoping that he'll taunt you with information we can use to bring him down."

  "I can bring my weapons?"

  "But you can't use them unless he attacks you and you cannot kill him, Abigail."

  I tried not to roll my eyes. "Then what's the point of the meeting. I'm pretty sure he said all he needed to the other night."

  Levi gripped the arms of the chair. "What did he tell you?"

  I shook my head. "Don't worry, Oliver told me that it was all fake." He hadn't in so many words, but he refused to confirm it for me. "If he attacks me, I'm killing him."

  "And then you will have no choice but to go into hiding. My maker, Ira's maker, is not one to be messed with Abigail."

  I shook my head. "I'm not scared of your maker."

  His silence told me he was though, maybe that was just how vampires were, scared of the being that brought them into the supernatural world.

  "What were you like as a human?" I asked suddenly.

  "Not the time for my past, Abigail. Right now I am worried about your future and what your stubbornness is going to cause." He motioned to the table. "Your parents' book?"

  "Looking for a potion or something to rid myself of Ira's influence from his bite. That's all."

  He looked skeptical and was about to say something when his phone rang. He looked at the screen, excused himself, and walked out.

  I pulled my laptop out and opened it up. I didn't know how long he was going to be on the phone. I had slept all day, so right now it was time for me to get some research done.

  I had gotten into the PIB database and had every possible file pulled up on Melody Grace and Starla Porter that I could. I had also added a few newspaper articles mentioning her and a couple mentioning the mass murder. Levi walked in and closed the computer and took it away from me.

  "You're coming home tonight."

  I tried not to be irritated with him taking the computer. "What do you mean? Dr. Newport wanted to keep me tonight."

  "Yeah, well your security has been compromised. Why didn't you tell me that Merick came to visit you? And Oliver?'

  "Oliver healed me a little bit." I shook my head. "Merick is a consultant on Clarissa's case because he's the only other linguist that works with our PIB branch. It turns out that the demon case and Clarissa's might be connected."

  He shook his head. "Neither of them should be near you. Whoever killed your parents worked for the Cult. Letting Merick near you gives them the opportunity to finish the job. And your uncle, well…"

  I waited to see what hate he would spew about my uncle, but he just shook his head. "Can you walk?" he asked suddenly.

  I nodded. "I'll be able to walk out of here as soon as the nurses take the IVs out and Dr. Newport has me sign the paperwork."

  "Okay, I've already brought the Hummer back to the mansion."

  Oh good, at least I could drive home tomorrow for a little bit. "I still need to stop by my house tomorrow."

  I'm sure he saw in my face that I wasn't going to bend on that. "I'll be fine. Just there, pick some things up, back home."

  "Okay, if you're not back by dusk, Mario will come get you."

  I rolled my eyes. "He's no longer welcomed in the house."

  "We'll talk about that later." He motioned to the doors as a nurse walked in. She was different than the one I had seen during the day. She was all smiles and bouncing hair that reminded me of Clarissa.

  "Let's get you out of here."

  ∞

  I walked into my room at the mansion and sighed. I didn't want to stay in all night; I wanted to be out helping Mason at the crime scene. I wanted to be talking to the officer that was working on the serial killer case. I wanted to be fucking working, but I was stuck here.

  I sat on my bed and pulled my laptop out of my bag, but before I got a chance to open it up my phone rang.

  "Special Agent Abigail Collins."

  "Abigail, Abigail, you sent Detective Mason after my scent," Grace's voice chided. "I'm not sure exactly how you survived the gunshot, but you won't be so lucky at our next encounter. And I can promise you that Detective Mason won't survive his first encounter with us."

  The phone went dead, and I cursed. I dialed Mason without a second thought. "Pick up, pick up, pick up."

  "Do you have something for me, Abby?"

  "Yeah, just got a death threat from Melody for you. Watch your back, and may I suggest you take a PIB agent with you?"

  "I've already talked to PIB about it, and they've paired me up with someone. Wish it was you, but I'd rather you not get killed in the line of duty."

  Me too, because it had already been a close call. "Make sure you watch your back. She had the warlock ambush me, and warn whoever PIB sends that he's managed to ward himself from circles. I wish I could be there with you too, but I'll have to trust the agent they put you with. Who's taking over on the field?"

  "Liz is since it seems also to be tied to her case. Can I trust her?"

  That made me relax a little bit. "Absolutely. I'm glad that they let her take over."

  "I'm surprised that they aren't making you step down completely."

  Me too at this point. "I doubt they will since I'm just doing desk work now. I'm actually staying at Levi's until I heal a bit more."

  "Good plan, maybe he can make sure you actually rest."

  I doubted it, not to mention I was planning on working magic tomorrow during the day when he wasn't awake. I smiled. Yes, let him and Mario think I was going to be a good little witch.

  "I'll keep you updated, Abby, you throw me information if you get any."

  "I will, please stay safe."

  He made a noise of agreement and then disconnected. I laid back on the bed taking a deep breath and testing the pain in my stomach. It was bearable now, but it was still there, as was the dull throbbing in my arm.

  There was nothing I was going to be able to do
to heal it, so I was going to have to work around it. There was a knock on the door, and I tried to sit up, but the pain laced through me. Nope, I wasn't going to be able to go anywhere. Shit.

  "Come in," I called out.

  Mario walked in. "Can't get up?"

  I lifted my hand up and shot him the finger. "Go away."

  "I wanted to speak to you about the meeting tomorrow night."

  I rolled over, keeping myself up on my arms so my stomach wasn't pressed against the bed. I slowly pushed myself up and pulled my legs under me into a sitting position and stared at Mario. "Why are you in here talking to me. Why not Levi."

  "Because he wanted me to do it as your guard."

  I rolled my eyes. "I'm too hungry, tired, and in too much pain to deal with you right now."

  Something played across his features, and I couldn't read what it was. "Let's get you fed and some painkillers first." He held a hand to help me off the bed. For a moment I considered being stubborn, but I let it go. Just for a moment.

  I took his hand, and he gently pulled me off the bed, made sure I was steady, and then let go. He spun to leave the room, and I followed him to the kitchen. I pulled out my phone with my good hand and texted Merick a quick update as I walked down the hall. I had no doubt that Simon would tell Merick what was going on, but he hadn't been at the hospital when Levi picked me up. I was halfway through texting Simon when Mario broke the silence.

  "Who are you texting?"

  "Simon, he wasn't there when Levi forced the doctor to let me go."

  He made a hm sound. "You care for the wolf."

  "He's a good friend of mine, yeah." I narrowed my eyes. "Are you jealous?" I laughed a little. "You knew that our relationship was fake, not to mention you stabbed me in the fucking back."

  He turned his back to me and started pulling out the stuff to make me a sandwich. He never answered me, but he moved on to making me coffee. Finally, he spoke. "The wolf is the only male you've ever shown any affection to."

  "That's not true; I went out on a date when I was at the book fest, I dated in high school, and I had a boyfriend or two while I was in the academy." I shook my head. "I don't have to justify this to you."

  "But now, Levi and I were betting it would be Nick who ended up capturing your attention, but that wasn't right. You still cling to Simon since you worked next to him on the Barn case."

  That was the case I worked with the hex on me, Simon had stayed by my side to make sure I didn't die from being stupid. "Again, are you jealous?"

  "Maybe."

  I shook my head. "Let's stop beating around the bush here. Why are you the one talking to me about tomorrow night?

  "Because, Abigail, the terms of the meeting have changed. Ira has renegotiated."

  Chapter Twelve

  That wasn't exactly what I was expecting to hear. "That doesn't explain why you're here talking to me about it."

  "Because there is now room for you to bring a second with you. I want to go with you."

  I took a moment to debate on how I wanted to react to that. "Who is Ira bringing?"

  He didn't answer right away, and I knew what he was going to say when he finally did answer. "Hannah."

  "No, I won't have you at my back then." I tried to control my anger. "You left me to her once, and I don't believe you can resist if she asks you to leave again."

  He set the sandwich and coffee in front of me. "Abigail, there is no one else Levi will trust to have your back."

  "Is he leaving the choice up to me?" I picked up the coffee and took a sip.

  He nodded. "He is, but he would prefer it was me."

  "And that's what Ira is expecting." The pain started in my neck again, and I couldn't get the coffee cup back to the counter fast enough. It fell from my hand, shattering on the floor.

  The ice cold feeling started at my feet, and I felt my knees give way. Mario caught me, easing me to the floor as the world disappeared again. I could see Ira standing in front of me, laughing at me as Hannah's magic held me still. The pain continued to spread until it touched the freezing power. I let out a strangled cry, trying to remind myself that it was a flashback. That it wasn't happening.

  Finally it faded, and I came back to Mario holding me tight.

  "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry; I never wanted to hurt you."

  I could barely make out the words as I came back to reality. "You can let go now." I tried to make it an anger-filled demand, but I couldn't. "I'm okay, I promise," I added to try and ease some of his grief.

  "I left you to those two monsters, and it wasn't by choice." He let go of me. "Abigail, the full amount of Hannah's power is enough to make a human go insane. She was a very powerful witch before she was changed."

  "You could have warned me, about everything." I took a deep breath. "But that's over now. I'm sorry, I can't take you in there. It'll be used against me again, and I won't let that happen."

  "Then who are you going to take? Who on earth can you have at your back that you trust enough to face Ira with."

  I smiled, and I knew it wasn't a nice one. The answer I had in mind wasn't one that Mario or Levi were going to approve of. Merick. Of course, I had to ask him first.

  "I have someone in mind, and if he agrees, then I'll let you and Levi in on it." I looked down at the mess of coffee and sighed. "Let me get this cleaned up, and then I'll eat."

  Mario put a hand on top of mine, stopping me. "I'll clean it up. You eat and get some of your strength back."

  I was about to argue that I wasn't weak, but I knew he was just worried. He wasn't being an ass, he wasn't trying to blame anything on me, and it was weird. I sat down in front of the plate of food. "Thank you."

  He nodded and cleaned up the coffee. A few minutes later Levi came to join us, and we were sitting in silence. We hadn't even bothered with the awkward talk.

  "Mario fill you in?"

  I nodded and sipped my new cup of coffee. "And I told him that I can't have him at my back, but there is someone I trust and can hold his own against Ira. I just have to ask him if he'd be willing. And I will, tomorrow."

  "That's cutting it close." Levi shook his head. "I'd rather know now."

  "Well, if he says no, just be prepared to be on back up." I pushed my plate away. "I'm well fed; I'm going to take some painkillers and sleep for a little bit."

  Levi pressed his lips together, and I gave him a moment to argue with me, but he said something else entirely. "Liz thinks she knows why Clarissa was killed."

  It made me freeze. A chill went through me, and it wasn't a residual effect of Hannah's magic. It was worry that Clarissa's death had been my fault in some way. That was linked to me somehow.

  "Why?"

  "Someone got their hands on the magic that was detailed on that tablet your parents translated."

  Oh goddess, here it came. My breath caught in my throat as I tried not to panic. "That doesn't explain why."

  "Clarissa was sacrificed in an attempt to heal someone or bring them back from the brink of death. Liz doesn't know who, but it all matches details in your father's notes."

  The world spun as a new wave of grief hit me. It had been just a theory before, but now that it was confirmed it held a new punch. I closed my eyes. "How would someone get their hands on those notes to perform such a spell?"

  "Your father was an idiot and used a bunch of the runes for training manuals."

  I knew that. I had been the one to discover that information. "So it's my father's fault that Clarissa is dead."

  "Abigail, we all know we like to place grief and blame on something, anything to help rationalize death."

  I swallowed and opened my eyes. He was right. My father was no more to blame than I was. "But why Clarissa?"

  "We don't know the motivation behind that yet. All we know is that the local coven sent him in that direction."

  It was like
the pain was new and raw again, but I wasn't going to allow myself to break down. "Thank you for letting me know. I need to go take my painkillers," I said again, really just using it as an excuse to go to my room where I could process the information.

  I needed to call Liz and see if she'd talked to the coven about Starla Porter to see if she was connected. I had a feeling that she was the visiting witch. I felt numb by the time I made it back to my room. I struggled with the prescription bottle for a moment before finally getting it open and tipping out one of the white pills.

  I grabbed my water bottle and took the pill. Then snagged my phone and called Liz.

  "I figured you'd call as soon as Levi updated you." Her voice sounded grim. "I'm sorry Abby."

  "Don't be; it's not your fault." I took a deep breath. "I need you to go to the coven and show a picture of Starla Porter AKA Agent Melody Grace. She's connected to my case, and when I was attacked there was a man there with a rune on him that matched that language. I'm hoping she went to the coven meeting with him and someone can identify him for us."

  "You got it. How are you feeling?"

  "Like a truck hit me, but I promise I'm being good. I'm tucked in at the mansion, took my painkillers, and I'm going to take a nap. When I get up, I'll do some more research and work on the report and details for Mason."

  "He always grumpy?"

  "Bring him a black coffee tomorrow morning, and he'll lighten up some. He's a good detective, don't let his grumpiness fool you."

  She snorted. "Okay, I'll try the coffee trick. You learn anything new, send it my way."

  "Of course, I also have to keep Boss Man in the loop on Grace, he seemed concerned, so I don't know what we might run into."

  Other than she was working with a warlock who had a gun and was a damn good shot. "If you go after her, take back up."

  "Don't worry; I'll learn from your mistake. Rest up Abby." She disconnected the call, and I pulled my computer to me to send Boss Man a quick update.

  Of course it wasn't as quick as I would have liked with one arm fully working.

  I put my computer on the nightstand and curled up in bed. Exhaustion was eating at me, part of it mental, part of it physical, and a lot of it painkiller induced.