Blood Catalyst

by A. L. Kessler

  "What the fuck do you want now Abby?"

  "I'm calling as part of PIB, and I'd like to meet you in person to go over a few things."

  He was hesitant. "And why would I do that?"

  "Because someone in your coven is practicing black magic and curses." I tried to keep my voice even. "A nasty curse at that. I'd rather discuss it in person so I can show you the runes."

  There was nothing but a moment of silence on the other end for a few moments. "I'll come down to the office."

  "Thank you," I said honestly. "I know you don't like me, but trust me, I know how to do my job, and I wouldn't involve the coven unless I thought it was needed."

  "I know. You may be a questionable witch, but you do everything you can to do your job right." He disconnected before I could decide if it was an insult or not.

  I set down my phone and sighed as I looked back over the runes. If I could find the victim, then I could get a lead. Maybe Zayden just happened to be a random target.

  I leaned back in my chair and let out a groan. The sun would be down before Jack got there, and I was sure Mario would be knocking at my door, despite my insisting that he needed to stay away.

  As if on cue a knock came, and I pulled myself out of my chair, the sun wasn't quite down yet, and my windows still allowed some of the golden light to shine through, so I doubted it was Mario.

  I opened the door to find Jon standing there. "Agent Collins." His voice was strained as he stumbled toward me.

  I caught him just as he fell into my arms, nearly taking me down. "Jon? Jon?" I tried to get his attention, but he was out. I gently laid him on the floor and found myself covered in blood when I was free of him. I grabbed my phone and dialed 911, giving them my location and instructions on where to find my office.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Two hours later, after the ambulances had left and the police were done asking question, my office was finally quiet, leaving just me and a blood stain. I stood there staring at it, wondering what on earth happened to Jon. The EMTs wouldn't give me any information even though I told them that it could be related to a case.

  I sighed. At least he was still alive. I grabbed my bag and opened my door to leave the office. I needed to go down to Oliver's to research the curse. Jack had never shown up, so either he was sent away or scared away by the emergency vehicles.

  I stopped two steps down the hallway when I saw Jack step out of the elevator. I hadn't seen him since Clarissa's memorial. He looked a bit older now, his hair going somewhat gray, his eyes wrinkled, but he had a smug look on his face that made me want to smack him.

  "Agent Collins, leaving before our meeting?"

  I raised a brow. "I figured you stood me up."

  "No, first responders just now started letting people in the building. I asked them what happened, but they were pretty close-lipped about it all." He waited as if he expected me to give him answers.

  I wasn't even tempted. "Let's go into one of the conference rooms."

  "Why not your office?"

  "Because there's a blood stain on the floor, and I don't want to look at it while we talk."

  He paled just a little bit before he followed me down the hall. I swiped my badge for the conference room, and we walked in. Jack sat down without a word. I sat in a chair close to him and started to pull out my files.

  "We found a heart pinned to a tree." I wasn't going to give out the location, though chances were the news had already shared that information.

  "So that's what PIB was doing in Manitou today." He glanced at me. "I still don't see what I'm doing here."

  I handed him a small sheet that I had made with the runes on it, he sat up in his chair instantly and looked over them.

  "No one in our coven knows this curse."

  I raised a brow. "Are you so sure? Because I don't feel like there's a reason for someone to frame your coven for this. Zayden was an innocent warlock who was seeking community because he and his brother just moved here. You told me that you declined his membership because of some questionable magic. There are things not lining up here." I crossed my arms. "Now, if you don't want me coming down to the next coven meeting and questioning everyone that shows up, then I suggest that you give me a bit more information on what happened with you and Zayden."

  Jack handed the paper back to me with a sigh. "Okay, look, we declined him because his brother had ties to the Cult of Ra. No one wants to tangle with that."

  "Who else knew that?"

  "The only other person is Cynthia. We hired her to process applications for us and keep the files clean. Clarissa used to do it but…" He trailed off and shook his head. "The point is, that's it, just the three of us. I think his brother knew that he applied, even encouraged it."

  And now Jon was in the hospital, most likely fighting for his life. "I'll need to talk to Cynthia, and I need you to keep an eye out for anyone in the coven who might be feeling off."

  He paused for a moment, weighing his next words carefully.

  "Jack?"

  "Cynthia fell ill yesterday with a fever."

  I ran a hand over my eyes. It was rare for witches and warlocks to get sick. Our magic typically prevented it with very few exceptions. "Lovely, please, get her in touch with me."

  He nodded. "And Abigail, thank you."

  That caught me off guard. "For what?"

  "Taking this seriously and not just jumping to conclusions." He looked at the paper again. "This looks like a nasty curse."

  "I know how to do my job, Jack, but you're welcome. One more question. How long has Cynthia been taking care of the applications?"

  "About three months now." He nodded. "Not long at all."

  "Thank you."

  He stood. "You could have emailed me the runes."

  I shook my head. "No, I can't risk them getting out to the public. Also, I wanted to make sure you understood that I really am taking this seriously."

  He nodded and walked out of the conference room. I took a moment and bowed my head. I wasn't sure if I was praying or just hoping, but I needed to figure out the full curse and how to cure it before Cynthia became another victim of it.

  I looked up and put away the paper in the file before placing it in my bag. I walked out of the conference room.

  Luckily for me, no one was waiting in the hallway. No Liz, no Mario, no Grayson. He hadn't told me that he'd found Alfie, so I assumed he was avoiding me, or I was done on the case, which was fine with me.

  I jogged down the stairs and made a bee-line for the front door. I wanted to make it to Oliver's at a decent time so that I could actually spend some time researching and not having to bring it back home at this point. I got to the Hummer and sighed when I saw Mario standing there.

  "Go home, I'm going to go do some research."

  Mario shook his head. "I can't. We heard about the attack on your life today. Levi doesn't want you alone."

  "He does realize that you can't watch me during the day right?" I asked annoyed as I threw my bag into the back seat of the Hummer. I climbed into the driver's side and slammed my door shut. Mario simply appeared in the passenger side.

  "He has his own spies during the day."

  Well, there went the illusion of freedom during the day. "Lovely, any chance you want to tell me who they are?"

  "No, they are hidden in the shadows and will stay that way. Only Levi knows who they are. I only know they exist." Mario shrugged. "Where are we going?"

  "Well, I was going to go to Oliver's house to do some research." I put the Hummer in gear and started pulling out of the parking lot. "Now I'm not so sure if that's going to happen since you're tagging along."

  He snorted. "I can sit outside and wait for you. We all know Oliver hasn't been home since betraying Levi."

  I glared at him. "He did it to fix your fuck up."

  Something akin to sorrow crossed his face,
and he turned away. "Go on Princess, let's get your research done."

  I locked my jaw at the title. I took the Hummer onto the highway and headed toward Oliver's.

  ∞

  I pulled up to the massive house and got out of the Hummer. Mario had remained perfectly silent during the drive, and he didn't say anything when I got out. I had clearly hit a nerve with my last statement to him. I walked up to the door and typed in the code that let me in.

  The house was cold, not only in temperature but in emotions too. There were no pictures on the wall to indicate who lived here, and no personal touch that might have given Oliver any personality. I knew he did it for protection. Once his estrange daughter had been put in danger, and I knew that he would have done anything to protect her. Including handing his precious niece over to a necromancer.

  I shook the memory from my mind and made my way to the library. I wrapped my jacket around me to ward off the chill. Clearly, he hadn't been home to keep the house warm.

  I turned and walked into the library and paused. The back of the chair faced me, and all I could see was one leg crossed over another.

  "Ah, Abigail." I heard my uncle's voice, and it put part of me at ease and other parts of me on alert.

  I hesitated for a moment. "I wasn't expecting you to be here."

  "Nor was I expecting you. What did you need?" He stood.

  I'd seen him when I was in Luna Grove, but I'd been almost dying at the time so I couldn't recall if he looked so exhausted then or not. Now, the dark circles under his eyes were more apparent. He held a glass of wine in his hand, and it threatened to spill with every step he took toward me.

  "I'm looking for the details on a curse and a cure for it," I said simply. What I wanted to do was ask him if Ira was running him ragged. I knew that look and the sluggishness of the motions. It was exhaustion from using magic too much and too often.

  He nodded. "Let me order some food, and we'll find your curse."

  I hesitated. "Mario is sitting outside of the house."

  "I know he is. I have cameras remember? He won't know I'm here. I'm very well aware that I'm not supposed to be around you. Ira thinks that I'm working on something for him."

  I met his gaze. "You're trying to heal from something," I stated.

  "I'm trying to rest. The spells he has me working are not easy. The missions he has me on, nothing that I want to share with you, niece. You might think less of me."

  I sighed. "Order food and then we'll work. No magic, just research. I'll take all the help I can get."

  "Not worried that I'm a trap from Ira?"

  I shook my head. "No, Ira wouldn't be stupid enough to risk you in a trap. You would find a way to turn it against him."

  He smiled. "My clever, niece." He sat back down and pulled out his cell phone.

  I listened to him order Chinese food while I started the gas fireplace to warm the room up. I stood there watching the flame and enjoying the heat. My phone buzzed, and I looked at it.

  "Everything okay?"

  From Mario.

  "Fine, started a fire to stay warm, buckle in for the long haul, it's going to be a long night. I'm ordering food, don't scare the delivery guy."

  I hit send and turned back to my uncle. He was off the phone and sipping his glass of wine.

  "I'm glad to see you survived the demon curse," he said gently. "I wish I could have been more help."

  I laughed. "You were plenty of help. Merick helped as well. Now I'm good as new and curse free. The demon is dead and hopefully so is that part of the past." I pulled out my files. "You can help me now. These are the runes that go with the curse. I know that its intention is to make someone sick and eventually kill them, but I don't know how to cure it, and I don't know who the intended victim is."

  Oliver looked over the runes. "I know this curse. Hold on, I have it in a journal somewhere."

  "Why do you know it on sight?"

  He chuckled. "If you're worried I've performed it, I haven't. I just know of it. I make it my job to know about things like it, so when I get hired for a job, I have a wide range of knowledge. I know it takes a heart, I'm assuming that's the one they reported found on the news?"

  "Yes, belonged to a Cult member."

  He turned to me. "Who?"

  I shook my head. "I can't tell you that."

  "Of course not. Confidentiality and all that." He turned back to his books. His fingers danced over leather spines of journals with dates imprinted on the side of them. He stopped at one where the numbers had been worn off and pulled it out. "I think it's in this one."

  He started thumbing through the pages, stopped, and then handed it to me. "Here."

  I took it from him, sat in front of the fire, and looked over the curse. "Yeah, this is it. There's no mention of the cure."

  Oliver nodded. "It's a cleansing the person has to go through. One much like when you were hexed."

  I cringed. "That's painful as hell. I'll let Jack know."

  "Oh, the local coven is involved. I bet that you just love that."

  I shrugged. "Local coven, Cult, you know, two of my favorite groups colliding." I chuckled and went back to the journal. The pages were yellow with age, and the ink looked like it'd come from a fancy fountain pen.

  Oliver sat by me. "It went much quicker since I'm here, but please do stay for dinner."

  I glanced at him. "My other option is to spend time with Mario. Chinese food with my uncle sounds much more entertaining. But you need rest."

  "I am resting. I'm not using magic, and I'm not jumping at Ira's every need." He studied the fire. "I can't tell you what is going on, because Ira doesn't tell me everything. He doesn't trust me enough yet, but he's planning something big, Abigail. He's convinced that you will be his soon. I can't protect you from it because I don't know what it is."

  I sighed. "It seems to be the theme of the month. Levi was called home, and I'm supposed to go with him."

  Oliver's head snapped to look at me. "What? Ira hasn't been called home."

  "I also think that their maker attacked me when I got home from Luna Grove." I shook my head. "He claimed to be the assassin that you warned me about. Nick has also warned me that the underground is after me. They've already sent an assassin." I leaned back. "I don't know what to do anymore. It's a matter of just defending myself against every threat."

  Oliver turned back to the fire. "And what does Levi think about all this?"

  "He thinks I should go into hiding. I just got back to work though, so that's not an option at all."

  "You wouldn't enjoy hiding anyways, you'd get bored." Oliver laughed. "So bored you might try to dig into other people's secrets."

  I licked my lips and turned to him. "Speaking of secrets…where were you the night my parents died?"

  His head fell. "I was working for a client. I called that night, and Levi answered the phone. He'd already made it to the scene. I never did find out why he was there." He sighed. "Elizabeth checked in with me almost every night, but she hadn't that night. I thought maybe she'd just gotten busy, so I called."

  There was so much sorrow in his voice. "You wouldn't have been able to stop it," I said suddenly. "No one could have."

  He shook his head. "It's not that. It's that no one was caught, and it was like Levi just brushed it off. He never pursued the case. He just let her die without justice."

  "Then we found out the cult did it."

  "That's not justice, Abigail. That's just a scratch in the surface." He shook his head. "Someone is working on it though. I thought it was you. But the Agent who called me said you were just informed that they reopened the case."

  It must have been Liz that called him. "They did. I had nothing to do with it. My team lead did it on her own."

  "Are you helping?"

  "I'm not allowed near it. I don't think Levi knows yet, or he'd be blowing up my p
hone."

  Oliver nodded. "And trying to put you in hiding again."

  I made an ugh noise and laughed. "Abigail, you must hide, it is safer for you in the mansion." I mocked Levi's voice. "I know he has the best of intentions, but that's not the way to get me to go into hiding."

  He laughed. "You are too much like Elizabeth for that to work. He should know that. She never wanted to hide either. Getting her to agree to marry Tobias and to have Tobias raise you was the closest to hiding she would get. Even that held its own dangers."

  "She still had contact with Ira after I was born. I was bitten once by him, I have dreams of these…creatures."

  "She believed that she could change him still. She occasionally still did magic for him in hopes that she could show him that they didn't have to torture humans and paranormal creatures to create a perfect world."

  "She had a good heart, despite her magical practices."

  "The best," he said. "But enough about my sister, food should be here soon, and I'm sure you're starving."

  I rolled my eyes and pulled myself off the floor.

  "I'll make us some tea while you wait for the food." He stood and walked out of the room. I looked down at the book in my hand and pulled out my phone to text Jack.

  "Set up a cleansing for Cynthia. That should help."

  I hoped Oliver was right, but the fact that the solution was so simple worried me. What else was there that I wasn't seeing? How did Zayden play into it? And Jon?

  ∞

  A few minutes into eating, my phone rang, and Levi's number flashed on it. I sighed and answered it.

  "What's up?"

  "Samuel is meeting us tonight."

  My heart skipped a beat. "What? When?"

  "Can you get to the mansion? I can take us from there."

  That meant traveling via vampire way, but I guess that was going to be the only way we made it to see Samuel. "Yeah, it's going to be a bit. I'm at Oliver's doing some research and stuffing my face. I think I have what I need though."

  "Good." He hung up, and I shook my head. I hadn't seen him so moody before, but I guess he had a lot on his plate. I shoved one more bite in my mouth and grabbed the journal. "Can I take this with me?"