Blood Catalyst

by A. L. Kessler

  He looked down at it in his blood-covered hand. "Yes, and then we have a lot to talk about."

  I felt like that was an understatement. "Go burn the heart, I'm going to change clothes," I muttered and walked out of the room.

  I got to my room and stripped off the leather and dressed in my PIB black pants and shirt. I felt a little bit more like myself, but I couldn't shake the nerves and fear of the brief meeting with Samuel. I checked my phone and saw a message from Merick.

  'Hope it goes well, return home alive.'

  I texted him back.

  'I'm alive, but I have a feeling that shit is going to hit the fan. The vampire who attacked us and Levi's maker are one and the same. He ratted you out.'

  It was a moment later when I got back 'oh shit.'

  That was about my response too. I took a deep breath and walked out of the hallway. Mario was standing there, his arms crossed.

  "What? I don't need an escort to the library."

  He shook his head. "Main living room. Levi is burning the heart in that fireplace. He wanted me to let you know." Mario pushed off the wall. "I'm glad you both are safe."

  I sighed. "Me too. Thank you."

  "Be gentle on Levi, he was just as scared as you." Mario glanced down the hall. "His maker is the only thing I know him to fear."

  "I'll try to be gentle," I promised and walked down the hall and into the main living room.

  Levi stood in front of the fireplace watching the flames. I welcomed the warmth of the flames and the feeling of calm they seem to give me.

  "Levi?"

  "Who was the warlock he was talking about?" Levi didn't look at me, and there was no missing the anger in his voice. "Who have you been letting into the house against my request?"

  I tried not to get defensive right off the bat. "I thought that request was lifted since you'd been letting Simon and Clarissa visit."

  "I trust them. The warlock, who is he? How often is he there?"

  I wasn't sure what I wanted to tell him. "Enough that he's saved my life several times." It was the best answer I could give without lying.

  "Who, Abigail?"

  I shook my head. "You're not going to like the answer, and we promised that we wouldn't let Samuel drive a wedge between us. You're acting like you can't trust me."

  "You neglected to mention that Samuel attacked you," Levi snapped. "I can't trust you to keep me informed of your safety." He spun to face me.

  I stared at him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that I was still a child. I assumed that he was the assassin that everyone was talking about and took care of it."

  "You don't understand, do you Abigail? You are my daughter. You are a being that shouldn't exist. Ira, Samuel, the underground, they all want you dead, and you're treating it as if it's no big deal. You are going to get killed."

  I took a moment to try and find my center. "Do we want to talk about things you hide?"

  That seemed to make him hesitate for a moment.

  "How much more have you hidden from me? You only tell me things when you seem to think I need to know. About my mother, my family, my past. What I am. Who you are," I growled. "Many of these dangers could have been avoided if you had just trusted me with information."

  He didn't respond, and I sighed. "I need to get back to the office and go home. I'm tired, I have a curse to figure out, and honestly, I'm just done dealing with this tonight."

  Levi put a hand on my shoulder, and I tried to shrug it off. I didn't want to look at him, because I had a feeling that this was exactly what Samuel wanted, Levi and I at each other's throats.

  "I didn't know that Samuel knew who your mother was and who you were."

  I believed him. Because if he had known, the moment that he knew Samuel was back in the picture he would have given me a warning and tried to get me to hide. "I can't tell you the warlock who's helping me. I swore to him I wouldn't. Just know that I can trust him and he's proven himself many times."

  Levi squeezed my shoulder. "Let me take you back to the office?"

  I nodded. "Let me get my things." I walked out of the living room and headed toward the front door. Mario was nowhere to be seen which made me wonder where he had run off to.

  "I am sorry that I lost my temper, Abigail."

  I looked up at Levi as I put my shoes on. "I think we both said some things out of anger and frustration. Maybe even fear." I stood and grabbed my bag.

  "None of those are emotions we can afford. You did well tonight. Focus on the person following you and your case. Let me know if Samuel makes another attack." After a moment he added, "Please."

  I nodded. "I will. Thank you."

  Levi put his hand on my shoulder, and he took me back to my office. He paused at the blood stain on the floor. "Abby?"

  "I'm sure you know it's not mine." I shrugged. "It's been a long day."

  He chuckled a little bit. "Go home, get some rest."

  That was the plan. I looked out the window and saw that the car was gone. Maybe they had given up on tracking me, or maybe they had the information they needed. Levi stepped up behind me. "Do you see them?"

  "No, so I should be safe to go home."

  "Be safe." He disappeared from behind me, and I took a moment to text Merick that I was heading home.

  ∞

  I walked into my house and threw my bag on the ground. It was late, I was tired, and I knew that I was going to have a lot to deal with in the morning. I threw myself on the couch and leaned my head back. I didn't want to climb up the stairs; I didn't want to move. The exhaustion started to settle in, and my eyes felt heavy and started to close on their own.

  The face of the warlock flashed in my mind, and suddenly my eyes were wide open. Fuck, he was going to join the nightmares.

  "Abby?" Merick's voice came from the doorway of the living room.

  I glanced at him. "What's up?"

  "Everything alright?" He sat down and handed me a cup of tea.

  I wrapped my hands around the warm cup. "Yeah. Samuel ratted you out that I had a warlock here protecting me. Levi wasn't happy, but I was able to spare your identity for tonight." I sipped the tea and closed my eyes at the familiar taste. "This is Clarissa's tea."

  He nodded. "I was able to find the ingredients and figured that you would need some tonight after dealing with vampire business."

  "There will be nightmares tonight, but I need some rest, or I won't be able to function tomorrow." I took another sip of tea and savored the warmth.

  "Why did Samuel call Levi home?"

  I shook my head. "I don't know. He said to find out what Levi was up to over the last century, but I think that was just a facade. There was never a different reason given though."

  "And you coming along?"

  "A way to irritate Levi and use me against him. It didn't work, but Samuel gave me a parting gift. He ripped the heart out of a warlock." I cringed. "I could feel his magic calling out to be saved, and there was nothing I could have done."

  "And the heart?"

  "We burnt it, so it couldn't be used in a spell." I looked into the honey colored liquid in my cup. "Have you heard anything on Jon?"

  Merick sighed. "He's in the hospital, stable. He was stabbed, luckily he was able to still transport himself to you. He would like to speak to you in the morning. Liz said that you came into work tonight, but you weren't in your office. She assumed that you were working on another case you were given."

  "I'll make sure to go see Jon first thing in the morning. I also need to speak to a member of the local coven who seems to have come down with a fever out of nowhere. There has to be a connection. I want to know why Zayden was sacrificed. Are your father and I still on for tomorrow?"

  Merick nodded. "He was able to arrange his schedule to make sure you two could meet earlier."

  "Good." I leaned my head back again. "Have I ever told you thank you for
always saving my ass?"

  He chuckled and took the cup from my hand and threw a blanket over me. "Someone has to take care of you Abby. Now get some rest. Hopefully, it'll be dreamless."

  It was a nice hope, but there had been no dreamless sleep for me since fighting the demon, and I had a feeling that the Alfie and the warlock would be joining the nightmares.

  I felt a familiar call as sleep dragged me under. Something wanted me to leave the comfort of my home, and had I not been exhausted, I might have followed it. But as my body relaxed and I curled up on my side on the couch, I convinced myself that it was simply my paranoia and that nothing was calling out to me in the night. No Samuel, no Ira, no demons. Just a quiet night that would soon turn into a quiet dawn, and I didn't want to see the sunrise today.

  ∞

  My phone vibrated in my pocket nearly scaring me to death as I jumped from my sleep off the couch. I pulled my phone out and answered it. "Agent Collins speaking."

  "Abby, it's Mason. I would like to meet you at the hospital to talk to Zayden's brother."

  I glanced down at my watch, holy shit it was eight. I'd way overslept. "Yeah, give me a bit. Sorry, I overslept. I'll be down there ASAP." I rubbed my eyes and wondered what else Merick had added into that tea. Whatever it was, it let me sleep like a rock.

  "Sure thing. Everything okay?"

  I nodded and then remembered that he couldn't see me. "Yeah, I was up late last night doing some research. I fell asleep and didn't set an alarm." It was the best excuse I had at the moment, and I hoped that he believed me.

  "Okay. I'll see you in a bit then." He disconnected the call, and I sighed. I pulled myself off the couch and up to my room. Merick was nowhere to be found, and I assumed he was still sleeping as well.

  I showered, dressed, and headed toward the hospital hoping that I'd have a fairly uneventful day, but the moment I pulled onto the highway, I saw the same car from the night before following me. What the actual fuck?

  The car swerved with me each time that I changed lanes and moved through traffic. I pulled off of the highway to take the longer route to the hospital to try and lose them in the downtown traffic, but the car kept up with me. I was driving a bright yellow hummer, there wasn't really a way to lose me, especially in the daylight. There were two things I could do, pull over and confront them, or continue to the hospital and confront them there and hope they weren't going to cause issues at the hospital.

  I was going to opt for the second choice. I didn't want to keep Mason waiting too long, and I really wanted to talk to Jon about his attacker. I moved through traffic at a normal speed and with less aggressive driving, secure in my choice. I pulled up to the hospital and took the turn for the parking garage. The car followed me into the dark structure but continued on when I found a parking spot. I waited for a moment to see if they parked further up, but when they turned toward exit of the parking garage, I got out of my car and headed toward the hospital.

  I wanted to text Oliver to see if he or Ira had someone tailing me, but I let it be. I didn't want to give any hints to Ira that something might be off and I might be distracted.

  I walked into the building and stopped at the reception desk. "I'm Special Agent Collins." I pulled out my badge and showed it to the man sitting there. "I need to speak to Johnathan Serif. Detective Mason should already be here."

  The man nodded and typed on the computer. "Ah, yes. I have instructions to send you up to the third floor. Talk to one of the nurses at the station up there, and they'll get you a visitor badge and let you know what room Mr. Serif is in."

  I nodded and hesitated at the elevator. I glanced around for stairs and didn't see any. I was going to have to suck it up and take the big metal box up and hope it didn't explode between here and floor three.

  I pressed the up button and waited for the car to come. A woman stepped up next to me and bounced on her feet as we waited. The doors opened with a ding, and I walked in, the woman following close on my heels.

  "Are you here visiting someone?" she asked as she reached and hit the button for floor three.

  I nodded. "I am. You?"

  "Yeah, a friend of mine was stabbed, so I'm visiting him to cheer him up." She flashed a smile at me. "Jon isn't a fan of surprises, but I figured he wouldn't mind someone stopping by to chat."

  She was almost too friendly. I pulled out my phone real quick and sent Mason a text.

  'Possible unexpected visitor, be prepared.' I hit send and almost rushed out of the elevator as the doors opened. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

  The woman raised a brow. "Claustrophobic?"

  "Something like that." I took a moment to check the response on my phone from Mason.

  'Rodger that'

  I looked up to find her already at the nurse's desk getting her visitor's badge. I waited until she was out of earshot before I approached the desk as well. I handed the nurse my badge. "I'm Special Agent Collins."

  The nurse nodded and handed me a white plastic badge. "Detective Mason is already down the hall, room three eleven."

  I nodded and fixed the badge on to my shirt before going down the hall. I turned the corner to the room and saw Mason standing outside the door, his arms crossed, and the woman arguing with him.

  "I swear, Jon and I are friends." Her voice was a fake sort of sweet, the kind girls use at the bar when they're just trying to get a free drink. "I just want to say hi and give him some good company."

  "No one can see Jon until we get his statement, and he's waiting for Agent Collins." Mason looked over her head and nodded to me. "Agent Collins."

  The woman spun around, and there was a look of surprise on her face. "You're here to see Jon?"

  "I'm actually here to get his statement and see if he can tell us who attacked him." I shrugged. "I guess that's sort of like visiting."

  She let out an overdramatic huff. "I want to see him to make sure he's okay and up to giving a statement."

  I walked by her and Detective Mason without a word. I had nothing to say to her. I knocked and then walked into the room when I heard a small 'come in.'

  I shut the door behind me. "Hey Jon, how are you feeling?"

  He cracked a smile. "Like someone stabbed me with a knife."

  "I hear that's exactly what happened." I pulled a chair up to the bedside. "Any idea who?"

  He shook his head. "No, they came up from behind. I felt magic hit me first and then the blade. I was able to teleport away from there and to your office. It was the first place I could think of that I would be safe."

  "You made the right choice, and it probably saved your life." I met his gaze. "I might have found the victim of the curse. I'm waiting to meet with her to find out more. What I need to know is if you and Zayden had any enemies here that would have attacked you and killed him?"

  He thought for a moment. "No, no one but the cult knew we were moving out here. He wanted to join the coven, and I knew they wouldn't accept me, but I wanted him to have a community here, so I encouraged it. I didn't know he actually put his application in."

  I snorted and then covered my mouth. "Sorry, it's just that I've dealt with the coven here, and they do have a community, but they aren't…accepting."

  "Not a good fit for him." He shook his head and then winced. "Agent Collins, I just want to know who killed my brother, and I want to see them brought to justice. Either PIB's or Cult's. He didn't deserve to die to be part of a curse."

  I nodded. "I'm doing the best I can, Jon, with what information I have. I'm meeting Seth tonight to see if there is he can shed some light on some things."

  He put his head in his hands. He was about to speak when the door opened, and the woman walked in. Jon's head shot up, and he looked directly at her. "You."

  She smiled, but then her eyes wandered over the marks on his shaved head and face. "Jon, what happened to you?"


  He just sat there staring at her for a moment.

  "Excuse me, but you can't just barge in here while I'm talking to the victim. You need to wait outside until I'm done -"

  "Agent Collins, this is my ex-wife, Virginia," Jon said softly. "I didn't even know she was in town."

  She looked between the two of us. "What's happened to him? Why is he covered in markings? I thought he was just stabbed."

  This was a can of worms I wasn't sure I wanted to get into. "I'm going to let him answer some of those questions." I stood. "Jon, are you okay if I leave you two to talk?"

  He shook his head. "No, I'd like to be alone. This doesn't concern her at all." There was a coldness to his voice that I hadn't heard before. I nodded. "You heard him, Virginia, it's time for you to leave."

  "Jon, please, hear me out?" she begged.

  He turned away from her and closed his eyes. There wasn't much more of an obvious dismissal that he could have given her.

  I put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged me off and marched herself out of the room. I shut the door behind us as we walked into the hall. Mason wasn't anywhere to be found, and it made me wonder what she'd done to convince him to leave.

  "Are you local, Virginia?"

  She glared at me. "I'm not answering anything," she snapped. "I don't have to. I can't believe Jon doesn't want to see me."

  "Was your divorce…amicable?"

  "Again, I don't have to answer you." She shoved past me and stormed down the hall. I shook my head. She didn't have to answer me now, but it was only a matter of time until I got her full name and figured out how she fit in this puzzle.

  I waited for a few minutes to see when Mason got back, but when he hadn't returned after ten minutes, dread filled my stomach. What on earth was taking him so long to return to his post. He'd said originally that he wanted to be there when I questioned Jon, but he had stayed out with Virginia, which made sense. But it didn't make sense that he'd walked off.

  Another five minutes passed before he walked around the corner. "What the hell happened?"

  "I was just getting ready to ask you the same thing. Virginia busted in on Jon and I. Turns out that she's his ex-wife."