Her Vampire Suspect (Midnight Doms Book 11)

by Brenda Trim

  “If you know what I am, then you must be aware it’s not wise to piss me off,” Lucius snarls. “I have nothing to do with the deaths of any humans. As for my people, I cannot control them, but trust me when I say I will discover who is responsible and make them pay.”

  I close the distance, drawing next to Ava again. Lucius is angry. I get it. But I have been looking out for vampires for weeks, despite my attraction to Ava. It’s why I pushed her to leave even before she had a reason to be suspicious.

  “With all due respect, Ava is doing her job. She could have involved her entire unit, gotten a warrant, and this place would be crawling with FBI agents right now. You could lose your club in the process, but I explained to her that you are the one who will have answers if there are any to get. Please hear her out,” I tell the vampire king.

  Selene is graceful and sexy as she lifts off the wall where she’d been leaning. She crosses to Lucius and stands in front of him. I’m struck by the diamond choker around her neck. She’s worn it every time I’ve seen her. Regardless of what it symbolizes, she isn’t beneath Lucius in power and status. She is his Queen, and he treats her as such.

  “There’s nothing else to listen to. I suggest you both leave. What information do you think we have? Lucius will discover who did this, and take care of it,” Selene counters.

  Ava shakes her head. “A woman lost her life. She was drained of blood, and she was last seen being fed on by a vampire that she met in your club. And you stand here saying there’s nothing else to discuss? There’s a helluva lot more to talk about. You can either do so willingly or, Corbyn is right, I will return with two dozen agents and a warrant to search the entire place. You don’t want us finding the vampire sections, do you? All I’m asking for at this point is any surveillance footage you have.”

  I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tug her into my body. “You need to stop poking the bear, little star. This won’t go unpunished. If you keep this up, you’re going to get us both killed.” Every vampire in the room can hear me, but there’s no reason to hide the facts. They need to see I’m trying to protect Ava and am on their side.

  Ava turns her head and looks at me with wide, terrified eyes. She hides her fear in a flash and purses her mouth. “You aren’t in danger. You have nothing to do with this case. You’ve been telling me to walk away.” I can tell she believes her statement will keep me safe from any retaliation. The woman has no idea the dark waters she just swam into. If she doesn’t learn the rules fast, she is going to drown in them.

  Then Ava screams and grabs her head before she crumples to the floor.

  “Enough,” Lucius growls as he closes the distance between us. I glance up at him from my position on the floor next to Ava. “Why have you come here with her?”

  It’s impossible to answer Lucius when Ava is crying out in pain beside me. I have no doubt he is digging into her mind. I need to stop him fast, before she suffers permanent brain damage.

  I take a deep, but unnecessary, breath. “I accompanied her because I promised to help her deal with the perpetrator of these crimes. She isn’t familiar with our world. She’s convinced a vampire is responsible for the death last night, but I explained there can be no assumptions. Just because she saw him feeding from the victim doesn’t mean he killed her. I detected evidence earlier that we will follow up on as well. Basically, I’m her unofficial partner on this.”

  Lucius cocks his head and Selene steps next to him so she’s sitting on the edge of his desk. “You’re protecting our kind?”

  Ava stops screaming and her body shudders next to me. “Yes. You and your men have enough on your plates. I figured it’s the least I can do. Besides, I can’t deny I’m attracted to her.”

  Lucius runs his hand over his jaw, while Ava gets to her feet and pushes me away from her. “Really?” she snarls at me before turning to Lucius. “I know one of your vampires is responsible. Hiding information from a Federal investigation is illegal. And it makes you an accomplice. I need to see footage from your security cameras. The other victims were here before their deaths. It’s vital we know everyone they had contact with. And, I need Malik’s full name. How often does he visit the club? Have you ever had to discipline him before?”

  “That’s going to be useless. We don’t show up on normal video footage, so any tapes we have won’t be of any use to you. Vampires don’t have reflections, and unless it’s with thermal technology, it’s impossible to catch us on a recording.” It wasn’t the smartest response. I should have kept my mouth shut. She is having a hard enough time with my existence as it is.

  “What?” Ava suddenly stumbles and nearly collapses, making me lunge and catch her before she face-plants on the floor.

  Has the vampire king inflicted pain on her? I worry he’s erased some of her memory. In a split second, I debate if I should ask him. He won’t give a fuck about her well-being. I never considered he wouldn’t want an FBI agent having that much information about our kind. Of course, she might just be overwhelmed at the moment.

  The way Ava elbows me in the gut and forces distance between our bodies tells me she’s pissed all over again. Honestly, I should give up and walk away now. It’ll be far easier for me. I’ve lived my entire vampiric life outside of any political strife. There’s never been a situation where I wanted to get involved and stick my neck out, risking my existence. The problem is, my fucking feet won’t move. I can’t leave her to the sharks.

  “Who is this vampire?” Lucius demands.

  “She followed Malik and the victim last night, and saw him feeding from her,” I inform the king.

  “That means nothing. It doesn’t prove he killed the woman. My vampires know better,” Lucius tells Ava.

  She shakes her head and runs her hand down her face. “Look. I appreciate you believe he wouldn’t act outside your rules, but experience tells me this isn’t a coincidence. I saw Malik feeding from her, and she winds up dead hours later. That’s too much of a coincidence.” With one last glare in my direction, Ava storms out of the office and slams the door.

  I turn then pause to look back at the vampire king. “Should I bring her back?” Every cell in my body objects to that option, but I will if it means saving her life. I have to believe Lucius will do what’s in everyone’s best interest.

  Lucius narrows his eyes. “Don’t bother. I want to see Malik. I will make him tell me what he has done.”

  “I’m not so sure he’s the one who did this. There were signs she was last in the desert, yet where we watched him feeding from her was in the middle of the city. I can’t say with certainty a vampire is responsible.”

  “Your human sure is.” Lucius’s tone is teasing, but with a bite of power letting me know he finds no humor in the situation.

  “Ava is tenacious and determined.” I don’t bother trying to keep the pride from my voice. She doesn’t back down, even in the face of an apex predator. “When I encountered her downstairs a few weeks ago, I knew right away she was different. I’ve sent her away a few times, and she’s come back. I know enough about her to know she will never give up on finding out who killed these women. It’s more than just her job.”

  “I want her memory erased, and anything connecting the victim to my club erased,” Lucius demands. I want to curse and punch the fucking king in the face.

  Vampires in general aren’t a fuzzy bunch. Few of us have any real loyalty unless it’s to our chosen mate. Ava’s memories are so deep seated at this point that trying to remove them would leave her a drooling mess. I need to save this situation as best I can. The fact that Lucius isn’t wiping her mind himself is promising.

  I cross my arms over my chest and widen my stance. “There’s no need to erase her memories. For several reasons. I plan on keeping her around for some time, and cannot erase her mind every time I feed. But more importantly, I think we need to have someone in the Federal law enforcement on our side. That way, we’ll get information before we’re hit with an investigation like this. I
t’ll give us time to take care of the matter. She’ll be a valuable ally to have in our corner.”

  Lucius crosses to Selene and takes her into his arms. “You have a point. But if you really think she will be valuable as an ally, you should stop fucking her. Women don’t take kindly to being used. I will not cultivate a partnership with her, only to lose it when you eventually leave her. For the time being, you are responsible for Ava. If she steps out of line or barges into my club again, I will deal with her personally.”

  “Yes, sir. I will make sure this investigation runs smoothly.” I turn and leave the office before he can change his mind. I’ve got my work cut out for me. Fatigue suddenly weighs me down, making me wonder if going to all these lengths for Ava is worth all the trouble. It’s not as if I want to mate the woman, for fuck’s sake.

  Ava

  Bria looks up from her desk as I enter the office the next morning. “Did you find out anything at the club?” she asks.

  I stifle the growl wanting to leave my mouth and head for the break room and the second cup of coffee I desperately need right now.

  After storming out of the vampire king’s office, I climbed in my car and drove to the spot where I’d seen the vampire, Malik, feeding from the victim the night before.

  Normally, I’m all about the case and can remain focused regardless of what’s going on in my life. But everything is distracting me at the moment, and it makes me want to hit something.

  Last night disturbed me more than I care to think about. Corbyn was cold and callous. It told me all I need to know. He sees me as nothing more than dinner. A five-course meal, at that.

  I hate how hard and fast I fell for the guy. Vampire. I thought we had something special between us. When he looked at me, it was as if I was the only woman alive. And when he touched me, my skin ignited, while a force drew me to him like a magnet to metal. He deserves an Academy Award. His affection was so believable it had me lowering my shields and wanting more.

  So many explanations for why he fooled me into believing he cared were running through my head, I was up all night. I can’t believe I was so wrong about him. Sure, he is a vampire, but that doesn’t mean my ability to sense the fundamental makeup of a person no longer works. I pride myself on my ability to accurately determine if a person is inherently good or bad.

  And I know with everything I am that the night I spent in Corbyn’s bed meant something to him. His lips were soft yet passionate when they traveled over my flesh. His fangs felt good, and he gave more than he took from me. He held me with care. And he looked at me like I was a priceless treasure. But maybe I am wrong, and vampires are nothing more than a heartless bunch of supernaturals, capable of deception beyond my understanding.

  That doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t judge every vampire on the actions of a few. I believe that no matter what a being is, they are shaped by their unique experiences and genetic makeup. I’m not a nature or nurture believer, but both. Our genetic makeup impacts who we are, and our experiences only add to shape who we become.

  I shake my head and focus on pouring coffee into the paper cup. Going around and around in circles in my mind is making me dizzy, and getting me nowhere. I need more information.

  Focusing on Bria’s question gives me another aspect of the situation to divert me from my obsessive thinking. “I’ve asked the owners for any surveillance footage they might have, but I doubt that will tell us much. They gave me his first name. It’s Malik. They didn’t give me any more information about him,” I tell her. I’d asked, but I was thrown between pain and feeling light-headed during the meeting with Lucius, and never followed up before leaving.

  I’d considered calling Corbyn the night before and asking for more information about Malik but discarded the idea. I wasn’t ready to talk to him, but I also wasn’t sure he would tell me much. I have to figure this out myself. Vampires live for centuries. Knowing the name Malik goes by right now isn’t likely to tell me much. Who’s to say I’d even be able to find a current address based on that name?

  I highly doubt they use their real names or inform any official channels where they live. I don’t see updating car registrations and driver’s licenses as a priority for them. Do they even have legitimate identification or driver’s licenses? Lucius owns a business and I was able to discover his contact information based on that, so I’m honestly not certain.

  That is one of two million questions I make a mental note to ask Corbyn next time I see him. Part of me wants to avoid him and this entire fucked up situation, but that’s not going to be possible. Not only does he have information I need, but he can tell me how to handle a vampire. They are faster, stronger, and God knows what else. Being armed seems so inadequate in the situation. One look from Lucius and his wife and I had to hide the quaking in my limbs and voice. They could snap my neck before I ever registered one movement. I ignorantly believed I could handle the vampire king.

  I nearly pissed my pants as I stood there, fighting instincts that told me to take off and get as far from him as possible. I refused to allow him to bully me and may have managed to stand up for my victims, but the way Lucius ripped into my mind was proof enough that he will eliminate me if he believes I’m a threat to his existence.

  Bria tosses a pic of the latest victim on her desk. “That doesn’t tell us much.”

  I force my mind back to the matter at hand. My mind rarely wanders when I’m at work, so I have no experience in trying to stay focused. “We have no additional information. What I do know is that this guy left with our vic, but that’s all. We won’t get the smoking gun we want, even if they provide us with the tapes. I’m going to do some research to see if I can find out who he is.”

  “Shit. I was hoping you’d use your superpowers and come in here with the case solved. Let me know if I can research anything, otherwise I’ll be watching the autopsy,” Bria replies, then leans in closer to me. “Before I go, I want to hear how your date went. You didn’t call me, which makes me think it went very well.” She waggles her eyebrows.

  I chuckle. “Corbyn is… confusing,” I admit. “We had a great time. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known, but I’m not sure I will ever see him again.”

  Bria slaps my shoulder and shakes a finger at me. “Why wouldn’t you see him again? It sounds like he’s a good guy, and you had a good time. You know as well as I do that’s nearly impossible to find nowadays. You should jump on him and take a ride or ten.”

  “You’re incorrigible. I’ll keep you posted if I discover anything. Let me know how the autopsy goes,” I tell her before waving to her and heading to my desk.

  I sit down and hit the button on the white tower for my desktop computer. The flat screen blinks to life and displays the start-up process. Where do I even begin with any of this shit? Of course, my mind keeps going back to Corbyn, so I start with him.

  Clicking on the Google icon, I pull up a search bar and enter Inovius, Corbyn’s company. The results are staggering. I know nothing about science and research, but judging by the dozen plus awards for excellence, he seems really good at what he does.

  The FDA gave him his first human trial four decades ago, for his research into arthritis. But that wasn’t the beginning. Individuals connected to his company go back centuries in Europe. Only, I realize all these people were him. He couldn’t have kept his secret unless he continuously moved and changed his name.

  One document indicates he inherited the company from his father, who made several strides in various areas of research. Of course, it wasn’t his father, but Corbyn reinventing himself as his own heir to hide the fact that he is an immortal vampire. Fascinated, I click on various articles and learn more than I ever expected.

  Apparently, he made strides in the early 1900s when he discovered gold is a therapeutic agent. There was something about gold particles, colloidal gold, and a soluble salt made by the alchemists. If I am reading this right, Corbyn was the mastermind behind implementing potable gold as a panacea against d
ifferent diseases.

  Corbyn isn’t the vampire I assumed he was after hearing his comments to Lucius. He has spent more time than anyone investigating autoimmune conditions and various other human illnesses, and trying to develop cures and better treatments. A ruthless killer wouldn’t go to such lengths to not only save people but make their lives better.

  Going back to the Inovius website, I discover they have offices in several of the states in which I have discovered women murdered with a similar MO to our victims in Arizona. After being assigned to the case, I suspected there was more to the story than I saw, and conducted a search for women found drained of blood with a slit throat. The results were staggering.

  Initially, we discovered cases that fit this profile in more than half of the states in the country. We dismissed all but those in New Jersey, Kansas, Mississippi, and Arizona because the other cases went back at least a hundred years. The murders in those four states occurred in the past three decades—our assumed timeline. Now, I realize we shouldn’t have dismissed the other states.

  Sharp pain sets up residence behind my eyes, making me want to vomit. Life has never been this difficult for me. I’ve never had a case this challenging either. And the one component that made both feel like an ice pick stabbing through my temple is the existence of vampires.

  Refocusing on Corbyn’s company, I delve into a search for complaints, either from previous employees, or consumers. All I manage to discover is that there were a handful of patients who participated in the trial for a chemotherapy drug, who reported that their tumor grew faster. There’s nothing that sets off red flags for me.

  The last thing I wanted today was to find more to like about Corbyn. I am trying very hard to make a case in my mind for hating the bastard. I hate what he said to Lucius last night, because it made me feel used and worthless. But that doesn’t make him a killer.