King Takes Rook

by A. L. Kessler

  Table of Contents

  King Takes Rook

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  Connect with me Online

  About the Author

  Other Series by A.L. Kessler

  King Takes Rook

  The King's Game Book Three

  A.L. Kessler

  Copyright © 2019 A.L. Kessler

  all rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced without the author's written permission.

  Blood and Ink Designs thanks you for supporting indie authors.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Levi looked down at the letter he'd received from Hannah. The bitch wanted to keep Mario for longer, but the request for Mario to become Levi's second had been approved. It'd taken almost three months for the woman to reply. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Going to her while he was angry wouldn't help. He needed to go in with a clear head, get Mario, and get him taken care of. Who knew what the crazy vampire had done to her fledgling this time.

  He stood, leaving the letter on his desk. He probably should have considered bringing back up, but if Hannah were smart, she wouldn't start anything. He ran a hand through his blond hair as he used his vampire ability to take him to Hannah's house.

  Levi appeared in front of the large southern-style mansion and noticed that the lights didn't flood through the windows like normal, just a couple of lights dotted the dark walls. He raised a brow, normally Hannah had elaborate parties each night. He walked to the door and did the polite thing, knocked.

  He waited for a moment, and when no one answered, he knocked again, only for it to be echoed by a scream of pain. He cringed at the familiar sound of Mario's voice. Whatever Hannah was doing to him, he wasn't enjoying it. Levi tried the handle of the door, finding it unlocked. He pushed the door open and walked into the parlor lit only by a dying fire. Hannah was nowhere to be seen, and neither were any of her very dedicated humans and followers.

  Levi took a step forward, and Hannah appeared in front of him, her body encased in black leather. She licked blood off her fingers with long slow strokes of her tongue. "Levi." She paused mid-lick. "Impatient tonight, are we?"

  He forced himself to look from her bloody hand to her eyes. "I've come to collect Mario. The king has honored my request."

  She crossed her arms, making the leather squeak. "Well, I'm not done with him yet. Didn't you get my letter?"

  "I did. But the date has come where you are supposed to release him from your service." Levi met her gaze and let his power leak out from him, letting her know that he could force his way through if he wanted.

  She clicked her tongue at him and then spun on her heels. "Come, he's in my playroom right now." She looked over her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll need tending to. Since I'm not able to finish with him."

  Dread curled in Levi's stomach at what kind of shape he was going to find Mario in. It was just Levi's luck that tonight Hannah was in the mood for violence and torture, not sex. He followed her down a hall and then into the basement. When she opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, he could hear Mario groan.

  Levi stepped into the room after Hannah and found Mario lying naked, tethered to a steel table, face down. Blood covered his back, and more seeped out of fresh wounds. Hannah walked over to Mario, running her hand over his back, spreading more blood. "Levi is here to save you. Remember though, I can still call you home for certain things."

  She leaned down to whisper in Mario's ear. "You will never be free of me."

  Levi's hand twitched, wanting to kill her, but that would do him no favors here. He knew she had powerful friends that wouldn't hesitate to avenge her.

  She undid the straps that were holding Mario in place. "Now crawl to your new master," she hissed, and Levi felt her power roll off her. Her ability to convince and command people pushed against him as it soaked into Mario.

  "I'm not his master." Levi stepped up to the table as Mario struggled even to get himself off the table. Levi helped Mario into a sitting position and then wrapped an arm around him to pull him off the table, ignoring the warm blood. "Lean on me, my friend."

  Hannah stepped in front of the two, her eyes flashing red. "Don't forget, you're still mine Mario. I still own you. The King has merely delayed my fun with you."

  "Let him be." Levi let his power roll out and push against her. "You have done nothing for this man, except given him eternal life so you could torture him."

  Hannah went to grab Levi's throat, but he was quicker. He snatched her wrist and bent it far enough to threaten breaking it. "You will not touch me, Hannah, I am not one of your playthings." Levi shoved her back. "It's time we take our leave."

  Mario's eyes briefly flickered up to Levi's before his head dropped. Levi gave Hannah one last glare before he disappeared with Mario.

  Levi reappeared in the basement bathroom of his own mansion. The massive tub would be large enough for Mario to soak in and get clean without having to stand. "Can you bathe yourself?" Levi asked, helping Mario sit in the bathtub.

  "Yes," the vampire mumbled. "I need to feed to heal the damage."

  Levi nodded. "Get washed up. I'll call a donor for you."

  The only response he got was Mario leaning to turn on the water. Levi left the bathroom and shut the door. He closed his eyes. Mario was safe, he was back, and Hannah wouldn't be able to do this type of damage to him again. Sick, twisted, bitch.

  Levi's phone went off, and he looked down at it to see a message from Clarissa.

  "Abby's birthday is tomorrow. Don't forget you're in charge of dinner. I'll bring the cake."

  Levi glanced at the door behind him. Hopefully, Mario would be up to leaving the mansion, or they were going to have other issues to deal with. Much sooner than they wanted.

  He walked away from the bathroom as he texted Clarissa back. "Of course. I'll see you then." He shoved his phone back into his pocket as he made his way upstairs. It would be nice to see Abby, he hadn't seen much of her after she went on vacation with Clarissa, and even then, she didn't talk about much. Just work, because that's all she had in her life right now.

  He opened the door to his office and sat at the desk. Folding up Hannah's letter, he filed it away and looked at what else needed to be filed. For once though, he found his desk empty. He pulled out his phone and texted one of Simon's wolves that he trusted to feed Mario. Feeding from a werewolf would help speed up the healing. The only thing better was witch blood, but Levi refused to allow that in his home.

  A couple hours later, the wolf had shown up, and Levi had directed him to Mario and then left the two alone for feeding. He returned to his office and glanced at the text message on his phone. He frowned as Oliver's name appeared. Oliver, Abigail's uncle, wasn't one who contacted him often. Most of the time Levi contacted him because there was a need for a warlock.

  "Need to talk, call."

  Levi's lip lifted in a snarl. If Oliver couldn't say it in a text that meant it was either secret or dangerous. He hit the buttons to call Oliver.

  "Levi," Oliver started without a hello. "A little birdy told me something interesting."

  "Just spit it out Oliver, I don't have the time to play games right now."

  Oliver was silent for a moment. "I've had someone tracking Ira."

  "What?" Levi tried to keep his voice down. "Why?"

  "Because of what happened to Abigail at the press conference
. I wanted to make sure that I could know when he was in town. He's close; he's bouncing between here, Alaska, and the territory between yours and Lady R's, the no-mans land one."

  Levi sat at his desk. He knew Ira had been close, but why was he bouncing between places? "How many people do you have watching him?"

  "Two particular ones. I can't share names so don't expect it. But Abigail's life is in jeopardy as long as Ira is close to her. Is your guard around?"

  Levi locked his jaw. "Abigail can handle herself."

  "Oh, I know she can. I'm worried about you doing something stupid." Oliver let out a dark laugh. "Like falling into a trap that Ira might set for Abby."

  "I know better. But yes, my guard is around. He's now my second in command."

  Oliver paused for a moment. "Does Abby know?"

  "No, and I don't plan on telling her that he's my second, not yet. She'll know that something is off and demand to know why I suddenly need a second in the territory." Levi looked up as Mario walked into the office. "I need to go, let me know if you find out more about his movements." He disconnected without saying another word.

  Mario sat in the chair in front of the desk, a little flinch being the only sign that he showed he was hurt. "Miss me?"

  "Yes." Levi chuckled. "The territory has been quiet, and without you around to pester me, I've been bored."

  "No good cases then?"

  He shook his head. "Nothing. It's been quiet. Grayson had a case that included a vampire prostitute draining her male clients."

  "Did she get Oliver?"

  Levi snorted. "No, but I don't think Oliver fancies vampires."

  "Damn shame." Mario gave a dramatic sigh. "Nothing else? How is Abigail? Still in the dark?"

  He nodded. "She is. She's doing alright since her fight with Mina on the wolf pack property. She and Simon broke up after he took the Alpha spot."

  "So no romance in the air for those two." Mario laughed. "Should hook her up with a vampire, it might be easier that way."

  Levi shook his head. "I'm not sure if that's really her cup of tea."

  "It might be eventually."

  Levi took a deep breath. "I can't force her into anything right now. I shouldn't have pushed so hard with Simon."

  "You're like any father; you just want someone to protect her. That is all. Have I missed anything with Ira?"

  Levi glanced down at his phone. "Apparently, he's been between here, the no-man's land between Lady R's and my territory, and Alaska."

  "No threats?"

  Levi shook his head. "No, I think he's trying to lay low for a little bit."

  "That's good. It means that something we've done hurt his plans."

  Or he had something big planned. Levi didn't want to think about it. "Tomorrow night is Abby's birthday."

  Mario held a hand up. "I know exactly what you're going to say, and though I think it was wise for me to hide from her, now that everything is official and I'm your second, she should at least know that I am around."

  Levi locked his jaw. He wasn't ready to introduce them. "I don't know if the time is right."

  "It's either that or we continue with me sneaking around. It would just be easier if-" Mario paused as the security system wailed, the noise echoing through the mansion.

  What the hell?

  Levi looked at Mario who nodded and said, "I'll check outside. You check the cameras." Mario was already halfway out the door.

  Levi turned to the computer and typed in the needed password and looked at the screens that the program popped up. Something in the back had triggered the glass alarm, but he hadn't heard any glass shattering. He scrolled through the video feed and found that a small portion of glass had broken in a seldom used room.

  With the stroke of a few keys, he silenced the alarm. Mario reappeared a couple minutes later.

  "Nothing outside but a busted window in one of the bedrooms."

  "Let's go check the room it happened in. Maybe it was just a tree branch or something." Levi stood from the desk, and he and Mario walked out and down the hall to the bedroom. Levi swung the door open with no hesitation or caution. The hole in the glass hadn't been big enough for someone to sneak in without being cut, and the video hadn't shown anything going in or out. It also hadn't shown what had done it.

  Levi stood there staring at the window.

  "What are you thinking?" Mario asked, stepping up next to him.

  "That there might be magic involved. There was nothing on the camera." Levi stepped closer, being careful of the glass that was on the carpet. "The window was broken from the outside."

  Mario crossed his arms. "Is it possible that the glass was defective? Cracked or chipped maybe, and the wind blew it in?"

  Levi sighed. "Yes, I supposed, but that doesn't feel like the right answer here."

  "I don't know what to tell you. Except that I don't feel magic, so I'm going to chalk it up to a fluke right now."

  Levi stepped away from the glass, trying to believe Mario's explanation. It was possible that the glass had been chipped or cracked already. He rarely came into the empty bedrooms. The glass could have cracked and shattered from age, but this glass, with its jagged edges and no other cracks around it, looked like it had broken. "Call a company to come out and replace it. See what they say about it."

  Mario nodded as Levi walked passed him. Levi went back to his office, trying to shake off the feeling that someone was watching him. He wouldn't let Oliver's words get to him. Ira wasn't stalking around outside. He was hiding right now, laying low and plotting his next move. And when he made it, Levi would be ready for him. He sat at his desk and went back to the security footage. Rewinding and fast forwarding through the time the window broke. There shouldn't have been enough time for someone to mess with the footage unless they managed to do some set up beforehand. Something like looping the footage until the alarm sounded.

  There were a few people he knew who were capable of something like that. One of them just called a few minutes ago. Oliver.

  Levi picked up his phone and called Oliver. The wizard answered on the second ring. "Suddenly want to talk?" Oliver asked, his tone bored.

  "Someone messed with my security footage," Levi growled. "Your work?"

  Oliver was quiet for a moment. "No, I wouldn't touch your feed."

  "Then who would?"

  "I'll see if I can find out if Ira has a tech person working for him. I can't imagine who else would want to screw with your footage. What happened?"

  "A busted window, but it's not showing right in the footage. Doesn't show what did it, no damage before, just perfect window and then a hole in it."

  Oliver hmmed for a moment. "Anything else odd?"

  "No. But I'll handle it. I just wanted to know if you were messing around with my footage."

  "Nope." The warlock disconnected the call.

  Levi set his phone down and looked at the screen again. Nothing had changed.

  Mario walked in. "The rest of the mansion checks out. The window company will be here in a few hours to deal with it."

  Luckily for them, it was still a bit away from dawn. Levi nodded. "Thank you, Mario. Now, rest up and work on recovering."

  "I'm fine." Mario flexed his hands. "I'm fed and healing."

  Levi raised a brow. "Did she let you sleep during the day?"

  Mario hesitated slightly. "I'm not a child, Levi."

  "I know that, but I want to make sure that you heal and rest after staying with her."

  "I appreciate your concern, but I am fine." Mario crossed his arms. "And now you're stuck with me."

  Levi snorted. "I think I'll survive."

  The next night Levi stood in the kitchen looking at the fridge to see what he might be able to find to cook for Abigail's birthday dinner. It was the only time in the year he cooked now that she was out of the house. He looked at the empty freezer and sigh
ed at the vacant space. Maybe he could send Mario to get some steak before Abby got there. He looked at his watch. No, she'd be here any moment.

  Mario walked into the kitchen. "We have a problem."

  Levi raised a brow. "What kind of problem?"

  "The kind that comes with fangs and red eyes."

  Blood-starved vampires, great. Levi shut the fridge and looked at Mario. "Can this wait until tomorrow night?"

  "No, it can't, and I wanted to discuss it with you before Abigail showed up." He paused as the click of a door opening sounded. Abigail.

  "Too late for that. You need to get going."

  "This is important, and it can't wait," Mario hissed.

  Abigail entered the kitchen and automatically raised her gun. Levi put a hand up to stop her mid-motion.

  "He's not a threat, Abigail."

  She met Mario's gaze, and he smiled at her wide enough to show fangs. Levi knew it was because he was happy that he got his introduction to Abby.

  "Abigail," Mario repeated with a thick Italian accent. "It's nice to finally meet you."

  She holstered her gun. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are." She glanced at Levi. "I thought it was a birthday celebration, not 'spring new people on Abby' night."

  Guilt hit him. "We had a change of plans last minute." Levi nodded to the Mario. "This is Mario. He came for a visit after our recent issue with the blood-starved vampires." It wasn't time to tell who that Mario was his second.

  She tensed at the words and Levi didn't miss it. "Lovely, I'll leave you to your vampire business then."

  "Please, stay. I hear you're a PIB agent. I'd like to get your expert opinion on the case." What the hell was he thinking? Levi shot him a glare. On her last case, the vampires had kidnapped Abigail.

  The front door clicked open, and without missing a beat, Abigail yelled, "In here," before turning back to Mario. "My expert opinion as a PIB agent is that the case is closed and the person behind it is in jail."

  "And your opinion as a member of the paranormal world?"