Gabby held a hand up to stop me. “Coordinates?”
“Yes.”
“To the middle of nowhere?”
“Has she done this before?”
Gabby rubbed her eyes. “Yes and no. Once she thought she had a trail, and she left me and Jude messages. We followed them, but it turned out to be nothing. She resurfaced a month later.”
“Who is she hunting, Gabby?”
Gabby sat on the couch and sighed. “She’s hunting a woman named Adrianna Hyde. She’s a witch, a very bad witch. She’s killed so many in the name of vanity. She’s where Elizabeth Bathory got the idea of bathing in blood.” Gabby visibly shivered. She wouldn’t meet my gaze as she spoke.
Merick was suddenly back in human form and in the living room. “Liz wouldn’t.”
“She would.” Gabby glanced at up at him. “If she had a solid lead, she wouldn’t pass it up. The woman tore us apart, and we were lucky to survive.”
I glanced at Merick. “Cult related?”
“Not really. You know that Liz’s parents were part of the Cult, which is why she’s an honorary member. They came to us for help during this…situation.”
“And you didn’t think to mention anything about it?” I glared at him.
“I didn’t think she’d be stupid enough to take on a centuries-old witch infused with black magic, Abigail. At least not alone.”
Gabby closed her eyes. “She’s not going to live through it if she gets caught. Find her.”
“I only have the clues she’s given me.”
“Let me see. That’s all we need.” She scooted toward the map that was still lying on the table.
“I can’t give you any information on the case.”
“You don’t have to.” She said and traced her fingers over the map. She stopped for a moment over a spot. “Here. How long has it been since she’s sent you information.”
“Over twenty-four hours.”
“Then she’s in trouble. You’ll find her here.” She tapped a mark. “I promise you. Be prepared to fight. The only way you’ll get in is if they take you.”
“Who are they?”
“The army that Adriana Hyde has built up,” she stated. “The people you’ve found at the other sites. Liz is killing them.”
I glanced at Merick. “The need for revenge outweighs sanity. Don’t you think?”
“Sometimes, yes.” I looked at Gabby. “Are you able to tell me what she does?”
“Torture. She tortures you. She believes it makes the blood sweeter.” She gagged.
Of course it was torture. I ran a hand through my hair. “Okay, let’s pack up and head out. That’s a few hours away.”
“You can’t leave yet. Levi will be here in ten minutes at the latest.” Merrick stated, and at just that moment, the door opened.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I closed my eyes. I knew exactly what was coming next.
“What is he doing here?” Levi snarled.
I opened my eyes to see Merick holding his hands up in innocence, Simon holding his breath, and Gabby crossing her arms.
Mario followed up with. “And who is this?” He motioned to Gabby.
I took a deep breath and looked at Merick, who nodded. It was time to come clean. “Sit down, shut up, and listen.”
Everyone looked at me with wide eyes. “There will be no protests or questions until I am done speaking. And if there is, I will kick your ass out of here.”
Mario snorted. “The Princess is in a mood tonight.”
“I will put you in a circle,” I snapped back, and Gabby snickered.
At least she wasn’t afraid of the vampires that were standing in my living room. Levi and Mario sad down in the chairs near the couch. I sat back down on the couch next to Simon, and Merick leaned against the arm of the couch.
Levi motioned for me to go on.
“Let’s start with Merick. Merick has been the one watching my back here at the house. He’s the reason that I survived the attack by Samuel here in the house, the reason that vampires cannot pop in and out, and he’s helped me with spells.”
“He’s cult,” Levi said through ground teeth.
“No interruptions,” I reminded him. “I trust him with my life right now. He’s had plenty of chances to kill me, and he hasn’t done it.”
Merick nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head.
“The woman with us is Gabby Jefferson, Liz’s sister. She has some information that is helpful to the case that we’re working on. She believes that Liz is after a woman named Adrianna Hyde and that Liz will show up here.” I moved to point to the map. “We need to get there first.”
Everyone stayed quiet. “Okay, now you can talk.”
Everyone but Simon, Gabby, and I started talking loudly. I sighed. “Simon, will you take Gabby to get something to eat? I’ll deal with this mess.”
Simon nodded. “Gladly, she probably shouldn’t be here for this.”
I agreed and watched them walk off. None of the arguing men noticed. I sighed and whistled loudly, making them all stop.
“One question at a time.” I crossed my arms and leaned back on my couch.
“Has he been living here?” Levi asked.
I nodded. “Yes, first disguised as the cat I adopted. I had no idea who he was until he transformed to save my life from Ira.”
“She almost shot me,” Merick mused.
Levi frowned. “You said you shot Ira in the foot.”
“Because Merick distracted him. Ira had his fangs in my neck when Merick transformed.” I shrugged. “He probably saved my life that night.”
“He probably did. That was when Ira first tried to take you.” Levi glanced at Mario.
Mario shook his head. “The cat. The whole time?”
“The whole time. We chose to keep it a secret because I figured
