Lib Novel Page 3
Aris has been sending Olivia, Percy, and Veronica to major cities in the area. As elections get closer, politicians have been throwing more and more events to fundraise and convince people to vote for them.
Last month, I identified a spike in vamp activity in each city, coinciding with political appearances. We have narrowed it down to just a few candidates at each event. Olivia, Percy, and Veronica are attempting to figure out which politician is connected to the vampire activity so we can apprehend them and gather more information about their plan.
“Byron,” Aris says, “great work. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and see if you can gather any more information about these events. Maybe trace it back to whoever is planning them.”
“Will do,” I say. I already have programs running to try and trace the originating IP address for the events, but whoever organized them went through quite a few steps to keep from being found. When the information is finally available, it’s very possible the details will just point to a public library, or a computer available for public use, which will require even more work on my end.
But I will figure it out.
“Okay, great work; report back to me with what you find,” Aris says, and everyone waves goodbye to the agents in the field before the camera cuts off.
Aris doesn’t think live monitoring during the mission is necessary, but, since I respectfully disagree with him, I hurry back to my apartment, stopping only to refill on energy drinks at the gas station and pick up food from the new Thai place on the square.
Once I’m back inside, I feed my fish, round up the empty energy drink cans, and plant myself in front of my computer, Thai food in hand.
Olivia and the others are likely still getting ready. I flick over to the cameras in the hotel lobby, trained on their door, then load up a game while I wait for movement.
Hours later, the door opens, and Olivia steps out into the hallway.
She’s breath-taking in a short, sparkling black dress that hugs her body like a second skin. She’s wearing a dark red wig longer than her actual hair, falling in the middle of her back in loose curls.
I wish I was there. To see her in person. To smell her cherry and almond scent. To touch her.
Except that I don’t want that. And I know better than to let myself run away with these thoughts. I watch Olivia make her way down the hallway, then flick to the other cameras as she goes, my game forgotten on the other screen. A moment later, Veronica and Percy come out of the neighboring room, heading down the elevators as Olivia takes the stairs.
It’s easy to track her progress as she goes, and I do, flicking through cameras and making sure to keep eyes on her.
I may not want to be with her—can’t stomach the thought of marrying her, or spending the rest of our lives together—but that doesn’t mean I want anything to happen to her.
Later, when I lean away from the monitors, I realize my Thai food is ice cold.
Chapter 2 – Olivia
“I can’t believe this is your last mission,” I say, trying to keep the whining out of my voice. Beside me, Veronica laughs, tossing her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder. Veronica doesn’t usually wear a wig during the missions but occasionally puts one on.
I think of one of our first missions together, when she surprised me by wearing a pink wig while I wore a brown one. It was like we were swapping identities for the night.
We’re sitting in a hotel bar, waiting for the event to start so we can hand over our fake invitations and join the festivities. My blood feels hot, itchy. The anticipation is almost too much.
Percy is off somewhere, weaseling into a cocktail waiter’s uniform. Even I have to admit that he looks pretty good when he cleans up, but he has this obsession with being staff for our missions. Last weekend, he was dressed as an electrician.
“The suits are itchy,” he had complained, when I asked him why he wouldn’t just dress up and come to the party with us.
“And you’re telling me that isn’t?” I’d asked, nodding at his jumpsuit.
“It’s not my last mission,” Veronica says now, drawing me out of my memories, “but Percy and I agreed that it would be a good idea for me to take it easy until the baby is born.”
It makes sense—considering the fact that there’s no precedent for this kind of birth. Veronica and I have already talked at length about her fears for the delivery—how Maisie and the other paranormal doctors who will be present will be dealing with the first childbirth of its kind.
The first true vampire-shifter hybrid.
A look of fear and exhaustion crosses Veronica’s face, and I know this has been a lot for her. Before getting tied up with the Rosecreek pack, she was a traveling nurse, and dated Percy briefly years ago. He ghosted her because she was a human—and he would have gotten a lot of shit from Aris and the rest of them for dating a human. It’s unheard of.
Except for the fact that Veronica isn’t a human.
When Percy was under the effects of Varun’s serum, he’d kidnapped her, his delusion making him think he was “keeping her safe.” After being freed from Percy’s cabin in the woods, Veronica was planning on leaving Rosecreek for good. That is, until she was attacked by vampires, and the venom activated what was, apparently, already inside her.
When Veronica swallows hard, then takes a sip from her glass, it brings me back to the present. There’s no need to talk about what this pregnancy might do to her, and whether or not the baby will survive, so, instead, I try to focus on a more light-hearted conversation topic.