Shadow Lake Vampire Society - Wendi Wilson Page 0,56

faces expectantly and didn’t like what I saw.

“She was probably lying, Piper,” Levi said, his voice soft and tender. “She was trying to get under your skin.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head rapidly. “She brought him up, said he was poking around in something he shouldn’t have been. How could she know about him if she wasn’t telling the truth?”

“We all know your father died from a vampire attack,” Levi said gently. “She was using that information against you. To torture you.”

Could he be right? No.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Levi,” I said aloud. “She was getting ready to wipe my memory. Why would she make up some lie to torture me about my dad when I would forget it less than a minute later? No. She knows something. I know she does.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Dean Purty said, “but I doubt she’ll tell me anything. If she has any information about a vampire killing a man and leaving evidence behind, she’d be executed, and she knows it.”

“But she said it in front of Lars,” I responded, flinching at the pleading note in my voice. “And Micah and Naveen were on the dock, so they probably heard her, too.”

“And I’m sure she’ll tell them she was lying to mess with you,” Levi said. Then he looked at Dean Purty. “I think I should take Piper to The Society.”

“I don’t know, Levi,” the dean replied. “It could be dangerous.”

“If there’s any truth to what Sarah said…”

“What are you talking about?” I asked when Levi’s words trailed off.

The dean looked from me, to Levi, then at Sasha, who nodded. His dark eyes landed back on me, and he sighed.

“The Shadow Lake Vampire Society,” he explained, “monitors all vampire activity in the northwestern United States, enforces our laws, and enacts punishment for breaking those laws.”

“Members of The Society reside in the Thornberry Estate about twenty miles from here,” Levi said.

“An estate?” I asked.

“The Society’s leader owns it,” Dean Purty answered. “Only humans who know about us and have been deemed trustworthy can visit.”

He gave Levi a pointed look, and Levi shrugged. I knew what it meant.

Levi trusted me.

The thought filled me with warmth, but I beat it back and promised myself I’d revel in it later. I needed to focus.

“You want to take me to this society and ask around about my father’s death?” I asked, unable to suppress the note of hope in my voice.

“Yes,” he said. “If there are any clues that could lead us to your father’s murderer, we’ll find them within the walls of the Thornberry Estate and with its leader. He and the Shadow Lake Vampire Society have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“But… My dad died over a year ago. If The Society knows who killed him, wouldn’t he or she already be dead for breaking vampire law?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Levi said, his expression earnest.

“And if there was any truth to Sarah’s claims that my father was killed for poking around in something he should’ve left alone?” I asked, a shiver skittering down my spine at the thought.

“We’ll find that out, too,” Levi assured me. “I want to help you find some closure, Piper, and The Society is our best bet.”

I nodded, blinking back the stinging moisture in my eyes. I refused to cry, even if they were tears of joy and gratitude.

I was going to find the truth about my father’s death. And nothing was going to stop me.

Chapter Twenty

I stared up at the mansion—lit with decorative landscaping lights that highlighted its opulence and splendor—and took several deep breaths.

Beside me, Levi noticed my anxiety. “It’ll be okay, Piper. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

I nodded, slipping my hand in his. His fingers laced through mine, giving me the strength to see this through.

The Thornberry Estate was intimidating enough even if you didn’t know it was filled with vampires. I’d looked it up on the one ancient office computer the staff used to check their email during rest time, between swimming and crafts. I had to use the community PC because my phone had gone missing during my abduction and had yet to resurface. Between articles, I spent time worrying that Sarah had it and was poking through my texts and messages.

The Thornberry Estate was once a prestigious lodging, but had since served as a residence to the uber-rich Thornberry Family. Moguls in real estate since the 1800s, the Thornberrys were very wealthy and very secretive. They didn’t attend society events or vacation