Chapter 25

Tessa’s POV

“She has the very same bite marks on her body as all the other victims around the city recently,” I pointed out. “Which means they really were vampire attacks. This whole time…”

I peered up at him as he nodded his head once.

“Yes,” he answered. “That’s why I’m here. To put a stop to that. The problem finding them and capturing them.”

Knowing there are vampires running around the city sent a shiver down my spine.

This death was too close to home. This was somebody that I knew and liked. This was my classmate. Just earlier this afternoon I lent her my cardigan that she was still wearing and is currently inside of the body bag with her.

This could have been any of us.

It could have been me.

I wrapped my arms around my body, hugging myself tightly. I felt cold and ill at the very thought that vampires were lurking around, draining humans of their blood, and killing them.

Joseph was a vampire, but he had said that he was highly trained. These vampires were considered new, and they weren’t domesticated yet. Once Joseph captured them, he would bring them to the vampire academy and have them train under more superior vampires.

“You live close by, right?” Joseph asked, eyeing me carefully.

I nodded, pointing to the large brick building right next to the entrance of the lot.

“I live there,” I told him. “In Ruby’s apartment.”

He glanced at the building briefly before looking back down at me.

“You should get inside then. It’s dangerous here to be wandering around at night.”

I frowned.

“What about you?” I asked, raising my brows. “Where are you going?”

“I have to take care of some business.”

“Vampire business?” I asked, fully interested.

It’s not often I meet an actual vampire and I wanted to learn so much more about them.

“I have to go to the Nightwalker police headquarters to report this attack,” he said with a sigh, shaking his head at me.

“Let me go with you,” I said a little too quickly, stepping toward him.

“What? No, absolutely not.”

“I want to see what it’s like there and—”

“This isn’t a game, Tessa. Or a field trip. This is serious. A student died tonight,” he said firmly, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I know that…” I said, lowering my gaze. “But it could have been any of us. They are still out there lurking around. None of us are safe… but…” I paused for a moment to gather enough courage to say this next part. “I feel.a little safer when I’m with you.”

“This is a highly secret organization. They don’t just let anyone off the streets into the building,” Joseph told me.

“I’m sure you can get me in,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “I’m curious as to what they are about, and I want to know about these new vampires. Plus, I knew Morgan and I would like to find out who killed her…”

“It isn’t your job to investigate this. It’s mine,” Joseph said, and I could tell he was getting frustrated with me.

I stood my ground though, refusing to take no for an answer.

“I don’t want to be alone tonight…” I said, peering up at him. That much was true. I really didn’t want to be alone, but I also was so curious about these vampires.

I was curious about Joseph.

“If you come along, you can’t tell anyone that you went to the headquarters,” Joseph said, staring into my eyes.

I nodded in agreement.

“I won’t,” I assured him.

“And you can’t get involved in this investigation.”

“I promise I’ll step back and let you do your thing,” I told him.

He sighed after another short pause, looking back at the EMTs and police that were all getting ready to leave.

“Fine,” he finally muttered, glancing back at me. “Get in the car.”

…

Joseph had driven for almost an hour until we reached what looked like a giant field. He parked the car and started walking towards the large grassland.

I frowned, unsure of where he was going.

“I thought we were going to the headquarters,” I finally asked after walking for maybe a mile into this field.

He didn’t say anything as he continued walking and then soon, he stopped once he reached what looked like a silver podium.

I frowned, furrowing my brows together.

There was no engraving on the podium, and it was randomly placed in the middle of this field of nothingness.

I watched as Joseph placed his hand on top of the podium. and soon an outline of light appeared around his fingers. I took a step back, unsure of what was happening. Although he didn’t seem as phased.

Just like something out of a book, the field began to transform into something completely different. It was no longer just a grassy field. It was now one of the biggest buildings I had ever seen.

I gasped at how beautiful it was. There was even a marble fountain in the center with a cobblestone patio that sat before a set of rustic red doors.

Without much more thought, Joseph began to walk towards the doors.

“This is the headquarters?” I asked, following closely behind him.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so… big… and hidden,” I said, staring up at the large and beautiful building before me.

“It’s a secret organization,” he said in return. “And they want to keep it that way. That’s why you shouldn’t be here.”

“But I’ve heard about the Nightwalker police,” I said in return, folding my arms across my chest. “Everybody has. They handle the most dangerous cases that the normal police can’t do.”

“Yes, people have heard of them. But nobody is supposed to know where they are located. It’s for safety purposes. They are also rarely seen by humans.”

“They handle a lot of cases with vampires, I’m assuming.”

“And other creatures, yes.”

“There are other creatures!?” I gasped. “What kind?? Like werewolves? Witches?”

“Let’s not get into that right now—”

“Stop! State your business on our premises,” A deep voice yelled from the entrance of the building.

I froze when I saw a tall and bulky man parading toward us. He didn’t look happy and the darkness in his eyes sent a chill down my spine.

However, Joseph didn’t look frightened or even the least bit concerned.

The man even had a ton of weapons on him, and it looked like he was reaching for his gun as he continued to approach us.

How was Joseph so calm in this situation?

I found myself hiding behind him, afraid of what this man might do.

“Officer Jordan,” Joseph said. Even his tone was calm. “We are here to speak to Chief Mulligan.”

“I’m not talking to you,” The officer, Jordan, seethed through his teeth. He was glaring directly at me. “I was talking to her.”

I needed to say something to him, but I wasn’t trusting my voice not to give away my fear.

“I…I’m…”

My voice failed miserably.

I just wanted him to see I wasn’t a threat, but I was afraid I only made things worse because now his fingers were wrapped firmly around his gun.

Joseph put his arm out to shield me from the wrath of this man. His voice became hard and cold as he spoke to Officer Jordan.

“Tessa is with me. For her safety, she needs to remain close at all times.”