WHO Killian OT Levi WHAT Completed Log. Killian gets the lay of the land from Elise's benefactor and mentor. WHERE Levi's office. WHEN Backdated to Februrary 22nd. A couple days after Killian and Rebecca moved to Willow Creek. WARNINGS None
Moving to Willow Creek hadn’t exactly been what Killian was expecting, but in the hunt for Elise, it was exactly what he needed. While he had yet to convince his sister to speak to him, he knew that time and perspective would help. In his experience, both of those things solved most problems.
The woman, Dolly (he believed), who showed him the apartment he’d ended up leasing had name-dropped what he understood to be an important piece of information. There was someone in town who might be able to help him in his search for more information. Perhaps it was the perspective. He’d found his way to Mr. Whitby’s office and made an appointment with his secretary shortly after they’d parted ways.
Now, he was headed back, armed with questions that he hoped would gain answers. He adjusted the handle of the bag on his shoulder and absentmindedly rubbed at the scars that Elise had left on his neck. He looked up when he heard his name called and smiled pleasantly. “That would be me,” he said, standing and moving toward the secretary. “Thank you again for your assistance.”
Dolly had told Levi that Elise’s brother had rented an apartment at the View, and Levi had recognized the name when his assistant had gone over his appointments for the day. It didn’t surprise Levi that Killian wished to speak to him. He rather doubted this was about an apartment-related issue.There was a tinge of apprehension or wariness as he eyed Elise’s elder brother for the first time, but only for a second. “Mr. Delaney, come in.” He opened the door for him after shaking his hand and gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. “Take a seat.”
Once they were seated. “What can I do for you?”
Killian took a breath and then smiled as pleasantly as possible. “This is probably a bit forward, but it’s my understanding that you’re a vampire. I’ve also heard that you might be close with my sister. I was wondering if you would be willing to answer a few questions.”
Levi’s eyebrow arched bemused. “Very astute.” Levi tried not to be too overt, but he was certainly a lot less subtle in Willow Creek than he was in Las Vegas. Dolly had said he was married to a witch. After his attack, this man had clearly done some research. Enough to recognize a vampire who wasn’t trying too hard to hide, anyway. “I met your sister on a bus three years ago. She didn’t know what had happened to her and had nowhere to go, so I took her into my house. She’s a special girl, your sister. I’m quite fond of her. What did you want to ask me about?”
Exhaling slowly, Killian nodded and tried to maintain the smile, but it fell. He rubbed a hand along his chin before scratching the side of his face. “Thank you,” he said. “For being there for her when I couldn’t.” It wasn’t his choice. She had run away and he had given chase for as long as he could, but it was hard to track down someone who didn’t want to be found.
Levi shrugged. “It was no trouble. I’ve enjoyed having her here.” He noted that there didn’t seem to be any bitterness toward Elise. The brother just seemed concerned for her and the pulse of his heartbeat rang true with his tone and manner of speech. It relieved a worry for Levi to know that this man bore no ill will.
Killian opened his bag and pulled out a large folder which he set on the edge of Levi’s desk. He flipped it open to show the pages upon pages of notes he’d taken. There were computer print outs. Some personal statements from those that claimed they’d been bitten and those that claimed to be vampires. He never knew who was telling the truth, so he noted it all. “In the interest of reconnection, I want to learn as much about your kind as I can. Can you help set apart the truth from the myth?”
Levi blinked. Killian had clearly done even more research than Levi had thought. “That looks very thorough,” Levi said, eyeing the number of pages. “Your sister’s turning has sent you down quite the rabbit hole.” Outside of Willow Creek and a circumstance like this one where Levi knew Killian and the family, Levi was highly skeptical of any vampire who would talk to a human. Especially one who had been attacked. Then again, the boy had married a witch. Perhaps the witch had connections. In any case, it was a bit of a marvel that he was still breathing. Killian Delaney - the boy who continually lived.
“If I were to give you the truth you’re looking for, what would you do with it? Which truths are you looking for?” Even if he seemed genuine, Levi had to be cautious. You could never be 100% confident in anything.
“I want to better understand how things work for you. I want to make sure that I’m safe, because I know my sister and I know she’ll be worried that it could happen again. But I also want to make sure that there’s nothing I can do to hurt her, either.” He paused, his expression shifting from sincerity into something a little sheepish. “Though, admittedly, I would love to do a study with you regarding your genetic material. That might be pushing it.”
“You want a blood sample?” Levi asked, the corner of his lip curved a little amused. “Well,” he quipped. “I can’t say you’re the first. To what end?”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” Killian replied with a soft laugh. “Another time.”
To his questions before, Levi shook his head. “I’ll be honest with you. Between humans and vampires there will always be a degree of risk. The hunger for blood a vampire experiences can be difficult to control, even with loved ones. You reach a point where in a moment, who a person is to you doesn’t matter. But as long as she keeps herself fed and makes sure she’s drinking enough, those risks should be mitigated. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to have a relationship with her if that’s what you’re looking for. ” Levi could have mentioned vervain then, but no self-respecting vampire would ever advise any human to ingest vervain.
“As for hurting her,” Levi sighed. “I would not mention this to her or even acknowledge that you’ve been made aware of it, but Elise is still very much in denial about the negative effects of sunlight. She spends too much time outside during the day, especially since she has chosen a non-human diet. I’d suggest doing what you can not to encourage that. Don’t ask to meet her in sunny places. Try to make plans with her after the sun goes down.”
Killian nodded, taking back the meticulously printed notes to add to them the information he’d received. He didn’t know much about his sister’s habits, but he imagined this man did. From what he had been told, he was fairly certain that Elise and Mr. Whitby were quite close. While he was grateful that she had someone to look out for her, he was saddened that his role as her protector had been usurped.
“After dark. Got it,” he said, finishing as he looked up to glance at Levi. He frowned a little and shifted in his seat. “Do you know anything about how this happened to her? Who turned her and why?”
Levi paused, considering how to proceed. It was personal information, but this was Elise’s family. And it was an event that had happened to Killian, too. He’d been attacked as a result of Elise’s turning and based on the question it seemed he’d been wondering why it had happened for a very long time.
“Elise was at a bar,” Levi said. “She met a young man who lured her into a car. Stolen. It wasn’t his car. He ripped out her throat and turned her there. He then dumped her corpse a few blocks away and disappeared.”
“I do not know who turned her or why. It is not strange for a vampire to pick up a girl at a bar and take her to a dark place to drain her and then dispose of the body. It is very strange for a vampire to do all of that and turn her. If it wasn’t fairly hard to turn someone into a vampire on accident, I’d guess that was what it was.”
The information was a lot. For a moment, he felt the room swimming around him. He took a deep, steadying breath as he closed his eyes and listened to the other man’s voice. When it came to Elise, he would stop at nothing to help her, to protect her. It had been his vow from her birth and it would last until his death. If she wanted nothing to do with him, he would find a way to support her financially. He would buy her art or pay the rent on her apartment. He would work something out so that he could still do his job.
His tongue felt heavy and the air felt thick. But Killian had work to do. It took him time to breathe and write down the information he’d been given. He couldn’t help but picture his sister experiencing what he had. Except she hadn’t made it out alive. Her throat—
He rubbed unintentionally at the scars on his neck.
“So it could be an accident,” he repeated, though his voice was muted and his heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. He could hear it in his ears. The anger, the disgust, had his heart rate increasing dramatically. He licked his lips and continued, offering a small smile to Levi, before he studied the pages in front of him. “Is there any reason for him to come back? Would he want her to..” He wasn’t thinking clearly. “I know shifters form packs and have a leader.” He’d read a lot of books. And a few interviews with some friendly, albeit condescending, shifters had helped with his research. “But I believe vampires are solitary.” He shuffled through his papers before finding the right interviews and nodded. “All the information I have leads to that.”
“Werewolves do,” Levi corrected. Each type of shifter was different. He wouldn’t call the Knights or the McKennas a pack...Unless he wanted to insult the Knights by implying they were like the Youngs. But Levi would never insult the Youngs like that. “It really depends on whether the animal they shift into is a pack animal.”
Killian nodded and added this information to his notes. Not every interview he’d had or study he’d given would yield correct information. Some people liked to lie.
“And I’m afraid that information about vampires is completely false. A tiny minority of vampires are solitary. There are definitely some advantages to being the only vampire in an area, but very few vampires are afforded that choice or would make that choice even if they were offered it. When a vampire is alone, it is generally because the rest of their ‘family’ as it were was hunted to extinction, and they often turn someone, in that case, to avoid being alone. Most vampires are enslaved by another vampire.”
“Is my sister?” Killian asked, his eyebrows knit together in a mix of concern and anger. “She might be ‘enslaved’ to the vampire who killed her?” His pen continued, but Killian was barely glancing at the paper, doing his best to watch Levi. His expression darkened, though he was struggling to keep things professional. He shifted in the seat again. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means that if the vampire who killed her told her to do something, she would do it. It would not matter what he told her to do or whether or not she wanted to.”
Killian’s pen stilled. He rubbed at an eyebrow before exhaling a heavy sigh. “Is there a way to stop that?”
“Decapitation or fire.”
“I think you misunderstand,” Killian said, his voice soft. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Is there no other way?”
“Not that you could do, no.”
Killian was quiet as he studied the man in front of him. “Is there something that you can do?” he asked. “I’m obviously not going to be around forever. But I need to know that someone is looking out for her. I haven’t known you long, Mr. Whitby, but I believe that you care for my sister. I just need to know that someone is going to help her when I can’t.” He didn’t know how he felt about being largely ineffective when it came to superheroes or villains or things that went bump in the night. He didn’t fear them, per se. But he didn’t like that he was useless to help the people that he cared about.
“I wouldn’t stress about it right now,” Levi said. “Her maker discarded her. If he ever has any intention to reclaim her, we can cross that bridge when it comes.”
There was an exhaustion that came with stress and the unknown. It came with time and truth, too. He nodded, though he couldn’t let it go. Some part of him needed to cover all the exit strategies. That was how he worked. He applied every part of himself into uncovering the facts until nothing was a secret from him anymore. It was his life’s passion to know.
“Do you have any questions for me?” Killian asked as he compiled his research and tucked it neatly back into his bag. “I know I’ve been out of her life for several years. I don’t want you to misinterpret my intentions.”
“Yes,” Levi said. “How long do you intend to stay in town? And what are your intentions?”
Killian smiled kindly. “Well, I’ve taken a job here, so I would hope that I’ll be staying for quite some time. Unless Elise asks me to leave, that is.” He hoped she wouldn’t. “I’ve been trying to find my sister since I got out of the hospital. I want to make sure she’s safe, but ultimately, I’d like to reconnect with her. Whatever kind of relationship she’ll allow, that’s my prerogative.”
“Are you working for the Knights or for Kingston?” Levi knew that Killian wasn’t working for him.
“Mr. Kingston,” Killian replied.
“Excellent,” Levi said. “I suppose I can let you live in one of my buildings then.” That was a joke. Mostly. “Mr. Kingston is a good friend of mine, I’ll have to touch base with him. Did you have any other questions for me?”
There was a quiet laugh, but he felt relief anyway, even if he assumed Mr. Whitby was teasing. “That’s good to hear.” Though now he wondered if there was anything different about Mr. Kingston, too. “I do,” he said. “Just one, if you’ll oblige me.” He pulled his bag a little closer to him, tapped his fingers once against the leather. “Would you meet with me again? My research is never finished and I would love to do a full interview with you.”
“I’ve always been one for nepotism,” Levi said. “You’re welcome to get in touch and schedule another appointment any time.”
“Wonderful,” Killian said, offering a broad smile as he stood and extended his hand to Levi. “Thank you so very much for your time and your help. It’s been a pleasure meeting with you. I look forward to speaking with you again in the future.”
Levi’s smile was a little wry, but genuine as he shook Killian’s hand. “Welcome to Willow Creek.”