Page 52 of Blood Illusions

Damon’s frown turned into a cruel smile. “So you say.”

Dr. Gould gave him a cool stare. “I know hunters and the PMC personnel have not always been on the best of terms?—”

Damon snickered under his breath, a smug smirk on his face.

“But we need to work together,” Dr. Gould pleaded, his desperation evident in his voice.

“Stop.” Tim pounded a fist on the table. “We need to find out why this Maci brought those bloodsuckers into our world and why she’s ruthlessly taking innocent lives.”

Damon winced and looked at him apologetically.

“I have a question.” I stared at Dr. Gould. “You have people hunting for this Maci and these vampires?”

Dr. Gould looked at me curiously. “‘Yes, why?”

I studied him. “Our dad, John Grant, is missing. Do you know him?”

He gave me a kind smile. “John Grant is well known in our world. He’s an excellent hunter.”

Damon gave him a steady stare. “You didn’t answer her question.”

“I realize that,” Dr. Gould clarified. “During our investigations, we’ve heard rumors about him.”

I glared at Justice. He said he didn’t know anything about Dad. Lying only confirmed he couldn’t be trusted.

As if sensing my distrust, Justice blurted, “I didn’t know anything about your dad until I returned to the PMC.”

Instead of looking at him, I concentrated on Dr. Gould. “What have you heard?”

“Have you ever heard of a place called St. Marinus Abbey by the Lake?” he asked softly.

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the place. I remembered Dad’s journal, filled with notes and observations about supernatural occurrences in that area.

Before I could answer, Damon blurted, “Yeah, Dad had it marked in one of his journals. Called it a ‘hotspot for supernatural weirdness’ or something like that. He had a whole bunch of scribbles about strange happenings around there. Never got around to checking it out ourselves, though. Why, is he there?”

“He was,” Dr. Gould replied cautiously.

“Meaning what?” I persisted. My heart pounded harder and faster.

Dr. Gould stared at me, and pity formed in his eyes. Pity that I didn’t want.

He sighed deeply. “According to these records, the last known location of your father was at the ancient monastery on the outskirts of town,” he stated with a hint of hesitation.

My heart rate increased as fear crept into my mind. I leaned forward, determined to get answers. “You’re not telling me everything,” I stated firmly, locking eyes with Dr. Gould.

He shifted in his chair and glanced at Justice for support. I placed my hand on Dr. Gould’s imploringly. “Please,” I pleaded as my voice cracked. “I need to know the truth.”

“My team and I found a pool of blood and a dead body,” Justice admitted.

Damon clenched his jaw, fear flashing in his eyes. “Dad’s?”

“No. The blood was near the body and nowhere else.” Justice gave him a sorrowful look and shook his head solemnly. “We don’t know what happened to your father, though. Like I told you earlier, he was supposed to remain at the safe house.

“After we learned he wasn’t there, my team and I tracked him to the monastery. When we arrived there, the creatures attacked us.” He paused, unable to meet our gaze. “Some of my team were badly injured, and we had to get them back to the PMC. Unfortunately, we lost your father’s trail.”

Tim frowned. “Who was killed?”

Sadness slid into Justice’s eyes. “The caretaker. His blood and marrow were drained like the victims we found at Shadow Mine.” He bowed his head. “Your father believed your mother’s killer was hiding in the monastery. I believe by now he’s either been captured or is hiding somewhere inside.”

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