Chapter 5 – Locheran
It’s been about two months since the International Supernatural Conference was postponed after hunters paid a griffin to kidnap Vara, a sphinx who is my friend Thorne’s mate.
Even though we’re trying to reduce deaths amongst hunters, several were killed in the fight, and the leader managed to get away.
We spent weeks trying to track them down with no luck.
The only thing we found was one of their hideouts, but it was empty when I got there with my team of gargoyle soldiers.
There were remnants of spells, which confirms what we’ve suspected: They have a witch helping them, either willingly or one who’s been kidnapped and forced to help.
Supernatural Crime Investigators are now scouring through, and following up on, kidnapped witch cases.
We also have a name.
The O’Herns: a family that comes from a long line of hunters.
The O’Hern name is one I’m familiar with. I’ve come face to face with a few in my thousand years of living. I’ve also lost a few friends to the O’Hern family.
It’s unusual for them to target supes in such a large city.
Either they’re desperate for money—the idiots believe gargoyle horns are good luck and sell them for hundreds of thousands of dollars—or they’ve built their hunting team enough that they’re confident they could take on an army of supernatural beings.
They’re no match for us unless they have tens of thousands of humans to fight.
Things have been quiet for the past few weeks, so the International Supernatural Conference is set to resume tonight.
It’s a big night. I’ve been part of a team of supes, led by the vampire queen, Layla, who is also Thorne’s mate because he was blessed with two, to come up with a plan to unveil our world to humans.
One that could mean war if humans don’t accept us, which is why I've been working on security and war plans if it comes to that.
A big part of making this work is aligning with humans.
Ones who’ve known about our existence. Or ones who didn’t know but recently learned and didn't freak out. Half of the attendees tonight will be human allies. There will be speeches from them about their experiences with monsters. Those speeches will be recorded and shown to the world as part of the reveal in hopes to convince skeptics that we’re no danger to mortals.
At least, not like the urban legends have led them to believe.
There will always be bad monsters just like there are bad humans. Which is why laws have been constructed. The planning committee has been working with human politicians to make sure both of our kind are protected.
Another part of the plan is public relations. Vara, who is both alluring and persuasive, will lead television campaigns and interviews after the reveal.
But the unveiling is still months away from happening. An exact date hasn’t been set because we want to try and get as many hunters as possible in custody. Not just here in New York City, but supes across the world are enacting protocols to deal with monster hunters.
After dressing in a black shirt and pants—I’m not really a suit supe—I grab my phone and head to the roof.
I launch myself into the sky and fly over to Prospect Heights in Brooklyn where the rescheduled conference is taking place.
I do my best thinking in the air. I’ve taken to the sky far too many times over the past few months, mostly because I’m frustrated that we haven’t found these fuckers.
But it’s more than that. It’s Farrah. She hasn’t called me.
I left her my number the night of Xander and Evangeline’s wedding, after I escorted her drunk ass to an apartment. I expected at least a text from her, but nope!
Nothing!
It’s been two months, and I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s driving me crazy, but I promised myself I wouldn’t be the first one to reach out. She might have kissed me, but I’m blaming that on the booze. I’m not going to push her if she doesn’t want me around.
It’s for the best because she’s Evangeline’s closest friend. She’ll be around a lot. If I fuck her and she hates me, then that will make things awkward in our friend group.
My phone rings the moment I land at the back of the venue.
“Hey, Silas.”
Silas is one of the investigative gargoyles on the task force I put together to try and find the hunter clan.
“Got a hit on a suspected safe house,” he says. “Tapped in to traffic cameras in the area and managed to get a photo. Texting it to you now.”
“Good. Have a team head that way to surveillance the home. Don’t move in until I give the order,” I say and hang up.
Silas’s text comes through, and I pull up the picture he sent. It’s in black and white, which isn’t helpful, but it’s better than nothing. The man appears to be older with light hair and eyes, and he’s a big guy with a stubby nose.
The problem with tracking down an O’Hern hunter is they’re good about staying off the radar. They’re smarter than I’d like, bearing false names, dodging cameras—even in a city with one on every corner. Which means we don’t know what these assholes look like.
I give the photo one more scan. The man is eerily familiar.
I’m certain he’s the O’Hern patriarch. Mally is his name, but before I put it out there, I’ll send it out to the team.
Capturing Mally is our goal, and we want to be one hundred percent sure before we order any soldiers to ambush him.
Mally will be the strongest hunter of the O’Hern clan and any supe who attempts to take him down could be injured or killed.
I make my way inside to find Xander and share this new information with him.
The ballroom is packed full of humans and monsters alike. It’s a strange sight that I’m still getting used to. The urge to mask myself is strong, but despite feeling exposed, every human I pass gives me a smile, or a wink, and not an ounce of fear greets me back.
I find Xander immediately, not hard since the fucker is seven feet tall. As I approach, I spot Evangeline next to him along with Thorne, and his mates Vara and Layla.
I frown because they’re all so happy—in love—something I don’t have and may never have. I swallow the jealousy crawling up my throat, because I truly am glad my friends have found their mates.
A head of blonde wavy locks emerges from beside Thorne’s big frame. I do a double take because I barely recognize her.
Farrah.
She had fiery red hair just months ago. Did she dye it?
It doesn’t matter because the woman, who’s been haunting my dreams every night, is just as beautiful. My cock jerks as I near her, which makes no sense. I’ve never had such a visceral response to another being before.
I give Farrah a smile, hoping my monster form doesn’t scare her away—this is the first time she’s seen me like this. The urge to go to her side is strong, and I shake the thought from my head and return my attention to the task at hand.
Get it to-fucking-gether, Loch.
“We managed to get surveillance images from a suspected safe house belonging to the hunter clan responsible for Vara’s kidnapping,” I say and flip my phone’s screen around to show Xander.
Farrah gasps and the sound nearly has me reaching out to grab her as if ready to protect her.
What the fuck?
“What is it?” Evangeline asks, but Farrah shakes her head.
“I, um, just saw a human shift into a wolf.”
I follow her gaze through the crowd to the wolf shifters on the other side of the room. It’s true that one of them is in their wolf form, but the way Farrah’s face has paled, and her heart races tells me she might not be telling the truth.
No one else seems to have noticed, or seem concerned, including Xander, who nods to me.
“Send the image out. We’ll talk strategy tomorrow.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “Relax tonight. Party. Find a beautiful being to fuck.”
“Xander!” Evangeline scolds.
My eyes widen, and I avert them to Farrah. Her pale face now fills with a lovely shade of pink. She avoids looking at me, bringing a glass to her lips to drink… and drink… and drink.
“I need another one,” she mumbles to Evangeline.
Farrah leaves, heading to the open bar at the back of the room.
Evangeline places her palm on my arm. “Keep an eye on her?”
I nod—because I was going to follow her anyway—and make my way through the crowd. For a short human, she sure walks fast. Even in that stunning gown.
God, she’s beautiful.
The sparkling dark blue dress clings to her body, amplifying all her wonderful curves. Thin spaghetti straps hold up the top, showcasing her cleavage. My eyes trail down her back side to her wide and plump ass.
When she stops at the bar, she turns to the side to fit between a fae and a vampire. The vampire, who had his back to her, immediately stiffens and sniffs the air. He turns, slowly, his face lighting up with a smile and his eyes falling directly to her breasts.
Farrah’s tits aren’t too large but they’re not small either. Tonight they’re pushed up and the mounds are mouthwatering.
That vampire fucker is nearly drooling.
You are too, asshole. You just ogled her ass.
Ignoring my thoughts, I narrow my eyes at the blood sucker. Farrah hasn’t paid him an ounce of attention as she tries to flag the bartender. The fae has also taken notice of my little mouse. He’s struck up a conversation with her, but she’s doing her best to ignore him too.
I clear my throat, loud enough only the two supes can hear. The vampire bares his fangs at me then turns his back to Farrah. The fae smirks but also turns away.
Goddamn it. I’m going to be worried about her all night. There are too many supes in the room who’ll want to have a taste of her boozed blood… or something else.
“She does smell ravishing,” says a familiar voice at my side.
What the fuck? Are my shields down?
“Get out of my head, Rorik.”
The vampire pouts like a fucking child.
“Aww, you’re no fun.”
Rorik, aka Rory Sevier, is the first known vampire.
He’s old as fuck and different from any other vampire.
He can withstand the sun, he can’t be killed, and he can read minds.
He’s been M.I.A. for centuries but once he heard about the unveiling plan, he reemerged claiming he wanted to make sure we don’t fuck it up.
Not that he’s part of the unveiling committee.
He’s not. He just always seems to be everywhere… at all times.
Humans have the loudest thoughts, so Xander and I have been putting him to good use against our enemies: monster hunters. The hunters have learned how to keep their thoughts guarded, but they’re no match to Rorik. He’s too powerful.
He can read supernatural thoughts, too, but we know how to put up shields to block him.
“And yet you do nothing to block your sinful thoughts from me. Does the human know all the dirty things you want to do to her?”
Rory smirks before giving me a wink.
I have no explanation as to why my shields are down. Not only down, but apparently, I’m broadcasting my thoughts loud and clear for this fucker to hear. If the stories are true, he’s done a lot worse than my so-called 'dirty’ thoughts about Farrah.
He chuckles. “True. I’m sure you’ve never fucked someone while draining them of blood. Do you know how addicting it is to feel someone’s life slowly fade while they’re wrapped around your cock?”
“You’re sick, Rory.”
“Ah,” he tsks. “Not anymore. I’m actually rather boring.”
I scoff because there’s nothing boring about this vamp. “Don’t you have some witches to go terrorize?”
“Locheran? Are you following me?”
The sweet voice of my little mouse pulls my attention away from Rory. She scowls at me before her eyes trail to the elder vamp and widen. A blush spreads up her neck before spilling into her cheeks.
“Oh, hi, I’m Farrah.”
She holds out her hand for Rory to take, but I grab it first.
“Absolutely not.”
“Excuse me?” Farrah asks, teeth grinding. “I’ll introduce myself to whoever the fuck I want.”
Oh, dear gods. Why was that burst of anger wildly sexy?
“Because it was,” Rory says out of the corner of his mouth.
He pushes me aside and takes Farrah’s hand from mine.
“Rorik Sevier, but please, call me Rory. It’s a pleasure.”
The vampire lifts her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles.
Farrah bites her bottom lip, her blush deepening. I stifle my jealousy because even I can’t deny Rory’s a good-looking man. His dark hair curls chaotically around his head, and his eyes are a sapphire blue. His skin is a light brown underneath the deathly pallor of being a vampire. He’s my height.
An inch taller, actually, Rory mouths to me once he releases Farrah’s hand and stands up straight.
Farrah is clearly attracted to Rorik, and every monster in our vicinity slowly turns their heads our way, sniffing the air.
Smelling her arousal.
My growl begins low—a warning—and when a few supes including a werewolf, orc, and griffin start walking our way, something snaps inside me.
I take Farrah’s drink out of her hand and give it to Rorik. He smirks, already knowing what I’m about to do since he likely just read it in my mind.
“Locheran, what the fuck? I just got that!”
She yelps when I wrap one arm around her waist and swoop her off her feet, securing my other arm underneath her legs.
Her eyes widen, and she hooks one arm around my neck to hold on, then pounds her fist on my chest with the other.
“Let me down, you big dumb gargoyle!”
“Can’t. Sorry,” I say, extending my wings to create space around us as I carry her through the crowd.
“Um, hello!” Farrah screams when she spots her best friend and Xander. She squirms in my arms, but I only hold on tighter. “He’s kidnapping me!”
“Are you kidnapping Farrah?” Evangeline asks, amused.
I tuck my wings to my back and come to a stop next to them. “Nope. Just protecting her from some horny monsters.”
“Good enough for me,” Evangeline says with a chuckle.
Farrah scoffs. “Traitor!”
I continue walking to the back of the building, finding an exit, and bringing us outside.
“I’m going to kick your ass,” Farrah says.
I lean in, my mouth just inches from hers. “Oh yeah, little mouse?”
“Yeah. Put me down so I can punch you.”
“Tempting, but there’s something I need to do first.”
I slip off her black heeled shoes, letting them fall to the ground. I kick them up against the wall, out of the way.
“Why are you taking my shoes off?”
She huffs and rolls her eyes.
“Because I’m putting you in time out.”
I extend my wings and bend my knees.
Then catapult us into the sky.