Chapter 27 – Locheran
The witch who created vampires.
That’s who’s helping the hunters. All these years, Rorik said he couldn’t remember how he became a vampire. He always believed it was a witch and spent years searching.
He knows it’s her based on the smells I described.
But it’s all he knows.
He can’t remember her name or what she looks like. He can’t recall the details of the curse she placed to make him crave blood.
But he said he’d never forget her scent.
The smell of black magic.
This isn’t good. We’re up against a witch who’s lost her humanity. Who has likely been using black magic for centuries. What she can do to help the hunters is endless.
Witches. We need witches. Dozens of them to fight magic with magic.
And that’s what we’ve been doing for the past twenty-four hours.
We put out a call to local covens. Some of the strongest witches reside in New York City and they didn’t hesitate to help.
The witch who created vampires has always been a legend.
Now that we know she exists, and is still alive, the witches will do everything in their power to take her down.
Because using black magic is against the rules of witchcraft.
When the sun sets, I emerge from the bedroom in the apartment Xander owns. It’s in a building in Prospect Park, which is where the scent of the witch brought us. Rorik was the only one able to track it.
I can also sense my mate now. She’s close. I can feel her within my body, but the connection is still too weak for me to be able to pinpoint her exact location.
After showering and forcing myself to eat something, I head downstairs to the building’s common area where we’ve set up a command center.
Everyone’s here: Xander, Evangeline, Thorne, Vara, Layla, Millie, Teddy, and Rorik.
Anticipation and rage pour off the first vampire’s body. He’s yet to retract his fangs and his eyes remain pitch black—a defensive response since learning the witch who cursed him is still alive.
He paces the room.
“Send me in,” he growls. “I can distract her.”
“She’ll be anticipating that,” Xander explains.
Rorik shakes his head. “She doesn’t know I’m here. She won’t know I’m helping you.”
“She likely knows everything,” Vara says, sighing. “Rory, please calm down. You are too fired up. You’re not thinking straight.”
Millie approaches him with a human at her side. He’s a tall man with light brown skin and brown hair. He’s built but not as muscular as Rorik. The human smiles at the vampire, lust filling his eyes. Many humans who volunteer to be donors find pleasure in doing so. This man is no different.
“A meal?” Millie asks. Rorik shakes his head.
“Eat, Rory,” Layla says.
It’s an order from the vampire queen, and despite Rorik being older than Layla, she has precedent over any vampire who lives in the five boroughs.
Rorik sighs but complies. He walks over to the couch in the common area and sits. Millie brings the human over, and he takes the spot next to Rorik. She watches as Rory feeds, making sure the elder vamp doesn't go feral and kill the human.
Because he’s not in his right mind at the moment.
Millie’s mate, Teddy, sits across from Rorik with his elbow on his knee and chin in his palm.
“The first vampire,” he whispers in awe. “So cool.”
This is possibly the quietest I've seen the man.
“You’ve met him before, Puppy,” Millie says with a snort.
The cute nickname makes my stomach ache.
I miss my mouse.
“You’re quiet,” Xander says, coming up next to me. He observes the room; arms crossed over his expansive chest per usual as Thorne, Vara, Layla, and Evangeline continue discussing plans.
“I’m trying not to lose my shit here.”
Xander nods. “I know how you feel. Helpless. Scared. Enraged.”
He went through the same thing, but we were ready for it. We knew his brother was going to target Evangeline, and we quickly found where she’d been taken. We saved her and now they’re living happily ever after.
It’s been twenty-four hours and my mate is still missing.
“You should prepare for my death,” I say, the last word nearly cut off with the tears fighting to take control. “If Farrah dies… I won’t be able to survive without her.”
He places a clawed hand on my shoulder.
“I know, brother. But it won’t come to that. I promise.”
He walks away. How can he promise that? He doesn’t know what we’ll be facing once we’re inside.
“The witches are here,” a gargoyle soldier says upon entering the common area.
We don’t know what’s waiting for us, but the witches might. It’s why Xander sent for them.
Xander tells the soldier to allow them in and within a minute, the room is packed. Shoulder to shoulder, supes wait to hear the plan. Gargoyles, vampires, shifters, werewolves, witches, demons, orcs… the list could go on.
I should be the one up there giving orders. I’m the commander of Xander’s army for fuck’s sake. But my body does nothing. It can barely function. I can barely breathe, let alone move to lead an army.
“What we’re facing tonight is a witch who practices dark magic,” Xander begins.
He waves to a woman with light gray hair and crow’s feet around her eyes.
She appears to be in her sixties, but I have no doubt she’s hundreds of years old.
“This is Saoirse, leader of the New York City area witch coven. She can explain more about what to expect when we enter the building where Farrah is being kept.”
They haven’t told me which building yet. Probably because they know I’ll rush there to save her myself. Which would end with me dead. I could easily scout the area and find out, but I’m trying to be smart and not let the fated mate bond take over.
Saoirse clears her throat before speaking. “What I can tell you about black magic is it has no limits. It preys on emotions. It will feed off fear and anger, but it can be fueled by any encompassing emotion.
“The only way to fight against black magic is to take down the one yielding it. Unfortunately, a witch that has been using black magic as long as this one has will be hard to kill. She won’t be able to die from wounds.
Even decapitation won’t kill her unless you burn the body, douse it in holy water, and light it on fire. ”
Rorik has finished his meal and now stands beside me.
“What kind of spells would she be doing with black magic?” Layla asks.
“Any supe that is technically dead can be controlled by her. I recommend vampires stay to the very back. She could place spells or curses on anyone in her eyesight. She’ll also be able to manipulate someone’s will, especially human fighters.
Supes are harder to control, again, unless you are technically dead.
She’d need to get inside the head so make sure shields are in place before going into battle.
We’ll double up on everyone’s shields beforehand.
That’ll make it harder to cast her spells, especially since there are many of us.
Harder, but not impossible so stay alert.
“Since we don’t know exactly how she’s been helping the hunters, we should be prepared for anything.
If she’s provided them with protection spells, we have counter spells to break them.
Please be aware, if she gets through to your mind, she will try to use your fears against you.
She’ll be capable of hallucination spells.
What you see may not be true. To determine if it’s real, ask a question.
One that she wouldn’t know the answer to. ”
Saoirse searches the crowd until finding Rorik. She smirks, crossing her arms.
“I recommend using the first vampire as bait. He will be able to distract her while the coven implements a combined attack.”
“Yes,” Rorik says, the same time Layla blurts out, “No.”
Layla weaves her way from the front of the crowd to the back of the room where Rorik stands beside me. She wags her finger at him. “She’s the only one who will know how to kill you.”
“Good. I’ve been trying to die for centuries. I just want peace.”
Layla shakes her head. “I won’t allow it.”
“What will you do to punish me if I defy your order? Let me suffer more than I already have? It’s not possible. I cannot burn in the sun. I cannot die! Let me face the one who created me so she can fix what she fucked up.”
Vara and Thorne crowd around Layla at the vampire’s raised voice. She holds up her hand, letting them know she's okay.
“She’s not going to end the curse on you, Rorik. You know that.”
“Then let me be the one to end her life. If she is dead, it’s possible the curse will die with her.”
It’s also possible that once she’s dead, Rorik will never be free of his curse.
But if he is released, we’re not sure what it would mean for him.
Would he turn human? If he’s no longer a vampire, does that mean all other vampires are cured as well?
The curse has evolved. The rest of the vampire population isn’t like Rory.
Only he can withstand the sun. Only he cannot die by a stake to the heart or decapitation.
I always wondered how that’s possible. Rory explained that any attempt he’s made to pierce his heart or take off his head has been magically hindered.
He’s tried.
Everything.
Which is why he’s desperate to confront the woman who caused this, even if she refuses to fix it.
Saoirse speaks over the hum of the chattering crowd. “Let’s vote. Who wants to send in the first vampire to face off with the witch?”
Everyone raises their hands except for the supes who have befriended Rory: Vara, Thorne, Layla, Millie, Teddy, Evangeline, and Xander.
“Really, Locheran? No hand up for you either?”
I shrug. “I guess you’ve grown on me. You're still an asshole, though.”
It doesn’t matter because the rest of the room has voted against us.
“Then it’s settled.” Saoirse says. “Now, let’s plan our approach.”
After an hour of discussion, the plan is set. Once it hits midnight, we move in. The witches will take the front line. They’ll offer Rorik as bait. When the witch who created him emerges—if she does—the battle will begin.
As the hunters and witches fight, Thorne and I will sneak in through a back door. We’re hoping once I’m in the same building as my mate, my connection to her will tear through whatever is blocking it.
I just hope my little mouse is inside… and still alive.