2. Liam
Chapter 2
Liam
“ N o, Layla. I am going to come by tomorrow,” I say into the phone that is pressed to my ear. She has been calling me all week trying to get me to join them for family dinner, but between the long hours I dedicate to my restaurant, and the hours I work as the Protector, I have very little time left to give.
I took over the role of the Protector after it was assigned to me, when my father, who previously held the role, retired. This means that most nights, I am roaming the city looking for any disturbances or rogue supernatural creatures. We have treaties in place to keep all humans and supernatural creatures safe and it is my job to enforce it.
Layla, my half-sister and one of the most powerful fairies in town, works at Night Corp, our family business. She does so with the help of Colt, my half-brother. We all have the same father, Gabriel, but their mother, Jade, is my stepmother. But honestly, I don’t think of her like that. Ever since she came into my life, she’s been “Mom” to me. They are my family, and I love them.
My favorite sibling, however, happens to be Grayson Night0 or as I like to call him – Gray. He is barely fifteen and has been away all summer at camp. I can’t wait for him to come back. We got close as soon as he was born, and it’s part of our routine for me to pick him up from school every day.
I look forward to our one-on-one time. He is the only person who knows and understands why I deviated from the family business, Night Corp. The corporate world wasn’t for me. I needed to pursue my passion for cooking.
Cooking is a skill I got from my nanny, Mariya, who was with me practically my whole life. She was the only “mother” I had, until my father married Jade. This is why my restaurant is called “ Mariya’s” in her honor.
“But you promised you would visit,” Layla whines, which is very unbecoming for a woman of twenty-four.
“And I will. I will come over soon. You know you can drop in at Mariya’s anytime. I am almost always there.”
“I know. I will. Maybe Tuesday afternoon.”
“Sure,” I say, but between this conversation, trying to flag down the bartender, and trying to get my mind off the woman I just met, my attention is a little scattered.
“Great. I’ll tell Mom and Dad you said ‘hey’.”
“Please do. Love you, Layla.”
“Love you, Liam,” she replies before finally hanging up. Family is great, but it can also feel like a lot, especially when you don’t feel like you quite fit in with them. Don’t get me wrong. I love them dearly, but Dad and I are the only pure wolves in the house, which can make a sibling feel a bit different than the rest.
I was four when my Dad met Jade. I am a little hazy on the details of it all, but I know they had their back-and-forths before finally deciding to settle down and have a family. My father is a werewolf, my step mother is a fairy; which has resulted in Lisa being a fairy and Gray and Colt, being wolves.
Being the oldest, I’ve had to watch over them my whole life, but it doesn’t escape me that I am not one of them. They have hybrid blood running in their veins, whereas I was born of a union between two wolves.
My mother left when I was very young, and I never followed up on that. If she doesn’t want to know me, then I don’t want to know her. Anyway, Jade has always worked hard to make sure I felt like I belonged.
Most days, I did. Between her and Mariya, I’ve always had a mom.
There were some days, though, that I preferred Mariya’s company.
But now…
“What can I get you?” the bartender asks.
“How about a whisky with a side of lime.”
“Coming right up…”
I look around the bar, which surprisingly doesn’t seem to have a name, trying to see if there is anyone who will catch my eye.
I usually frequent this human bar from time to time for nights when I need to take the edge off. Most times, I end up in bed with a human, but sometimes, I come across a wolf who’s just passing through town, and we end up having a good time.
After the week I’ve had, I really need to let off some steam. And getting my rocks off with a pretty human female this weekend will help me get through next week.
The place is pretty chilled tonight. The deejay is playing some slow tunes and there aren’t many people dancing.
The ones drinking are greater in number, of course.
No one catches my eye, though.
Then my thoughts return to the girl from earlier. Something about her had stirred something in my chest, but she had left so quickly, like I had spooked her or something.
My eyes sweep the bar, hoping I will see her black hair lurking in a corner somewhere, but when I see no one, I assume she has already left for the night.
She did seem to be in a hurry.
Just my luck.
I return my attention to my drink and take a tentative sip, letting the liquid warm me from the inside.
Then I feel eyes on me.
I look to the left to see a pretty blonde girl. She is clearly making eyes at me as she swirls the straw of her pink drink.
She has on a tight, red dress with cleavage so deep, I am surprised her breasts are not falling out.
She winks at me, and I feel my cock stir in my pants.
Jackpot!
I lift my glass to her and she does the same.
Seems I am taking the edge off after all. I call the bartender and ask him to get her a second drink of whatever she is having.
Then I take a deep breath. I know this dance.
I have done this before. Usually, I walk over to them and say something charming. They will laugh. I will ask about their day. We will discuss our interests—most of them are excited when I tell them that I am a chef—then we get a hotel room where we get lost in each other for a few hours.
I can feel my cock jolt in anticipation.
The woman’s blue eyes track my every movement as I rise from the bar stool.
I’ve barely made a step toward her when I am stopped in my tracks by a loud howl.
I know that sound.
There is a wolf crying out for help, and I can tell it is near.
No one in the bar seems moved. There is a forest close by, so the sound is not an abnormal occurrence, but not to me.
My brain switches from sex to the imminent danger just outside.
I pull out a couple of bills from my wallet and toss them on the counter, then without a second glance at the woman, I head toward the exit.
My heart is beating fast.
It has been so long since there has been a disturbance in our town.
The moment I step outside though, I immediately know something is wrong. The scent of blood assaults me, kicking all my senses into high gear.
I follow the smell, the full moon illuminating my path.
Damn it! I was really looking forward to a chill night.
I take off in a run, rounding the corner before I come to an abrupt stop. The sight in front of me churns my stomach.
“You!” I gasp.
The black-haired girl from earlier looks up at me. There is a lifeless wolf on the ground, and her blood is splattered all around her.
Standing next to the obviously dead wolf, is the black-haired girl whose clothes are covered in blood.
Even so, she looks beautiful, the moon reflecting light on her pale skin. Blood is dripping from her lips, her eyes are bloodshot, and her hair is a mess. Her fingers are slick with the wolf’s blood, and as I came upon her, she was licking the blood off a metal stake.
By appearances, the stake was the weapon she used to kill the wolf.
In all my twenty-nine years, I never thought I would come face-to-face with another vampire. My last experience with her kind was when I was four, and that didn’t go so well.
My nails turn into claws. This is what I have been training for my whole life.
“Drop your weapon. NOW!”