Supernatural Night

Chapter 2

10 years later…

Damien frowned at the building he had been directed to. It didn’t look like any supernatural hangout to him. More like an old dilapidated building in another dark creepy ally. He hoped he wasn’t being sent on another goose chase. He’d had quit a few over the years, he was in no mood for another. He had to find the Guardian and he had to do it fast. Time was running out, Lilly’s life depended on finding this hunter.

Lilly’s magical powers had grown over the years, the Vampire Hunters had left them alone after the last attack 10 years ago. Some treaty had been signed where they had agreed to not hunt any vampire unless they violated the treaty or some such nonsense like that. He didn’t know who had finally managed to get them to sign anything like that, and frankly he didn’t care, all he knew was that they were after his baby sister again, and all because she had gone and healed a werewolf who would have died from his injuries. It turned out that Lilly’s healing abilities, could almost bring you back from the dead, but not quit. She could still save you, as long as it was just before death claimed you.

As if he didn’t have enough stress to deal with, the last tracker he had employed to find Elena had come up empty. How did one human manage to evade every supernatural detective and tracker in the world? They all had her scent, but it was like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. She wasn’t dead, that he knew for sure. If she had been dead, he was sure his sister would have blasted him into hell. He had to keep believing that she was alive. She was just being stubborn Elena, that was all.

Shaking his head, he walked up to the door and pulled it open. Music blasted his hears like nails and he quickly adjusted his hearing to dim the music. There was a thick layer of smoke in the air, he picked up a few herbal scents floating around in the air. Ah, incense, something to fog the mind of some unfortunate human that happens to stumble into the building. Supernaturals weren’t all accepted by the human race. Most humans were tolerant of some supernaturals, like vampires, because they offered immortality, if you could convince them that it would be an excellent idea to turn you. Others who were accepted were the fey, the playful sprites, some shapeshifters and the very reclusive leprechauns. Others like trolls, lycans and other not so friendly shapeshifters where not accepted by the human world at all, they were feared and hunted. So, places like this, gave them privacy and they didn’t need to fear that a human was going to start screaming about monsters. Not all supernaturals were easy on the eye.

Walking over to the bar, Damien ordered himself a beer, taking in his surroundings. If it hadn’t been for the weird shapes and forms of the individuals in the place, one would have sworn it was just an ordinary pub. Some were playing poker, some a game of pool, some were having private conversations in the booths and others were just sitting by the bar having a drink or two or more. Watching a very attractive lycan female lead a drunk human up the stairs, he realized there were rooms upstairs that catered for other forms of entertainment.

There was a lycan sitting at the bar next to him, looking up at the landing above them. He seemed to be taking everything in and everyone around him. He had that wild smell to him that all lycans had, as they were so close to the wolf inside them, but there was something else about him, that kept drawing Damien’s eyes to him. He had been told that the Guardian had a lycan who worked with him. He had spiky black hair and sea blue eyes. There were some weapons strapped to him under his coat.

“You gonna keep staring at me or what?” the lycan asked, raising a single eyebrow at him. He was built like a brick house and could be called handsome if not for the too square jaw and off-center nose that had been broken more than once.

“Sorry, but I’m looking for someone,” Damien said, not wanting to insult the lycan, they took offence easily, one of the other reasons they weren’t accepted by the humans. Their quick tempers.

“Aren’t we all,” he said, cracking a half smile, before turning his attention back to the landing above them.

“I was told I could find the Guardian here,” Damien said. He expected a reaction from the lycan, but the lycan just shrugged. Not dropping his eyes from the landing.

“What you want with the Guardian?” he asked, his hand in his coat pocket.

Damien wasn’t fooled, the lycan knew the Guardian and was obviously being careful. “My sister is being hunted by Vampire Hunters, I was told the Guardian was the one to put an end to our troubles,” he said, swirling the beer around.

The lycan whistled low and looked back at Damien. “What’d your sister do to attract those bastards attention?”

He had the lycan’s attention now. “She has magical abilities. She healed a lycan who would have otherwise died from the injuries he sustained.”

“Well now, that would be cause for concern for them. Can’t have supernaturals healed, when they’re supposed to drop dead,” the lycan said. “Leo’s the name.” he said, extending his hand to Damien.

“Damien Montgomery. I assume you know the Guardian?” Damien asked as he shook Leo’s hand.

“No one can claim to really know the Guardian, but yeah I know the Guardian,” Leo smirked. The Vamp was interesting. He was a warrior or trained to be a warrior, but he was also a gentleman. The two didn’t always sit well together, but the Vamp seemed to be doing just fine.

“Is he here? I really need to speak to him. It’s a matter of life or death,” Damien said. His whole body started buzzing when he had confirmation that the lycan was with the Guardian. The Guardian was his only chance of saving his sister from those bastard hunters and might be the only one who would be able to find Elena.

Leo’s smirk grew. “Yeah, the Guardian is here. Busy locating a stray, so you might wanna sit down, it could be a while.”

Just then a body came flying through the air to land on the bar counter. “Or maybe not,” Leo said as he pulled out a syringe and jabbed it into the guys shoulder. The guy had been about to get up, but the minute the contents of the syringe entered his system, he flopped down again, just staring off into space.

Damien stared at the lycan lying on the bar counter. No one in the bar had made a move to come to the young lycan’s assistance or even blinked in acknowledgement of him being sedated. This must be the stray Leo had been referring to. Young lycans were always trying to break from the pack, when they had an issue with their parents, wanting to prove that they didn’t need the pack or just get up to mischief.

A second thump heralded the arrival of a pair of black leather, knee high boots. The owner of the boots, was dressed in tight black jeans and a tight black t-shirt. All manner of weapons strapped to legs, hips and back. Following the path up the body, Damien realized the person had cold grey eyes. His eyes widened with recognition. It was Elena! “What the hell?” he muttered unable to take his eyes off her.

Her cold grey eyes stared at him for a second longer, before dropping to the young pup on the bar counter. No acknowledgement from her that she recognized him.

“You planning on tearing my bar up again?” Patch asked Elena as he calmly cleaned a beer mug in his hand.

“Not tonight Patch,” Elena replied softly.

“We good?” Elena asked Leo as she jumped down the counter.

“Yup, he’ll follow you to hell and back if you told him to,” Leo grinned, patting the pup on the head. He knew it would irritate the pup to be treated like a dog, but the pup wouldn’t be able to do or say anything until the sedative wore off and that wouldn’t be for hours and by that time, he’d be back with his pack.

“Good,” she says and then to the pup, “Get up.” Moving like someone who had just woken up, the pup slips off the bar counter, standing next to her, ready for the next instruction.

Damien realized that she was about to walk out without even acknowledging him and his anger got the better of him. He had been searching for her for 10 years and all along all he’d had to do was look for the Guardian! Did she even realize what she had put everyone through!

“So, you’re really going to pretend like I don’t exist?” he demands as she turned to walk out.

At his words, she stops. For a moment he thought she was going to ignore him and carry on out the door, but she slowly turned and pined him with her cold grey eyes.

“What do you want Damien?” was it a double-edged question? There were so many things he wanted to say, but he could see she wouldn’t believe anything he said.

“It’s Lilly,” he said, he watched her take it like a blow. He knew that Elena and Lilly had been close. They had been more like sisters than best friends and he knew that whatever else Elena had going on, when it came to Lilly she would always stand for her.

“The Vampire Hunters are after her again,” he told her. She had a death grip on the pup’s arm. He actually felt sorry for the guy.

“Has she gone rogue?”

“No, of course not.”

At his denial, Elena released the breath she had been holding in. She didn’t want to be the one to put her best friend down if she turned rogue. “Then why are they hunting her? The Hunters Association signed a treaty,” she said.

“Lilly’s powers have grown. She’s able to heal people. She saved a lycan’s life and word got out,” Damien said. He had hope she would listen. If she listened, she would help.

Elena frowned. Lilly had always been gifted. Not many Vamps had magical powers, but those who did were both revered and feared at the same time. The Hunters would look at her as a threat. They couldn’t allow a Vampire to grow in strength and stature. As it was, they didn’t like the Queen. She was the most powerful Vampire alive. She ruled the Vampires and was Chair of the Celestial Council.

“Take him to the loft,” Elena said to Leo who had been watching the exchange between herself and Damien. She knew he would question her later, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. Leo was the closest thing to family she had now. They had been through hell and back together on more than one occasion.

At his nod, she turned and stalked out of Patches pub to deliver the errant pup back to his pack. The lycan elders ruled with an iron fist and they would be dealing with the pup’s indiscretions.