My Unexpected Mate

By Tessa Lilly

In a world ravaged by fear and violence, humanity wages a merciless war against supernatural beings.
Gabriel, a brooding warlock haunted by the loss of his family, embraces a life devoid of love while honing his magical skills and evading the inquisitors. His only companion is his loyal friend, Nick.
Aria, a beautiful witch unaware of her powers, is forced to flee her destroyed village and seeks help in the city. Her path intertwines with Gabriel's, but who are they to each other?
As their kind faces imminent destruction, they must find each other in time to save themselves and preserve their future.
Will they overcome their pasts and unite against the encroaching darkness? Their journey will test their strength and reveal the power of love amidst chaos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: supernovel
• Release date: Aug 2, 2023

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE - Inquisition

Gabriel’s POV

The smell of burnt flesh was the only thing in the air these days. It was making me sick. The only thing that helped was this cheap wine I was drinking. I was halfway through my second bottle when Louis walked in carrying a box full of liquor.

They burned another one today. Man, you would think we would have left witch-hunting in the Middle Ages, he said, putting the box down. He looked at me frowning. How many of those are you going to drink today? he asked pointing at my now almost empty bottle.

I looked at him and pulled my wallet out. Until I give you all my money.

You know I shouldn’t even be serving you. There is a rumor about you.

I was lucky he didn’t believe in witches and warlocks. Or any supernatural being for that matter. Because the rumors were true. I am a warlock.

What rumor? I asked, knowing damn well what he was going to say.

He coughed and pulled a towel to wipe some glasses that were drying on the bar.

You know… They say you are a… he was nervous and didn’t even look at me.

I’m a what, Louis?

Warlock, he said, lowering his voice.

If I wasn’t one, I wouldn’t even have heard him.

Well, if that was true, I would be on one of those poles in the middle of the main square by now, I said, drinking the last of my wine. Give me another bottle, would you?

He frowned and went to the back room.

I looked around. There weren’t many people in the bar. They were all afraid to be out at this time of the night. When the new inquisition started a lot of people ran from the cities and were in hiding. Inquisitors condemned people without proper investigation. Just like the first time. A lot of humans died. A lot of werewolves and vampires died as well. Some were my friends, some were my enemies. But I would never wish such death on anyone. Despite my reputation, I wasn’t that cruel. They didn’t only burn them. They were torturing them, killing their loved ones in front of them, and starving them. When you were captured by them it didn’t mean instant death. It meant suffering for months. I think that was even more terrifying than just simply dying. By the end, most of them were probably happy to be on that pole. It meant the end of suffering.

You drank my stash, Louis said, coming back from the back room. I had to dig pretty deep to find this one, he said and put the bottle in front of me.

Well, I'll pay you to have them, Lou.

I got my wallet and handed him the money.

Maybe you should drink this at home, Gabriel, Louis said, looking at the clock. It’s getting pretty late, and if I don’t close soon those witch hunters will be all up in my ass.

Sounds even better. It smells like crap here, you know, I laughed.

I liked Louis. He was an old man. A human. He had gray hair that went down past his shoulders, dark eyes, and a wrinkled face. He didn’t have a wife or a child. He had this bar. And even though it was a dump where only drunks and shady people came in, he loved it. He once said to me that his bar couldn’t leave him as Carol had. He refused to talk about her, and I didn’t insist. Even though a lot of his clients were supernatural beings, he wasn’t aware. Or maybe he was. I was not interested in finding out. He and my neighbor Nick were the only ones I would remotely describe as my friends. Louis’s crappy, dark bar was more of a home to me than my own house. Ever since they killed the woman who raised me. Now it’s just an empty space that reminds me of her, my guilt, and the possibility of me being tied up to that pole.

I started getting up, but I felt dizzy. This red mush he called wine was getting to me. I liked it. It was far better than being pissed off all the time.

Damn Lou, I like your wine.

I was at the door when Louis called out to me.

Gabe.

Yeah, Lou?

Get a haircut. You look more like a werewolf than the thing they say you are.

I laughed. Fortunately, the bar was now empty. If not, I would have to kill him and everybody who heard that. I wasn’t planning on killing my friend today.

I got out and started walking to my so-called home.

Aria’s POV

My Dear,

If you are reading this, it means they have caught me. I am so sorry. I never wanted you to be alone. I spent 20 years of my life taking care of you. You are my sunshine. If I could, I would be with you forever. But these are dark times my Aria. Soul-wrenching dark. I am somewhat glad I don’t have to live anymore. To see all the suffering of our kind. But I would like to be with you through everything that is going to happen. Even though I know how strong you are, I wish I was by your side. To comfort you. To hold you like I did all those times through your childhood. You are the key to stopping this, Aria. I need you to find someone. Her name is Claudia Richardson. She lives somewhere in Moon City. She has a prophecy. You need to find her and let her know you are alive. I wish I could tell you more. I wish I could help you. I can only leave you knowing how strong and smart you are. Knowing you will make the pain go away.

I will always be watching you and taking care of you from afar.

Love, Grandma.

I couldn’t cry anymore. I’ve read her letter over and over. Each time I understood less. Who was Claudia? What prophecy? How could I stop the war between our kind and humans? I was nobody. A little witch who lived in a small village with her grandma. I wasn’t important or powerful. I didn’t have any special skills. I was not gifted with any unique magical powers like some witches and warlocks. It just didn’t make any sense. I decided to get off the dirty floor and try not to think about this anymore. It was the only thing I could do until I got to Moon City.

My heart hurt. I just lost the only person who loved me, raised me, and took care of me. She was the only family I had. My parents died in a car accident when I was just a baby. My Grandpa Jack was also in the car. I had no memory of them. She didn’t talk about them much. It was too painful. I lost a mother and a father, and she lost a daughter and a husband. My grandparents from my dad’s side died when he was a child. My parents didn’t have siblings. I am alone in this world. My Grandma Grace was everything to me. My parents, my teacher, my family.

I looked around the room. It used to be mine. Now there was nothing left. I sighed and walked to the living room. I took my bag and started packing a few things that survived the fire. My grandma was prepared. When the inquisition started, about a year ago, she sat me down and told me her plan. She removed some floorboards in our small living room and made a little safe where she put some important stuff in case anything happened. There was a picture of my parents, money, my documents, a picture of us when I was a baby and some spare clothes. There was also a locket that I couldn’t open but she said that when the time comes somebody will open it for me. I was confused but she said not to ask any questions. She must have added the letter after because I never saw it before this day. I placed the locket around my neck and packed the rest of the stuff from our little safe in my bag. I hoped I would have enough money to at least find Claudia.

My grandma and I earned our money by healing our fellow villagers. Maybe I could do that in the city. Earn some money. Try to rebuild my life. I wasn’t as good a healer as my grandma, but I was a quick learner. I could do this. I must. My grandma was an excellent healer and I learned everything I know from her. We even had our little garden where we grew our herbs. But that was gone too. I felt tears starting to accumulate in my eyes. I quickly wiped them and focused on packing the rest of my stuff. I couldn’t let myself cry anymore. I had to get out of here before they came back.

I tried to clean my dirty clothes. I was covered in ashes from the fire. My brown hair that fell down to my waist was now gray. My green eyes were now probably red from crying. I gave up, there was too much ash on me. I would have to clean myself in a nearby stream that provided our village with fresh, clean water. I walked out of my home holding a sob in my throat.

I was near the forest line when I turned around and looked at my village. There was nothing left. They burned it to the ground. I wasn’t sure if anyone survived. My heart clenched painfully in my chest.

This morning I had left to go to the market like any other day. My grandma and I used to go together but today she decided to stay at home and make her famous limb growth potion. Her potion saved a couple of village kids a few years back when they were playing around with spells and lost some fingers and toes. It was a lot of work and she told me to go by myself. I was gone for about an hour and when I came back inquisitors had already destroyed everything and left. I checked every house and every building hoping some of my fellow villagers survived. There was nobody. I was alone.

I glanced at my home one last time and turned towards the forest before I started crying again. I couldn’t let myself cry now.

Moon City was an hour away by car. It was going to take me a lot longer on foot. I could use a spell to transport myself there, but I was too scared to try. I couldn’t risk appearing somewhere I could be seen. Walking it is. It was 11 am and I was hoping I would arrive before dark.

The first thing on my to-do list was to find my childhood friend Annie. She was a werewolf. I really hoped they hadn’t caught her. She used to live here with her parents, but they moved to the city a few years back. We stayed in touch after they left, but I hadn’t heard from her in a while. I think she had changed her phone number. She told me a little about the place where she lived. She was an artist and a gifted one at that. When she described something, you felt like you could see it clearly in front of you. I could probably find her just by her description of her new home. At least I hoped I could. I must be very careful though. I can’t get caught.

CHAPTER TWO - Moon City

Gabriel’s POV

I woke up feeling like shit. Fucking red mush.

I got up and went to the bathroom. After I did my morning business, I turned the shower on and hopped in. The cold water woke me up from my drunken state. I need to quit drinking. Or at least drink something other than that thing Louis called wine. I always felt like crap afterward.

I looked in the mirror and smirked. Louis was right. I did look like a werewolf. My dark brown hair was a tangled mess on top of my head. I would cut it today.

My biggest assets are my green eyes. I was tall. 6’3 of pure muscles. I was pretty well-built for a 20-year-old guy. Women loved me. And I loved them. They were good for sex. I loved seducing them. But I didn’t see myself ever caring for any woman. I was fine on my own. I did not need nor wanted to love anybody. I got all the sex I needed without loving them or caring for them.

The only person I ever loved was my grandma. She was the only family I had. She raised me and loved me. I have her to thank for this roof over my head. She left me enough money, so I don’t have to work now. I spent most of my days perfecting my magic. She taught me everything I know about magic and helped me develop my special skill. I can project images into people’s minds. Any images. I can hurt them, confuse them, or make them feel amazing. I was always very good, but my grandma made me better.

I never knew my parents. My grandma said they died but she refused to talk about them. It was too painful for her. When I was a kid, I asked her about my grandpa, my grandparents from my dad’s side or any other family there might be, but all she said was they were gone. I was curious and wanted to know more, but I saw how much it hurt her to talk about these things, so I stopped. She was enough family for me.

She died about 9 months ago. She was captured by inquisitors and burned not long after. I did everything I could to find her, but it was pointless. I hadn’t stopped drinking since then.

It was like she knew she was going to die. She kept telling me where to go and hide if they came. I was angry because she kept assuming I would leave her and run, but she said I must live. She said I was important and that she was going to explain everything to me. She made it seem like she was living alone. I had to hide my stuff around the house and even take most of it to my neighbor, Nick. She didn’t want them to know I was there. At first, I thought she wanted to protect me, but now I think there was more to that. The morning they came for her she told me about a safe somewhere in the house that contained the most important items, and she was going to show them to me after I came back from my morning run. If only I never left. When I came back, she was gone, and my house was ransacked. I thought they would come back for me, but they never did.

I searched the entire house for that safe, but I never found it. It drove me crazy. That fucking safe and guilt for not being able to save my grandma were the two main reasons I drank that red shit. It makes me numb. And that was better than feeling guilty and angry all the time.

I heard a knock on my front door. It was probably Nick. He was the only one that came around anymore. Everybody else, even people I used to call my friends, fear me as I lose control easily nowadays.

Nick is my neighbor. A werewolf–warlock hybrid. I’ve known him all my life.

Gabe? Are you passed out drunk again? I tried calling you. Your phone is off.

Just got up. I forgot to recharge it, I said, coming downstairs.

You know that wine is going to kill you one day, he said, making himself comfortable on my couch.

I don’t really care, man.

I hope you didn’t drive there. You look like shit. You were probably wasted as fuck yesterday.

Nah. Left my car here. I walked there. It was good for my rage, I said, frowning.

Are you still pissed off about that safe? We searched the entire house, man.

I know. I just can’t let it go. It’s driving me crazy. I have a feeling there is something important inside.

He sighed and got off the couch to go and get himself a beer from my fridge. That was all there was in there. And some eggs. I was a terrible cook. I could make scrambled eggs and that’s about it. I usually ordered something or ate at Nick’s. His mom was an amazing cook.

Want one? he asked.

Sure.

He came back and sat opposite me.

What are you going to do today? Don’t tell me you are going to Louis’s bar again, he frowned.

Nah, man. I need to get some today. And I need a haircut, I said, smirking.

Well sex is healthier than that thing Louis calls wine, he laughed. Well, my health is declining. I could get some today too.

I laughed and sipped my beer. He liked seducing and fucking women even more than I did. There was a club nearby that we liked to go to. It worked illegally now so it was pretty exclusive and hard to get in. We knew the owner so had no problem getting in.

So Moonless then? I asked and got off the sofa.

It was already 3 pm. I slept late which was not surprising considering how drunk I was after that third bottle Louis made me drink at home.

Yeah man, sure. Around 10? he got off the couch and headed to the door.

Deal.

Hey man, are you hungry? My mom made some lasagna, he asked before leaving.

Nah, man. Thanks. Give your mom a hug from me.

Sure will. See you after.

I loved his mom. Mrs. Black was a kind woman. A great mom to Nick. She and my grandma always got along great. She helped my grandma to make it look like she was living alone. I asked her about the safe and if she knew what my grandma meant when she said I was important. Mrs. Black didn’t know anything. I was disappointed. I thought maybe she would have some ideas about what my grandma was talking about. After my grandma died, Mrs. Black took care of me, fed me, and comforted me. I will always be grateful to her.

I quickly ran upstairs to my bedroom and put on black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. I found my car keys and got into my car. It was a new Jeep Renegade in my favorite color, black. I loved my car.

I would have to hurry up. Since the inquisition started everything had a curfew. The hair salon where I always went to get my haircut worked until 4 pm. It was now 3:20 pm and I had a 15-minute drive to the hair salon. I hoped they would have the time to give me a haircut.

15 minutes later, I parked in front of the hair salon. Nobody was in there. The lady who usually cuts my hair was sitting in one of the chairs flipping through some magazines. She was pretty. Blonde hair that reached her shoulders, blue eyes, and boobs to die for. I thought about fucking her but after getting to know her a little bit better I found out she was incredibly clingy. That would be a lot of phone calls and probably crying. Also, she was a human and it would never turn into a relationship. Not that I wanted one. That was something I didn’t do. That didn’t stop her from hitting on me every chance she had.

Hello, Susan, I greeted her as I walked in.

Gabriel Richardson. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, she said, smiling and winking.

What can I say, Susan? My presence heals, I joked and winked back.

I heard her heart starting to beat faster and she was blushing. One of the perks of being supernatural was the ability to charm anybody. We were irresistible. Humans were naturally drawn to us. I would have to be careful with Susan. I didn’t want to give her false hope. It just wasn’t happening.

Well, it heals me, Gabe, she said and blushed even more.

I decided to stop this flirting before it got any further. It was hard for me. I was a natural seducer. I saw a pretty woman and instantly I would be in flirt mode. Nick was the same. It sometimes got us in trouble. Like it could happen to me now. I dropped my smile and put on a hard mask. Susan noticed and barely flinched.

Do you have time to do my haircut? I asked.

Yeah, sure. Take a seat, she said.

I could see she was surprised by my sudden mood change.

While she worked, I was thinking about Nick and me going out tonight. I needed some hard liquor for a change. I didn’t need wine tonight. I felt my rage coming back and I didn’t like it. I planned on drowning that rage in a bottle and a hot woman.

I always used my magic on them. I didn’t want them to know where I lived so I always projected a vision of a hotel room in their mind. It saved me from unnecessary visits after. Nick was jealous of me. There were a couple of women who came back looking for him. His mom was furious. I almost choked laughing when he was telling me how she beat the shit out of him. After a while, he just started taking them to an actual hotel room.

Susan was done with my haircut. I thanked her, paid, and left the salon.

As I was closing the door of the salon somebody ran into me. I was a muscle wall, so it didn’t affect me much. But she fell on her butt. I sensed magic coming out of her. I was on the edge as was, so this little collision wasn’t going to end well for her.

Watch where you are going, witch, I said quietly and coldly.

I sounded like a soulless monster. I saw her shiver. She looked up at me and I froze.

I am so sorry, sir, she said and quickly got up.

She ran from me in the direction she came from.

My mind was screaming at me. Stop her! Go get her! But I couldn’t move.

I watched her soft brown curls touch her waist as she ran away from me. She was small. Maybe 5’2, but what had me frozen were her eyes. She had the most amazing green eyes I had ever seen. They were calling me and I had no idea why.

I just knew I must find her.

Aria’s POV

By the time I got to the city, it was 4:15 pm and it was getting dark. I was tired. I hadn’t stopped walking since washing myself at our stream. I washed my hair and quickly changed into a pair of black jeans, a gray hoodie, and my sneakers. I had saved money for months to be able to afford them. I used my magic to dry my hair after carefully checking if I was being watched. I couldn’t get sick now. My jacket was in my bag as I was hot while walking, but I was getting kind of cold right now.

I knew I wasn’t going to find Annie today. I need to find a hotel, eat, and sleep. I will wake up early tomorrow and start my search for her.

I was getting my jacket out of my bag and was completely distracted. How stupid of me. I ran into a man. He was a wall of muscles and at least 6 feet tall. Maybe even more. I fell on my butt, but our collision didn’t move him at all. Nevertheless, he was furious.

Watch where you are going, witch, he said quietly and coldly.

His threatening voice sent shivers running down my spine. He could tell I was a witch. I felt knots forming in my belly. I had to get out of there before he grabbed me and handed me to the inquisitors.

I looked up and saw a pair of cold green eyes staring at me. I was frozen for a second. Those eyes. I felt like I knew him. Fear pushed that feeling away.

I am so sorry, Sir, I said, getting up quickly.

I turned away from him and ran. I was resisting the urge to turn around and look if he was following me. I hoped not. I was not a good runner and based on his physique he would catch me in a second.

I ran around the corner and allowed myself to look behind. He wasn’t following me. That was strange. He knew I was a witch. Why wasn’t he coming to get me?

I didn’t have the time to wonder about this. I should be happy that I avoided being caught. I needed to find a hotel.

After 10 minutes of some fast walking and constantly looking over my shoulder for him, I found a hotel that wasn't expensive and had nice rooms. I paid for two nights. I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take me to find Annie. If I needed it, I could always stay here longer.

A nice, cute boy showed me to my room.

There you go Miss…, he paused, not knowing my last name.

Walker. But please call me Aria, I said smiling.

Well, Aria, here is your key. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. I would do anything for a beautiful girl like you, he winked at me.

Humans find us supernatural beings quite attractive and are drawn to us naturally. Vampires benefit the most from this.

Thank you…, I paused and looked at him waiting for him to tell me his name.

Ian, he said and gave me a huge smile.

Thank you, Ian, I smiled and walked into my room.

Ian closed my door and walked away. I locked the door and threw my bag on the bed. I wanted to take a shower and sleep until morning. I wasn’t even hungry. My emotions were forming knots in my belly, and I felt tears forming. I lost my grandma today.

I let the tears fall and sat on the bed. I have never felt more alone. I let myself cry until I felt a bit better.

I got up and went to the bathroom. There was a tub. Perfect. Even better than a shower stall. I made myself a hot, bubbly bath and got in. Hot water soothed my sore muscles and relaxed me.

I caught myself thinking about the man I ran into earlier. I felt like I knew him. He was somehow familiar. I know it is impossible. I had never seen him before. I never left the village before today and I knew everybody who lived there. On a few occasions when we had a visitor, everybody knew who it was. This man never came to my village. I was sure. But I still had a feeling that I knew him.

I was surprised he didn’t hand me to the inquisitors. He had the chance. He knew right away what I was, and he could have caught me when I started to run from him, but he didn’t. I was thinking hard and then it hit me.

He was a warlock. Of course. His smell. I hadn’t noticed it there because I was scared and wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. But he was definitely a warlock. That’s why he didn’t want to catch me.

I felt relieved. At least I don’t have to worry about him looking for me. I don’t want to see him again. He was cold and threatening. He scared me.

I got out of the tub, brushed my teeth, put on an old shirt I liked to sleep in and got under the covers. It was only 6:30 pm but I was very tired.

I fell asleep instantly, but the image of my burnt home haunted my dreams.

CHAPTER THREE - Who the Hell is She?

Gabriel’s POV

What the fuck was that? I stormed into my house and headed straight to the fridge. I grabbed a beer and chugged. I was pissed out of my mind. Who the hell is she?

After she ran away from me and I managed to pull my head out of my ass, I quickly got in my car and tried to find her. I was out of luck, of course. After an hour of driving around the town like a crazy person, I decided to go home. I was risking being caught by those fire-loving fuckers.

I had seen a lot of pretty women in my life. Fucked a lot of them. But never in my life was I frozen and speechless by just looking into the eyes of one. It was driving me crazy.

What confused me, even more, was that I didn’t want to fuck her. I mean, she was gorgeous. Small, curvy, silky hair, round lips, and those mesmerizing green eyes. But I didn’t want to fuck her. I just wanted to be with her. Talk to her. Protect her. And that scared the crap out of me.

I even thought she charmed me. I mean she was a witch after all. But I would have recognized the spell being thrown my way. My grandma taught me well. And if she wanted me, she would have stayed. She looked like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough. It definitely wasn’t a spell. But what was it then?

FUCK, I screamed and threw a beer bottle into the wall.

I need to calm down. I went upstairs and took a cold shower. I stayed under the cold water long enough to freeze my bones. I was finally calm enough to go downstairs and order a pizza. I hadn’t eaten anything today and if I wanted to drink hard liquor tonight, I had to be prepared.

I glanced at the clock in my kitchen. It was 8 pm. Nick would probably come around 9:30. The club opens at 10 and we had to go through security first.

The owner, Sebastian Davis, a vampire, was my old boxing coach. He always said I was like a son to him. He and his wife Eva couldn’t have children. He started coaching me when I was just 7 years old and was my coach until I quit about a year and a half ago. So, I understood why he thought of me as his child. He was a big part of my life and he watched me growing up. I don’t see him as my family. He was an okay guy, but the vampire thing always gave me the creeps. He was a great coach though, and he was an even better provider of fun nights and unlimited alcohol for me and Nick. The only thing he asked in return was for me to sort out any fights that occur in the club. He says I should at least use what he taught me if I was going to empty his fridge.

I ordered a pizza and opened a beer. I was going to drown those green eyes in so much alcohol today that I won’t remember them tomorrow. That was the best damn plan I could think of.

When I finished eating, I went to my bedroom to find something to wear. I ended up wearing blue jeans and a black shirt. I was just tying my shoelaces when I heard doors opening downstairs.

Gabe, for fuck’s sake, what the hell happened here? Nick yelled.

I knew he was referring to the broken beer bottle I didn’t clean up.

I had a small anger issue, I answered, coming downstairs.

Why now? he frowned.

I debated if I should tell him about her. He could help me find her. If I even wanted to. If she managed to fuck me up in those 10 seconds I saw her, I didn’t want to know what she would do to me if she was around me longer.

Earth to Gabriel? Nick said, waving his hands in front of my face.

Stop that. I will tell you, I caught his hands and gestured towards the couch.

Sit. You want a beer?

Yeah man, sure. You are freaking me out. What happened? he looked worried.

I grabbed two beer bottles from the fridge and sat on the sofa.

I met a girl today, I sighed.

Nick laughed, That’s it? Man, I thought somebody died. Why are you this angry? What’s got your panties in a bunch? he teased.

I looked at him coldly.

Wow, Gabe, chill. No need to look at me like that. Tell me what happened.

I quickly told him about her and when I finished, he was intrigued.

Well, I never saw you this worked up over a girl. Are you sure you don’t want to fuck her? Because I will man. She sounds delicious, he said, licking his lips.

The intensity of rage that hit me after what he said surprised even me. Delicious? Was he a fucking vampire?

You. Will. Not. Touch. One. Hair. On. Her. Head, I said, emphasizing each word.

I must have looked terrifying because for the first time in my life I saw Nick feared me. I quickly tried to get a grip on my emotions. I didn’t want to make Nick feel uncomfortable. I don’t know what was happening to me.

Gabriel, man, it was just a joke. I will not touch her with a ten-foot pole, okay? he said carefully.

Sorry, Nick. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I sighed.

It’s okay, man. Look, let's go out tonight. Let’s get drunk, fuck something and first thing tomorrow morning I will help you find her. You said she had a pretty big bag with her, right? he asked.

Yeah.

Maybe she just came into the city. Maybe she is staying in a hotel. We could start asking around in some of the hotels near that hair salon, he suggested.

It actually wasn’t a bad idea. I could look for her. Try to find out who she was. Why did she mess me up this much? I’m still not sure if I even want to find her. Maybe I will be smarter in the morning.

Yeah, Nick. That’s a great idea man. Thanks.

Anytime bro. Let’s go. We are so going to get fucked up tonight.

We left my house and hopped in Nick’s car. Tonight, I was drinking and fucking. Tomorrow, I will find her.

Aria’s POV

The first thing that came into my head when I woke up was that I wasn’t in my bed. I don’t remember going anywhere last night. Where was I? My dreams were terrible. I dreamt of fire, death, and walking aimlessly around the woods.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a hotel room. I started to remember what had happened yesterday. My grandma was gone. My village didn’t exist anymore. I was in Moon City trying to find Claudia Richardson and my childhood friend Annie. Tears started falling down my cheeks. It wasn’t a dream. I turned to my side and hugged my knees. I was alone.

The reality of the events that happened yesterday hit me like a ton of bricks. I was alone in a city filled with hunters trying to find my friend who I haven’t spoken to in years and a woman who I don’t even know. I wasn’t ready for this. I was going to make a mistake and end up tied to a pole in the middle of a city square.

I couldn’t breathe. I got up and ran to a window. I opened it and took a few deep breaths. It calmed me a bit.

I turned around and looked at the clock. It was 7 am. I slept for over 12 hours. I was not surprised. I was exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. As if what happened in my village wasn’t enough, I ran into the most terrifying man and got myself another dose of fear.

I need to pull myself together. I have to find Annie. I will feel better when I see a familiar face.

I got dressed. It was cold outside, so I put on my jeans, my sneakers, and my warm sweater. I grabbed my phone, jacket, wallet, and room key and I walked downstairs.

I saw Ian’s smiling face and I already felt a little bit better.

Good morning, Aria.

Hey, Ian. It’s nice to see you, I said, smiling at him and handing him my room key.

I didn’t want to risk losing it.

Did you sleep well? he asked, putting my room key in a safe.

Great, thanks. Hey, do you know any good places I could get breakfast around here?

I was getting hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.

Yeah, there is a great bakery just around the corner from here. Pete’s. Pete is the owner. He is a great guy, and he makes the best coffee. You can sit and eat inside. Make sure to get a donut. It is the best, he told me.

Thank you, Ian. I will definitely get a donut, I smiled.

I wish I could go with you, he smiled at me significantly, but I have a lot to do here.

It’s okay, Ian. Maybe another time, I smiled and turned around.

Definitely another time. Bye Aria, he yelled after me.

I smiled and waved at him.

The bakery was close by. I got inside and was welcomed by so many amazing smells. A chubby middle-aged man smiled at me. That must be Pete.

Hello, beautiful. What can I get you?

Hello, Sir, I said politely. I would like one coffee with cream and sugar and one donut. My friend Ian said they are the best.

Ah, Ian, Pete smiled. He is one of my best customers. I would have to thank him for sending such a charming young woman to my humble shop.

And I will have to thank him for recommending such a lovely place, I smiled as I took my order.

Pete winked at me. He was a warlock. I wonder if Ian knew. Or if he even believed in supernatural beings. Pete knew I was a witch. I could tell by the way he emphasized the word charming.

It wasn’t hard for us to recognize the supernatural. We smelled different. Only humans couldn’t tell. Their sense of smell wasn’t as powerful as ours.

I sat close to a window and looked outside. The city was charming. Nature was a big part of the city’s design. Buildings were big and modern and if there weren’t parks everywhere it would look like an ocean of concrete. I liked it. I was always a fan of modern, minimalist designs. But I also loved nature. If the city’s main square wasn’t turned into an execution stage, I could see myself living here. But the smell of burning human flesh was omnipresent in the air and it made me sick.

I finished my breakfast. Ian was right. Pete’s donuts were amazing. I paid and said my goodbyes to Pete.

Be careful, beautiful, Pete advised me as I was getting out.

He was giving me the look ‘I know you are a witch, please don’t get caught’ kind of look.

I will. Thank you, Pete, I smiled and left. It was time to find Annie.

CHAPTER FOUR - The Search

Gabriel’s POV

I think my brain was going to burst. I groaned and turned to my side. I tried to fall asleep again, but my hangover wouldn’t let me.

I didn’t really know how much I had drunk the previous night. I just know it was a lot. I remember coming to the club with Nick. We went through security and said hello to Sebastian. He saw how pissed off I was, and he didn’t even try to talk to me. I saw him and Nick exchange looks. Nick just shook his head and Sebastian sighed slightly. Assholes. They think I don’t notice their silent conversations.

I didn’t let that bug me for long. I grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniel’s behind a bar and sat at our usual spot. Nick and I drank that bottle pretty quickly. He can hold his liquor better than me. Being half werewolf had its benefits. It took more for him to get drunk, and he didn’t have to suffer from a hangover after. Lucky son of a bitch.

I don’t remember much after that first bottle. Music was loud and the bar was packed with hot, slutty women who threw themselves at us all night long. Nick was getting a lot more offers. Probably because of how pissed off I looked. I saw a couple of girls look my way, but when they saw the look on my face they just gave up. I found it funny. Nick was having a blast, though. By the looks of it, he probably took more than one girl to a hotel the previous night.

I caught myself looking for her all night long. None of them had her green eyes. The more I drank, the more I was searching for her.

I tried to put my focus on something else. Nick tried to get me distracted by making two girls kiss and touch each other in front of us. I was slightly aroused, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t already seen before, and it didn’t distract me. Which made me even angrier.

There weren’t any fights last night. It was disappointing because I didn’t get an opportunity to unleash my anger on some dipshits who were fighting over some stupid shit.

Around 2 am I was fucked up drunk. I made myself flirt with one of the human girls who didn’t find me intimidating and I took her home. I couldn’t be in that club anymore and I needed to blow off some steam. Sex was always a great way to do that. I projected an image of a hotel room like I always do and tried to distract myself from her.

We were laying on my bed, making out and she started to kiss and lick her way to my cock. It wasn't even hard. I just couldn’t focus. Before she could take off my jeans, I put a spell on her. I had a reputation to uphold. I couldn’t have her walking around telling people Gabriel Richardson couldn’t get his dick up. So, I projected an image of us having sex. She was laying on my bed, moaning. My spells were done to perfection. There was no way she would know it wasn’t real. Even if she was supernatural, she wouldn’t know. I was that good.

Her loud moans started to get on my nerves, so I went to my bathroom and took a cold shower.

I felt every emotion from the last couple of months boiling inside of me. Rage, sadness, guilt, weakness, everything was mixing and threatening to come out in some ugly ways. I have to keep my magic under control.

My grandma taught me to subdue my magic. So other supernatural beings and humans couldn’t sense my power. This ability kept me safe. Some inquisitors have learned to recognize supernatural beings just by feelings they had around them. Humans sensed we were different; they could feel our power. They just don’t know what it is. Inquisitors, on the other hand, have learned about what it means and how to recognize it and they know it is a supernatural quality. A lot of supernatural beings were discovered because of it. So, I couldn’t lose my shit. They would feel me. I have been successfully avoiding them for a year now. I was not going to reveal myself now.

I took a few deep breaths and let the cold water chill me.

When I came back to my room the girl was sleeping. The projection ended. I woke her up, called her a cab and sent her home. She was happy and kept telling me that was the best sex of her life. If only she knew...

It didn’t take me long to fall asleep.

I glanced at my phone and saw it was 10 am. I thought I would sleep a lot longer. I guess my headache woke me up.

I got out of bed, freshened up, put on sweats and a hoodie, and went downstairs to make myself something to eat.

I was in the middle of my eggs and bacon breakfast when Nick let himself in.

Good morning, sunshine! he greeted cheerfully. Well, you look like shit.

Thank you, Nick. Not all of us have werewolf genes, I said, smirking at him.

He laughed, Not everything is about genes, my man. A lot of it is just about how incredible I am, he winked at me like I was one of his sluts.

How come I don’t see it? I teased him while putting my plate in the dishwasher.

Jealousy is clouding your vision, he said.

I smirked and poured myself a cup of coffee. Want some?

Sure. I need to be awake to search for your girl.

Yeah, I don’t know, man. Do I want to find her? I asked him, hoping he would say something smart.

Why not? he looked surprised.

I didn’t know how to explain it. Nick was my friend and I have known him since we were kids. But we never talked about feelings. No guy talks about his feelings with his friends. We just joked around. How could I explain this without sounding like a pussy? I sighed and gave it my best shot.

I’m not used to these feelings, man. I’ve never felt anything for a girl except a need to fuck her. And I don’t even want to do that to her. It’s confusing and I don’t even know if I want to find out why.

Well, maybe for the first time you see a future with someone. Not just sex, but like a relationship, he shrugged.

Don’t you have to get to know someone before you get these types of feelings for them? I was with her for about 10 seconds, give or take. I don’t even know her name.

Well, werewolves have mates. Maybe, she is your mate, he stated.

That was a very freaky thing if you asked me. Werewolves had these instant connections to their mates, their other halves. It was magical and binding. They would die or go crazy if something happened to their mate. I was always glad we warlocks didn’t have to put up with it. Just thinking about caring that much about someone freaked me out.

Nick still hasn't found his mate. He was not sure if he would even recognize her. His father’s warlock side was much more dominant than his werewolf. He had his wolf. He could shift, but he didn’t do it very often. He says he wasn’t very comfortable in his wolf form. That sucked for me because his wolf Nate was more charming than Nick and he definitely didn’t annoy me as much as Nick sometimes. Because his werewolf side was weaker, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to recognize his mate. And he was fine with that. He was not interested in finding her.

I am not a werewolf, Nick. And neither is she, I frowned at him.

I know that. But maybe witches and warlocks have something similar.

I have never heard about that, I said, sipping my coffee, and I hope it’s not true.

Yeah, that would be terrible for you, man, he laughed, but I think you should go find her. It is going to drive you insane. Find her, talk to her. Find out who and what she is. And then do the best for you. Either fuck her and make her yours or tell her to go to hell.

I growled at him. I didn’t like either of these two options.

He laughed at me.

Did you just growl, man? Nice job. Nate is impressed.

Of course, he is. Ask him if he could come out more. He is much nicer than you. I like him better, I joked.

Well, he says he will if you stop being a wimp. Go get your jacket. Let’s go find her.

Well, I guess I don’t have anything to lose. Maybe just my sanity.

We got into Nick’s car and drove away to the hair salon. We will start our search there.

Aria’s POV

Annie’s house was near the forest. That was the first thing I remembered. She described the forest near her home, and I felt like I was there. Looking at a map of the city I saw that the forest stretched on the north side. Secondly, I remember her saying it was a nice neighborhood. Her parents are lawyers so it made sense that they could afford a nice living. I remember her saying her house was yellow and had a beautiful garden in front of it. Her mom loved flowers. She talked about other things, but I couldn’t remember anything more. I hoped it would be enough to find her. Still, it was a pretty big area and I had to narrow it down a bit more.

I decided to go back to the bakery and ask Pete for help. I hadn’t gone far so I was back inside in a matter of minutes.

Forgot something, beautiful? Pete smiled at me.

I just wanted to ask you something, I smiled back.

Sure. How can I help you?

I walked up to the counter and showed him my map.

I am searching for a friend. She moved here with her parents a couple of years ago. I don’t know her address, but I know she lives near the forest in a nice neighborhood. Could you tell me in which neighborhoods I could look for her? It is a pretty big area, I explained.

Sure thing, sweetie. Do you have a pen?

I handed him my pencil and he underlined a couple of street names on my map.

There you go. These are some of the nicest neighborhoods in the city. Do you have a car?

No. I was planning on taking a bus there. Or walking if it’s not far.

It’s not that far, but better take a bus. It’s line number 13. Go to the last stop and start there. I hope you find her.

Thank you, Pete. You are very kind, I smiled at him and folded my map.

Goodbye, beautiful. And good luck.

I waved at Pete and left the bakery.

The