Chapter two

Cooper

Ilet out a deep sigh, one that I feel all the way down into my very fucking soul. That fucking man. Why does he have to keep pushing me away? I don't think I'll ever understand and until he gets his shit together and works through whatever it is that makes him think he's unlovable, I can't do a damn thing. No matter what I say, he'll twist it into me hating him.

Which honestly couldn't be further from the truth.

My hand tightens around my beer, my stomach flaring with unease. This evening hasn't gone to plan even a little bit. We were supposed to stake out the place but be essentially unseen. It was quite the surprise to step inside and find Martin actually talking to someone at the bar.

That was more than talking. The man kept touching Martin. I get it, I've dreamed about getting my hands on those biceps too, but I'm mostly surprised Martin seemed to just let him.

I run my fingers through my hair. Gods, I have to get myself together. I can't be pining like this over a guy who clearly wants nothing to do with me. If we weren't connected through the supernatural, I don't think Martin would even want to be my friend. I'm not sure if luckily or unluckily, but people who experience the supernatural together tend to stick together so whether he likes it or not, he's stuck with me.

I suddenly realize just how much I miss my mom. She would know exactly what to say to defuse the situation. I don't think we're too far from where my parents are currently living. Maybe I could swing by for a visit if I can just get this fucking case under wraps.

We've been chasing the same person for a while now with no luck and it's really starting to grate on my nerves. It shouldn't be this hard to find whoever is behind these weird abductions. And yet, they've been more slippery than we could ever expect.

If only I could use magic.

I shake my head at myself, disappointed that I'm still playing that same sentence over and over and over in my head. There are some things that are just not meant to be. Sure, both my mom and my dad are sparks, someone capable of wielding the magic inside of them, but that doesn't mean it was guaranteed I would be a spark as well.

I'm close to magic, and can almost taste it in the air if it's strong enough, but no matter how much I learn or how much I study or how hard I try, I can't seem to wield it myself.

So instead of having a pity party about how unfair life is, I finish my drink and stand up from the bar. I give the bartender a friendly smile as I toss a five onto the bar top as a tip.

As I make my way outside, I dig deep, wondering if I was jealous that Martin was getting hit on because I want to be the one to flirt with Martin, or is it because someone so gorgeous was flirting with Martin and not me.

Does it really matter? Either way I felt left out in a way that doesn't truly make sense. Maybe this case is just starting to get to me.

A hand reaches out and tugs me into the dark and before I can yelp, a big hand is clasped over my mouth. I'm about to bite the hand that dares silence me but then a familiar voice is in my ear.

"Quiet."

Martin lets go of me and the tension leaves my body all at once, but at the same time, a fire burns deep within my gut. His hands were on me. He touched my lips. Fuck, why am I getting turned on right now?

Yep, it would appear I'm simply a mess.

"What's going on?" I ask, keeping my voice as soft and quiet as I possibly can.

"My friend from earlier," Martin tells me, nodding his head towards the parking lot. I just barely keep myself from bristling at the idea of this guy being Martin's friend. I look in the direction Martin pointed out, finding Mister pretty blue hair standing next to a woman. They're just chatting together and the woman looks really into him.

I don't blame her. He's incredibly beautiful and has this feel to him. Despite already deciding I'm not a fan, I can't seem to keep my eyes off of him. It's so strange and I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of magic at play here.

I almost feel like a voyeur as I sit in the dark next to Martin, watching this man put the moves on this woman. He reaches out and touches her hair and she smiles up at him. She leans into his touch and he moves lightning fast, grabbing her hips and flipping them around so he's leaning against the car with her body pressed up against his, the illusion that she's in control.

"Should we stop them?"

Martin shakes his head. "This could be normal. Maybe he's just really horny."

"Maybe," I murmur, watching closely. The beautiful blue haired man touches the woman's cheek and from over her shoulder, I can see his eyes flash with bright blue. "Fuck," I hiss out, watching as her body goes slack in front of him. She's hooked. He isn't horny, he isn't looking for a hookup. He's hunting.

I grab Martin's arm. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"His eyes," I hiss out as quietly as I can, "they flashed."

"Some sort of magic?"

I look over at Martin, startling at how close we are. My eyes dart down to his lips before jumping back up to his eyes. "I'm not sure, but I'm almost positive he has some sort of influence over people."

"We should follow them, see where he's planning on taking her. As much as I wanna shut this down, I think we need more information."

"You're right. I wanna stop him, but there's still way too many variables. Jeff wouldn't want us to shoot and ask questions later."

Jeff is our unspoken leader. His past with hunting is one filled with mistakes and hurt. He hunts via a code and has taught us all to do the same. You shoot only when necessary. You investigate and scout and learn everything there is to learn before you come to any conclusions. This might be our guy but my gut is telling me there's more to the story and I learned a long time ago that trusting your gut is sometimes the difference between life or death.

"Dorian's on the move," Martin murmurs and my stomach flips. Dorian. Our blue haired beauty has a name and it oddly fits him.

Martin and I stick to the shadows, careful to be completely unnoticed. The woman holding onto Dorian's arm is jovial. She laughs and she chats, acting as if nothing is wrong. It helps soothe some of my worries a little bit. If Dorian is our guy, at least his victims aren't terrified as he takes them.

Dorian keeps up a casual stroll. If I didn't know any better, I would think he really is just picking up a date from the bar.

Eventually, Dorian and the woman make their way to a hotel. They step inside and Martin and I stay outside, watching as the automatic door closes behind them.

"So," Martin says slowly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm not sure if we should follow them inside. I think that would be way too suspicious."

"I agree," Martin says, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "We still don't even know if this is our guy. Are we just seeing this as suspicious because we want a break in the case that badly?"

I adjust my glasses, really thinking things over. "I think we really, really want a lead. But I also think this is real. We're not seeing things. That guy was suspicious as hell from the get go. For some reason, you avoided his charms and he picked up someone easier."

"I think we should wait out here for a bit. There's a chance he comes back out."

Luckily for us, there's a cafe right beside the hotel. Martin goes inside, ordering us both coffees as I find a seat at their outside patio. In my experience, most cafes close at this time of night so we're lucky that this one is still open. This must be a tourist trap of a town.

"Here," Martin grits out, sliding over my coffee.

"Is there a reason you're extra grumpy?"

Martin lets out a frustrated noise, his eyes darting up to meet mine. "I'm not grumpy."

"Right. And I have perfect vision."

"Just stop, Cooper. I don't feel like fighting tonight. We're so close to a break in this case. Let's just stay focused."

"Fine," I breathe out, taking a sip of my coffee and letting it warm me. Gods, I wish I could find a break in this case so fucking badly but I would also love to break that hard exterior that Martin has up in place.

"Cooper," Martin says, letting out a deep sigh. I stare down at the table.

"It's fine, Martin."

"It's not." I look up, finding his eyes on me. They're soft. Softer than I've seen them in a really long time. "I'm sorry, I'm being an ass. This whole case has my head in a terrible place. I shouldn't be taking that out on you."

I do my best to keep the shock off my features. I nod my head, giving him a soft smile. "It's alright, Martin. I'm in the same boat as you. I just really wanna figure out what the hell is going on here."

"Me too," he says right away, finally looking away. I watch his profile for a moment, taking in the stubble across his strong jaw, wishing I could reach out and touch it. His features change to surprise and I look over, checking out what's caused that look.

"He looks like a cartoon bad guy," I whisper as a man gets out of his car and walks towards the hotel doors. He's short and wearing a suit that's about two sizes too big and a top hat. Like an actual, real life, top hat.

Before he gets to the doors, they slide open and out walks Dorian. My brows wrinkle, doing my best to figure out what the fuck is going on. They have a hushed conversation and it's easy to see that Dorian is not the mastermind of this operation. His body is tense and his eyes sad as the shorter guy talks to him.

"This just took a weird turn," I whisper. From the corner of my eye I see Martin nod. "I think we need to sit down and have a chat with Dorian."

"I should have asked for his number." For the case, I remind myself. Even so my stomach clenches painfully.

"Why don't you go ask for it right now?"

"What?"

"Yeah," I say, giving Martin an encouraging smile. "Go over there and ask for his number. Pretend you changed your mind or something."

Martin shakes his head, his eyes wide. "Hell no. I'm not good at shit like this. You go talk to him, you're good with people."

"I'm not the one he was flirting with earlier. If I go ask him it'll be super suspicious."

"This is a shit plan, Cooper."

We get so consumed in our conversation that we lose track of what we're supposed to be focusing on; Dorian. I look over, my stomach sinking when I realize the short bossman has gone inside and Dorian is nowhere to be seen.

"Shit," I hiss out, ready to stand up. I look over at Martin, finding his gaze just above my head. I wince. "He's right behind me, isn't he?" Martin nods.

I slowly turn around, throwing on my best smile. Behind me stands one of the most beautiful people I've ever met. He tucks his long blue hair behind his shoulder, smiling down at me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I would love for you to buy me a coffee so we can sit down and have a proper chat, huh?"

I open my mouth and it quickly shuts, dumbstruck with shock. Thankfully, Martin takes over. He stands up with a sigh. "Iced or hot?"