Chapter two

Jude

"So I have magic?"

I nod my head excitedly, watching as Cooper looks down at his own hands. He looks back at me. "You do! You were born a spark, right?"

Cooper shrugs. "Both of my parents are sparks but no matter how much I practiced or how much I read up on magic, I could never get it to work myself."

"You just needed me!"

Martin makes a disgruntled noise. "Cooper was perfect before you came along," he grumbles in my direction. "He doesn't need his magic to be amazing."

Cooper turns in his seat, giving Martin a soft look. "I know I don't need it. And I don't think that's what Jude meant."

"I'm just making sure," Martin says, kissing Cooper's cheek.

"Gods, you two are so fucking cute," Dorian says, running his fingers through Cooper's hair.

"You're all very cute," I tell them all, looking around the table. "I feel so incredibly single right now." I say it like a joke but Axel's brows wrinkle.

"Whose fault is that?"

"What do you mean?"

Axel nods towards the door. "Your true mate just ran out of here. The only reason you're here alone is because of you."

"Carlos will understand," I say confidently. He's my true mate after all, he must know that meeting my spark is the only thing that's been on my mind since I was a little boy. This night is one of the best I've ever had and what makes it even more exciting is that I know this is only the beginning. "The most important thing right now is getting to know my spark and his family. We're connected now."

"What kind of connection?" Cooper asks, adjusting his glasses.

"Can't you feel it?" I gesture between the two of us. I touch the center of my chest, smiling softly. Here's right here. I can feel him slotting into his place. He has access to magic through me. I'm his catalyst and I savor the feeling of warmth that's encompassing my heart, knowing we're together. "When I touched you, I unlocked your magic. Now you can wield it as long as you and I are connected. And the stronger our connection, the more powerful and the easier it'll be to use your magic."

Cooper closes his eyes a moment, touching the center of his chest, mirroring the way I'd just touched my own a moment before. "Okay," he says slowly, "I can feel the connection. I have no idea how to use it though."

"That's okay. That'll come with practice. We can start training tomorrow if you want."

"Pump the breaks," Dorian murmurs, messing up my hair. I quickly put it back in place. "We only just met you. Let's take a little time to cement your bond through quality time before we jump straight into training. You might have been looking forward to this your entire life but we only just met you and only just realized you could unlock Cooper's magic, alright?"

"That's fair," I finally say, sitting back in my seat. "So, what do you guys do?"

Jeff is the one who answers. "We're hunters."

My back goes tense and my shoulders hit my ears. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's true," Cooper says with a nod, giving me a look that's probably supposed to be reassuring but only fills me with fear. "We're supernatural hunters."

I open my mouth a few times before it snaps shut. I turn to Jeff and Axel. "But you two are vampires! And you're a shifter. And Carlos is a shifter too. How can you hunt your own kind?"

Jeff raises his hand and I stop talking, letting them explain before I have a full blown panic. How the fuck have I stumbled into a group of hunters? Am I safe? Is my family safe? Fuck. My heart races but I take a steadying breath, doing my best to calm myself as I wait.

"We are hunters, Jude. We only take down supernatural beings who are breaking the law or putting humans in danger. We live by a code."

We live by a code.

"Okay," I say slowly, looking around the table. My instincts are calm despite the nerves nipping at my belly. The magic inside of me that makes me capable of shifting, that led me to this crew, and that's been with me since the day I was born, settles within me. It's not scared of these people. On the contrary, it feels at home here. I lean into that feeling.

"What does that mean? Living by a code?"

Ronny speaks up. "We always do as much research as possible before we make a plan. We only shoot if we absolutely must. We do our due diligence and make sure we know the full story before we attack."

"Our goal is to stay completely under the radar," Jeff says, nodding his head. "Humans should be none the wiser by the time we leave."

I run my fingers over my jeans, getting my heart to calm down. These people might be hunters but I'm safe here. They save humans. They're good.

Lady Fate wouldn't send me head first into danger.

"That sounds incredibly admirable," I say, giving them my best smile. "If I'm going to be sticking around I'm going to have to get used to the idea of being around hunters."

"Have you been around them before?" Zander asks with a worried look. "My old litter used to tell me stories about hunters. They used to tell me they were going to hunt me down despite not doing anything wrong."

"My entire family is made up of familiars," I explain, "I was never afraid of hunters, but I've still heard stories. Rogue hunters deciding anyone not human deserved to be shot down."

Jeff gets a look on his face but looks away quickly. "I'm sorry to admit there are hunters like that out there, but we're not one of them."

"It would have been really awkward if you were," I say with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully, it works and before I know it, a waiter is stopping by our table, dropping off four large pizzas.

I touch the center of my chest. Everything should be perfect. I've finally found what I've been longing for since I was a little kid. So why do I feel oddly empty? Is it because I wish my cousins were here with me? Or is it because I let Carlos walk out of here without chasing after him?

Dorian's name gets called and he kisses Cooper and Martin before walking up to the little stage area in the bar. He grabs the mic and dedicates this song to his boys. I sit back in my seat with a smile on my face as he begins to sing, his voice captivating. It's smooth and mellow yet pulls at my very soul somehow.

I look over at Cooper and Martin, finding them just as drawn into the song as everyone else at the bar. I want what they have. Wait, I have what they have.

My mind is made up; tomorrow I'll make things right. I'll woo my little alpha and blow his socks off. I'll show him I'm worth the trouble despite the way I'm prone to being over excited about the smallest things.

There's a reason Lady Fate gave me Carlos, even if he is a silly goose.

Dorian's performance earns cheers from the entire bar and he gives everyone a graceful bow. How can I be so fond of these people so quickly? These feelings are overwhelming, but I embrace them nonetheless.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Cooper asks me, sipping his beer.

"Oh yeah, you don't have to worry about me. My family actually lives in this little town."

"Really?"

"Me and my cousins grew up here. Which is why I was so excited to finally get my hands on this compass only to realize you were here in my city!"

Dorian looks down at the compass in my hands. "So what's the deal with that? Family heirloom or something?"

"Something like that," I tell them excitedly. "My Grandmother gave it to me once my baby cousin turned 18. We planned this huge road trip where we were gonna travel around the country in search of our sparks."

"Are you sad you won't be going on that exciting trip now?"

I shake my head with a wide smile. "I know they'll have fun, but I'm really happy I found you so soon! And it sounds like I won't be missing out on traveling since you're all hunters."

"It's almost like Lady Fate knew what she was doing," Axel says with an amused tone.

"Exactly," I say brightly. "So tonight I'll just stay at my parents' house. But in the morning, where can I find you all?"

Cooper points in a vague direction. "You know the campgrounds in town? We'll be staying there."

"Cool. Then in the morning I'll come find you." I stretch my arms over my head. "I'll let you all finish your fun evening together. I'm really happy I met you all."

"You too, Jude," Dorian says, patting my shoulder as I stand up.

As I make my way outside I can't help but wonder what my cousins will think when they hear about what's happened tonight. Will they be jealous I found my spark so easily? Will they be eager to meet Cooper? And how will they react when they realize I've met my true mate as well?

I guess I'll be finding all of that out tomorrow.