Bitten By Love

Chapter Two

David

Working on human hunters was exhausting. I was a therapist for the council and could be called in at any time to treat a being of any species but hunters were especially draining for me. I had to assess them to decide if they were good candidates for release and if they were I oversaw the wiping of their memories of all things paranormal. Only then would I assess them a second time to be sure that it had worked. 

That was the type of job the council had sent me on this time. A large group of hunters had been discovered by a wolf pack who were being hunted by them. I tried to stay impartial in my work but I disliked hunters. 

My veins pumped the blood of a hunter, it was my nature, but I only hunted to sustain my life and I never killed without just cause. These humans thrilled at the hunt, they killed for pleasure and a false sense of superiority. They were the monsters, not us.

For three weeks now I'd been working on getting the hunters rehabilitated while the elves worked on gathering as much information from them as they could before their memories were wiped. We knew there was a substantially larger group of hunters out there who supposedly were developing a liquid formula that could mask their scent. This was dangerous for all of us because it meant that we would have no way of tracking them. No way of knowing when a human hunter was near.

There were a number of experts in the lab working on breaking the liquid down to its basic ingredients and figuring out how it worked. I was on my way there to tell them what I'd discovered. 

The lab was almost empty when I arrived. The only person still working was Paul, a quiet man with a very sharp mind. He looked up from the petri dish in front of him and smiled. "Hello what can I do for you today David?" He asked politely.

"I have some information for you about that." I told him pointing to the multiple rows of vials on a stand near his elbow.

"Oh," he said in surprise. "What did you discover?"

"The hunters didn't develop this formula. They bought it from another source and dispersed it through their ranks. I was told that the rumour amongst the hunters was that a man who covered his head and face with a large hood and wore gloves was the one who sold it to them."

Paul looked lost in thought for a moment before he spoke. "A man that was fully covered." It was a statement and not a question. "Are they sure it was a man at all?"

I grinned, happy that he'd come to the same conclusion that I had. "It would explain why the demons are willing to get involved in a fight that was never theirs in the first place, if one of their own was aiding the hunters. But why is he helping them? What does he get out of this?" I picked up one of the vials and looked at the liquid inside. It swirled in varying shining shades of silver like a living entity within a glass prison. "I'm going home today but I'll have my phone on me at all times if you need to contact me." 

I was reaching out to replace the vial when a small child came running through the lab doors and barrelled into my arm sending the vial flying through the air. I watched in horror as it hit one of the shelves above the work station and the vial shattered splashing silver liquid over the station and me. The child, a little girl had backed away in time to save herself from being covered in it too. 

Paul gasped and handed me some clothes to wipe myself down. "Yvette I told you that the lab was out of bounds and to stop running. Where's your mother?" Paul walked over to the child and crouched down to her level.

"I'm sorry daddy." Her small bottom lip started to quiver. "Mommy told me it was time to take a nap but I wanted to see you so I sneaked out of my room. I'm really sorry." A tear ran down her cheek followed by another and then another until she was sobbing and clinging to her father.

"I'm so sorry David," Paul stood with his daughter in his arms and I could see it in his eyes. 

"There's no real harm done, get her back to bed and I'll wipe down the work station for you. You can disinfect it when you get back." I gave him a smile to let him know that I wasn't upset with him or his daughter. Children would be children and they learned by their mistakes.  When I arrived home that night I was too tired to do more than go to my room and crash out for the night. 

The next day I had a meeting with the coven master, Xavier. He'd told me about the shifter who had followed Casper home from a mission. I walked into Xavier's office and sat in the seat across from him. I smiled when he finally looked across from his computer screen and saw me. "Hello boss," I teased him.

Xavier frowned and sniffed at the air. "Why can't I scent you?" 

I rolled my eyes. "I had a slight accident involving a five-year-old girl and a vial of the hunter's camouflaging liquid. It would seem that it's hard to clean off. I've already taken three showers."

Xavier tried unsuccessfully to hide his laugh in a cough. "At least we know the effects aren't permanent." His eyes twinkled with mirth. "So," he sighed heavily, all mirth dying from his features. "This young shifter named Emery has been proving Casper's theory right. Since he arrived he's spent every day feeding some of the members of our coven and sleeping in their beds. They were warned about him but I can't do anything about it. He has given his consent and though he seems to be young he is still of legal age. I've asked Harm to bring him to your office at two, I hope that wasn't too presumptuous of me?"

I only knew the facts that I'd been told about Emery and though I listened and took note of everything, I would reserve my diagnosis until I'd spoken to him directly. "I have one or two appointments scheduled before two but I can see him after those. Tell Harm to send me a text message when they arrive and I'll try to not keep them waiting."

"Thank you, David." Xavier stood and reached out to shake my hand. "I know that you can't disclose patient details but if I need to control my vampires please let me know."

I inclined my head in silent agreement. "I'll let you get back to work." 

I turned to leave but stopped when Xavier called out to me, "Casper is in his room, the council haven't given him a new assignment yet," he said with a grin.

"That ended months ago and neither of us have plans to see each other romantically again. I'll see you later this evening, goodbye Master." I exited his office and closed the door behind me. 

I didn't like being reminded of yet another failed attempt at a relationship. Casper was hard and cold to those who didn't truly know him. He acted untouchable, sarcastic and emotionless. But that was not the real Casper, not the one that I'd known. With me he'd been sweet and kind and though he tried to act like he had no emotions I saw them clearly beneath his surface. We'd wanted different things though it seemed. He wanted someone to share his bed until he found his mate. I'd given up on finding my mate long ago. I wanted someone who didn't see me as a stand-in but as a partner that they could spend their life with.

I shook off my maudlin thoughts and walked to the other side of the house where my office was located. I had work to catch up on before my first appointment arrived.