Chapter 8

Candace sat behind her desk with one hand propping up her chin as she and her fellow officers listened attentively to the Mayor. The Mayor, a slim brunette woman with peculiar green eyes (probably in her late forties or early fifties) fascinated them with her graceful body movement and soft voice that also gave stern instructions and warning.

"I don't know if we're running a shitty circus here!" she scolded them, seriously pissed about something. "According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI crime statistics, Bloomfield Hills used to be safer than 72% of the cities and towns in the US, but now look at us? Two deaths in less than two weeks! To top it all, one happens to be a cop!" she fumed, glaring at the police officers as she scolded them. "Just what the fuck do you expect me to tell the governor when he starts ringing my celly? Uhmm sir I have everything under control. It was just two deaths, and not to worry the culprits are fucking animals!" she snapped on the last sentence while pretending to be on a phone call using the shaka sign.

"But with all due respect ma'am, we're trying our best here!" Candace interjected after she had had enough of being scolded like a little child.

"Detective, as you can see your best isn't enough. I need y'all to put in more work!" the Mayor demanded. She continued to lash them verbally, venting her pent-up frustrations till it was finally time for them to go on breaks before she let them off.

Candace muttered in exasperation over the Mayor's rude attitude as she entered her cruiser. She stepped on the acceleration then drove away from the station as she headed towards her favorite coffee place (Starbucks) in Woodward Avenue. And about four minutes later, she got to her destination. She alighted from her cruiser then entered the coffee shop, heading straight to the counter to place an order before she spotted someone familiar. A middle-aged man on buzzcut, with a mixture of black and grey hair on his head and beard. He had Caramel-brown skin and bold grey eyes.

"Hendell," Candace said the man's name as if it was a deadly curse.

"Candace." he turned towards her. For some reason, he didn't seem surprised to see her, rather his always fierce grey eyes seemed to soften on her.

"What are you doing in this side of the world?" She narrowed her eyes at him, keeping her hand steady on her pistol which was resting in its pouch, girded firmly about her waist.

"Duty calls" the druid answered calmly.

"Duty? Should I be worried?" Candace asked through clenched teeth, trying her best to keep her emotions in check.

"I don't think so. But we could use some help?" the druid requested, but Candace laughed at him instead.

"Help? Why on earth should I help you? No, let me do you one better. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't arrest you right away?" She glared at him.

"Their's nothing to arrest me for. Besides, even if you told the world what I am, no one would believe you" the druid said confidently.

"Fine, I might not have the right to arrest you, but I'll never help you." she refused, just to spite him.

"You must. You swore an oath?" Hendell insisted

"An oath of secrecy. And I've held up to my end even when I shouldn't anymore" Candace argued, her voice cracking a little at the end of the last sentence.

"Then help me because you're a good person" Hendell pleaded, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"What if I don't want to be good anymore?" Candace argued, shrugging off his hold on her.

"You would prefer your world to be destroyed than ending our feud?" he asked rhetorically. "Fine, even if you refuse to honor your oath with us, would you dishonor your pledge to serve and protect your country?" he smiled ruefully at her, trying to convince her with his sad grey eyes (or more accurately, blackmail her emotionally). Candace went silent for a while as she thought about the things he had said to her, questioning her morals if it was right to continue their feud or help the world as he had said.

"What is it that you want from me?" she gritted her teeth, hating herself for being a nice person.

"We're about to enter into a war with some creatures who should've stayed in the past" he fished his phone from his pocket and showed her a picture of a reptile. "I need you to keep us and everything we're about to do hidden from the eyes of the world" he instructed. Candace nodded in reply, a couple more times than necessary as she tried to stop herself from breaking down before the druid. After studying the picture he had shown her, she knew right away that it was these ungodly creatures that murdered her coworker Sif.

"Is that all?" she asked, somewhat surprised that this was all that was needed of her.

"I've already asked too much by involving you into this mess" Hendell smiled reassuringly at her. "And thanks for the latte," he said while collecting something from the barista over the counter then left. Candace stood puzzled as she tried to decipher his last sentence.

"Wait I'm not going to pay for that!" she screamed when she finally understood what was going on, but it was already too late. The druid had left.

Jane's lips pressed together in anger, the muscles along her jaws clenching involuntarily as she listened to Penelope's annoying voice. A cloud of warning settled over her features and her breathing grew thin and ragged as Penelope continued to speak obscenities about her alpha, Bale. Slowly losing her cool, she clenched her fists together by her side, ready to beat the crap out of Penelope if she didn't shut her mouth in the next second.

"Are you alright?" Penelope brought her back to reality and she answered with an obviously forced smile.

"I think I'll be going now. I have something urgent to attend to" she excused herself then left hastily before she would do something she could regret later. Penelope stared as she left, puzzled and wondering why she was suddenly acting strange. Also while they were talking she could've sworn Jane's eyes flashed blue for a second, but maybe she was just imagining things.

Stephan kept his feet steady on the gas pedal as he drove through the night, heading towards 715 East Long Lake Road. As usual, he was up to no good. The roaring of his V12 engine finally stopped when he got to his destination and he alighted from his car (a Jaguar E-Type). He glanced about him to see if anyone was watching before he entered the red brick mansion before him (which was also a three-minute drive away from Bloomfield Hills City Office).

"I see you took your time." A slim brunette woman with peculiar green eyes spoke to him as he entered the living room. She seemed to have been waiting for him for a while now.

"I had to make sure no one was following me. You wouldn't want some uninvited guests at your place would you?" he asked rhetorically as he walked towards her.

"You're lucky you're here now. I would have started the celebration without you" She brought out a bottle of champagne from a cooler before her and poured him some.

"Cheers to the end of the world," she said, handing him a glass of wine.

"They'd never know what hit them" Stephan smiled maliciously, then emptied his cup with just one gulp.