“Irish is different from Scottish Gaelic. Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.”
Kieran laughed. “Nicely done, lass. Only understood a wee bit of that.”
Luke winked at her before he spoke to Kieran. “Aye. She’s a stoater for someone who thinks broken Irish is better than clever English.”
When Kieran spoke, she could hear the smile in his voice. “Well then, lass, to answer your question, we have a fair nest of them here in Savannah. Not too bothersome much of the time. But every now and again, they come to town to pick off some tourists…maybe a college student or two if they’re in the right mindset for it. But they mimic a vampire in attack. Two marks on the neck, and not a soul to be found. It’s what feeds them. They don’t normally desecrate the flesh. No need in it, really. They like to be quick, lest me or me boyos come across them and decide to free the souls they took.”
That actually made sense. Thick accent and all. “Thank you so much.”
Luke snorted at her. “Appreciate your time, Kieran. Thanks for marking another creature off my list.”
“Haste ye back, Chief.” He hung up.
Luke slid his phone into his pocket. “So we’re left with Revenants, Wendigo, Draugr, Lamia, Ammit the Devourer, Souruita, Valravn, Bubak, Ankou, Cat-sith, Raven Mocker, Slaugh, Boo Hag, and my personal fave, witches.”
Ouch. “That is still a really long list. Something tells me they won’t be as easy to wade through as these last few.”
Luke nodded as he reviewed the list again. “We can probably take Ammit off. Normally those souls are taken in the Underworld. Not this one.”
“Then why did you add it?”
“I was being thorough and listing every beast I could think of who might have skin in the game.”
“I can’t believe with your powers that you can’t narrow it down more.”
He gave an adorable shrug. “That’s why we have Infernal Affairs. As many powers as I have, preternatural beings are really good at covering their tracks. Some of them have had centuries to perfect their skills.”
“Fair point.” Sorcha sighed as she considered what they needed to narrow it down. Honestly, she had no idea.
So, she decided not to make that decision. “Which one do we tackle next?”
He screwed up his face at the list. “Let’s try the Raven Mockers.”
“Why them?”
“Why not?”
Why not, indeed. Shaking her head, she bit back a snort. Why did she enjoy playing this game with him? Normally, it would infuriate her and yet she enjoyed Luke’s silliness. “Okay…but how do we do that?” She assumed it’d be hard to find a Raven Mocker.
“We take a ride over to Tybee Island.”
“Why?” She was beginning to feel a little repetitive with her questions.
He leaned forward as if imparting a big secret to her. “It’s where my Raven Mocker contact lives.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why aren’t you texting or calling him?”
“He’s not a tech-friendly raven. I’ve always wondered if it comes from an aversion to power lines or some other Luddite tendency. All I know is if he has a number, he hasn’t shared it with the likes of me. Might be because I’m an asshole. Or he doesn’t like me…no, can’t be that. I’m adorable.” He held his hands out to indicate his body. “Who could resist this, right?”
Groaning at his play, she finished off her coffee and put the cup in his black dragon trash can. “So, who’s this Raven Mocker you know?”
“Sequoyah Tanamara…whose first name means sparrow. Weird name for a raven, if you ask me. But who am I to question his mother’s choice? I’m so unhappy with the godawful thing my mother stuck me with that I refuse to use it.”
Yeah, he was an odd duck, since they were being fowl about this. But she strangely liked him.
“And what exactly are Raven Mockers?” She’d heard the term and seen it used in fiction, but her information was sketchy at best.
“They’re Cherokee in origin. And like a Daimon, they take souls to elongate their lives. Normally, they only prey on the dying. If they’re not driven off when a person dies, they will consume the soul as it leaves the body.”
