A Fae in Fort Worth

by Amy Armstrong

  “Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any worse,” I mumbled.

  Mitch grinned and shouldered past Malaki, unlocking the door to his condo. “Take it you two have already met.”

  I followed on Mitch’s heels. “It was an experience I’d prefer to forget.”

  Malaki laughed huskily as he trailed in behind us. “Ouch. And I thought we’d gotten along splendidly.”

  “We did,” I threw over my shoulder. “That is until you left me alone to fight a handful of vampires and made it to the top of my ‘people I hate most in the world’ list.”

  “He did what?” Mitch spun around and stalked forward, glaring at Malaki. The air became so thick with menace you could have sliced through it with a knife.

  “Relax, Romeo,” Malaki shot back, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. “She’s alive, isn’t she?”

  When my mouth fell open, Malaki turned to me and said, “I did offer you a choice, the vamps or the demon.”

  Mitch growled and took another step forward. When I noticed the dangerous glint in Malaki’s eyes, I thought it best to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. Besides, I didn’t need Mitch to fight in my corner. I could take care of myself.

  “Whatever.” I shrugged. “It’s ancient history. Can we hurry this little reunion along? Mitch and I have a book to find.”

  My words seemed to do the trick. Mitch backed down, but he shot another glare at Malaki before turning to me.

  “What do you know about the location of the grimoire?”

  I told them what I knew, which wasn’t a lot. “My handler said the prince of the Seelie Court is in possession of the book. He didn’t know a lot about him other than he spends half of his time in the Fairy Realm and the other half in the Fae sanctuary in Fort Worth.”

  Mitch’s brow creased. “The prince of the Seelie Court? You mean Avery?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. You know him?”

  “Who doesn’t?” Malaki interjected.

  Mitch ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Fuck.”

  I didn’t like where this was heading. “Is there something about Avery that I should know? I thought the Fae of the Seelie Court were the good guys.”

  Malaki snorted. “They’re Fae. The lines blur.”

  “What does that mean exactly?”

  “Avery isn’t your garden-variety Fae,” Mitch explained. “The only reason he spends so much time in the Fae sanctuary in Fort Worth is because his mother keeps tossing him out of the Seelie Court. He’s trouble with a capital T. I’ve had a run-in with him before.”

  “Great,” I moaned. “What are our chances of getting the book?”

  Mitch met my gaze and held it, his expression stoic. “Slim to none.”

  Malaki grinned. “My kind of odds.”

  I put my hands on my hips and turned to stare down the annoyingly smug angel. “Then why don’t you go and get the book?”

  “Can’t. I’ve got my own grimoire to locate. In Puerto Rico.”

  “What?” I spluttered. “How come you get to go to Puerto Rico and I get lumbered with Fort Worth?”

  Malaki’s lips twitched. “Uh, luck of the draw? Call out my name when you find the book and I’ll come by and collect it. Must dash. There’s a piña colada with my name on it waiting for me at the Caribe Hilton. Toodles.” He wiggled his fingers, grinning wickedly, then disappeared from the room—literally.

  Mouth agape, I stared at the spot where he’d been standing, cursing my string of bad luck. I turned my gaze to Mitch.

  “Did I mention how much I hate that freaking angel?”

  Mitch shook his head then picked up a small leather saddle bag from beside the sofa. “Let’s make a move. I wanna hit Fort Worth before it gets dark and I know how anxious you are to be pressed up against me on the back of my bike. It’d be a travesty to keep a beautiful lady like you waiting.” He winked then headed for the front door, leaving me staring after him, speechless for the second time in as many hours.

  Chapter Three

  I would never have admitted it to Mitch, but I loved every second of the trip up to Fort Worth. The ride was exhilarating and I made a mental note to look into motorcycle lessons when I got back to Austin. The only thing that sucked was that I did indeed enjoy being pressed up against Mitch, my arms wrapped around his waist as I straddled the bike behind him. I tried hard not to like it, really I did, but the farther we travelled, the more comfortable I became. I added it to my list of reasons to be pissed at Mitch.

  We stopped for rest room breaks a couple of times on the way and I was surprised to learn that when Mitch wasn’t flirting or being obnoxious he was actually a pretty nice guy. I didn’t know what to do with that. At thirty-one, he was five years older than me and had a lot of stories to tell. He knew quite a bit about the Fae and the sanctuary in Fort Worth where many of them stayed when they weren’t in their own realm.

  The Fae sanctuary was one of ten which were scattered around the globe. It was located in the old part of the city near the stockyards. I hadn’t been there myself, but I’d heard about it from other hunters. It sat within the confines of Rodeo Park and was undetectable to the human eye. The Fae and the other supernatural species, which included hunters like Mitch and I, were the only ones capable of seeing the sanctuary’s entrance.

  Mitch had been there before, several times in fact. During one of our pit stops, he told me about the last time he’d visited. He’d been in Fort Worth to search for a Fae who’d been working with a couple of rogue werewolves. Seemingly the Fae had been causing problems for the Hunters’ Council and Mitch had been tasked with bringing him in. Trouble was, the Fae didn’t like outsiders involved in their business. Mitch hadn’t been made welcome in the sanctuary and after he’d found the fairy and had handed him over to the Council, he’d promised the elders he wouldn’t return.

  This made me nervous, but Mitch didn’t view it as a big deal. I hadn’t decided if he was being optimistic or cocky. When I’d first met him, I’d have counted on it being the latter, but sometime during the day, I’d started to change my opinion about Mitch Rakowski. I still thought he was a terrible flirt and I hated that he was so convinced he was going to bed me—which he wasn’t—but I got the feeling that his flirtatious nature and sexual innuendos were just a front. Although what he was hiding, I had yet to discover.

  We’d just finished eating at a roadside diner when I told Mitch what had happened to Raven when she’d encountered the Fae back in Austin.

  Mitch listened without interrupting. When I was done, he took a sip of his coffee then pursed his lips. “Does she know what type of Fae he was?”

  “I don’t know, she didn’t say. Is it common for Fae to be able to glamour hunters?”

  Mitch shook his head. “Not common, no, it’s rare actually, but there are a few who have the ability. They’d have to be pretty damn powerful. It must have been an older fairy, likely an elf, but from what you’ve described, he must have been a Fae from the Unseelie Court, which is unusual.”

  “How so?”

  He took another sip of coffee then went on to explain. “The Fae of the Unseelie Court rarely enter our realm. The Seelie Court fairies have measures in place to detect them. If he did come here from the Unseelie Court, he took a big risk.”

  I paused to consider all of this. “Is there any way to guard ourselves from glamouring?”

  “The best way is not to look any Fae in the eye, ever.”

  I frowned. “But if you’re talking to a Fae, wouldn’t that be kind of rude?”

  Mitch’s mouth curved up into a grin which was so wide and so sexy it made my stomach jolt. My nipples hardened and I squirmed in my seat. I tried to hide my reaction and concentrated on studying the features of his face. He had intense, dark brown eyes which sometimes made him look serious, but I was sure the lines around his mouth came from laughing a lot.

  “Given the choice, peaches, I’d rather be rude than dead, yeah?”

  Guess I c
ouldn’t argue with logic like that. I didn’t however like his new nickname for me. Peaches was only a step up from sweet cheeks and a very small step at that. I chose to ignore it. I was sure he was trying to get a rise out of me, although why he’d want to do that was anyone’s guess.

  “Each Fae has a power which is unique to their species,” he continued. “Some can change their appearance at will and others have a supreme command over one or more of the elements. A few are pretty good at casting illusions.”

  I took a sip of my coffee then thought about all that. “One of the Fae I encountered was a telepath and I swear he could read my mind as easily as if he’d been reading a newspaper. It was creepy.”

  Mitch nodded. “I’ve met a couple who can do that. There are rumours that some of the Fae are able to shift between dimensions, but I don’t know how true that is. Most of them can transport themselves from one place to another in the blink of an eye, and they all have the ability to enter the Fairy Realm without the use of a portal.”

  “And the prince of the Seelie Court? What abilities does he have?”

  Mitch sighed and turned to stare out of the window, seemingly lost in thought. He had a great profile and his momentary distraction gave me the chance to study it. His nose was strong and his chin was slightly angular and covered in a light dabbling of stubble. He had unruly hair, a few weeks past needing a cut, but it looked good on him. When he turned back to me, his expression was grim.

  “I know that Avery is good at creating illusions, but I don’t know what else he can do. He’s definitely powerful, incredibly so. Whatever you do, don’t trust him. If it comes to it, you shouldn’t trust any of the Fae, however friendly they appear. And the most important thing you need to know is that you should never ever accept help from a Fae, even if it’s freely offered and they don’t ask for anything in return.”

  I’d never heard anything like that in relation to a Fae and it intrigued me. I placed my coffee cup on the table and leant forward in my seat. “Why not? What would happen if you accepted their help?”

  Mitch scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin and I watched the action, fascinated. I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel against my skin if we kissed. Would the texture be rough? I frowned and tried to rid the thought from my mind as Mitch looked back at me.

  “Accepting help from a Fae puts you in their debt and they have long memories. A Fae would never forget about someone who owes them something. They can ask you to do whatever they choose and you’d be obliged to do it.”

  That didn’t sound good. “What would happen if you refused to do what they wanted?”

  Mitch’s expression turned hard, his eyes serious. “Put it this way, the best way to ensure you stay alive long enough to celebrate your next birthday is to never be in a position to know that answer to that question.”

  Yikes! This job was becoming less attractive by the darn minute.

  * * * *

  We hit Fort Worth a little after eight and we encountered our first problem as soon as we entered the stockyards area. It had nothing to do with the Fae. We were nearing the sanctuary when Mitch turned into a quiet side street and slowed the motorcycle before pulling over on the side of the road. He took off his helmet and got off the bike.

  “Are we going to walk the rest of the way?” I asked after I’d removed my own helmet.

  Mitch shook his head. He bent and opened one of the saddle bags on the bike. After rifling around inside, he pulled out a silver-tipped stake. “We have a problem.”

  I straightened instantly and began to scan the area. I’d been enjoying the ride so much that I hadn’t been paying attention to anything other than the feel of Mitch’s warm, hard body against mine. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

  “Vampires,” Mitch informed me. “We just passed a couple of them. Looked like they were stalking some humans. I’m gonna go check it out.”

  I got off the bike and pulled my stake out of my jacket pocket. It wasn’t as fancy as Mitch’s, but it did the job. I’d killed a lot of vampires with it. I rolled my head from side to side to get out the kinks then nodded. “Let’s go.”

  “No need,” Mitch returned. “It won’t take two of us, you just relax here—I’ll be back before you blink.”

  He did not just say that to me. I took back my earlier reassessment of him. He was a conceited jerk.

  “Relax,” I repeated angrily. “Are you for real? I’m a hunter, Mitch. This is what I do.”

  “I realise that, but I think I can handle two vampires.”

  I stood my ground. If I backed down about this, Mitch would think he could walk all over me and that was not going to happen. I took off my jacket so that I wouldn’t be encumbered by it if I needed to fight. I stuffed it into my backpack then folded my arms and stared at Mitch. “I would hope you can handle two vampires,” I retorted. “But it’s irrelevant. I’m still coming with you.”

  He blew out a long breath which reeked of frustration, then ran a hand through his helmet-flattened hair. “Fine,” he conceded. “But stay close to me, yeah?” He put my backpack into a compartment on the back of the bike then pulled out a gun and handed it to me. I stared at it blankly.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  Mitch’s lips quirked. “If I have to tell you…”

  “I know how to use it,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “I meant, why are you giving it to me? I’m perfectly happy with my stake.”

  Mitch stared at me for a long moment. “Humour me?” His gaze travelled the length of my body then he shook his head. “You sure you’re cut out for this life? You’re so…little. Keep the gun. I need to know you have the means to protect yourself.”

  He locked the compartment on his bike before striding ahead with purpose. Okay, now he was seriously starting to piss me off. Again! I caught up to him and grabbed hold of his arm.

  “What part of my job description don’t you understand?” I asked, keeping pace with him. “I’ve been hunting alone for ten years. Don’t think you need to look out for me because you don’t. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need your protection and I don’t want it. If you have a problem working with a woman then I can do this alone and I…”

  “Shh.” Mitch met my gaze and put a finger to his lips. I glared at him.

  Oh hell no. “Did you just shush me?”

  He frowned and nodded towards the large parking lot of what appeared to be a club called Billy Bob’s Texas. Following his gaze, I saw two shifty-looking vampires slinking around in the darkness behind a couple of cars. They were heading around the back of the building.

  I shushed and made my way over to the parking lot, tucking the gun into the back of my jeans. I kept hold of my stake. I was too angry to check if Mitch was following me or even to care. But we were damn well going to continue the conversation later whether he liked it or not. This was a perfect example of why I was better off hunting alone. If Mitch felt like he had to be constantly watching my back then he’d be too distracted to watch his own. If he got hurt because of me, that would weigh heavily on my conscience.

  When I reached the spot where the vampires had disappeared, I put my back to the wall and peered around the side of the building.

  “How many?” Mitch whispered. “Just the two?”

  “Oh crap.” I turned back to him. “This is not good. This is really not good.”

  We swapped positions and Mitch took a peek himself. “Goddamn it,” he muttered. “There are too many of them.”

  There were four humans in the parking lot around the back of the club, and the two vampires who had been chasing them were by no means alone. They’d obviously been meant to lure the humans behind the building where other members of their nest awaited. I hadn’t had time to count, but at a guess I’d say there were at least seven vampires, maybe more. They were closing in on the humans and if Mitch and I waited any longer, they wouldn’t make it out of there alive. Mind made up, I pushed away from the
wall and rounded the corner of the club, gripping my stake tightly in my right hand.

  “Ashley, wait,” Mitch hissed.

  I didn’t listen to him. There wasn’t time. My every instinct screamed at me to save the humans before the vampires killed them.

  Striding purposefully forward with an air of confidence I didn’t feel inside, I headed towards the throng of vamps and humans.

  “Howdy, boys!” I called out in an effort to get their attention away from the humans. “What’s up?”

  Every set of eyes turned my way. I scanned each of the vampires’ faces and noted that they didn’t have their fangs on display. Their eyes appeared human, not the freakish yellow they became when they were in the throes of blood lust. This was good. It meant that they hadn’t revealed themselves to the humans yet—hadn’t showed them their true nature.

  The tallest of the vampires, who I assumed was the leader, broke away from the others and headed my way.

  “Well, well—what do we have here?” he drawled, his gaze flicking from my face to Mitch, who I sensed was right behind me. “You gatecrashing our party?”

  I puckered my lips into a pout. “You’re having a party and you didn’t invite us? I’m hurt.”

  I kept walking towards the vampire and gripped my stake tighter, but my palm was sweaty and I could feel my fingers slipping on its length. I cast a cursory gaze over the others and counted nine vamps in total. A modicum of fear tried to creep into my mind, but I ignored it and kept moving forward.

  When I was close enough I got a good look at the humans. There were two women and two men. The women were gripping hold of what I assumed to be their partners’ arms. Their expressions were filled with terror and the men weren’t faring much better.

  “Police!” I shouted. “Get out of here! Now!”

  I didn’t need to tell them twice. It only took a few seconds for my command to compute then all four of them sprinted in our direction. The vampire in front of me hissed as they rounded the building, disappearing from sight.