Hunter Circles Series Books 1-3: An Urban Fantasy Box Set

by Jessica Gunn

For one long moment, I looked into the glass, wondering if every time I snuck alcohol I’d promised Sandra I wouldn’t drink, I made it harder for the police to find Riley. Like every shot was another week added to this misery. But the contemplation only lasted for a second. I threw back the shot, not once wincing as the liquid burned the back of my throat before going down smooth.

  I took a deep breath, forcing as much oxygen into my lungs as possible, then released it. A buzzing already thrummed through my cheeks and limbs. Whatever the bartender had given me was a fucking godsend.

  “Good evening,” said a man in a suit jacket as he sat down next to me at the bar. His clean-shaven head and neat goatee, along with the gold watch on his wrist, said he didn’t belong in this type of bar.

  I looked over at him with what I hoped was a friendly face. To be honest, I’d begun having trouble interacting with regular people over the past month. Losing a kid sort of did that to you. “Hi.”

  The dark-skinned businessman called the bartender over. “Two more of what he ordered, please.”

  The bartender nodded and retrieved the drinks.

  I stared at mine, then glanced up at the man. I didn’t deserve this kindness. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “Seems like you need another.”

  My eyes narrowed. I shouldn’t question kindness, but I no longer trusted strangers enough to even talk to them. “Right.” I drank the shot anyway. “Thanks.”

  The stranger nodded and drank his as well. “You’re Ben Hallen, yes?”

  My body stiffened, hand frozen in the middle of replacing the shot glass onto the wooden counter. “Who’s asking?”

  He spun his barstool so he was facing me. “I have no easy way to say this.”

  “Then spit it out.” I didn’t have time for this bullshit. I had to get home before Sandra woke up.

  The man gave a small nod. “As you wish. The short way, then. I know who kidnapped your son.”

  My eyes snapped to his. “Excuse me?” He knew? How did he know? I stood from my barstool, towering over the man. If he had answers, I needed them. Now.

  He raised his hand in a calming motion, as though I were a child. I swallowed down the annoyance.

  “Come. Sit and listen. I don’t have much time,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “If they knew I was here, exposing them to an outsider without backup for myself, this wouldn’t end well.”

  Rage flared inside of me. What the fuck did that even mean? “Where’s Riley?”

  “Taken by demons.” His tone was matter-of-fact, like it were the simplest answer in the world.

  Luckily for him, I’d run the scenario through my head so many times, I didn’t even blink. “I know. So I’ll ask again: Where is my son?”

  My clipped tone didn’t seem to faze the man. His eyes widened, mouth pressed into a thin line. “You know about demons?”

  I forced a deep breath into my lungs as my patience thinned. “Yes. Are you one of them, too? Because your buddies already beat you to the punch. So why don’t you answer this for me: Why did your filthy, awful bastard kind take my newborn baby boy?”

  The man frowned, sadness flashing across his expression. “That I do not have an answer for. But if you’ll hear me out, I’ll help you get him back.” He pointed a finger toward my clenched fists, around which lightning had started sparking. “And I might be able to help you get that under control, too. I wish I knew what sparked your powers all of a sudden, Ben, but I don’t. As far as I’ve been able to discern, magik doesn’t run in your family line.”

  I swallowed hard. This was too good to be true. After over a year of searching, finally, someone had come along and decided to offer answers to all the questions Rachel and I had asked since the rowboat accident?

  Don’t trust him. It was a gut reaction, something about him and all of this totally off-putting. But if he had answers… it’d be worth the risk of at least hearing him out, right?

  “I know you’ve sought out that control before,” the stranger said as he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out three photographs. “Specifically, by coming to Boston.”

  He handed the photographs to me and I glanced them over. The pictures were of Rachel and me outside of that office building, the one that’d been rebuilt after burning down.

  My gaze snapped back to his. I shoved the photographs in his face, though the movement was half-cocked because both of those shots had really started to hit me now. “Where did you get these? Did you take them?”

  “No, Ben.” He pushed down the photographs and extended his right hand for me to shake. “My name is Jaffrin. I run that office building.”

  My eyes narrowed. “So you stalked your security feed and then tracked me down? Why?”

  “Because we live in a world where demons exist,” Jaffrin said, his face indifferent despite the insane words he spoke. “They have since the beginning of time, growing in numbers until the Empire of Darkness is ready to try taking over the world again. And that building of mine? We train fighters there. Hunters. People capable of taking those demons down. People with powers like you and some without.”

  I paused, my mouth hanging open at what he’d just said, before rolling my eyes. “What in the actual—”

  “The demons that took your son aren’t run-of-the-mill. They’re from a high-up secret society run by Darkness’s second-in-line to the throne,” said Jaffrin. “And without my help, without the instruction of the Fire Circle, you will never recover your son.” He gestured to the bartender and ordered me a third shot. The bartender once more fulfilled the order. Jaffrin slid the drink to me. “Take it. I know this is a lot to process, Ben, but I believe you’ve been called to fight for the Hunter Circles.”

  My fist squeezed the shot glass so tightly, I was sure I’d shatter it. “Because your demonic secret society stole my son?” The words came out sharp.

  Jaffrin appeared to remain unfazed. “No. Your lightning elemental magik is rare and powerful. I believe you were meant to use it for our side. And now it so happens that your son needs you too, not just Boston.”

  “Convenient.” My head spun as I tried to take it all in. Demons were real, I’d already known that. But this guy knew which demons had kidnapped Riley? And now he was recruiting me to help fight those demons instead of just giving back my son?

  “I… I’ll pay you whatever you want,” I told him.

  He chuckled, smiling, and shook his head. “I don’t think you understand, Ben. You’re going to be the one to go after him. But after we train you in our ways, and our world.”

  I looked down at the drink he’d ordered me. My head buzzed with the first two and although I wasn’t entirely sure what Jaffrin had said was sane… it did make sense. Sort of. And parts of it matched what Rachel and I had found online.

  “How did the building burn to the ground?” I figured him giving me an answer was some minimal show of faith.

  Jaffrin crossed his arms and stared at me. “A demon attacked Fire Circle Headquarters, seeking revenge. The team of Hunters stationed there at the time weren’t fully trained and their fire elemental magik user lost control. The blaze got out of hand and there were casualties. When the case was closed and all the paperwork got filed, we rebuilt.”

  Well, that was more than I’d expected.

  Shit. Was I actually starting to believe this guy? Could I risk not trusting him?

  I looked at the shot of liquor… and drew it to my mouth and gulped it down. Then I turned to him and said, “Fine. I believe you. Where do we go from here?”

  Jaffrin smiled and slipped a hand into his jacket pocket. He withdrew a tiny white card with a red flame drawn onto it. “Take this. Call me when you’re ready.”

  Then he stood and walked out of the bar before I could say a single word.

  I RAN home after paying my tab, intent on telling Sandra all I’d learned. Sure, she’d question it like I had at first—the demons and magik aspects—and yeah, this wasn’t a surefire way to get Riley back. But
Jaffrin had provided more answers, more direction, than the cops had this past entire month.

  The living room light shone out through the front windows. I checked my phone for the time. 1 A.M. Crap. This was later than I’d intended to stay out, but the thought of how much closer I’d gotten to Riley was worth every minute.

  I unlocked the front door and entered the living room. Sandra sat in the recliner chair facing the door, arms crossed over her chest. Heavy dark bags hung under her eyes, and her hair was tied up in a loose bun. She still wore the same pajamas from this morning.

  I held up my hands as though her glare had been a physical blow. “I know. I know what I said and I should have told you I went out.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “You think? Where were you?”

  “Out. Look, this is going to sound insane, but I think I found a way to—”

  Sandra stood and walked toward me, her eyebrows furrowing. “Is that liquor?” She sniffed the air. “Are you drunk?”

  Okay. I hadn’t counted on that. And the walk back had surely cleared away the buzz, but not the warm feeling I had about the chance of finding Riley.

  I shook my head. “No. I only had three drinks. This guy bought me—”

  “Are you kidding me?” she hissed. “I sit here waiting for the police to call and you’re out drinking?”

  I wanted to deny it, but that was exactly what I’d done. “Well, I did, yeah, I admit that. I went to the bar to have one drink—one. And then—”

  She scoffed. “I can’t believe you. You promised me.”

  Only because she’d made me promise her I wouldn’t drink anymore. Not that I’d ever say that out loud. “You don’t understand—”

  “No, you don’t, Ben.” She looked me over with a disgusted expression, as if she couldn’t stand the sight of me. And for the first time in years, she looked like a stranger. But the moment was as fleeting as the look she gave me.

  I put a hand on each of her shoulders and bent down so my eyes met hers. “I know how to find Riley. It all makes sense now.”

  She looked into my eyes, searching for something and evidently coming up short because confusion flashed across her face. “What are you telling me?”

  And here came the problem. I hadn’t told Sandra all along about my powers, or the demons I’d seen around her, or that I knew a month ago when Riley was taken that he’d been kidnapped by them. I’d kept her in the dark, and I’d done so without a good reason. Without a reason at all.

  “Do you remember when I got struck by lightning?” I asked.

  Her eyes narrowed in on mine. “What does that have to do with Riley being missing?”

  I squeezed her shoulders lightly, hoping to snap her out of her anger and get her to actually listen to me, to understand that none of what I was about to say was a lie. “That’s when everything started. The lightning changed something inside of me.”

  She nodded slowly, eyes widening like I was an idiot. “Yeah. You were in a coma for three months. And you know who stuck by you without sneaking out to bars? Me.”

  Okay. I deserved that. “After the coma, Sandra. When I woke up, I was different. I had an… ability.”

  “Ability?”

  I lifted one hand from her shoulder and held it up between us, an open palm. “I can wield lightning like it’s a part of me.” Slowly, I let lightning grow around my fingers, snapping and twisting.

  Sandra’s eyes went wide. “What the hell, Ben? Ben! You’re being electrocuted.”

  I looked her directly in the eyes. “No, I’m not. I’m in control.”

  She shook her head quickly and shoved my hand off her shoulder. “This is insane. You’re drunk and full of static electricity, Ben. Go to bed. Get some sleep. And for god’s sake, go touch a door handle or something before you shock me, too.” She turned to go upstairs to bed.

  “Sandra, wait,” I said, following her. “Please. I know who took Riley. And the guy I met at the bar tonight, he owns this organization. He can help us get Riley back.”

  She blinked slowly, as if everything I’d said was utter gibberish. Then she turned back to the stairs and took three of them slowly, mechanically, before turning around and saying, “Goodnight, Ben. You should sleep on the couch tonight.”

  I swallowed hard, hope dwindling both for our rescue efforts and our relationship. She thought I was crazy, on something. Drunk.

  But I wasn’t.

  I took out the card Jaffrin had given me from inside my pocket and read it again, just to reassure myself it said what I thought it did.

  Jaffrin O. Fire Circle Leader. The Hunter Circles.

  No. I wasn’t crazy after all. But I slept on the couch anyway.

  CHAPTER 12

  Six days later…

  I’d avoided the inevitable for almost a week, dodging verbal bullets from Sandra and more questions from the cops. But each day that passed was another strike against us in the probability of recovering Riley. At least by normal police standards.

  Sandra eventually let up on me, and I’d doted on her ever since. I never brought up the Hunter Circles or Jaffrin or demons in her presence. And I sure as hell didn’t use my powers in front of her. She’d attributed that part of last week to sleep deprivation. Thank god.

  She’d see, though. One day. When I brought Riley back and proved where he’d been this entire time. But until then, even if I used my power in front of her, I feared her grief and anger would cloud over everything and she’d never believe the truth, or my secret.

  But on the sixth day, I couldn’t handle it anymore. Meeting Jaffrin had only instilled more questions in me, both in regards to Riley and to myself. So, while Sandra was at work, I called out of work at a retail store and hopped on the commuter train to Boston. Several subway stops and a few blocks of walking later found me standing outside of the same office building Rachel and I had visited last year.

  Half a dozen stories tall and covered in glass, it didn’t look like a secret hideout for demon hunters. But clearly that’d been the point.

  “Right.” I steeled myself with a deep breath and climbed the front steps to what was apparently Fire Circle Headquarters.

  The very moment I put my hand on the door and walked into the building, everything changed. The entire place went from high-end office building to some half-wooden, half-carpeted lobby. The change was so sudden, I stumbled the rest of the way to the front desk. A woman sat behind it with her hair piled high in a bun sitting atop her head.

  She smiled up at me. “Ben Hallen, correct? Jaffrin’s been expecting you.”

  “Think he wanted me here a lot sooner.” Because that was an intelligent thing to say. But my distracted gaze wandered over every aspect of the wood paneling, the bronze chandelier overhead, and all the furniture that appeared to be straight out of the 1800s.

  Then there was the secretary’s phone and desktop computer.

  “Am I at the right place…” I glanced at her name tag. “…Lissandra? Because I was supposed to be at an office building.”

  Lissandra smiled again as if this was a normal reaction from new people. “Fire Circle Headquarters is indeed an office of sorts. Please take a seat over there. I’ll let Jaffrin know you’re here.”

  I gulped. Killing demons. Learning my magik. That was what I’d signed up for. Not magikally-changing buildings and freaking bronze chandeliers.

  Lissandra gestured again to a small bench beside her desk while she picked up her phone. Guess I should listen. I sat and tried not to look like I had no idea what was going on. Which was hard because that was the truth. I should have told Rachel about my meeting with Jaffrin by now. She’d known I suspected demons behind Riley’s kidnapping, and so while the rest of the family was freaking out, Rachel’s grief was on a whole other level. But without knowing for sure what this Jaffrin guy was up to, I’d elected to keep her out of it, demons or not. For now, at least.

  A minute later, Jaffrin came down the large dark wood stairwell off to the side of the lobby. H
e clapped when he saw me. “You made it.”

  Rising from the couch, I nodded to him. “I did. I know it’s a few days later than you’d hoped.”

  He waved me off. “Nonsense. I knew you’d need time. Let’s get on our way. Your trainer team is here and I want you to get started today. We’ll need to assess your magikal strength and then move on to weapons.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Weapons?”

  Jaffrin nodded to the second set of stairs that went down, I assumed, to a basement.

  “Yes. We do take on demons with more than just magik,” he said. “Not all of our Hunters have abilities, as opposed to demons.”

  “Who always have magik.” Not a question. Pretty sure he already answered that, but I wanted to make sure.

  Jaffrin’s mouth thinned as we made our way into the basement and down a dimly-lit hallway. Every wall in this place seemed to be wood-lined, as if they’d never known anything else. No drywall or tile. “Yes. It’s magik that turns them into their demonic selves to begin with, a twisting of human energy into darkness.”

  “Seems like your war was stacked against you from the start.” Was it possible for a person without magik to take down one of those demons? My lightning barely allowed me to put up a fight.

  “Indeed,” Jaffrin said with a grim tone. “Which is why we train Hunters, often from a young age, to take on our enemy. Many of our Hunters, especially in the Fire Circle, join or are initiated in their early teens. You are actually a lot older than half of our roster.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that child labor or something?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. The Hunter title has often been transferred from generation to generation, and our history reaches back farther than the birth of this country.”

  What did that mean? The Hunter Circles has been around since before the Mayflower?

  “Exactly how old are the Circles?” I asked.

  “Older than the pyramids of Egypt. No one knows exactly when they were started, but our records go back almost to the birth of the written word in Sumer.”