A Fae in Fort Worth: Hunters' Chronicles, #2

By Amy Armstrong

There might be a spark of attraction between us, but before we can explore it, we'll have to make it through a mission that might just cost us our lives.


Ash

As I'm blonde, short, and petite, I never get taken seriously.

In my job as a vampire hunter, I've always had to train twice as hard as my fellow slayers to prove I'm as capable of getting the job done.

About to begin a mission to find one of the lost grimoires, I'm worried that for the first time, I might just be out of my depth.

The last thing I need is a relationship to complicate my life further.

Enter tattooed badass and one-time vampire slayer, Mitch Rakowski.


Mitch

I've never played by the rules.

When my old friend, Raven, calls in a debt, I'm forced to pick up my stake one last time.

The minute Ashley Monroe and I meet, sparks fly.

I've always gone after what I want so I make it clear I'm attracted to the feisty slayer, but she fights me at every turn.

The attraction simmering between us soon intensifies, but before we can form any kind of relationship, we have a run-in with the Fae in Fort Worth.

The encounter forces us to visit the Fairy Realm—a dangerous mission that might just cost us our lives…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amy Armstrong
• Release date: Jul 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393218036

Book preview

Back Cover Information

There might be a spark of attraction between us, but before we can explore it, we’ll have to make it through a mission that might just cost us our lives.

ASH

As I’m blonde, short, and petite, I never get taken seriously.

In my job as a vampire hunter, I’ve always had to train twice as hard as my fellow slayers to prove I’m as capable of getting the job done.

About to begin a mission to find one of the lost grimoires, I’m worried that for the first time, I might just be out of my depth.

The last thing I need is a relationship to complicate my life further.

Enter tattooed badass and one-time vampire slayer, Mitch Rakowski.

MITCH

I’ve never played by the rules.

When my old friend, Raven, calls in a debt, I’m forced to pick up my stake one last time.

The minute Ashley Monroe and I meet, sparks fly.

I’ve always gone after what, but the feisty slayer, fights me at every turn.

The attraction simmering between us intensifies, but before we can form any kind of relationship, we have a run-in with the Fae in Fort Worth.

The encounter forces us to visit the Fairy Realm—a dangerous mission that might just cost us our lives...

Please Note: This book has been previously published. It has a new cover and has been re-edited, but the bones of the story remain unchanged.

A FAE IN FORT WORTH

AMY ARMSTRONG

Chapter One

W ell? Roland stared at me expectantly, his brown, overly bushy eyebrows raised high in query. Do you think you’re up to this?

I tried not to glare at him but failed miserably.

Just because at five foot five I was a lot shorter than other vampire hunters, with bouncy blonde curls and a petite frame, I often got treated like I was weaker than them—fragile even.

It had been the same way my entire life and I was tired of it.

I was just as capable if not more so than the majority of the hunters I’d trained with, both women and men. I worked hard to make sure I was always in shape and that my skills were honed to perfection. I’d killed a lot of vampires and there was nothing I detested more than people like Roland—my new handler at the hunters’ council—underestimating me.

Just like my parents before me and their parents before them, I’d been born a vampire hunter. It was in my blood. I hadn’t chosen my profession on a whim and I resented Roland’s question.

Why wouldn’t I be up to the task? It was my job, after all. I did it every single day without fail, and I excelled at it. Would he have asked a man that same question? I seriously doubted it. The more I thought about it, the more wound up I became. Sexism was evidently alive and well and thriving in all professions—even in supernatural circles.

Just give me the details, I said through gritted teeth, amazed I’d refrained from calling him an asshole.

Roland chewed on his bottom lip as he studied me. He must have seen something in my expression that told him to drop the subject because he sighed heavily then nodded.

"Fair enough. Okay. I’ll give you the assignment, although I think I should warn you, this job is...unusual."

I drew my eyebrows together while I waited for him to elaborate, but when he wasn’t forthcoming, I asked, Unusual how, exactly?

As a hunter, it was my job to kill vampires and the odd werewolf who had gone rogue and had a penchant for harming humans. We rarely got involved in issues with any other supernatural species, however, so Roland’s statement intrigued me.

Well, there’s this angel, he began, averting his gaze from mine. And this demon...

Oh, hell no! I backed away from his desk as if there were something on it that could bite me. No way.

I might have been great at my job, but demons were an entirely different kettle of fish. I’d never come face to face with a demon personally, but I’d heard they could kill you with just a look and wouldn’t hesitate either. In my limited experience, angels weren’t much more accommodating. If this job involved either species, then Roland might very well have been right—maybe I wasn’t up to this task. Still, I’d never backed down from a challenge before and I didn’t intend to start now.

It was only when Roland’s gaze met mine, his expression challenging, that I realized he’d tricked me. We’d only worked together for a short time, but he was well aware of how much I hated people thinking I wasn’t capable, that I couldn’t do the job as well as the other hunters who were bigger and stronger than me. He’d used that fact to his advantage.

I was impressed.

My face broke out into a wide grin.

You sneaky son of a bitch!

Roland puffed out his chest like a damn peacock. Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment. So, about this demon...

Fine, I muttered begrudgingly. But if I die on this job, I’m coming back to haunt your ass. You can count on it.

Roland turned his back on me to stare out of the only window in his small office at council headquarters, but not before I noticed a slow smile spreading across his lips.

You know, I always figured you for a glass-half-full kind of woman.

I pointed to the back of his head and threw in a glare for good measure. Roland? You’re skating on very thin ice. Don’t push your luck.

He let out a hearty chuckle then slid a manila folder across the desk. Everything you need to know is in there.

Chapter Two

Iknocked on the door of the old ranch-style house then took in my surroundings as I waited for an answer. Roland had put me in touch with Raven, an old colleague of mine, and when I’d spoken to her on the phone earlier, she’d told me to meet her here. I hadn’t seen her in years so I had no idea what she could be doing in a place like this.

It was a nice home in a nice area.

That immediately struck me as unusual.

Hunters moved around so often we didn’t bother to put down roots. We lived out of suitcases in low-rent motels until we hung up our stakes and decided to pop out a few kids who would be trained to be the next generation of hunters. Well, that was what most of my colleagues did. I liked my job too much to ever see myself settling down with a husband and a house full of rug rats.

From what I understood, Raven had been tasked with finding one of twenty-something grimoires that were scattered around the country. Demons had decided to escalate their war against angels which had up until recently been contained. The grimoires held secrets on how to raise demons from the underworld, but the ultimate goal was to raise Lucifer himself. To do this the demons needed to get their hands on the grimoires.

This was bad news all around.

My fellow hunters and I had enough problems dealing with all the damn vampires who were scattered around the country and now we had to deal with demons too. Increased demon activity ultimately meant more human casualties—something my fellow hunters and I fought tirelessly to prevent.

The book Raven had been tasked with finding had been caught firmly in the sights of a demon. Raven had managed to recover the book, but she’d only barely made it out with her life, so her handler at the council had called in the help of more hunters. The race was on to find the rest of the books before they fell into the hands of demons.

Roland, as cunning as I now realized he was, had tricked me into attempting to retrieve one of the grimoires. I could have told him no of course, but it wasn’t in my nature to back down from a challenge, especially one as important as this. Though our day to day job was fighting vampires, our overall goal was to protect humans from the supernatural creatures that might want to hurt them and although we usually left demon hunting and vanquishing to the angels, it was in everyone’s best interests to ensure demons didn’t get their hands on these books.

As far as Roland was aware, the book that I’d been tasked with retrieving hadn’t caught the attention of any demons—yet—but it was going to be just as difficult to talk to the current owners into parting with it. I didn’t like to be a Debbie Downer, and more often than not, I was all about putting a positive spin on a situation, but I didn’t like my chances of bringing home the goods.

When the door to the house swung open, pulling me out of my reflection, Raven stood in the doorway, her expression warm and friendly. There was a slight blush to her cheeks, and she was wearing a bathrobe. It was nearing midday, but I didn’t question her about her attire because all hunters were known to keep unusual hours.

We often hunted until dawn and slept through the day.

Raven looked good. She was a little older than when I’d seen her last, sure, but she’d kept herself in great shape. I’d always liked her because she was one of the few hunters who had never treated me differently because I was smaller than her, and that made a refreshing change.

Raven! I greeted brightly, pulling her in for a hug.

When we separated, she was grinning broadly. Come in, she invited, opening the door wider and stepping aside for me to enter. Even though it was good to see her again, I wished it didn’t have to be under such circumstances and I hated being the bearer of such grim news.

She closed the door behind me then turned to meet my gaze. She must have noticed the troubled expression on my face because without