Huntress (Angelbound Offspring #7): Angelbound Offspring, #7

By Christina Bauer

Princess. Warrior. Dragon Shifter. Huntress.

When it comes to protecting her family, eighteen-year-old Princess Huntress is known for kicking ass, taking names and then kicking a little more ass, just to be sure. She's the last of her kind—a glass dragon shifter—and no matter what the threat, Huntress always tracks it down solo. 

Then Huntress meets the leader of the L'Griffe crime family, Gage Beaufort, who is a dashing dragon shifter with a knee-melting stare. The attraction is instant, yet Huntress hates it. Why? Crime syndicates hurt royal authority, which means they threaten her family. Long story short, being with Gage is just wrong. Besides Huntress already has a rock-solid life plan, and that's to fight alone, forever. No relationships, thank you very much. 

But when a new danger threatens the royals, everything changes.

Now Huntress needs a mercenary army and fast, so she forges an alliance with L'Griffe. To protect those she loves, Huntress agrees to marry someone she loathes: Gage Beaufort. But will the extra help be enough?

Even worse, Huntress' family isn't the only thing at risk--the same is true for the princess' heart. Because Gage is a man who always gets what he wants. In this case, the crime lord desires Princess Huntress, body and soul. 

"Every page is entertaining… an exciting story that unfolds with magic, dragons, a little romance and a villain to despise." – Tonja, Goodreads

Angelbound Offspring
1. Maxon 
2. Portia
3. Zinnia 
4. Rhodes
5. Kaps 
6. Mack 
7. Huntress 
8. Gage 

Perfect for teen and young adult readers who want their book series to deliver: badass world building; angels, devils & demons; paranormal romance; fresh themes from contemporary fiction; LOL romantic comedy; gods and goddesses; dark fantasy & dragons; strong girls and women as heroines; themes about loners and outcasts; the best laughs in humorous literature; general coming of age whackery; and (most importantly) truly unusual epic fantasy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristinaBauerAuthor
• Release date: May 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781945723728

Christina Bauer

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby. She loves to connect with her fans at BauersBooks.com.

Book preview

Huntress

Huntress

Book Seven of the Angelbound Offspring Series

Christina Bauer

Monster House Books

Copyright

Monster House Books

Brighton, MA 02135

ISBN 9781945723728

First Edition

Copyright © 2021 by Monster House Books LLC

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Dedication

For All Those Who Kick Ass, Take Names

And Read Books

Contents

Collected Works

Huntress

1. Huntress

2. Huntress

3. Gage

4. Gage

5. Huntress

6. Huntress

7. Gage

8. Huntress

9. Huntress

10. Huntress

11. Gage

12. Gage

13. Huntress

14. Huntress

15. Huntress

16. Huntress

17. Gage

18. Huntress

19. Gage

20. Gage

21. Gage

22. Gage

23. Huntress

24. Gage

25. Huntress

26. Huntress

27. Huntress

28. Huntress

29. Huntress

30. Gage

31. Huntress

32. Gage

33. Huntress

34. Gage

35. Huntress

36. Huntress

37. Huntress

38. Gage

39. Huntress

40. Huntress

41. Huntress

42. Gage

43. Huntress

44. Gage

45. Huntress

46. Gage

47. Huntress

48. Huntress

49. Gage

50. Gage

51. Huntress

52. Huntress

53. Huntress

54. Gage

55. Gage

56. Huntress

GAGE - Book Description

Also By Christina Bauer

GAGE

PORTIA

ANGELBOUND

FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM

DIMENSION DRIFT

BEHOLDER

Sample - PORTIA

Appendix

If You Enjoyed This Book…

Acknowledgments

About Christina Bauer

Complimentary Book

Collected Works

Angelbound Offspring

The next generation takes on Heaven, Hell, and everything in between

1. Maxon

2. Portia

3. Zinnia

4. Rhodes

5. Kaps

6. Mack

7. Huntress

8. Gage

*This is a finished series.

---

Angelbound Origins

About a quasi (part demon and part human) girl who loves kicking butt in Purgatory's Arena

1. Angelbound

2. Scala

3. Acca

4. Thrax

5. The Dark Lands

6. The Brutal Time

7. Armageddon

8. Quasi Redux

9. Clockwork Igni

10. Lady Reaper

11. Angry Gods

12. Phantom Corsair

---

Angelbound Lincoln

The Angelbound experience as told by Prince Lincoln

1. Duty Bound

2. Lincoln

3. Trickster

4. Baculum

5. Angelfire

6. Rixa

7. Mordred

---

Pixieland Diaries

1. Pixieland Diaries

2. Calla

3. Dare

4. Winter Prince

5. Ley Queen

---

Fairy Tales of the Magicorum

Modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance

1. Wolves and Roses

2. Moonlight and Midtown

3. Shifters and Glyphs

4. Slippers and Thieves

5. Bandits and Ball Gowns

6. Fire and Cinder

7. Fairies and Frosting

8. Towers and Tithes

9. Evil Queens and Goblin Kings

---

Dimension Drift

Dystopian adventures with science, snark, and hot aliens

1. Scythe

2. Umbra

3. Alien Minds

4. ECHO Academy

5. Justice

6. Slate

---

Beholder 

Where a medieval farm girl discovers necromancy and true love

1. Cursed

2. Concealed

3. Cherished

4. Crowned

5. Cradled

*This is a completed series.

Huntress

IMAGE - Huntress

1

Huntress

Eleven Years Old. Ish.

In my dream, I’m a phantom. Not one with a white sheet, chains, and high-pitched cries of boo , mind you. More of a transparent me . I hover by the ceiling of Honeycomb Hall, my magical home. And I give my spectral persona a new name for the occasion.

Ghost Self.

What can I say? My dreams get confusing. It’s best to label things early and often.

Hexagon-shaped panels line the walls around me. The stale scent of dust fills the air. For some reason, Ghost Self is really into smells. So there’s that.

I know. Weird.

Ghost Self also likes to watch things. It’s a little stalker-y, but that’s how I roll in my dreams. At this moment, Ghost Self inspects a solid and identical version of me that’s far below my phantom eyes. And by that I mean, it’s time to hand out another name here. My replica shall henceforth be called Twin Self.

Did I mention that Twin Self stands on the floor of Honeycomb Hall? She does. So Ghost Self is spying on Twin Self.

I know. Weird-ER. But this is still a dream, so I roll with it.

Twin Self does the unexpected. And by this I mean, nothing at all. Come on, already! This is a dream. Odd things should abound. Let’s see some of my teeth shoot out laser beams. Maybe I could grow an extra head.

Yet nothing happens. Twin Self just keeps standing around. If I didn’t know me, I’d think Twin Self is just another eleven-year-old girl with short brown hair, violet eyes, and goth-style clothes.

Not at all.

Twin Self is actually a glass dragon shifter (technically, Ghost Self is too.) Setting aside the whole extra head thing, Twin Self could sprout wings and roar. That would be cool. She/we are also hive queen novices—meaning potential leaders of our colony of glass dragon shifters. So Twin Self could cast a few spells. And being eleven years old is no excuse. All hive queen novices go through such intense magical training, we’re essentially adults trapped in young bodies.

There’s a lot missed potential here.

Back in my dream, Twin Self glows with white light before changing into her/our dragon shape; that would be a snake-like beast who’s as big as an eighteen-wheeler and long as a city block.

Okay. That’s something.

Twin Self doesn’t fly around, though. Honeycomb Hall isn’t big enough, even in this dream. But Twin Self could try. Right now, she’s just laying there like a lump. There are planks of wood with more going on.

Suddenly, the walls of Honeycomb Hall glow and shimmy. Activity! The hexagon tiles melt into the floor under Twin Self’s feet. She looks around with a vague level of interest.

After the last honeycomb tile is gone, a searing light fills the space. When the brightness fades, Twin Self now stands upon the tallest peak of the Bulwark Mountains, which is the glass dragon’s home territory within the larger realm of Furonium.

Things are moving! The Bulwark Mountain top is a dramatic and pointy spot. There’s wind blowing around. Far below, a huge red desert stretches out in every direction. Twin Self could do something interesting here, like plant a flag or sing a song.

She just stands around, though. I’m starting to suspect why. My waking life is pretty boring, too. All I do is sit in Honeycomb Hall and take lessons. I can’t even escape monotony when I’m asleep.

Twin Self twiddles with her necklace. Not a ton of action, but I’ll take it. The star pendant captures the inner magic and consciousness of hive queen novices like me. Beware: if someone else gets your pendant, then you’ll become their mindless puppet. It’s a major downside to being a novice. The positive is I may lead my own glass dragon colony one day. So there’s that.

And when it comes to Twin Self, this necklace twiddling is progress. Maybe something else will happen soon.

Only it doesn’t.

Twin Self keeps standing there, shifting her weight from foot to foot while fiddling with her pendant. Maybe Ghost Self can find a semi-transparent cattle prod and get Twin Self moving.

Below Twin Self’s feet, tendrils of blue light creep up from the rock ground and loop around her, mummy style. The wrappings glow more brightly. When they vanish, Twin Self has aged. Instead of appearing eleven years old, Twin Self now looks seventeen with white-blonde hair.

Time for another new name here: Twin Self is now Grown-Up Self. Hey, it’s not like there’s much else to do in this dream than go on a labeling fiesta.

Grown-Up Self isn’t just older. Her clothes are different, too. The goth outfit is gone. Instead, Grown-Up Self is dressed as a member of the hive queen’s guard, complete with heavy furs, braided hair, and tribal face paint.

This is really strange stuff for all versions of me. Glass dragons are insect-like in a lot of ways, starting with the shape of our wings and going on from there. Our ultimate bug-thing is how we’re led by a hive queen. She uses the magic of the Aeternum to see past, present, and future as well as to protect the colony in general.

Which is why this new dream outfit makes zero sense. I’m the hive queen’s novice, not her personal guard. Is this something different for the dream? Yes. But it’s more odd than super-exciting.

I’m still pulling for a second head.

The mountaintop trembles beneath Grown-Up Self. Dark clouds roll in. The wind turns more fierce. Despite being wrapped in furs, Grown-Up Self shivers in the cold. A spark of interest lights her eyes.

Uh oh. Bad stuff is coming.

At last.

IMAGE - Huntress

2

Huntress

Red smoke rolls out across the desert. Thunder booms. A heavy sense of power fills the air. Ethereal flashes of light appear within the crimson haze below.

Magic.

When the red mist vanishes, the vast sands are now covered with a great army of monster warriors. They stand in neat rows, their numbers stretching off in every direction. Steel-tipped spears glitter in the rising sun.

These are orcneas. Monsters. Killers. Dreaded enemies of glass dragon shifters everywhere. At one time, orcneas were part of our people. Years ago, they left good Hive Queen Jaya to follow evil King Ruin. And they became monsters along the way.

From a dream standpoint, this is getting interesting. As part of my lessons, I run through battle scenarios like this one all time. Being on a mountaintop is a good defensive position. The classic choice here would be to cast a few spells, build some cover, and wait for your enemy to line up and get destroyed. This might turn into a cool dream after all.

More red smoke appears. This time, it shows up on the neck of Grown Up Self. She doesn’t seem to notice. Which isn’t great. Crimson mist means someone is casting another spell… and the magic sits right over her grimoire pendant.

Suddenly, the idea of a Grown Up Self going to battle isn’t so cool. If someone has her pendant, Grown Up Self could be puppeteered into just standing around while the orcneas attack. Don’t get me wrong; standing around seems to be something she does well. But still. It makes for a short fight.

The crimson mist vanishes; the grimoire pendant is gone.

Oh, no.

Grown-Up Self doesn’t want to, but she’s now puppeteered into giving a rousing speech to the monster horde, saying how happy she is to marry Ruin, the Orcneas King. Grown-Up Self then commands the monsters to kill everyone in Furonium.

And she demands that someone bring her the head of Gage Beaufort.

With that, it’s official. This dream is deep into nightmare territory. Gage is my best friend. In fact, I’m pretty sure my rhana, what dragon shifters call their soul mate. The thought of his murder makes me want to scream my guts out.

A realization hits me. This isn’t only my dream, it’s my waking life too. All my days are lessons, lessons, sneaking off to see Gage, and more lessons. I crave excitement, but I crumble when confronted with real danger, especially if it means I’m hurting someone else.

The dream ends with all the severity of a knife stroke.

Gasping, I wake up to find myself back in Honeycomb Hall. I’m in my dragon form and sprawled out across the floor. My heart beats at double speed. I clutch my throat, searching for my grimoire necklace.

It’s here. I’m safe.

That was just a dream… or was it? Maybe one day, my own grimoire will get stolen. I’ll be transformed into a puppet, just like Grown Up Self. Perhaps there’s a conspiracy to make me kill my own people!

I force myself to calm. Nightmares happen, that’s all. I just need more rest. I slow my breathing and re-loop my body like a coil. It takes hours, but eventually, I fall asleep once more.

This time, I have no dreams at all.

3

Gage

Twelve Years Old. Ish.

This is a good dream. I hang with my crew and play Dragons & Knights. It’s a cool board game with hefty dice and miniature statues. Trouble is, no one wants to be the knights. When you live in the dragon realm of Furonium, knights are always the bad guys.

Suddenly, Huntress’ voice breaks through.

Gage! Help! Someone has my grimoire necklace!

I rush off to find Huntress. In the way of dreams, I end up climbing up the tallest peak of the Bulwark Mountains. I scale higher and faster. Sweat beads on my skin. I’m half-shifted into my dragon form, so my fingers are heavy talons now. Even so, my hands have become raw and bloodied from scaling so fast.

I look up. The peak is close.

Almost there, Huntress!

It’s your Uncle Castor! Help!

I push myself even harder. Everyone loves my Uncle Castor, but I know he’s evil as hell. I climb up the last few feet. Finally.

Suddenly, a flash of red light surrounds me. A spell. A man’s voice wakes me up out of my sound sleep. Gage! It’s an emergency!

I awaken with a gasp. Everything is silent. My home cave looks as it always does, from the dark stone walls to the piles of gold and jewels on the floor. I’m in my typical state for sleeping. Since I’m a glass dragon shifter, I rest coiled up with my insect wings curled along my back.

I blink hard, feeling my vertical pupils focus in the darkness. Who’s there?

Over here. You really sleep like the dead.

I know that voice. Scanning the cave, I find my Uncle Castor standing nearby. He never looks pleased, even on a good day. Maybe it’s his graying hair, leathery skin, and dark armor. Not exactly a cuddly style. Even so, the creases on his face seem especially dark and ominous right now.

What’s wrong? I ask. It’s the middle of the night.

"The right response is, what do you need, Captain Castor? My uncle sets his fists on his hips. His voice lowers to a menacing tone. After all, I’m the captain of the hive queen’s guard. Show some respect."

Respect is earned, I say simply.

And I wait for his rage.

IMAGE - Castor

4

Gage

E arned? Earned? There’s the long grind of metal as castor takes his sword from its scabbard. His face reddens with fury.

The look of rage triggers a hazy memory. Wasn’t there something about the Uncle Castor in my dream? Someone was after Huntress, I remember that part. And she definitely said the name of the person behind everything.

I give Castor the side-eye. This guy is pretty good with spells in general. In particular, he loves casting memory blocks on stuff he doesn’t want me to know. I wouldn’t put it past Castor to have known I was having a dream that put him in a bad light… and then show up to erase the whole thing.

Ever try to swat a spider, but the thing skitters out of the way each time? Castor has that kind of preternatural sense of danger. It’s like he can sense I’m about a way to defeat him and the guy instantly changes tactics.

Case in point. Across the cave, my uncle drops his look of red-faced rage. Instead, he huffs out a frustrated breath. No question what that means here. Castor is moving into his self-pity mode.

Come on, don’t be so nasty, declares Castor. You know I can’t have a conversation with you like this. Everyone finds your dragon form to be repulsive.

My dragon looks fine, thank you very much. What my uncle finds ugly is that my beast is way larger than his, even though I’m still a kid.

I could point that out, but f I decide to get into a verbal sparring match here, it just makes the pain of Castor’s visit last longer. So I pull on my inner dragon magic and shift into my human form. This way, I appear thirteen years old with buzzed dark hair, brown eyes and—according to Castor— a major attitude problem. I magic myself to wear black battle leathers for the occasion. This conversation is a kind of war, after all.

What is it, Uncle?

"There’s been a breach. Access your forebear memory."

Technically, Castor only my half-uncle. That makes me the last of the Beaufort line. As such, I’m subject to a rare and automatic dragon spell called transference. Essentially, I’m embedded with the memories of great leaders throughout my bloodline. It’s a super tricky kind of magic, though, not to mention tiring to cast. Loosey-goosey directions like ‘find the breach’ only make things a lot harder.

Anything more specific for me? I ask.

What do you mean? Most memories just appear in your head. You can only proactively access the recollections of your dead parents.

My parents died a year ago in Ruin’s first raid on the Bulwark mountains. Leave it to Castor to mention their deaths like it’s nothing. What an ass.

When I next speak, I take care to keep my tone neutral. If Castor thinks that he’s getting to me, then it only makes it worse. My parents both lived to be over five hundred years old. That’s still a lot of territory.

Muscles tighten in Castor’s neck. He loathes it when I’m right. I can’t always pull out specific forebear memories, but those recollections still simmer under the surface and give me insight. Maman always said I was born an old man. And we elderly guys can be crafty.

Well? I prod.

"Just now, I sensed some