Monsters Among Us: Fae Blessed, #1

By K. J. Lavallee and Mary Lasko

Sometimes fate can get it wrong, right?
My name is Annabella Parker. I'm an ordinary teenage girl living an ordinary life. I've never questioned my parents' random coming and going at the drop of a dime. It's something that's always happened my entire life. Then my brother turns seventeen and he's suddenly doing the same as my parents.
A week before my seventeenth birthday, I decide it's a good idea to follow my brother's best friends to the worst part of town. I wish I hadn't. I watch them kill a Vampire that's poised to kill me. How could I be so damn stupid?
But what they both tell me is even more bizarre. I shouldn't have been able to see the Vampire as a Vampire. I shouldn't have been able to hear them talk about the Vampire, either. As crazy as that sounds, it's not the craziest or scariest thing to happen that night.
Brian and Corey are the only ones keeping me together as this news sinks in on our walk back to my house.
I have magic. Monsters are real. And I'm here to help kill them. How is this my life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: K. J. Lavallee
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223938644

Book preview

Prologue

BRIAN

My back is pressed against the wall, my breathing slow and even. I slide a silver-coated dagger with a red gem in the hilt from the sheath on my waist and wait, counting down as I hear the Vampire’s steps coming closer.

Five.

He steps on a branch, and it cracks.

Four.

Corey’s got a cocky ass grin on his face; he loves this shit. I do, too. It’s a good reliever of stress. Taking out monsters that attack humans. It’s why we’re here to begin with.

Three.

Corey slides a stake in his hand, gripping it hard enough to crack it. Good thing these weapons aren’t cheap, being infused with magic and created to kill Vampires and withstand the flames that erupt around them when the Vamp dies.

Two.

Corey and I meet each other's eyes and nod.

One.

I speak the spell that allows my magic to come out. The red color coating my hands and arms matches Corey's blue magic. And it gives us away half a second before we jump out of our positions and attack.

Three of them. We both thought this Vamp was working solo. Not a problem at all. I send my magic then the blade into the chest of the first Vampire while Corey takes out the second. The third is faster than the other two, and I’m tackled to the ground, narrowly missing my head being bashed against the pavement.

Corey hits him with his magic; I know this because he goes rigid with the stun spell. I manage to get out from under him, and then I ram my stake into the fucker’s heart. Well, what’s left of it. Then he bursts into flames and my stake clatters to the ground with his ashes.

Thanks, man, I say to Corey.

That’s what partners are for.

I’ve known Jack Parker and Corey James for almost a year. In that time, they’ve become my best friends. I tell them more than I’ve ever told anyone else in my life. We know everything about one another. Except for how I feel about Jack’s little sister.

She’s not little, as in too young for me. She’s just not old enough to know about the things that Hunters learn about once they come of age at seventeen years old.

I find that it’s hard to be in the same room as her. Every part of me wants to go to her and wrap my arms around her. From the first time I laid eyes on my blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty, I’ve been a mess. It’s like there’s an invisible tether linking her to me. When she walks into the room, even if I don’t see her walk in, I feel her. It’s as if her soul is crying out for mine, and it scares the absolute shit out of me. Never have I ever felt this way before. I push back my desires to touch her, hold her, kiss her, since Jack’s my team leader.

Jack, Corey, and I have been friends since last November, when he and Corey turned seventeen and started going to Hunter Training Academy—or HTA, as we call it. That’s where you train to use magic and learn all about stones and crystals and how to use them. Most important of all, you’re taught how to kill monsters.

I’m only two weeks older than Jack Parker. I got my powers when I was three days away from turning seventeen. Even though I was at HTA before Jack, I wanted him to be the team leader. Something about his demeanor screams boss, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I trust him with my life, as you need to with your team and leader. Otherwise you’d die out there.

Jack and Corey grew up together from the time they were babies, from what I’ve been told. As a result, Annabella interacts with Corey on a level that makes me see green with jealousy. Which I know is crazy, since I have no claim on her. It’s just this feeling of possessiveness that takes over when it comes to Annabella that I can’t control.

But Jack’s sister; man, his sister. There’s just something different about Annabella Parker. She’s sassy, smart, and beautiful. She fights with Corey and Jack like a little sister would. But she does it in a way that you can tell she’s joking. You can tell how much she loves them, no matter how much shit she gives them.

I hated Corey for a while. For the easy relationship he has with Annabella. But I’ve since gotten over it. He’s not interested in her like that. Even if he were, I can’t stop him from wanting her. She truly is amazing.

I usually just watch quietly while the three of them bicker and talk. She doesn't stay long. I say hi to her and bye if she’s in the room, but usually, I try my damnedest to ignore her. It’s not an easy feat, mind you, since my eyes gravitate to her wherever she is in the room.

Since she’s still underage, she doesn’t know what the three of us, as well as all of our parents, do. She isn’t aware of the monsters that lurk in the shadows of this world.

At seventeen, you come into your powers and get the sight. The sight is the ability to spot creatures that would normally have a glamour on them, keeping a normal human from seeing them for what they are.

Jack seems to think Annabella will become a Hunter, but Corey doesn’t. I secretly wish she won’t; it means she won’t be out there with the monsters and putting herself in danger. It also means that I won’t see her every day at school. If she gets the sight, she will be pulled from her human school and placed at HTA with her brother, Corey, and me.

It’s been two days since we took out those three Vampires, and I’ve been itching for another one to take out.

Jack walks into the room; his parents are out on a hunt, so it’s just us and Annabella, my Bella. I don't know why I keep referring to her as mine. She isn’t. I don't even know if she likes me or feels this pull that I do. Gods, I haven’t had a girlfriend or a female companion since laying eyes on her. It’s like my body’s telling me that no one else can touch me, just Bella.

I scrub my hand over my face. I’m exhausted, and these thoughts of Jack’s sister are not helping matters. I spend hours awake thinking about her before falling asleep and then the whole night dreaming about her. She literally holds every spare second of my thoughts, and she isn’t even aware of it.

Do the two of you mind taking out the Vamp? I need to stay here with Anna. Mom and Dad will be back soon, but I don't like leaving her alone.

Yeah, man. No problem. We can eliminate it. No worries. I grab my bag from the chair, putting it on my back.

Jack’s parents are partners with my parents. I saw them all the time when they would come and crash in the spare room when we lived out of town. Jack said my parents would come and spend random nights here, too. Now that we know about this world, we understand why they crashed there randomly. It doesn’t stop me from wondering why they never introduced us. I would have loved hanging out with them as kids. I’d be part of their group and understand their inside jokes. I had friends of my own growing up, but I sometimes feel like such an outsider with the guys and Bella.

Yeah, that’s my jealousy talking again, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Thanks, guys. Next time, I’ll go out. We both nod. We know it’s not ideal leaving her alone. Jack felt better when Bella’s friend was always over, but since she disappeared and hasn’t been seen since, Jack makes sure his parents are home or he’s with her.

It’s times like this that make me want her to get the sight, if only to alleviate some of Jack’s stress to keep her safe.

Corey and I walk downtown. It doesn’t take long; we both want to get there and head home. As we walk, I pull out my belt and strap it to my waist. My belt is loaded with silver-laced weapons. Silver is the only thing that can kill every monster. Wolves will just turn to ash, but Vampires erupt in flames before turning to ash. Fairies, when we have to kill them, burn as well. But Demons? You have to slice off their heads with a silver sword. We haven't been sent out for Demons yet, but I know how to kill them. We’ve practiced in school on dummies.

We’re called to the worst part of town. The part that’s infested with creatures that we’re forced to put down. Some of them can live among us without problems. Most of them, however, need to be taken out.

We’re in an alley, where most of them like to linger and hunt from. Just the two of us blokes, standing with our backs against the wall as if we hang here often. We do, actually, but only when we’re out scouting or waiting to ambush the pricks we’re hunting.

I see her. But she can’t be here. Before I can ask Corey, I hear her taking off down the alley. She’s running from something. I don’t know what she saw, but it freaked her out. Somehow, and only with her, can I sense her emotions. Right now, she’s giving off fear. It tightens a noose around my heart. Annabella! I shout. She either doesn’t hear me or doesn’t know who’s shouting to her.

Did you just say Annabella? As in Parker?

Corey asks, horrified.

Sure did. She’s running from something.

To something, Corey says, horror filling his voice as he points down to the other end of the alley. A Vampire.

The blood drains from my face as true fear clenches my gut in its grip. Fuck, I mutter. Annabella, wait! I shout again.

I whisper the spell to call forth my magic and watch as red swirls that look like lightning bolts lace around my hands. She’s still running. I shout her name one last time, Annabella! Fear coats my voice. I can’t help it. I shoot out my magic at the Vampire just as Bella nearly crashes into him.

My heart’s pounding so fast, I feel like it’s going to explode at any moment. What if I don’t get there in time? What if something happens to her? Gods, I can’t lose her. I would die along with her. I don’t know why I think that last thought, but something tells me she isn’t leaving this earth without me. Whether she knows it or not.

Chapter

One

ANNABELLA

Gravel crunches under my shoes as my feet slam against the ground with each footfall. I’m running from something. I don’t know exactly what, but every instinct in my body screamed at me to get away.

I knew it was stupid to follow my brother’s friends down to the worst parts of town. But I had this urge to see what they were up to. That, and Brian Ramirez was among them. He’s one of the hottest guys my brother ever hung out with. Brian has only been around for about a year. And since the beginning of that year, every single time I see the cocky smirk, the arrogant set of his jaw, and the way his hazel eyes light up for just a second when he notices me walking into the room, my heart does a fluttering thing in my chest. I haven’t been able to get him off my mind. He’s all I think about. All I dream about. I know it’s stupid; what would an older guy want with his buddy’s younger sister, right? But there’s just something about him.

Now I’m flying down the darkened alley racing toward the main street, looking for any sign of life. I hear something from the other end of the alley, a crash, like something knocked over the rubbish bins.

Fear spurs me on. I’m a few steps from the mouth of the alley. The light from the streetlamps cast an eerie shadow before me.

Annabella! someone calls out. For just a heartbeat I think about pausing. But I ignore it. I don’t know who called me. But I will not be drawn into the darkness of the alley again.

Five steps. Annabella, wait!

That was Brian. His husky voice washes over me like a silk dress. Fighting the urge to stop and see what the hottie wants, I push on. Annabella! I hear him shout again, and there’s a hint of fear lacing his voice, but it’s too late to stop. I just make it out of the alley when I finally feel safe enough to stop, and I almost hit someone in my haste.

Before I can say sorry, or help me, or something to the stranger, red sparks shoot by my face and hit the stranger in the chest. He stumbles back a few steps and then bares his fangs at me. Like real fangs. Ones you would see on the characters in a television show about Vampires. Two needle-like sharp teeth glimmer in the flickering streetlights. That isn’t the only thing that catches my attention. His eyes. The iris is white, leaving just the pupil, a tiny speck amid the sea of white.

I stifle a scream, as red, and now blue sparks are aimed at the man again. Brian reaches my right side just as Corey reaches the other. Corey James has been my brother’s best friend for as long as I can remember. Corey is like a second brother to me. He’s always over at the house, hanging with us. He’s there during holidays and birthdays, if Corey wasn’t there, he was ill. Because he was always there.

Anna, get the fuck out of here. The steel in Corey’s voice sends shivers down my back. Never, and I mean never, has Corey used that tone on me.

I back up until my back is pressed firmly against the wall. I’m tempted to rush back down the dark alley just to escape the craziness of this situation. But fear has me glued to the wall.

Brian moves swiftly, procuring what looks like a stake in one hand, and rams it into the Vampire’s heart. Flames erupt around the stake and then engulf the entire body. Within seconds, the Vampire is nothing but ash.

Brian turns around, the stake still in his hands. He gives Corey a triumphant grin. Now, with a good look at it, I can tell the stake isn’t wooden like I would expect. It looks metallic. There isn’t any sign that there was a Vampire on the tip of the thing a moment ago, either.

I gulp down my fear and awe, spitting out the first words I could think of. What the fuck was that? I demand.

It’s at that moment that both boys’ heads turn to me. With my body pressed so tightly against the wall, it looks like I’m trying to get away from some invisible foe.

Anna, what the heck are you doing out this late? How did you get here? This tone that Corey keeps using on me is something I’ve never heard from him. Not aimed toward me. It’s making me more freaked out by the second.

Corey’s looking at me with a mixture of relief and anger. Brian looks absolutely pissed. I keep my gaze off of the boy who has held me captive from day one and instead focus on my brother from another mother.

I snuck out. Lame excuse. Stupid excuse, really. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s the first thing that blurts out.

Corey rolls his eyes. I can see that. Why?

I’m sixteen. It’s what we do. Another stupid excuse. I do not want to tell them that I was following them. But I’m sure by now they’re aware.

A piercing sound rents the air, and we all still. I’m expecting more of those Vampire things before I realize it’s Corey’s phone.

Jack? he answers. Shit. Jack knows I’m gone. Shit. Shit. Shit. Oh, she is? I wouldn’t have guessed she would be so reckless. I’ll hunt her down. Brian and I are downtown, just dispatched a Vamp. Yeah, I’ll call you as soon as we find her.

Did he really just talk so carelessly about taking out a Vampire? He fucking called it a Vamp to my brother as if he knows about the shit these two do.

Corey puts the phone back in his pocket, never taking his gaze off of me. Anna, what can you tell me about what you just witnessed?

I suddenly have the need to chug a gallon of water. My mouth and throat are so dry. I swallow with great difficulty and then straighten my spine. I will not cower before them. When I get home, I will have my meltdown and pass it off as a horrible ridiculous dream. Right now I will show no fear.

I saw you guys. You both were extremely fast, and I saw some colors, red and blue, that looked like sparks or flashes of lightning. Then, I gulp in lungfuls of air. Brian killed that thing with a stake! I saw its fangs! I heard you call it a Vamp! I swallow again. I hear my voice pitch with every accusation I blurt out. So much for keeping it cool. Was that really a Vampire?

I hear the sharp intake of breath from Brian, but I ignore it, watching Corey. His face is a mask of indifference. You shouldn’t be able to see that. You shouldn’t have been able to see or hear that.

I give him an incredulous look. "How was I not supposed to hear it? You said it. I saw it. The dude’s teeth looked like they could pierce my skin without much difficulty. Like a needle. How the fuck could I have not seen that?"

Brian steps closer, the stake now gone. "Bella, only when you are of age, and only if it passes to you, should you have been able to see or hear the terminology we used. It’s a spell. Only those who have the power can hear and see what is truly before them. You just said you’re sixteen. When do you turn seventeen?"

I’m completely baffled and feeling a little sick to my stomach. I ignore the name Bella that he calls me even though I love the way he speaks it. It just rolls off his lips like it’s something he always says, and it’s doing things to my rapidly beating heart.

Next Wednesday. She and Jack are almost a year apart to the day, Corey answers for me. I glower at him.

Next Wednesday, November 1 st, I will be seventeen years old. Jack’s birthday is on the 3 rd.

Brian visibly relaxes a fraction. That’s not so bad. There are some Hunters—or Mages, depending on your specialty—who can see and hear things as far as two weeks out. I’m one of them. A few days before my seventeenth birthday, I saw a Werewolf attack a human. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I managed to kill it. I had a pocketknife, one my father gave me, and I was able to stab it in the heart. The human died, I was too late, but I still took one more monster off the streets.

Hunter? Mage? What? I ask, confusion flowing through my muddled thoughts. The story Brian just told me was more than he ever said to me at one time. It’s an insight into the guy who has captivated me from the beginning. Something I never expected from him. A story that makes no sense. Vampires and Werewolves aren’t real, I protest, even though I just witnessed Brian killing a Vampire.

They both give me an expression that says, explain what you just saw. My shoulders deflate. "I can’t explain that. I also can’t tell you why I had the urge to follow you both out tonight. Something was compelling me to see. I wonder if it was the Vampire you guys killed." Gods. I really just