A Fae in Fort Worth (2 page)

I stared at her, mouth agape, then took another glance at the photograph. “You were involved with a werewolf?”

“Not were,” she corrected. “Connor and I are still together. This is his house.”

I hadn’t thought it was possible for my mouth to open any wider, but I’d been wrong. I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. “Are you serious?”

When her brow creased and her expression became wary, I felt the need to clarify. “Look, Raven, I don’t have a problem with werewolves in general, and it’s great to see you so looking so happy,” I said, nodding to the photograph. “But what about the Council? Do they know you’re together?”

Raven pulled in her bottom lip and rolled it between her teeth. “No, they don’t. At least, not yet. Connor and I are going to tell them tomorrow when I meet with my handler. We put off telling them in the past for obvious reasons, and until recently we were on a…
break
, but our relationship is serious and I don’t want to have to hide it anymore. I love Connor. We’re not doing anything wrong so the Council will just have to deal with it.”

I whistled. “Wow. I hope it goes well for you. I mean that.”

Some of the tension in her shoulders dissipated and her warm smile returned. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Even though hunters and werewolves were compatible in every way that mattered, it was strictly against the rules for us to have relationships with anyone but other hunters. That was the only way to keep the bloodlines pure. Vampire numbers were increasing so it was paramount that the numbers of hunters increased to deal with the problem. I hoped that things would work out for Raven, but I didn’t want to be a fly on the wall when the Council found out about her relationship. To say that the Council members were stuck in their ways was putting it mildly, but I could understand their concerns. Vampires weren’t going away any time soon and we were the only ones out there who were strong enough and motivated enough to kill them.

Raven left to finish making the coffee and I took the time to think about what she’d said. I didn’t know what I would do if I was in her shoes. I’d have liked to think I could be just as brave, but in truth I wasn’t so sure. Like most of my colleagues, hunting wasn’t just a job, it was a calling, something I’d been born to do—and I loved it, even though at times it was difficult and fraught with danger. I couldn’t imagine loving someone so much that I would risk losing my job to be with him. It was unthinkable, probably more so because I’d never been in love. My job required me to travel around the country at a moment’s notice. Those circumstances were hardly conducive to forming lasting relationships.

When Raven returned and we were both seated, steaming mugs of coffee in hand, we made a little small talk before discussing what was really important ―the grimoires. Raven began by telling me about Malaki, the angel who had more or less tricked her into finding one of the lost books. I could sympathise. I’d had a run-in with Malaki myself which had nearly cost me my life. The angel was not on my favourite person list.

The more I learned of Raven’s story, the less I liked what I heard. I was just about to impart what I knew about the location of the grimoire we’d been tasked with retrieving when a tall, muscular and unbelievably handsome man strode through the door. His presence seemed to fill up all the space in the room. If I hadn’t been sitting down, the power he emitted would have been sure to knock me on my ass. Raven didn’t seem to notice, she just smiled at him lovingly. It was then I realised that this was Raven’s partner Connor, the man in the photograph. Raven confirmed my assumption when she introduced us.

“Baby, this is my old colleague, Ashley. Ash, this is Connor, alpha of the werewolf pack here in Austin.”

Alpha?
Well, that certainly explained the power I could sense. I forced down my unease and curved my lips into a smile. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Connor said with a small incline of his head. He crossed the room and took a seat next to Raven, resting his arm on the sofa behind her head, his body leaning into hers.

“Ashley was just about to tell me about the grimoire,” Raven explained.

Connor’s expression darkened and a frown creased his brow. “You know I don’t like this, Raven. You nearly got yourself killed looking for the last book. I can’t let you do this again.”

As Raven stared at Connor, it was as if the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees. “You can’t
let
me?” she repeated, her stare turning into a frosty glare. “Since when do I need your permission to do anything?”

It didn’t take a genius to see that Connor was all but vibrating with rage. “You’re my mate!” he snapped. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”

Well, hell. That came as a shock. Raven hadn’t filled me in on
that
. The bond between a werewolf and his mate was breakable only by death. No wonder he was being so protective of her. Raven stuck her chin in the air and turned back to me, ignoring both Connor’s words and the fiery look in his eyes. I had to wonder how she put up with his temper. I knew I could never date a man who was so dominant. We’d end up killing each other.

“Why don’t you tell me where we need to go to get the next book, Ash?” she asked, giving me her full attention.

My gaze flitted between her and Connor before I made my decision to spill. Their disagreement was nothing to do with me. They could hash it out between themselves all they wanted after I left. Besides, I had a job to do and the longer we sat around yakking, the less time I had to do it.

When I nodded, I saw a muscle in Connor’s jaw tick. Whatever.

“And please tell me it’s in Hawaii,” Raven deadpanned.

I grinned and shook my head. “Not quite. And before you ask, it’s not in the Florida Keys either.”

“Palm Springs?” she asked hopefully.

“Sounds like someone’s in need of a vacation. I don’t think you’re gonna be too pleased when I tell you the book is in Fort Worth, huh?”

Raven’s face fell. “No shit.”

Connor sat forward, elbows resting on his knees. Both Raven and I turned to see what he had to say, but his intent gaze was fixed on me.

“When you arrived, you said ‘you’re not going to believe where we have to go to find the next book’. What’s so special about Fort Worth?”

I ignored the fact that he’d been eavesdropping and had more than likely heard the rest of our conversation, parts of which involved him, and explained, “Maybe I should rephrase that. What I should have said is you’re not going to believe
who
has the book, although, now that I think about it, either statement would work equally well.” Raven and Connor looked at me expectantly and I continued. “Getting hold of this grimoire is going to be near-on impossible, I’m sure. It’s with the Fae. And not just any Fae. Roland said the book is in the possession of the prince of the Seelie Court. It looks like a trip to the Fae realm might be in the cards.”

Raven gasped and a low growl ripped from Connor’s throat. “You’re not going!” he declared, jumping to his feet and glaring at Raven. He paced around the sofa and ran a hand through his hair before returning to Raven’s side. “And before you say anything, I know you don’t need my permission to do anything, but you’ve also got to know that I’m deadly serious about this. You. Are. Not. Going.”

Connor’s tone left no room for misinterpretation, but when Raven’s shoulders slumped, I raised my eyebrows, surprised she’d given in to his demand so easily.

“Connor’s right,” she said, her tone as defeated as her expression. “I can’t go, Ash.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Connor retook his seat next. He reached out and grabbed Raven’s hand, pulling it into his lap and covering it with both of his. He stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

I nodded slowly. “Okay. You mind telling me why not?”

Raven groaned. “Have you ever had any dealings with the Fae?”

I thought for a moment before replying. “Sure, I’ve come up against one or two in my time.” I’d faced several Fae, in fact. They were formidable opponents, but they weren’t unbeatable. I couldn’t understand why Raven looked so afraid after hearing the news.

“And how did they…affect you?” she asked.

I frowned, studying her. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Their magic,” Raven elaborated. “Are they able to glamour you in the same way a vampire can control a human?”

I stared at her for a beat. “Their glamour doesn’t work on me—it doesn’t work on any hunters.”

“Wrong,” she breathed. “It works on me.”

The already uneasy feeling in my stomach worsened when Raven went on to explain about an experience she’d had with a Fae while searching for her partner, Matt. Malaki had come to her rescue when she’d fallen under the Fae’s spell, and because of his intervention, Raven had owed him a debt of gratitude. That was one of the reasons she’d had to find the grimoire in the first place—that and Malaki’s promise to tell her where Matt was being held if she helped him locate the book. We both knew it would have been impossible to turn Malaki down regardless of his intervention. You didn’t get on the wrong side of angels.

When Raven finished telling me her story, I was as resolute as Connor.

“There’s absolutely no way you can come to Fort Worth with me. It would be too dangerous for you.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Unlike Raven, I didn’t work with a partner. I hunted alone and I’d always preferred it that way. It was safer. I figured it was better to look after number one than to develop an emotional attachment to someone who could very well get you killed. But the truth was I liked Raven and though I might not have admitted it aloud, I’d been looking forward to having someone around to talk to on this job—someone to keep me company. Sometimes I got lonely on the road—always moving around from city to city. We were discouraged from making friends with ‘civilians’ because they could be used against us. We rolled into town, we did what we had to do and we got out. The more invisible we could make ourselves, the better.

When I’d first left the training academy and began to hunt, the loneliness hadn’t bothered me. Back then I’d insisted on working alone because I’d wanted to prove I was competent. I’d always been comfortable with my own company. But in the past couple of years, that had started to change. I’d begun to re-evaluate the decisions I’d made and I could definitely see the allure of having someone along for the ride—someone you trusted implicitly.

Raven’s story had seriously wigged me out. It made me question if there was a Fae out there who could affect me in the same way that Raven had been affected. All the Fae I’d come up against had never been able to glamour me, but that didn’t mean none of them could. Each Fae was unique. They all had their own strengths and abilities so you never knew what you were going up against until they showed you their magic.

“I’m calling in a favour,” Raven said after a short pause for thought. “I’m gonna get a replacement to go with you. You can’t do this alone.”

I opened my mouth to object, but closed it just as quickly. I trusted Raven’s judgement. She wouldn’t send me up to Fort Worth with just anybody and this job was going to be difficult enough already. I’d known that the second Roland had told me about it.

“A favour?” I queried. “Why not call the Council for help? They must have someone they can pair with me.”

Raven shook her head. “I’ve hunted with this man before. He’s the best there is. Matt got injured pretty badly about five years ago and he had to take a couple of months off. The Council partnered me temporarily with Mitch Rakowski. He’s good, Ash. He doesn’t work anymore, but he owes me a favour. He’ll do this for me and I’ll sleep easier knowing you aren’t going up there alone.”

I nodded my acquiescence and tried not to think about the danger that awaited me in Fort Worth. Vampires and werewolves I could take out in my sleep, but Fae? I didn’t know what I was walking into or how many there would be. And I was particularly worried about their ‘talents’. That was without the added worry of a demon showing up to claim the book.

“Okay, fine, make the call,” I conceded.

It seemed like a logical idea at the time, but when Raven retrieved her cell and punched in a number, I chanced a glance at Connor. His wary expression made me feel suddenly nervous and I wondered if I would live to regret my hasty decision. Before I got the chance to ask Raven why Mitch didn’t hunt anymore, she was already deep in conversation with the mystery man.

Chapter Two

Mitch had told Raven he’d pick me up in the parking lot of a diner called Ivy’s. I was having second thoughts about the whole idea. I was used to being independent and I’d have preferred to take my own car, but Raven and Connor had convinced me to go up there with Mitch. I’d given in, but it ticked me off that this man who I’d yet to meet was already laying down the law. As soon as I met this Mitch I was gonna throw down some ground rules of my own. I appreciated his help, but this was my assignment and if he thought he was going to be in the driver’s seat for the entire mission then he could think again.

Raven dropped me off in the parking lot, but she didn’t hang around to wait for Mitch. She was heading straight to an appointment with Neal, her handler from the Hunters’ Council. I could tell that Raven was nervous about the meeting so I didn’t bombard her with too many questions about Mitch. She trusted him and that was good enough for me—for the time being at least. Anything I needed to know about him I could find out myself, and if Mitch wasn’t forthcoming, I’d call Roland to get the scoop.

Standing outside the diner, I watched the cars come and go, checking my watch every couple of minutes. Mitch was nearly fifteen minutes late and I was becoming more and more impatient. I’d decided to give him another five minutes and if he didn’t show, screw him. I’d hunted alone for nearly ten years and although this job was out of my comfort zone, it was just another job. I needed to remember that.

I’d reached the end of my patience and was just about to call a cab to take me home so that I could pick up my car when the low growl of a motorcycle reached my ears. I turned to see a shiny black and chrome Harley slide into a space a few feet away from me.