Hunter Circles Series Complete Boxset: An Urban Fantasy Adventure

by Jessica Gunn

  “So our war with Darkness is futile? Is that what you’re saying?”

  I shrugged. “I wouldn’t go that far, but it does seem pointless when you put it that way, huh?”

  “Just a bit.”

  A few beats of silence passed between us. Chatter from the other room filtered in past the wall, but it wasn’t loud enough to understand.

  “Maybe it’s not about eradicating Darkness,” I said, “but balancing the good and the evil in this world. Demons on their own aren’t harmful; it’s when they attack innocents that they pose a problem. But the Hunter Circles have done plenty of bad on their own, too.”

  “So… what?” Shawn asked, looking up at me. “What do we do now?”

  I straightened my back and placed my bottle of whiskey on the counter behind me. “We don’t trust anything the Ether Head Circle tells us anymore. We take everything Jaffrin orders us to do with a grain of salt. And if we have to, we get the hell out of the Fire Circle in order to keep out of their grasp. Because while I may not fully trust Giyano, I trust his knowledge of things they refuse to tell us.”

  Uncertainty swam in Shawn’s eyes and he didn’t speak for long moments until he said, “We can’t leave the Fire Circle.”

  “No?”

  “Not until we know how to unlock the Alzan magik. If Jaffrin has the prophecy—and he’s the only person I know who has a full, word-for-word translation of it—then we can’t leave.”

  “So we ask him for a copy. Easy peasy.”

  He shook his head. “Ever wonder why he’s never given it to us before now?”

  I hesitated. “Yeah.”

  His hard gaze met mine, but as he went to speak, Ben called us into the living room. “Team meeting!”

  “Be right there,” I called back and started to walk that way.

  Shawn grabbed my elbow. “We stay as long as we need to in order to get a copy of the prophecy in full. And to keep the others safe, too. I’m not leaving them behind because your instinct to run is stronger than your instinct to fight.”

  I swallowed hard, my eyes narrowing. “You know nothing about me.”

  He paused. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?”

  Chapter 7

  BEN

  The hardest part about visiting Fire Circle Headquarters without Jaffrin knowing about it was walking past his office as quickly as possible. I waited until a group of Hunters also walked by, then stepped in line with them.

  I continued down the hall to Dacher’s office. Dacher was Jaffrin’s second-in-command at Fire Circle Headquarters and the leader of his Command, a group of advisors and fellow leaders that reported directly to Jaffrin. Dacher had headed up my training during that stage of my Hunter career. He’d been present way more than Jaffrin ever had.

  Hopefully, he’d be here for me now, too.

  I paused outside his closed office door and inhaled deeply. Calm washed over my body with the breath like a blanket. Good. Breathe. I knocked on the door.

  “It’s open,” Dacher called from inside.

  I nodded to reassure myself everything would be okay, then turned the knob and pushed open the door. “Hi, Dacher.”

  He looked up from his desk. “Ben! So nice to see you.”

  Dacher was a stout man with graying brown hair, kind eyes, and a warm smile. Today he wore a suit, more put together than Jaffrin ever was at Fire Circle Headquarters. He was bursting with life, even at his older age, but Dacher’s hunting days had been a long time ago.

  “Please,” he said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. A second one was stacked high with manila folders and newspaper clippings. “Ignore the mess. These past few months have been quite busy, haven’t they?”

  “Yeah, you could say that.” I sat down, but as soon as I did, anxiety clawed its way back up my throat.

  Dacher paused, studying me. “What’s brought you here today, Ben?”

  If only that were an easy question to answer. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  He smiled, shaking his head. “I assure you that Sandra and Riley are both fine. I heard as much just last night from the team watching them.” He squinted his eyes. “But I heard you were busy last night, too?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck as if it’d ground me enough to say what I needed to. “You heard right. Jaffrin sent us into Ether Circle Prison to break Krystin out.”

  His lips thinned and he pointedly looked down at the papers in front of him. “I argued against that.”

  “You were probably right to,” I said. Dacher’s gaze lifted to mine but I was already questioning my words. “Er, sorry.”

  He shook his head. “In here, you may speak as you wish. The walls are protected and I value the opinion of my Hunters.”

  While he didn’t say “unlike Jaffrin,” it sure sounded that way.

  “I appreciate that, Dacher. I’ve always valued your mentorship. Thank you for checking in on my son and his mother.”

  “Anytime. Was there anything else?”

  Oh, you know, just a whole world of insubordination.

  I leaned forward and prayed to any gods listening that my next words wouldn’t get me locked away for treason. “The reason I didn’t agree with Jaffrin’s order was because it went directly against what the Ether Head Circle wanted. And they’re in charge.”

  Dacher took a moment to nod, thinking to himself, before answering. “Sometimes even they make questionable decisions.”

  “When they’re around to make them.” Shit. Watch your mouth, Hallen.

  “Agreed,” Dacher said.

  “Krystin was in prison for a reason. That’s why I’m confused and pissed about this. Because even if she’s innocent—and she is—they will forever think now because Jaffrin broke her out, that she’s not. That we’re covering for her. That she actually did all those things of her own volition when she had zero control.”

  Dacher leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I agree. That’s why I voted against retrieving her. This situation is tenuous at best.”

  “It’s about to get worse.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  I glanced over my shoulder to the closed door, through it down the hall to Jaffrin’s office. Not that I could actually see through walls. Though that’d be helpful. “I have concerns about Jaffrin, sir. And the Ether Head Circle as a whole.”

  Dacher lifted an eyebrow. “Concerns? Easy, Ben. Concerns and accusations are not that far apart.”

  “Exactly why I wasn’t sure I wanted to come to you at all. Honestly, sir, while we broke into Ether Circle Prison to get Krystin back, we weren’t the ones she escaped with. Giyano teleported in and took her before she could do anything about it.”

  Dacher’s eyes widened. “Oh? I can see that not helping her case at all.”

  I nodded. “It gets worse. Apparently, he told her the Ether Head Circle can’t be trusted because they’re trying to weaponize the Alzan magik she and Shawn share. And given that they didn’t give her a trial in the three months they had her, I have to believe that much is true. Or that, at the very least, something weird is going on behind the scenes.”

  “Well, I can’t speak for the Fire Circle, but I don’t think the Ether Head Circle would purposely use one of their Hunters like that,” said Dacher. “And even if they did, I don’t think they could control Krystin, let alone her and Shawn together.”

  “Apparently, they can and they will,” I said as I ran a hand through my hair. “I can’t explain it, sir, or give you more information than that. Basically, she came back from talking to Giyano and said not to trust anyone in a leadership position right now. And I agree with her on Jaffrin because, honestly, some of the calls he’s made over the past few months have been insane.”

  “Ether Circle Prison, least of all,” Dacher said.

  I nodded. “Exactly.”

  “What would you have done?”

  “Sir?”

  Dacher considered me carefully. “If you were the o
ne making that call about Krystin being in Ether Circle Prison, what would you have done?”

  I closed my eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. What would I have done? Who the hell knows? I’d only stopped being mad at Krystin a few weeks ago. “I would have found evidence in support of Krystin and then brought it to the Ether Head Circle and demanded a trial date, if one hadn’t been made that I could testify at. That’s about the only logical decision when talking about overruling a direct order from the Ether Head Circle.”

  Dacher studied me again, his elbows on top of his desk, his fingers laced together. “Hm,” he said, eyes relaxing. “Interesting.”

  “Interesting?”

  He stood, gesturing at the door. “You leave Jaffrin to me. I will take care of your concerns. For now, stay with Krystin in case those Ether Head Circle representatives you’re harboring try to do something they shouldn’t.”

  “Yes, sir.” That was more than I could have hoped for. “Thank you, sir. And thank you for not immediately claiming treason and locking me away.”

  Dacher nodded. “What kind of leaders would we be if we silenced all differing opinions—and in doing so, ignored potential threats?”

  What kind of leader indeed?

  Chapter 8

  KRYSTIN

  I’d missed Boston—something I never thought I’d say. For so long it’d been a prison of Jaffrin’s and my mother’s design. But tonight, the chilly February air, the remnants of yesterday’s snowfall, the city sounds—they all made my heart sing. Freedom. Even incessant honking was better music to listen to than the shouts of demons and rogue Hunters locked in nearby cells.

  Even if the Ether Circle twins were walking behind me, watching my every step.

  Ben led the way a few yards ahead of us with Shawn at his side, so we looked less weird walking through the city. Not downtown, but through a more residential area. He’d declared tonight an “easy” night, but for Ben that meant anything from one demon to ten, scattered from bar to sidewalk.

  I followed on anyway, loving the way my heeled boots felt after wearing slippers in Ether Circle Prison. With them on and with the city’s sounds, it was easy to forget the twin automatons behind me.

  Maybe I didn’t deserve to be free and they were just a reminder of that. I knew I was innocent, but I still had the memories of that night. It was my hand that’d killed all of those Hunters. It was our baiting of Kinder that had brought her there that night.

  “Earth to Krystin,” Nate said. He walked beside me, questioning me with a concerned glance. “You okay?”

  I nodded, staring straight ahead. “Yes. Let’s just find something for me to hit.”

  Nate frowned. “It’s okay to be mad at them. And us, for what it’s worth.”

  I glanced behind me to make sure the Ether Circle twins were out of direct earshot. “I’m not mad at you guys. Breaking into Ether Circle Prison is no joke. And if Jaffrin hadn’t ordered you and you’d gone in anyway, you wouldn’t have his protection right now. You’d have been imprisoned with me if they’d caught you.”

  “It’d still be worth it.”

  I gave him a sidelong glance. “No, it’s not. I’m not.”

  “Because of the prophecy?” He stopped walking and turned to me. “Krystin, you’re more than some words on parchment telling you you’re meant to save a city no one’s ever seen. I know that Jaffrin might not treat you that way, or your mother, but to me—to all of us—you’re more than that prophecy. You’re our friend. So yes, I’d have broken in there without Jaffrin’s consent if it’d come down to it.”

  I considered him for a long moment, wondering when that flip from forced teammates to friendship had happened. Still, prophecy or not, being friends with me might be the biggest danger to them. “Let’s hope you never have to break me out of jail again. How about that?”

  He nodded. “I mean, yeah. That’s the ideal option.”

  I smirked and pointed ahead. “We’re going to lose Ben if we don’t keep up.” Even Rachel had left us and caught up to her cousin.

  But when I looked ahead, I saw Ben waving frantically at us before disappearing down an alleyway.

  “Looks like you might get your wish of hitting things after all,” Nate said as we picked up the pace toward Ben.

  I lifted my hand to the knife sheath on my back as we closed in on the alleyway. Brick buildings encased us, but unlike on the night we’d all met, they were offices instead of apartments and townhomes. Which meant, thankfully, they were likely empty at this time of night.

  My fingertips warmed, burning with magik. Not now, you stupid power.

  The magik thrummed in response like a petulant child.

  “Oh, fuck you.”

  Nate lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”

  “Not you—my magik,” I said as we rounded the corner of the cobblestone alleyway. “It’s being stupid. Can you hold the twins back here for a second in case it goes haywire? I don’t want them thinking me incapable.”

  Nate nodded. “Sure thing.” Then he rushed out of the alley and back where the twins were walking some distance behind us. Enough to watch me, but not close enough to blow our cover as the seven of us traversed the city.

  I swallowed hard, then joined the others in the alleyway. “What do we have—?”

  “Cedo match,” Ben ordered, cutting me off. “Now.”

  I kept up my jog until I had reached Ben’s side. He, along with Shawn and Rachel, were towering over a body in the alley. Its chest was covered in blood from visible wounds. More blood trickled out of the body’s mouth, though some had dried and caked on its chin and neck. And… Oh, god.

  “Is their tongue…?” I clapped a hand over my mouth, my stomach roiling.

  “Gone?” Shawn asked. “Yeah. Fucking gross.”

  “Not the first time we’ve seen it, though,” Ben said.

  Rachel’s face paled and she looked away, eyes focused on the alleyway opening near the road. “I’ll play lookout—for both civilians and the twins. No way I’m dealing with more of these killings.”

  My heart sank as Shawn lit a cedo match and burned the body. But no purple smoke came. They’d been human. Just human.

  Oh no.

  “Krystin—”

  “I know, Ben.”

  “But—”

  “I said I know.”

  We’d found a body in an alleyway just like this on the night we’d all first met. The perpetrator had been Giyano. He’d killed innocent humans like this in order to draw me out. And then Shadow Crest had sent one of Giyano’s victims to the house to bait Ben. Everything about this screamed Giyano was at fault. Except… he’d been in Maine, appearing to be seriously done with everything related to Shadow Crest.

  “Did Giyano do this?” Ben asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  “Just because he helped you doesn’t mean he’s reformed,” Shawn said. “He’s still a demon. He still needs to feed on life energy.”

  “I know,” I snapped at all of them. Then instantly regretted it. Had the twins heard from around the corner? Shit. “That doesn’t mean he killed that poor person, either.”

  But as the words passed my lips, my left hand began to ache and burn with the feel of Giyano’s magik. The mark he’d left on my hand months ago writhed, glowing faintly red. I tucked my hand behind my back, out of view from the others.

  He was calling me.

  You bastard.

  A new fear settled in, crawling up my spine. If Giyano had done this, if he was back, what would that mean for me?

  I spun on Ben, my heartbeat thudding behind my ears. “You can’t report this, Ben. We have no real proof it’s Giyano, and if the Ether Head Circle finds out, they’ll—”

  “Everything okay here?” Iris asked as she, Alexander, and Nate strolled into the alleyway.

  Dread rolled down my spine in waves. I looked to Ben. Was he going to tell them the truth?

  Ben kicked the dust from the cedo match burn. I watched as
the dust flew through the air, catching the light of a streetlamp above us. “Yes. Nothing but a lower level demon out for a quick life energy snack.”

  Alexander’s eyes narrowed, examining the leftover scattered dust pile. “It’s about time more demons in this city died.”

  “It’s not exactly easy to exterminate a whole city of them,” I said.

  But all it earned me in return was a stiffly raised eyebrow from Alexander.

  “Onto the next,” Nate said, walking back toward Rachel. “Right guys?”

  “Yeah,” Ben said. He scraped his foot against the cobblestone one last time for good measure. “Keep moving.”

  Everyone else filed out of the alleyway first, leaving Ben and me behind. We walked much slower, until enough distance between us and the twins had grown.

  “I thought Giyano was done attacking people like this in the city while he was trying to help me out.”

  “Then we won’t report this,” Ben said. “Any of us. This could be a one-off or a copycat.”

  “Wishful thinking. Something’s not right.”

  “Until we know more, I’ll make sure everyone stays silent,” Ben said. “Especially to the twins. End of discussion.”

  I nodded at him, though unease settled in my stomach. “Thank you.”

  “That’s what teammates are for.”

  Chapter 9

  BEN

  Giyano. I knew it had all been too good to be true. He was back and he’d already killed one person. That we knew of. After all that time hiding away after Kinder had kicked his ass, he was probably in need of more life energy than he’d consumed in the last five years to renew himself.

  I almost wished Kinder was around to sufficiently kick his ass again. But she’d screwed so much up, too.

  Guess I’d have to settle for permanently removing him from the city myself. Sign me right up.