A Fae in Fort Worth Read Online Free PDF Page B

hold of his arm.
    “What part of my job description don’t you understand?” I asked, keeping pace with him. “I’ve been hunting alone for ten years. Don’t think you need to look out for me because you don’t. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need your protection and I don’t want it. If you have a problem working with a woman then I can do this alone and I…”
    “Shh.” Mitch met my gaze and put a finger to his lips. I glared at him.
    Oh hell no. “Did you just shush me?”
    He frowned and nodded towards the large parking lot of what appeared to be a club called Billy Bob’s Texas. Following his gaze, I saw two shifty-looking vampires slinking around in the darkness behind a couple of cars. They were heading around the back of the building.
    I shushed and made my way over to the parking lot, tucking the gun into the back of my jeans. I kept hold of my stake. I was too angry to check if Mitch was following me or even to care. But we were damn well going to continue the conversation later whether he liked it or not. This was a perfect example of why I was better off hunting alone. If Mitch felt like he had to be constantly watching my back then he’d be too distracted to watch his own. If he got hurt because of me, that would weigh heavily on my conscience.
    When I reached the spot where the vampires had disappeared, I put my back to the wall and peered around the side of the building.
    “How many?” Mitch whispered. “Just the two?”
    “Oh crap.” I turned back to him. “This is not good. This is really not good.”
    We swapped positions and Mitch took a peek himself. “Goddamn it,” he muttered. “There are too many of them.”
    There were four humans in the parking lot around the back of the club, and the two vampires who had been chasing them were by no means alone. They’d obviously been meant to lure the humans behind the building where other members of their nest awaited. I hadn’t had time to count, but at a guess I’d say there were at least seven vampires, maybe more. They were closing in on the humans and if Mitch and I waited any longer, they wouldn’t make it out of there alive. Mind made up, I pushed away from the wall and rounded the corner of the club, gripping my stake tightly in my right hand.
    “Ashley, wait,” Mitch hissed.
    I didn’t listen to him. There wasn’t time. My every instinct screamed at me to save the humans before the vampires killed them.
    Striding purposefully forward with an air of confidence I didn’t feel inside, I headed towards the throng of vamps and humans.
    “Howdy, boys!” I called out in an effort to get their attention away from the humans. “What’s up?”
    Every set of eyes turned my way. I scanned each of the vampires’ faces and noted that they didn’t have their fangs on display. Their eyes appeared human, not the freakish yellow they became when they were in the throes of blood lust. This was good. It meant that they hadn’t revealed themselves to the humans yet—hadn’t showed them their true nature.
    The tallest of the vampires, who I assumed was the leader, broke away from the others and headed my way.
    “Well, well—what do we have here?” he drawled, his gaze flicking from my face to Mitch, who I sensed was right behind me. “You gatecrashing our party?”
    I puckered my lips into a pout. “You’re having a party and you didn’t invite us? I’m hurt.”
    I kept walking towards the vampire and gripped my stake tighter, but my palm was sweaty and I could feel my fingers slipping on its length. I cast a cursory gaze over the others and counted nine vamps in total. A modicum of fear tried to creep into my mind, but I ignored it and kept moving forward.
    When I was close enough I got a good look at the humans. There were two women and two men. The women were gripping hold of what I assumed to be their partners’ arms. Their expressions were filled with terror and the men weren’t faring much