Protecting Shaylee (The Fae Guard Book 1) (9 page)

“I mentioned the Ukkutae before, remember?” I see the slight movement of her head in my peripheral vision, so I continue. “They are the ones who are after you.” I rush on because she looks at me with narrowed eyes and opens her mouth. Most likely, in true Shaylee fashion, she is about to interrupt. If I didn’t think she was so damn cute, I’d be annoyed. “Let me explain who they are, and then we’ll get to why you’re running from them.” Her body shifts and she settles in her seat, facing me.

“I told you before, where there is good, there is evil. Think back to the stories your father told you. The Fae are descended from fallen angels. To make up for the wickedness of our ancestors, God gave us the opportunity to escape their punishment. We’re created as protectors, our ability to manipulate the elements: air, water, earth, and fire, are used in defense, all though any magic can technically be used in the wrong way. But, as a people, we are good by nature. I don’t mean good in the sense that we are all perfect; far from it.” I stop for a moment, expecting her to insert a sarcastic comment. To my surprise, when I look her way, she is listening intently, an enthralled look on her face.

“However, we have a sort of . . .” I trail off, trying to figure out how to put it into words. “A sort of failsafe, I guess? Our honesty is innate, it keeps our souls pure.” I give her a little time to absorb and ask, “Am I making sense?”

“I suppose so,” she mutters, clearly a little bit lost in her own thoughts. “So, you’re forced to act a certain way and do certain things? Am I going to lose the freedom to be me?”

“No,” I’m quick to reassure her. “Just like any creature, we have the freedom to make our own choices.” I give her an playful smile, “You’ll still be able to be a capricious little imp, intent on pissing me off and kicking my ass” My words have the desired effect and she chuckles, the frown that was marring her beautiful face, easing away.

“However, the effects from our choices are more severe. You see, our souls were once pure like the angels. But, the fallen fell so far out of His grace, that the Fae are held to a higher standard.” I hate to tell her the next part, make her aware of the truly wicked that prey on those with a white soul. While the human realm and darker parts of Rien possess those who are swayed into joining the Fallen, they are not the source of the evil, they are puppets. Shaylee is entering into a realm where the sources of true light and dark wage war.

“Shaylee, it only takes one discretion to push you out of the sun and into the shadows.” Our conversation has caused the drive to go quickly, and we have arrived at our destination, so I pull over and park the car. It allows me to face her and let her see the truth and seriousness of what I’m telling her.

“I’m talking about a lie, baby. One little lie and you will tarnish your soul.” I ruefully shrug my shoulders. “Its pure irony that we refer to them as little,
white
lies. A stupid way of making light of a serious grievance.” I reach over and lightly grip her chin, “Do you understand what I’m telling you?” I wait for her affirmation before continuing. “I know you, baby, and you have no temptation to lie. You were born with a beautiful soul. It’s important that you understand who stalks you and why.” Her eyes widen a little and her head moves back in confusion. “The Ukkutae are those who have made the wrong choices. They have stepped out of the sun and thrive on the darkness. They’ve adapted and are able to use their magic, but it’s shifted . . . tainted. They don’t wither in the darkness the way that a pure soul would. They don’t exactly thrive, either. But, they survive, preferring the cold of shadows to the warmth of light. They desire to bring as many Fae, to their way of existing, as possible. They also have a council, although they rule with more authority than ours, they are handpicked by Lucifer.”

I wait while Shaylee absorbs what I’ve told her, the information sinking into an understanding. “Last night, you were concerned about getting away before dark.” I just nod, knowing she’ll work it out on her own. “And, this morning, in the shadows . . .” Her head jerks back in surprise and I see fear flicker in her eyes. Just as quickly as it appeared, it’s gone, her eyes shuttering all emotion. “They were there, weren’t they? I thought I saw something but I chalked it up to my imagination.”

“You are easier to track than I thought you would be. I have my suspicions as to why, but I want to hold off on speculating until we meet with the council.” I sigh in frustration, knowing what’s ahead. “Most likely, they’ll send us right to Fate.”

“Ok. You want to share with the class why this bothers you? Should I be afraid of—whoever that is?” Shaylee picks up on the obvious reluctance in my tone.

I stay silent for a moment, loathe to admit my weakness. However, I don’t want her to be afraid when there is no need. I gaze out the window, beyond her shoulder, keeping my eyes averted. “Honestly, Fate, well, she—she kind of creeps me the hell out.” A quick glance to my right, I see Shaylee watching me closely. Then she starts to giggle. To my utter mortification, I feel my cheeks heat.
What the hell, Aden? When did you turn into a little girl?
I bite my tongue and ignore the fact that I’m fucking talking to myself.

Done with this conversation, I button my jacket, step out of the car, and grab our bags. Shaylee follows suit, tugging her coat closed against the cold, and looking around at our environment. We have pulled into a small turnout on an empty, dirt road. The sun is bright and the vast, open fields of green, surrounding us, reflect the rays cascading down. I soak in the power from the heat, my eye wide open, staring directly at the glowing orb. Our hearing and sight are stronger than a human’s in any situation. However, unlike humans with light colored eyes, the vision of the Fae is amplified by the golden hues and sunglasses would only hinder us.

I give myself over to my magic for a minute, searching for the unnatural, cool rush that warns me when dark power is near. But, I only feel the warmth of my pure magic. Oddly, I feel it surrounding me, thicker than normal, with a stronger heat that comforts me. When I open my eyes and turn to face Shaylee, the heat begins to fade. She is staring at me curiously.

“Why do you do that?”

I raise an eyebrow in question as I walk around the car towards her. “Do what?”

“You sort of, um—” she stops, searching for words. “Glow isn’t the right word. You just have a radiance about you sometimes. Like there is sunshine in your soul.”

I laugh at her description and she wrinkles her pert little nose in exasperation. “That’s just it, baby. There
is
sunshine in my soul. The sun is like air to us. We absorb it into our every cell. It keeps our magic pure and our souls clean.”

“Why do you only look that way sometimes? You did it earlier this morning too.”

“Anytime you use your magic, the radiance of the sun will shine through you.” I grab her hand and hold it out into the sunlight. Her skin takes on a little glow and you just faintly see the outline of the bones in her fingers. “See how the sun lightens your skin, you can almost see through it.”

She nods and I see a small smile playing at her lips. “We used to do this all the time when I was a kid. I liked to pretend I had x-ray vision.” Her smile widens as she goes on. “Dad used to say that I shined from the inside out.” The sweet smile that was gracing her face begins to fade, replaced by hollow look of grief.

Using her hand to pull her closer, I wrap her in my embrace. With one finger, I lift her chin and stare into the ocean blue of her eyes. “He was always teaching you, baby. Remember those lessons with the happiness of the moment. I know you miss him, but don’t dwell on what was lost. He wouldn’t want that. ” I place a soft kiss on the tip of her nose and then my eyes drop to her pink lips. When her tongue darts out to wet them, I stifle a groan. Damn. The little things about her turn me on. I step away before she can notice the effect she is having on my rapidly, hardening dick. Something in her eyes tells me she already noticed, but now certainly isn’t the time to be pursuing that avenue. Of course, my cock is in complete disagreement with that sentiment.

She throws a look at our joined hands, but doesn’t pull away.
Progress.
I throw our bags over my other shoulder and begin leading her into the field.

“Aden, what are we doing here, anyway?”

“We’re headed to Rien. It is always easier to cross in a deserted area with a lot of sun exposure. Especially since it’s your first time, I don’t know how smooth the transition will be for you.” I jerked my thumb back behind us, indicating the car, “I’ve got a friend who will pick up the rental and take it back before heading home.” Remembering why Ean is here has me chuckling.
What a pussy.
He’s kind of hiding out in the human realm for a while.” When Shaylee looks confused, I can’t help but chuckle again. “I’ll explain another time.”

As we walk through the field, I think of home (Don’t even think about bringing up The Wizard of Oz) and feel warmth begin to course through my veins. But an idea pops into my head and I stop, tugging Shaylee’s hand to bring her to a halt as well.

“This morning, with the water. What were you feeling?”

She rolls her eyes, “That you needed—“

“No,” I cut her off mid-sentence.
Such a smartass.
“What did you feel when the water began to fall.” Her face becomes a little pensive as she considers my question.

“I felt a heat rush through me, almost like the humid air of summer.”

My idea takes root and I decide to flow with it. “I want you to focus on how that felt as we transition into Rien, ok?”

Shaylee glances around. “Is there a portal here or something? Do I need to grab a boot?”

Her tone is laced with sarcasm and I echo it in my response. “Yeah, Shaylee. I’m taking you to Hogwarts. Did you bring your broom?”

Her eyes widen with feigned innocence. “Hey, Faeries are real, maybe Harry Potter is too.” She looks at me in earnest, and if I didn’t see the laughter in her eyes, I might have believed her naiveté.

I shake my head at her, but give her a wink. “Focus, baby. Remember what that sensation felt like, and think about crossing that barrier.”

“Ok.” She says hesitantly. I’m still holding her hand and I give it a light squeeze before beginning to walk again. When I see her body becoming more luminous, I let go of her hand and watch her steadily. With my next blink, she is no longer there.
Damn.
She shouldn’t have been able to do that on her own.

Feeling the warmth flow, I focus on the power of crossing realms and then I am there, standing next to her. For the moment, I quietly observe her to see how she is handling the transition. She’s looking around her with wide eyes full of interest, but there is no hint of fear in her expression. I’m not sure what I was expecting; for her to be overwhelmed and confused, I guess. I should have known better. Shaylee has always had inner strength. She was never one to fly off the handle and make assumptions. When she hauled off and hit me, I was utterly shocked that she’d let go of her tightly reigned emotions. Just imagining what it would be like to break down those barriers and see her completely let go, in bed, has my dick twitching.

I break out of my stupor, before I get any more of a hard on, and sigh in relief when I see that she hasn’t noticed where my thoughts were heading.

“Baby, we need to get going.”

She turns and looks at me in surprise, and I realize she has only just noticed that I’m there. “You left me.”
Shit.

ONE SECOND, I WAS walking though the field—I blinked—and the next, I am here. I stumble backwards in shock and almost fall on my ass. When Aden doesn’t reach out to help steady me, I turn to snap at him for being rude and realize that he’s not even here.
What the hell?
I’m alone. Again. I feel the fingers of fear begin to grip me. Had he really left me to do this on my own? Anger starts flushing out the fear, when I’m suddenly distracted by my surroundings. I’m standing in a parking lot, of all places. There are a few cars scattered throughout the stalls, and across from me is a tall, white, stone building, sitting, at least, eight stories high. On each floor, the walls are about seventy percent windows. The sunlight reflects off of them, giving the building a shimmering glow. There are, what appear to be, athletic fields on the other three sides of the building. Looking around me, it seems pretty normal.
Did I go to the wrong place?