Protecting Shaylee (The Fae Guard Book 1) (19 page)

Shaylee’s eyes are bouncing back and forth between the two women with amusement, seemingly sensing the lack of hostility in the exchange.

“However, under the circumstances,” Flynn continued, ignoring Ailean and Calista, “we thought meeting with you now would help us all get a grip on what’s going on.” He looks at her expectantly, and seems satisfied when she nods, so he continues, “We still aren’t sure how, but the knowledge that you are Fae got into the wrong hands before you were marked. It’s not like this is impossible, but it’s definitely very rare. The Ukkutae seem to have been hunting you and from the chatter among the fate readers, they are still determined to have you.”

“Fate readers?” Shaylee asks.

“Her minions,” I comment sarcastically.

Flynn gives me a reproachful look, but the tiniest of smiles is playing at the corners of his mouth, ruining the effect. “They help Fate see. Like many other things of this realm, the human portrayal of Fate is completely skewed,” he explains. “She isn’t a fortune teller or an all seeing eye. Besides that, the future is never set in stone, and it changes every time a person makes a different decision. Imagine it changing one hundred different times for one hundred different people, every second.” Flynn shudders, “Just thinking about all of that activity in one mind makes me want to have a nervous breakdown.”

“For the most part,” Nissa pipes up, “Fate focuses on conceptual ideas for the future. She stays around the edges and gives you information to help shape your decisions but not direct them. The other difference between reality and the human idea of Fate is that she doesn’t talk in riddles. She’s not going to give you mumbo jumbo to decipher. She’ll lay it all out for you.”

“She’s definitely not one to beat around the bush,” I grumble. “About as subtle as a fucking sledge hammer.”

“
Any
way,” Nissa says, drawing out the vowel and giving me a dirty look. “The fate readers help her to identify the half human children and work with us to assign them a guard. They help with smaller issues and just relieve some of the pressure off of her, give her the ability to have some down time.”

I can’t help muttering a little more under my breath. In my opinion, Fate’s form of crazy is best served far, far away from me and my . . . well, just far away.

Nissa ignores me and moves on. “Anyway, Aden mentioned that you accessed your magic very quickly after you were marked. You crossed the realms on your own?”

Shaylee’s eyes slide toward mine, for a second, then away again with a little huff.
Ok, so she’s not completely over it. I’ll just have to work extra hard to make her forget about it.
Ideas of how to accomplish this start filtering through my mind and I shift in my chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. It’s a hard job (the fourteen-year-old in me snickers) but somebody’s got to do it.
And it sure as fuck better be me.

“So, it’s unusual that I’ve been able to get a grasp on my abilities in such a short time?” Shaylee’s face becomes slightly wary at her question. She clearly doesn’t know if this is a positive or negative development. Her hand is resting on her thigh, so I reach over and fold it into mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze and she returns the gesture.

Nissa cocks her head to the side in thought, “No, but it’s not overly surprising that your magic is more powerful, considering your relationship with Aden.” I stiffen at her words.
Damn it!
The last thing I need is for them to spring our fated status on her before I have a chance to explain.

I meet Calista’s piercing green eyes and give a minuscule shake of my head. Her brows shoot up into her hair, when she realizes that I haven’t told Shaylee. Then, she gives me an overdramatic eye roll and a jerky nod, her irritated expression visibly saying,
you owe me.
“I understand that you’ve been progressing at an incredible pace.” she abruptly changes the subject. I’d mentioned it to Shaylee, so she murmurs an agreement, but with a slight shrug, indicating that she is only slightly informed on the situation.

“Aden exhibited some of the same tendencies as you when he was young. Excelling rapidly, accessing his magic before he knew how to control it.” Calista gives me an evil little smile.

Aw Fuck.

“My favorite was when he accidentally set his sister’s clothes on fire, and then instead of dousing her with water, he pelted her with hail.” Shaylee giggles and I give Calista a warning look. She ignores me. “Or the time in high school, when he was trying to break up with a girl and she was crying all over him. I guess she was clinging to him like a vine and he thought perhaps she’d like to know what it felt like to be bound in the plant.”

Shaylee is outright laughing now, holding her stomach and trying to catch her breath. “He didn’t!” she gasps.

“Oh, he did. Ivy sprouted from the ground and wrapped itself all around her. But, she’d been leaning up against the side of the school and the ivy just kept growing until she was lifted up and tied to the wall. Damn, did he ever catch hell for that.” Calista’s face is smothered in delight at, what I’m sure is, a mutinous scowl on my face.

“Or the time that—“

“Alright,” I interrupt. “Story time is over.”

Shaylee and Calista obviously find my reaction hilarious because they fall over into renewed peals of laughter. Turning to Flynn, I make an effort to move on.

“Have you come to any conclusions as to why her abilities seem to be so enhanced?” I inquire. From an earlier conversation with Calista, I learned that apparently, the strength that we gain in our magic from being together is also more powerful than normal.

Flynn shakes his head, watching Shaylee thoughtfully, before meeting my gaze. “I don’t think there is a logical explanation for us to find.” He suddenly gives me a sympathetic grimace. “You need to go see Fate.”

Damn. Damn. Double damn.

I’m unable to keep the cringe off of my face.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Aden.” Calista barks, “You knew how this was going to end, so wipe that pout off of your face. You look like a pussy.” She stands up, walks swiftly over to me and slaps me soundly on the back of my head, gives Shaylee a fist bump, and prances over to the fucking door. Just before she’s out of the room, she turns, “Let’s have coffee, Shaylee. We’ll have story time.” Then, with a cunning smile and a wink, she’s gone.

I can feel Shaylee shaking beside me and I look over to see her holding a hand over her mouth, silently laughing so hard that tears are leaking from the corners of her eyes. I try to give her a look of reproach but fail miserably when I start chuckling too. Calista knows exactly how to push my buttons, but I love her like a sister and I’m not above conceding that she took the victory point in this round.

WE SAY GOODBYE TO the other council members, and I’m still giggling when Aden walks with me out to the car. Calista is awesome. Anyone who can give Aden shit like that, and get away with it, is a star in my book. I had built the council up in my mind, so I was incredibly nervous when we walked into the building but to my relief, Calista and the others quickly made me feel comfortable. Unfortunately, I walked out feeling like I had as many questions as when I walked in.

Once I’m seated and buckled, Aden gets in and starts the car. “Are we going to meet with Fate? Was that your surprise?” It seems odd that he would choose that, considering his clear aversion to the woman.

Aden’s face twists with what appears to be . . . yes, he’s pouting. I bite back a chuckle at how ridiculous and, ok, adorable, he is. “No, Grady will get in touch with her and let me know.” It won’t be for a while anyway. We need to focus on training you and not on what will come after that.”

“Ok, so where are we going?” I notice that he isn’t heading back toward the training facility, but this is my first time down town, so I have no idea what he is planning.

Aden just smiles at me, his face a little smug. “If I tell you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

I give him an irritated scowl and face forward again. “That’s what people always say. But, hasn’t the surprise train already left the station by that point? I mean, it’s only a ‘surprise,’ if I don’t know about it in the first place. So, now I’m expecting it and just because I don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean it’s a surprise. It’s just . . . another secret you’re keeping from me.” When I see the hurt flash across his face, I know I took it too far and immediately feel guilty. I know it wasn’t his choice to keep me in the dark my whole life, but I have to admit that the wound it still a little raw. I need to let it go, and I shouldn’t have used it against him.

“That was uncalled for, Aden. I’m really sorry.” I turn back to him, reach over and lace our fingers together, giving his hand a tight squeeze. He returns the gesture and gives me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” I coo in a deliberately seductive voice.

He instantly perks up, looking at me from the corner of his eye. “Make it up to me how?” He asks innocently.

“It’s a surprise,” I scoff, infusing my voice with indignation. The effect is ruined when I can’t keep the grin off my face.

“Smart ass.”

“You know it.” Giving him a wink, I watch the scenery passing by, trying to figure out where he is taking me. To my (yes, I’m going to say it) surprise, he pulls into the parking lot of a small restaurant and parks the car. He comes around to my side and helps me out, a wide smile on his face, his dimple peeking out to make my panties wet.
Damn dimple.

“Lunch?” I’m a little disappointed. After all the surprise talk, I guess I expected something more grandiose.

“Baby, would you shut it and let me do my thing, please?”

“Aden, if you tell me to shut it one more time, I’m—” Suddenly, I find myself in a crushing hug, Aden’s lips effectively ruining my tirade. As I melt into him, I realize I don’t care what I was saying anyway. My heart is pounding and my panties dampen with need as he kisses me hungrily. He presses me up against the car and I start to think, maybe we should just head back home.

“Shaylee!” I hear my name called out and jump away from Aden. Well, I attempt to put some space between us, but Aden keeps a tight hold on me and even though we aren’t in a lip lock anymore, I’m still plastered up against his body.

Craning my neck to see over Aden’s shoulder, I blanch when I see my grandparents waving and walking towards us. Heat infuses my face as the blood rushes back with a vengeance when I realize they most likely, saw us making out. I try a little harder to get out of Aden’s embrace, but he holds tight and buries his face in my neck, shaking with laughter.
I just want to die.

“Aden, do you think you could stop mauling my granddaughter for a few minutes so that I can give her a hug?” Pop asks, his eyes twinkling and smothering his laughter with a cough. Aden gives me a squeeze then steps back with an unrepentant grin, allowing me to step into Pop’s open arms. He hugs just like my dad and I sigh in a moment of contentment, feeling a little closer to him.

Cerys hugs me tight as well, then loops one arm through mine, and uses the other to smack Aden in the chest, “Can’t you control yourself?” She shakes her head in mock disappointment, but I can see she’s fighting a grin. “You’re like a hormone ridden teenager.” Without waiting for an answer, she pulls me around and starts toward the entrance to the restaurant, leaving Aden and Pops laughing behind us.

We spend several hours with Cerys and Pops, and I’m in heaven getting to know them, but mostly hearing all the stories they have to tell me about my dad. Between the easy conversation and Aden’s arm across the back of my chair, softly kneading my muscles, I find myself truly relaxing for the first time since my birthday.

Eventually, we call it a night and, with promises for future visits, we part. On the way home, my mind is absorbed in all the things we talked about tonight, and a thought occurs to me.

“Aden, was my dad killed by one of the Fallen?”

Aden sighs, “Yes.” His fingers tighten on the steering wheel and my stomach twists in fear.

“I don’t understand. You told me that whatever was suppressing my magic, extended to my father so that he couldn’t be detected either.”