Guardians of Magic: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (Guardians of the Fae Book 1)

by Elizabeth Hartwell

  Jacob raises a perfectly sculpted brow, making me blush even more. “Is that so? Well, I know who the all-star of that dream was,” he brags. The horny fucker. His cock even twitches and swells slightly as he looks at me, a smirk on his face. “Let me guess, you screamed my name so loud that we got kicked out of the Garden? How many times did I make your toes curl up or your eyes roll back in your head?”

  “Hmm,” Noah says thoughtfully, paying Jacob no mind. He’s so used to his antics he doesn’t even bat an eye. “The dream may have been your subconscious trying to decide which of your powers it would choose to be dominant and which would remain latent. The golden apple represented your Fae powers, and the green represented the Hellfire inside you. I’d say you picked wisely.”

  “If that’s so, why did this happen?” I demand, my worry growing by the minute. “If I chose my faerie powers, why didn’t the demonic side, I don’t know, remain buried?”

  “Perhaps the heightened emotions in the moment of seeing Jacob and Tyler being hurt was enough to make it emerge,” Noah supplies, but the tone of his voice carries doubt, making my anxiety levels rise. “Or perhaps . . .”

  I lean forward, hanging onto his every word. “Perhaps what?” I press.

  “The demon side of you saw an opportunity to reveal itself,” he says. “Perhaps it was looking for the perfect opportunity. Your guard was lowered, your emotions red-hot, a Fae enemy stood before you . . . and it struck.”

  I look around at each of my Guardians in turn, not seeing any answers or comfort in their expressions. Even Jacob, for all his silliness and bluster, looks worried.

  “What does that mean?”

  All four of the Fae exchange glances, none seeming to want to be the one to be the bearer of bad news. Tyler shifts from side to side, his face paling, and Jacob rubs at the side of his face, wincing as he shakes his head. Even Noah looks unsettled, and the man’s got the outer façade of an arrogant mountain.

  “Guys, I’m losing it here. Please spit it out!” I prod.

  “I think it’s now clear why your Fae powers have been so unpredictably . . . violent,” Cole says slowly, his voice even, but he’s breathing heavier, like he has to force the words out from beneath a layer of heavy blankets on his chest or something. “It’s why destruction has been the outcome of almost every use.”

  “Cody,” I whisper, remembering the thrall’s head I blew up. “And my erratic Faelight.”

  “The reason it was green-tinged is now apparent,” Tyler agrees, “and yes, why it seemed to delight in being chaotic.”

  “And why her outbursts are weakening the veil between Earth, our realm, and the demon realm,” Cole adds as if every other realization isn’t damning enough. “Eve, your very presence, your life, is a weakening of the veil. We’ve suspected that the more you use your powers, the weaker it gets, but there may be more to it than that. More to whatever plan Hell has for you.”

  “No . . . it can’t be,” I whisper in horror, the awful realization washing over me. This whole time, I thought the unpredictable and violent nature of my power just stemmed from pent-up frustration and the lack of knowledge of how to control it. As it turns out, it was just my demon side rearing its ugly head and trying to manipulate my powers to its benefit.

  “It appears your other half is angry with you for choosing the light, so to speak,” Noah says, nodding as if in tandem with my epiphany. “Exerting dominance over your faerie gift has been its objective from the very beginning. And it’s not going to stop manifesting until it gets what it wants.”

  Things were looking so good just this morning, and now . . . “Why me? Was not being born an orphan enough? Placed on the steps of a stranger’s house as a baby, discarded as if I were some piece of trash?”

  Well, now you know why, my inner voice says. They knew the truth and wanted to get rid of you.

  I turn to Noah, who’s watching me carefully. “You’re the apparent demon expert. You said it isn’t going to stop until it gets what it wants. Exactly what do you think it wants?”

  Noah and Cole exchange long glances. But it’s Cole who answers and confirms my worst suspicions. “Your demon wants to take over so it can use you as a conduit to bring forth the demonic realm,” Cole says somberly. “It wants you . . . your mind, body, and soul.”

  Cole

  “So let me get this straight,” Eve growls after all five of them have gotten dressed again, pacing back and forth on the Old Haven living room floor while wringing her hands in worry. She didn’t want to, but it was his decision, both because Cole is worried that more handmaidens are going to show up any minute, but also because it just felt weird to be discussing the subject at hand with his cock dangling between his legs and his sword sitting useless in the kitchen. “I have a pissed off demon inside me and it’s mad I chose my faerie side over it . . . and now it wants to control me?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Cole replies. Sympathy trickles down his throat to sting within his chest at the look of distress in Eve’s eyes. Since coming to the human realm, he’d found things with her that he didn’t think possible. A feeling that shook him to his very core . . . and now she’s in pain, and he doesn’t know what to do about it.

  A part of him wants to walk over and cradle her in his arms and comfort her. But another part of him, the warrior and the soldier, keeps the feelings in check, frustrating him. There are times when being a warrior with centuries of experience suck, to borrow a term from Jacob.

  This is one of those.

  What makes things worse is that the vision of Eve burning the handmaidens to ash keeps replaying in his head. Had he not known Eve, he would swear she was evil, not the sweet, thoughtful person who cared deeply for people and those around her.

  It was hard to reconcile the two images, so Cole settled on thinking about how Eve looked when she was naked, bared and vulnerable, and lust surged between his legs. It makes him happier to be wearing his Fae trousers again. This is no time to be unsheathing that particular sword.

  “This is just fucking great!” cries Eve after pacing back and forth again. “Finding out I was a faerie with powers that are causing disruption between worlds was bad enough, but this? Perhaps it would be better if I were . . .”

  He’s relieved when Noah shakes his head and sets his staff on the ground. They both know what Eve is thinking and they’re not going to hear it. “That is not an option. And despite my . . . uncertainty about your origins when we first met or what your background is now, we didn’t come this far to give up on you.”

  Cole is surprised when the normally reserved Tyler, the youngest of his brothers, looks at the rest of them with fire in his eyes. “Eve, you are special. I’m not going to allow anyone to lay a hand on you, demon blood inside you or not . . . on vow of my life.”

  He looks around at each Fae warrior in turn, making sure they all agree. Cole realizes Tyler’s words were assurance meant specifically for Eve, and he simply nods, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Eve stares at the four warriors, a tear trembling in her right eye. “But what if we fail? What if I fail at controlling this?”

  Cole shakes his head firmly, stepping forward. “No,” he says flatly. “Failure is not an option.”

  “Things might be a little more complicated now, but the mission is the same. Get your powers under control,” Noah says, stepping to Eve’s side as Cole looks into her eyes. “We’ll be by your side, Princess.”

  Eve stops her pacing a moment to nod, then resumes, almost making a loop inside a track laid out by her four Guardians. As she does, she looks each of them in the eyes, and Cole looks right back, the tip of his sword resting on the ground as he waits for her to come to the same realization that he’d already come to. “All right, so what do we do now? After what just happened, I’m assuming heading back to the faerie realm is going to be complicated. That warm welcome is out of the question . . . if there ever was one.”

  “That’s one way to put it,” Cole replies, making her sto
p. “No normal faerie sorceress in her right mind would take on the task of teaching you. If we showed up, their first act would be to try and run. Their second would be to call every member of the Imperial Guard they could find to destroy you.”

  “Ugh. Then what is the plan? Is there no one who will help?” Eve asks, puffing her lips out in frustration and making Cole very aware of how plump and luscious they look. Her beauty is distracting, even in the midst of terror.

  Cole’s face darkens, his mind conjuring up fleeting images of the past. “There are some Fae who walk a darker path, a life lived in the twilight between realms.”

  Cole’s brothers look at him in shock for even broaching the subject as Eve looks at him inquisitively. Noah rumbles, speaking what they all think, “No, that is far too dangerous. We can’t risk it.”

  Cole tilts his head, “Unfortunately, it may come to that, but I agree that, for now, we explore other options.”

  Tyler speaks up, breaking the silence. “That doesn’t help us. Back to the issue at hand here. I don’t think anyone has ever dealt with a half-demon, half-faerie before, much less taught one. We’re walking in uncharted territory here.”

  Cole clears his throat. “We will figure it out, but one thing is for sure. You cannot remain here. The danger of your powers is very real, and by tomorrow, Cassina will have heard about what happened. More handmaidens will be here looking for you, and they’re not going to care about collateral damage or about civilian casualties. She won’t expect us to still go through with returning to our realm. It’ll buy us some time.”

  “But then, what do we do?” Eve demands, her anger still fierce but simmering down some. “If you don’t know anyone you trust who can teach me, what’s the point of even going?”

  Silence falls over the room, and Cole feels that invisible mantle that he became familiar with centuries ago burden his mind once again. His three brothers look at him, their minds working but all of them knowing that the final decision will rest on Cole’s shoulders. Too many times to count over the centuries, they’d waded into the breach on his decision, and now here they are again once more, all of them ready to follow him even though all four know that the situation could lead to a futile last stand and a spat upon corpse left to rot in the fields.

  It doesn’t matter. It might very well be a fool’s errand, but looking at Eve, he knows it’s the right choice.

  “I know someone who could possibly assist us,” Cole says. “She may be able to bind the demon within you and teach you how to use Fae magic at the same time.”

  The other three Fae clearly register their shock, and Cole winces inside as he thinks about this secret of his family and his background that his brothers do not know.

  “Who?” Noah finally asks after a moment. “I have never met any such being in all of our travels together.”

  “My sister,” Cole says simply with a deep sigh.

  “Your sister?” asks Noah. “You have a sister?”

  “There’s a lot about my family you don’t know,” Cole replies, unable to keep the chill out of his voice.

  “Care to elaborate?” Jacob presses. “I mean, I never asked, but I had no idea.”

  Cole scratches at the stubble on his jaw. This isn’t the time or place. They need to get a move on, and just thinking about his sister drags up unpleasant memories he’d rather stay buried. “It’s a long story, perhaps worthy of a telling. But it is not a tale for this moment, so please trust me.”

  “Okay, fine. Cole says he has someone who’ll teach me,” Eve says before his brothers can argue, “but what do we do if my demon side manifests itself before I can get the help that I need? How will you protect yourselves?”

  “There are these,” Cole says, going over to his pack and producing a set of intricate golden bracers. Crafted with a level of precision that few humans could duplicate, they almost glow with an inner light.

  Cole brings them over, showing them to Eve who, despite her inner tough girl and cop exterior, still gawks at the trinkets. “Oh, my God, those are so beautiful!” Eve gushes, peering at them curiously. “What are they?”

  “These are magic shackles, although they don’t lock. They were given to us by the Queen’s sorceress before we started our journey to find you. We were supposed to use them on you only as the last resort. It will keep your magic in check for a time,” Cole explains. “They used to use these on magic users who turned rogue, but they aren’t permanent. They are intended to depower the prisoner until they could be . . . dealt with. But don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “We won’t let anything happen to you,” Tyler corrects, and Cole nods.

  Eve looks at her Guardians for a moment before letting out a big sigh and holding out her wrists. “All right, fine. Cuff me. But if I turn into a big hulking demon and end up eating Jacob for dinner . . . don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “That won’t be easy,” Jacob quips. “I’m more than a mouthful, remember?”

  Eve

  “Is my head supposed to feel like this?” I complain, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Ever since putting the bracers on, I’ve felt off, like someone stuffed a spray can of whipped cream up my nose and hit the trigger. The gold runs a few inches up my forearm, and despite Cole’s comments to me about it being ‘girly’, I think they look pretty Amazonian badass. Still, the damn things are uncomfortable, both in my head and where they pinch my forearm.

  Either way, the bigger issue is going on between my ears, where it feels like I’ve got a major case of the seven-year itch while at the same time feeling . . . diminished.

  “This,” I finally say, rubbing at my temples again, “is the weirdest feeling ever.”

  “How is it?” asks Jacob, looking up from a large leather map the four Fae are huddled over, their heads pressed together in quiet discussion. For the past hour, they’ve been planning some last-minute changes to our journey, their expressions solemn. Apparently, my torching the handmaidens causes some serious troubles about just where and how we’re going to get there. Now we need to figure out where to re-enter the Fae lands and get to wherever Cole’s from. The most I’ve been able to gather is that it’s far from Cassina’s court and out of her claws.

  Jacob stands up and comes over, setting a gentle hand on my shoulder. That’s Jacob, though, quick with a wisecrack, the sort of man who always seems to find a way to turn anything into a sexual come-on or who lets any insult just roll off like water on a duck’s back. I’ve seen inside him. I’ve seen his soul. It’s a side effect of taking his cock and seed deep into me. And he cares intensely about those he lets past his superficial shell.

  I make a face, searching for the right words. “I feel like someone pulled out half my brain and filled the space with mothballs before stuffing my sinuses full of ants.”

  “Besides not knowing what a can of mothballs feels like, I think that would indicate the bracers are working,” says Jacob.

  “I’m glad they’re working, but I could do without feeling like I’m on a half-bottle of Nyquil. But I guess it’s a small price to pay if it will keep me from possibly hurting one of you guys.”

  A moment later, an unwanted voice whispers in my head. You’ve had a taste of your power. You know you want more. You know you want to kill.

  Kill who? Jacob, Cole, Tyler, Noah? I’d rather kill myself than hurt them. Nothing will make me change my mind on that.

  “Relax,” Jacob says, almost reading my mind. With the bonds we’ve been forming, we have been able to read each other, but the bracers seem to not only stop me from hearing them, but stop them from hearing me as well. It makes me feel oddly alone inside my head, though there does seem to be another voice talking to me. An unwanted and twisted Jiminy Cricket that instead of encouraging me, seems to want me to wreak havoc. “You’re stressing yourself out. It’s been a couple of hours and you haven’t changed into a gremlin yet. So we’re off to a good start, right?”

  “If anything, we’ll just toss y
ou in a room alone with Jacob,” Noah speaks up, his dry humor evident from the moment he opens his mouth. “He’ll probably die happy, and it’d keep effective losses to a minimum.”

  “Not to mention, make things a lot quieter,” Tyler quips, smirking.

  “Gee, thanks,” Jacob says with a melodramatic sigh. “It escapes me why I’m everyone’s punching bag now, when I’ve been the ultimate gentleman.”

  “Umm . . . I could think of more than a few reasons,” Cole rumbles, looking up from the map.

  Jacob shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “You, too?”

  “So, when do we leave?” I ask, cutting through the banter. Honestly, I’m freaking out, my anxiety level sky-high. It’s a far cry from a few hours ago, when I was over the moon about visiting a place I’d only known through myth and legend, a place I never thought could possibly be real. “I thought you guys said we had to book it like . . . right away?”

  Cole stands up and starts rolling the map into a compact tube. “We need to rush, but we cannot be hasty. We have decided to delay leaving until the moon is at its zenith.”

  Getting up from the table, Cole heads over to the window, staring out at the sky. The attack by the handmaidens took place last night, and now the sun’s passed noon and is starting to descend, highlighting his face as he studies the blue sky with distant eyes. I worry about what’s going on with him. Since the attack, he’s become more brooding and distant than before, rarely talking . . . even for him.

  “So in a few hours,” I reply, glancing back at the others. Noah nods and gathers Jacob and Tyler to go get some food or something, giving Cole and me some privacy. I need to talk with him, find out some things that he’s not ready to tell the others. I just have to lead him slowly. “Why then?”

  “The full moon on Earth is when the pathway through the . . . fabric between realms is clearest. Luckily for us, tonight is a near-full moon.”