Power of the Fae

by Ariel Marie

  “Thank you, your highness.” His gloating smile is just begging to be slapped. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Christian is one of the best Guardians and I can’t argue that fact. He’s a vicious fighter; he is a master of his Fae element fire and the bonus, his visions of the future. He is a weapons specialist; he is one of the best shots in Faery with a gun and a bow and arrow. He is the one who trained me to shoot both guns and bow and arrows. His main flaw is his cockiness, which gets on my nerves. Him guarding me around the clock, that will be a disaster.

  “I’m not going to argue about Christian being the best, but why him? Why not, Nasir or Ralnor or even Almon?”

  “I’ve made up my mind, Lina! Almon will remain here. While Keegan is gone, Almon is in charge. You want to go back to the human realm then Christian goes with you.” I can’t help but stare at my father as if he has lost his mind. Christian as my bodyguard?

  Just great! I have a crazy lunatic Demon King trying to get out of the Underworld, to make me his Queen to take over the human realm, my current lover is probably cheating on me with his ex-lover and now my father attaches my ex-boyfriend to my hip. What the hell else can go wrong?

  * * *

  ~Colin~

  She hasn’t answered her phone in two days. I haven’t spoken to her since the night she fell asleep on the phone. I’ve called her at least twenty times, and left just as many messages, and nothing. There is no way in hell I will call Keegan to find out why she is not accepting my phone calls. My wolf is whining, he misses her, wants to hear her voice, see her face and taste her lips. The phone on my desk rings, the caller ID showing a blocked caller.

  “Hello?” My voice is gruff as I sit back in the office chair feeling frustrated.

  “Colin, it’s Dorian.”

  “Anything last night?” Dorian and his vampires have been helping with tracking the Demons who are slipping into the human realm. We’ve been following the demons, trying to figure out who has been helping them cross over. The vampires take most of the night observations due to their sun allergy and the wolves have been taking the daytime. Dorian and I will call each other to report off at the “shift change”.

  “I think we caught a break this morning. Two of my vampires followed two demons to a house over on the west side. Looks like they were meeting with a few witches, they weren’t there long before leaving. My vampires didn’t follow them because of the sunrise but they gave me the address. I figured I would give it to you so you and your wolves could check it out this morning.”

  “Great! We’ll head over there today and check it out. I’ll give Azura a call and notify her.” Grabbing a pen and notepad, I jot the address down. We hang up and I call Azura. She answers on the second ring.

  “Hello, Colin.” Azura’s Romanian accent comes across the phone lines.

  “I just got off the phone with Dorian, his vampires have traced the demons meeting with a few witches in a house on the west side of town.”

  “When are you going to check it out?” she asks.

  “As soon as I get off the phone with you, I’ll round up a team and head over there so we can check it out. We may have missed them since the Vampires couldn’t stay with the sun coming up. We can at least look around the house and see what we can find.”

  “Lina should be here within the hour. She will need to be there. She will be able pick up any traces of the witches, if any spells were cast.”

  “She’s coming back today?” I frown. Why didn’t she call and tell me? “I can come pick her up.” My heart speeds up at the thought of seeing her again, that she’s back earlier than expected.

  I’m still a little confused on why she hasn’t answered my calls or called me back. I hear Azura speaking to someone away from the phone.

  “Keegan said that she just crossed over back into the realm, give us the address and we’ll have her meet you there.” I give her the address and get off the phone.

  Devyn? I call out to my brother through our bond.

  Yeah, what’s up? he answers back quickly.

  I need a team together to head out. Dorian called with a lead and we need to check out a house where the vamps witnessed the demons meeting with a few witches. Meet me down in the tech room with Nick.

  No problem. See you in a few.

  Nick’s domain in the lower level of the house, is computer Geek’s wet dream come true. Computers and gadgets are everywhere. There are a few over-sized recliners and chairs strewn around the room. One side of the wall is lined up with television screens that are monitoring the compound. Nick designed an elaborate security system that not only monitors the main house but the whole compound. He placed cameras around the compound, so that at one touch, he can tune in to any disturbances or suspicious activity on our grounds. Along with each Legion members taking turns patrolling the compound, it has created a safe environment for all members of the pack.

  Nick is sitting at his desk with three monitors in front of him. His fingers are flying across the keyboard as his eyes are glued to one of the screens. I walk in the room and grab one of the recliners.

  “What’s up boss?” He acknowledges me without looking at me.

  “I need you to look up an address. I want you to find all that you can on the property. There were demons spotted meeting with witches early this morning, and we need to check into this place.” Devyn, Dante and Alec walk into the room. They scatter around the room as Nick works on the computers. He brings up a screen on the monitor on the wall over his desk where we all can see.

  The house is located in a rough part of town. The neighborhood is rundown and many of the homes are boarded up and abandoned. The house looks like it used to be yellow, the brick steps are decimated and don’t look like they will hold much weight. The garage is tilting to the side, looking like a strong wind will finish knocking it over.

  “The house was taken over by the bank about seven years ago. No one bought it of course and the bank just let it go. It used to be owned by an elderly couple, Tom and Nancy Carmichael. Looks like they passed away twelve and nine years ago respectively. Mr. Carmichael passed away first from a heart attack and the misses was put in a nursing home until she passed away nine years ago. Kids didn’t want the house and let it go.”

  “So it’s just a random property,” Devyn comments. He must have updated the others on what’s going on.

  “Yeah, looks like they picked this street since every house is abandoned and boarded up. This would be a perfect place to meet since there would be no witnesses.” Nick types a few more commands and a satellite view of the property comes up.

  I walk over to the screen pointing out how we’ll approach the property. We’re not sure if someone will be there. I explain that we’ll be meeting Lina at the house since she’s back in the realm. Nick shoots us the coordinates of the property to our phones.

  “We’ll go and check out the property now. We’ll access one of the other abandoned homes and set up surveillance there to keep an eye on the house. We’ll wait and see if they come back.” Everyone agrees with the plan and heads over to the weapons room preparing for the unexpected.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  ~Colin~

  We pull onto the street a half a block down from the house, where the vampires saw the demons and witches. We plan to pick one of the homes to use for surveillance. Nick sent us with a few tiny cameras to set up in the neighborhood, and around the house, so that we can have constant footage.

  A white Cadillac Escalade pulls up and parks a few parking spots in front of us. It must be Lina. My wolf is excited about seeing her again. Shit, I’m excited about seeing her again. I’m still pissed off at Malia for that stint she pulled the other night when I was in the shower. I didn’t even give her time to get dressed before throwing her out my room. She’s getting aggressive and short of banning her from our pack, I don’t know what to do with her. I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to try something like that, after I just told her that I didn’t want
anything to do with her.

  The only person that knows is Devyn. A scowl crosses my face as I remember after I swore him to secrecy, he laughed for about ten minutes straight when I told him about my problem. One would think that one brother could speak to another brother about women problems without being ridiculed. He thought that it was hilarious how the mighty has not only fallen in love, but has a wolf that won’t leave him alone.

  After he quit laughing and smirking, he said that he thought it would be best if we banned her from the house. He will speak to her and tell her that she is no longer allowed to come to the house. The house staff will be apprised of the situation and will just be told that she is no longer welcomed. If she continues her aggressive pursuit of me then we will speak to her father before banning her from the pack out of respect. Her father has belonged to our pack since his birth, and he is a loyal member, and I would speak to him man to man before banishing his daughter.

  Being away from Lina even for a few weeks has solidified my thoughts, and heart, and I will claim her as my mate. The talk with my mother helped me see that as a strong Alpha, I will need a strong woman to help complete me. Help me be a better Alpha to my pack. Lina holds all of those attributes. I can’t wait to put my mark on her to announce she’s mine to the pack and the world.

  The passenger door opens on the Escalade and a very tall muscular Fae gets out. He has twin short swords strapped to his back and a gun strapped to his hip. I’ve never seen this Fae before; he must be one of the other Guardians. He is dressed in black cargo pants, a sleeveless black shirt with his hair braided in a single braid. He walks along the back of the truck to the other side, eyes roaming and seeming to memorize every aspect of the street. I already don’t get a good feel from him.

  A growl escapes me, thinking of him in the close quarters of the truck with Lina. The Fae opens the other back door and Lina steps out the truck. A growl slips out again as he helps her out of the truck sliding her body against his, his hands remaining on her hips. The move is too intimate; he’s too familiar with her. He leans in close, whispering in her ear. I take a good look at her and almost swallow my tongue.

  She has on skintight white leather pants with white knee-high, spiked heeled boots. She has on a red laced front corset top that ties in the front, skinny straps grace her shoulders with her hair pulled up in a tight bun on top of her head with only wisps hanging on the side and back of her head. From where I’m sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, I can easily make out her blood red lipstick. She stands outside the truck and looks in my direction. Our eyes meet and instantly my cock is so hard. It’s trying to drill a hole in my jeans.

  “Holy shit!” Devyn whispers under his breath. Everyone’s eyes in the truck are glued to Lina. The faint smell of arousal from the other wolves fills the truck. My wolf snaps pushing my Alpha power out hitting everyone in the truck. They all quickly turn their eyes away from my woman.

  My woman.

  My mate.

  “She’s mine,” I growl. My wolf doesn’t want any other wolves lusting after her. This being the first time I have ever claimed a woman in the open, Dante’s eyes grow large as he connects my actions from before to right now and realization dawns in his eyes.

  “Colin, I didn’t know! I’m sorry for all those comments. I didn’t know she was your mate!” Dante’ apologizes from the back seat.

  I nod my head without taking my eyes off Lina. My aggression is coming out in waves that they all can feel as my wolf senses another male by my mate. All wolves know that it is a blessing to find your true mate, and that your true mate should be cherished and protected. And right now my mate has another man’s hands on her! Without a thought I jump out of the truck and stalk over to them. The sounds of doors slamming shut echo behind me.

  The Fae smirks and moves himself in front of Lina. My wolf is livid and trying hard to come to the surface. I suppress the need to shift as I make my way to Lina. Azura’s guard driving the car steps out of the white truck.

  “Get the fuck out of my way, Fae!” My voice comes out in a growl, as I look the muscular Guardian in the eyes.

  “Fuck off, wolf!” He doesn’t budge from in front of Lina.

  “Christian! Move!” Lina tries to pull the Guardian out of her way but is unsuccessful so she steps around him. His arm pulls her to his side. My hand quickly grabs his wrist. My grip tightens as we lock eyes.

  “Get your fucking hand off me, wolf!” His eyes narrow as he closes the gap between us. Devyn, Dante and Alec move in closer behind me, willing to protect their Alpha and his mate.

  “Enough you two! I’ve had enough of this male testosterone shit!” Lina yells at us. She stands in front of the Guardian and looks up at me. Even with her high-heeled boots, the top of her head only comes to my chin.

  “He shouldn’t be putting his hands on you.” I gaze down into her dark emerald eyes that are blazing with anger.

  “He was helping me out of the truck!” She stomps her foot and has her hands on her hips. The Guardian snorts and rolls his eyes.

  “You got something to say Fae?” My anger is rolling off me in waves, my wolf is pacing, itching for a fight.

  Just give me a reason!

  “Yeah, my hands have been all over her body, many times,” the Guardian boasts with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Lina’s eyes almost pop out of her head. My fist crashes into the Guardian’s face before anyone can blink. Lina falls to the side as the Guardian and I trade blows. The Guardian is a dirty fighter, throwing blows, kicking and holding his own against me. I want blood; no one lays a hand on my woman.

  Lina is yelling and cursing at the other wolves and the guard to break us up. Alec holds her as we break apart and circle each other. The Guardian swings again, I side step right and strike with my left hook, stunning the Guardian causing him to fall.

  “That’s enough!” Lina breaks free from Alec and runs over to us. The Guardian gets up off the ground wiping his mouth, not taking his eyes off of me. My wolf is a little satisfied for drawing blood.

  “What are you doing?” Lina looks at both of us with her hands up in the air.

  “What the fuck is he talking about Lina?” I pin her down with a stare, breathing hard.

  “Christian is a Guardian and my ex! We broke up more than six months ago!” I can feel the other wolves standing behind me collectively.

  “If you would have given me a chance to introduce you, then you would have known that!” I feel about two feet tall as she lays into me. She turns to Christian, poking him in the chest. My wolf bristles as she touches him.

  “And you! How dare you insinuate that we are still together! It’s your fault that we’re not together anymore!” she yells.

  “Seriously, a wolf?” Christian exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air.

  “Don’t even go there! You lost that right, Christian!” A hurt look passes through his eyes.

  “Lina, can we speak privately?” I grab her arm dragging her over to my truck away from the others.

  “What do you want?” Her eyes are shooting daggers.

  “No one touches what is mine!” I try to pull her closer to me. It’s been a few weeks and her delicious scent is making me want to taste her. My cock is hard as concrete right now. I need to have her now but right now is not the time or the place.

  “Am I yours?” She snatches her arm away. “Is Malia yours too?” She starts to walk away but I grab her arm and spin her back facing me. Christian starts towards us but Devyn and Alec block him from coming over.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Dread spreads through my stomach as I search her eyes. Her eyes are wide and I can see she is hurting. My thoughts are racing thinking back to that night. There is no way she was in the room. I had just gotten off the phone with her falling asleep. Only Malia and Devyn know about the other night and I know Devyn wouldn’t say anything.

  “Melomouzor visited me the other night in my dreams and you know what he showed me?” She doesn�
�t wait for me to respond as tears form in her eyes. “He showed Malia, naked in your bedroom, heading into the shower with you!” A single tear escapes. I gather her close to me.

  “Nothing happened, baby. I swear on all that I hold dear. She just came in my room. I threw her out as soon as she came in the bathroom!” I wipe the lone tear off of her face. She looks into my eyes searching for the truth. I’m desperate for her to believe me. I pour all the love and emotions that I have for her into my eyes, kissing her gently on the lips.

  “I swear there is no other woman for me Lina. You are it! You are my mate! My body craves yours; I can’t stop thinking about you. You fill my thoughts day and night. That’s why I wanted us to talk when you got back. My wolf wants you, as do I. Malia was the past and will stay in the past. She has been dealt with. She has been banned from the house.” I pray she believes me. My wolf whines sensing her distress. I promise I will make it up to her for causing her to cry, the minute I get a chance.

  “Oh.” She breathes as she stares at me wide-eyed.

  “Is that why you haven’t accepted any of my calls or called me back?” She nods.

  “We’ll talk later, promise?” I ask her. She nods again, sniffles and wipes her face.

  “Just great, the guys just saw me cry!” She rolls her eyes as we chuckle. “We do need to talk. There was more to the dream the other night. Can you promise not to fight with Christian again? He can be an ass, but right now, he’s been appointed as my official body guard.” We start walking back over to the group; I grab her hand and entwine our fingers together, leading the way.

  “By who?”

  “My father.”

  Chapter Thirty