Protecting Shaylee

by Elle Christensen

  Hayleigh drops what’s left of her Shack Burger in the basket and does the same thing. “Damn, Shaylee. You were right, best fucking burger and cheese fries, I’ve ever had.” She blows out some air as if to make room. I nod smugly, with an amused chuckle. I’ve really missed her and Laila.

  Hayleigh showed up unexpectedly at my mom’s house a week ago. We’ve been here three weeks and Aden wanted to take the opportunity to check in with his charges while we are in the human realm. But one of them is in Montana and another in Spain. He can use his magic to get there, but it’s a little tricky when you’re not just crossing realms. I was feeling a little homesick for Rien (I know, I know. I was homesick for New York, and now Rien.), so when Hayleigh arrived and told me she would be staying with me while Aden was gone, I was beyond excited (I definitely noticed that it wasn’t Ean, Brannon, or Kendrix, and he was subjected to, no end of, teasing about it from me and Hayleigh until he left).

  It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to show off my home city and unfortunately, when you live here, you tend to overlook all the fun, touristy stuff. I only do it when someone is visiting. I’d dragged her all over the city, to a bunch of my favorite spots. But—let’s face it—it’s New York. You’d need a year of doing nothing, but being a tourist, to see everything here. It helped to keep me from missing Aden quite so much.

  I was worried she wouldn’t have much fun because she is so quiet and serious a lot of the time. However, she opens up and relaxes a little more around Laila and me, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that she seemed to really enjoy herself. I haven’t gotten the full story from Laila. I don’t even know if Laila knows the full extent of it, but Hayleigh ostensibly comes from a pretty broken family and it’s made her rather jaded. I’ve made it one of my goals to bring her out of her shell. So far, it’s worked fairly well, when it’s just us girls.

  “It gets dark here so early; it’s screwing up my internal clock,” Hayleigh comments thoughtfully. “We should probably be getting back.”

  I manage not to sigh at the timetable that is always set for me; our nights out are always done when the sun goes down. Sadly, in New York, during the winter, that’s around five thirty in the evening. I sneak a look at my watch and see that it’s just after six. Oops, we stayed out a little late tonight. Ugh, how pathetic it is to say that at six o’clock. Are we little old ladies now? Either way, I respect Aden’s wishes, so we clean up our garbage and head for home.

  When we step outside the restaurant, I feel an unnatural rush of cool blow through my body. It’s as cold as only a northeast winter can be, but this seems different somehow. Not as biting, but just a cool breeze, flowing through my body, oddly from the inside out. It makes me slightly wary, but I push it aside and walk hastily beside Hayleigh in the direction of home. We turn down 67th to walk from 1st Ave to 2nd Ave before moving up the block to 86th. It takes us a moment to notice that something is off. That’s when we realize that all of the streetlamps are out. The whole block? However, there are no lights on in the apartments and town homes that line the block, either. I can feel the same unease rolling off of Hayleigh that is pulsing in my veins. I’ve been in the sun all day, hallelujah for that, so I bring the heat of my magic closer to the surface, making my skin slightly radiant, matching Hayleigh’s countenance.

  She grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop in front of a single family brownstone that is obviously under construction, then grabs my hand and heads for the door.

  I tug her hand back and force her to stop before we are on the first step. “Um, Hayleigh. I’m not a huge fan of horror flicks, but even I know that when the heroine enters an abandoned building at night, she usually ends up in little pieces, buried in the basement,” I say somberly.

  She rolls her eyes, and moves up the steps, firmly towing me behind her. “First of all, those movies are ridiculous. Second, I doubt any of those women were Fae. And third, we are only passing through to get to the backyard,” she chides.

  Backyard? It’s extremely rare to find a building with a yard in New York City, but there are a few in the area, such as the house where I grew up. I’m about to ask how the hell she knew there was a yard but then I realize that standing just the right of the stairs, we are in front of an alley between the two buildings. The light on the buildings behind give off just enough glow to see a gate on either side at the end. Both of these buildings have an outdoor space, but the home she wants to enter is clearly vacant.

  I follow her without persuasion now, understanding where her mind has gone to. I knew we were probably being trailed by a Fallen, possibly more than one. I just didn’t want to admit it. But, knowing that Hayleigh is headed for a backyard, where we have direct access to all of the elements, I really can’t ignore that instinct any more.

  The house is quiet and dark, but we hurry through without incident, reaching the door to the back and wrenching it open, all the while she’s muttering about how Aden is going to kill her for letting his pregnant girlfriend be in danger. Now is not the time, but one of these days I’m going to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with everybody about their irrational assumptions that I cannot take care of myself.

  I’m close behind Hayleigh, so when she stops suddenly, I ram right into her, although she barely moves an inch.

  “Hayleigh, what the hell?” I gasp. I’m met with silence until the sound of the slamming door shatters it. Shuffling to the left of her, I look for whatever it is that has her avid attention.

  A man is casually leaning on a twisted and gnarled tree that has grown by the back fence. His face is somewhat hidden in the shadows, but there is something familiar about him.

  He casually pushes off of the tree and comes forward. “I’m disappointed in you, Shaylee,” he scolds. His voice is kicking up the instinct that I know him. “I could forgive you for being with another man, but now you’re pregnant? This just won’t do,” his tone indicates disappointment. Who the hell is this guy?

  He continues to close the gap between us, and at that moment, his face is highlighted by the glow of the moon.

  Recognition hits me and I gasp, taking an automatic step backwards in revulsion.

  Killian. Fucking Killian.

  I’m completely stunned at his appearance. His features had begun to darken as he got older, his hair becoming dirty-blond and his green eyes becoming hazel. However, a lot of children start off with features that become the complete opposite as they grow. Generally, it happens in their childhood, but I just assumed it wasn’t that way for everyone. By the time he turned twenty-one, he had become a brunette with muddy-brown eyes and a more olive complexion.

  Now, his hair is inky-black, cut slightly long so that it spilling over his collar and forehead. You would think that in the dark, I wouldn’t be able to see his eyes all that well, but they slice right through the distance between us and their color is so dark that I can barely see where the pupils end and the irises begin.

  The cold rush I’d felt earlier is intensified in his presence, and I can feel it trying to cloak my magic, putting out the fire by denying it oxygen. Fear is clutching me, trying to figure out how to protect myself and get out of this.

  Hayleigh has been watching our exchange in silence, her only movement . . . a small shift towards the right side of the steps that lead down into the garden. She is leaning against the wall, her hands behind her back, observing the sight in front of her with very little reaction. Her lack of emotion and the completely neutral expression of her face are confusing me—I suddenly feel very alone.

  He gives me what, I think, is supposed to be an indulgent look, but it just comes off as a sickly smile. A small, but strong, wind whips behind me and gives me a push, knocking me down the stairs. I stumble, but manage to stay upright without having to reach out and steady myself on the nearest solid thing, which right now is Killian. The cold evil, emanating from him, makes my skin crawl and I am immensely grateful that I’m able to avoid touching him.

  “So, what shall I do
about our current situation?” he asks rhetorically. I keep silent and wait cautiously to see where this is headed.

  He takes a wide stance and crosses his arms over his chest. It reminds me of how Aden stands sometimes, but while it makes him look strong and opposing, Killian seems small, like a little boy, trying to appear as a man. The wind pushes lightly on my back again and Killian advances to meet me. I power through the cold seeping into my body and pull the earth up to form a small bump on the ground. I find the tiniest measure of relief when my plan works and he trips over the hump, giving me time to step aside and nudge him with the wind so that he isn’t able to find his balance and crashes to the ground.

  He grunts out a string of curse words and slams his fist in the grass. “You’re going to piss me the fuck off, Shaylee.” He climbs back to his feet and calmly brushes the dirt and grass from his shirt and pants. However, the façade is broken by the fury in his gaze. Killian’s back is to the house now, so he doesn’t notice the movement on the porch and I see Hayleigh has retreated back to the door of the house. Her betrayal knifes me, but I don’t have time to focus on that, right now. At least she isn’t joining his ranks.

  “What exactly do you want, Killian? Why are we here?” my voice is heavy with irritation. I don’t want to provoke him, but it helps to mask the fear. I’m ready to face these situations; it’s what I’ve been training for. But, not while I’m pregnant. It was why Aden insisted someone always be with me here, so that I would never end up in this situation, facing a Fallen alone.

  “You’re not as special as they think you are, you know,” he sneers. I don’t know, so I raise an eyebrow, requesting an explanation. “Oh, you don’t know, do you?” He laughs manically and now I’m convinced that someone is about to jump out of the darkness and yell, “Cut!” An idea filters into my mind and I almost dismiss it but… So far, this situation is right out of a bad movie. So, maybe I can do that thing where they play on the bad guy’s ego to give me enough time to form a plan. I want to roll my eyes at the stupidity of this plan, but hey, what have I got to lose, right?

  “Why don’t you tell me, Killian?” I do my best to adopt a bored expression.

  “Did you know they were looking for Aden?” Killian watches me for a reaction and he’s got my full attention now, but I keep my features schooled not giving away my interest. “When they killed your father.” The coolness of my demeanor cracks when he brings up my dad’s murder. Killian catches the minute slip and his thin lips spread into a creepy smile. How did I ever think this guy was attractive? I know somewhere in my subconscious that I should be concocting plans, but I’m completely focused on his story.

  “Yup.” His lips smack together and I hold back a cringe. “I don’t know all the ins and outs of the grapevine, but someone found out about the power that Aden and the one he is fated with, would develop. I guess their goal was to turn him or kill him, but the asshole always managed to shake them. Like I said, I don’t know all the particulars; I don’t really care.” He shrugs, but there is something in his expression, a gleam of that ego, shining through.

  “But, you know more than they think, don’t you, Killian?” I state, pandering to his cocky attitude.

  “Of course I do!” he snaps. “I’m the one who led them to you in the first place. They should be grateful to me, not shutting me out. After all, I’m the one who found you again, aren’t I?” His smug expression and sinister smile return. “They found your aunt, since she doesn’t have any children that would shield her magic. Watching her, led them to your dad, who they then cornered in the alley. His magic was pretty weak from being in the human realm for so long. Anyway, he was being obstinate and no help at all.” He rolls his eyes. “Stupid man,” he adds. My fists and jaw clench with anger, both aching from the strain, but by some miracle, I’m able to keep the emotion from bleeding into any other visible signs.

  “Anyway, I guess he pissed off the wrong guy because one of them stabbed him.” He shrugs nonchalantly, like the death of another person is just no big deal.

  “Funny thing is; they had no idea that you were Aden’s fate. I was raised by a dark Fae and dating you was just a happy coincidence.” For you. “Then I turned twenty-one and we realized I was a fate reader. For a half Fae to be a fate reader is spectacularly rare.” His conceit is brimming now and I realize that he’s so sure I’m enthralled with him, that he isn’t paying me much attention. I start searching the exits as discreetly as possible, while still making the requisite noncommittal sounds as though I’m listening intently.

  He starts droning on about our “courtship” and how I’d callously thrown it away. That we could have had a perfect life together and he was always watching me, caring for me, and a whole bunch of other bullshit. This guy lives in fantasy land, doesn’t he? If I can get him to back up to the railing to the porch, maybe I can keep him plastered against it with a stiff wind, long enough to run. I’m contemplating just how to get him to back up when my attention is caught by his next words.

  “Well, you’ve gone and ruined the future I had planned for us. I decided not to suffocate you that night; give you another chance.” He sighs melodramatically. “I thought maybe we could just cut out that thing growing inside you. But, no; you’re beyond tainted now. I’m just going to have to kill you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Aden

  Hayleigh silently swings the door open and I slip through onto the porch. She’d managed to keep her phone hidden behind her back and send me a text to let me know what had happened. Thank God I’d already arrived back in New York and was at Shaylee’s house, waiting for her. Hayleigh had succeeded in melting into the background so that, with his full attention on Shaylee, he would forget all about her. If he noticed her movement at the door, he would most likely assume that she was leaving to save herself.

  Shaylee had wisely kept him talking, not too hard since its clear this guy is an arrogant bastard. She hadn’t seen me yet, and I tried to keep it that way for as long as possible. I have no doubt that she would be able to keep from giving off any indication that she’d seen me. But, it will just be easier if she is as surprised as Killian.

  I creep down the steps, just to his right, along the outer wall that juts out just beyond the porch. Hayleigh follows silently, but she moves to his right, ready to protect Shaylee when I’ve got Killian’s attention.

  I’m forming a strategy when I hear his threat to Shaylee. I flip my shit and pull a sudden burst of wind from behind him, shoving him right into the wall next to me. I spin him around and slam him up against it, my hand pressing tightly into his neck.

  “You know, Killian, when you started dating Shaylee, I know there was something off about you.” I can feel him trying to blow me away but the thing is, in this little fairy tale, I’m the big fucking bad wolf and I’m going to crush his motherfucking house. I press his throat even harder and he begins to sputter, his skin turning the color of eggplant.

  “Then you went and started treating her like shit and I had to have a little talk with you. That’s when I knew you were Fae. But, being the sniveling little rat that you are, I didn’t see you as being any further of a threat to her.” I’ve kept my tone light as though we were just having a conversation, but now I drop it down and it becomes menacing when I bring our faces only inches apart. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A new voice slithers into the darkness, bringing a surge of cool power into the air. He’s a Fallen but I know better than to take my attention off of Killian, so I trust Hayleigh to take care of the newcomer. I take note however, that Killian’s eyes are now full of terror and his attempts to remove me have ceased.

  Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” Shaylee spits. I can’t help but smile at how feisty she is.

  “No need to be crass, my dear. I’m Aodhagan.”

  I don’t like having my back to this guy, so I cause the roots from the tree, a few feet away, to grow in our dire
ction. Once they reach the wall, they begin to climb up, twisting and winding all around Killian, keeping him immobile and fixed to the wall. Being in this close of proximity to Shaylee boosts my abilities; Killian won’t be able to do much from his little perch. I might have made the roots a little tight; it’s possible he is struggling to breathe right now. I mentally shrug and turn to face the Fallen, standing much too close to Shaylee.

  He reminds me of someone, with his lengthy, straight, black hair, falling down well below his shoulders, with a deep widow’s peak on his forehead. His face is long, with a patrician nose, narrow, dark eyes, and a small, thin-lipped mouth. Suddenly, Shaylee’s Harry Potter references don’t seem so far off.

  I reach out my hand and motion her over to me. “Baby, come over here.”

  She makes a wide berth around Aodhagan and walks to my side. Hayleigh is hanging back again, blending, forgotten until she’s needed. “You haven’t answered the whole question. What do you want?” I bite out.

  “Well, I was looking for Killian. It seems you found him first.” He examines Killian and raises his eyebrows slightly. “It looks as though you’re not very fond of each other.”

  Shaylee snorts in contempt. “Actually, he found me and well, yeah. You could say I’m not fond of him.”

  Aodhagan’s inspection shifts to Shaylee, curiosity sparking in his eyes. “I have introduced myself, would you be so kind as to return the favor?”

  His speech pattern is niggling at me, trying to ferret out a memory. He is obviously much older and hasn’t lost the refined speech and posture of his day. Curious, I decide to give an inch. “I’m Aden Foster.” There is a flash of recognition in his eyes; visible, despite the bland expression on his face.

  “Hmmm. Aden Foster. It’s nice to finally make your acquaintance. I do believe the others of my council have been searching for you.” This information brings the memory closer to the surface, but I still can’t quite grasp it. He’s a member of the Fallen council and yet he has come personally searching for Killian?