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

by Elizabeth Hartwell

  “Holy fuck,” Zack says, seemingly in awe of what just happened. But before I can say anything, I’m half-hugged, half-tackled by my sister.

  “Eve!” she cries as we hug, the air reeking of blood and smoke, but I don’t care. She’s alive. That’s all I care about. “Oh, Eve, I was so scared, I—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I murmur, hugging her tightly. Tears trickle down my cheeks and we hug tighter. “I found you. That’s all that matters.”

  “I thought I’d never see you again,” Alyssa sniffles.

  I cry harder, knowing that this is going to be tough. When we let go, I hear someone clear their throat and I turn to see a man who’s obviously Zack’s father come limping out of the barn, his leg wrapped in a bandage. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for keeping her safe," I reply, offering my hand. “We should get out of here.” I gesture at the bodies lying on the ground.

  “No need,” the man says. “Those’ll be gone by moonrise. Faster if we’d had another twenty minutes of darkness.”

  “So, what’s going on?” Alyssa asks. “You break out of jail? I mean, how?”

  There’s a lot to explain, but I need a moment. “First, tell me what happened to you. I got your ‘message’, but that’s all I could do.”

  Alyssa nods, looking over at Zack, who hugs her. “Alyssa wanted to stay at your apartment, but when the riots started, I feared something would happen, even with the police presence. After what happened to me the other day . . . I’ve just had this feeling, and I don’t trust them, frankly.”

  “Don’t discount it,” I reply. “So, how’d you get captured?”

  “I had the same idea as Zack,” Alyssa admits. “But as soon as I stepped out of the building, these guys snatched me. It seems the man named Howard was the leader of the group trying to string up Zack, and he wanted to finish the job and make me watch.”

  Bastards. I arrived here just in time. “Then we did the right thing,” I declare, looking at the bodies. “Whatever the result.”

  “So, does this mean you can control your powers now?” Alyssa asks. “Zack says you’re like mind-Skyping him or something.”

  “It’s . . . a long story,” I admit. “I’m still learning what I can do and how to do it.”

  Alyssa looks around, seeing the remains of the guy who fell on the grenade, and shivers. “How do you have these powers?”

  I look up at the slowly softening sky and rub at my arm, where I scratched myself without even knowing it. Opening my mouth, it all comes out in a tumble, my being a Halfling, my guardians, my powers, what happened with Cody Reigns . . . all of it. “So, I trusted my feelings,” I finish. “You guys saw the rest.”

  The shifters look back and forth, Zack’s father humming. “So, you share a sort of bond with us?”

  “That’s what I was told,” I confirm.

  “There’s something else, though,” I add, saving this for last. It’s going to be hard.

  “What?” Alyssa asks, her smile fading. “Eve?”

  I sigh. “They want me to go with them,” I confess. “They say it’s to help me learn to control my powers. That without discipline, I’m a danger to everyone. I know you’ll hate me for it, ‘Lyssa, but I got them to promise to let me stay until at least this vampire uprising is taken care of, but after that—”

  “Stop,” Alyssa says, hugging me again. “It’s okay, and I’ll be fine. Go learn to be the badass bitch I know you are . . . then you can come back and tell me all about it, deal?”

  “Deal,” I promise, tears threatening again. “I’m glad you’re understanding, but it’s not that simple. I need to know you'll be safe or I can't leave you."

  Zack wraps his arm around Alyssa's shoulders. "I've got her. Not because of you, but because she's mine. She's everything to me."

  Alyssa looks at Zack with tears in her eyes, the love they share palpable in the air between them. Zack's dad steps forward too. "She's ours as long as she wants to be. We'll protect her."

  I scan the group of people in front of me, full of love and strength. Alyssa finally has the family we always dreamed about in the orphanage. It doesn't matter that they're shifter and she's human. It just matters that they love each other.

  I swallow thickly. "I'm sorry I ever defended the Para squad, Alyssa. I thought we were doing the right thing. Or at least, I thought I was, and I turned a blind eye to those who took it too far. I should've done more.”

  “You weren’t totally wrong,” Alyssa admits. “I was just upset and took it out on you. But . . . how’re you going to clear your name and stop the vampires if all the cops are looking for you?”

  I need to find Joe, I think. He’ll know what we should do.

  Like fate tossing me a bone, a car flies up the dirt road, dust spewing from behind it. Pulling to a stop, Joe jumps out along with a young detective I’ve seen only once before, a rookie who just transferred into the 54th. “Joe!”

  He looks around in total shock at the carnage, his partner equally surprised before he raises his weapon. “Down on the ground!”

  “Joe, these people didn’t—”

  Joe pulls his gun, pointing it at me. “Eve, I’m not here to arrest you. I’m here to get you to safety. Fuck the DHS, fuck those black uniform fuckers. But I can only help if you let me. You come along quietly, and your sister and the shifters can go free.”

  Alyssa clutches at me, but I shake my head. “Let go, Alyssa. Zack and his family can’t help me. That would only bring them trouble,” I whisper as she starts to babble. “I’ll be okay.”

  “Eve—”

  “Shush,” I whisper, hugging her. “Stay with Zack. I’ll be back. If the Fae find you, tell them what happened. But promise me, you’ll stay safe?”

  “I will,” she replies, nodding and sobbing. “Eve, I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I reply, stepping back and giving Zack a nod. He looks pissed, but he understands. This isn’t his time. I turn and walk over to Joe, holding out my wrists. “Handcuffs?”

  “That’s not why I’m here, Eve. We’ve got to figure out what the fuck’s going on and maybe you and your boys are the key to it all. Besides, what’s the point?” Joe asks. “Just ride in the back, and we’re all good.”

  I get in the back of their car, Joe’s partner holding his gun on me just in case. As we back away, I clear my throat. “You know, Joe, I was just thinking I wanted to talk to you right before you pulled up.”

  Joe looks into the rearview mirror, chuckling darkly. “Well, you know the old saying. Speak of the devil—”

  “And he shall appear,” I finish.

  Problem is, I never spoke of him.

  Chapter 29

  Eve

  I’m shocked when thirty minutes after picking me up, Joe pulls up in front of a boring-looking brownstone instead of the 54th. “Get out. We’re here.”

  “What are we doing here?” I ask as Joe escorts me inside. We’re in a safehouse the department uses for the Witness Protection Program. On the outside, it looks nice and normal. Flicking the switch on, however, I see the UV lamps that ring the windows and door flicker on, and the steel-core door will hold out any shifter too.

  “You’re lucky I got to you first,” Joe says, setting down his gun and turning on more lights. There’s a panic room too, three inches of solid steel in all directions, but I wouldn’t want to go there unless we had to. “It wouldn't have been pretty if they did. They’re giving zero fucks to civil rights now.”

  I’m too prideful to admit he’s right about his getting to me first. “How’d you find me?” I ask, and Joe chuckles.

  “Damn luck, mostly. When the crowd gathered at your place, I asked the captain to be the person to investigate. Drones spotted you jacking the car near your apartment and then heading into the woods. Had a hunch and called in a favor and found out where that boy you’ve said Alyssa was seeing lived and burned rubber out there.”

  “You always were a good detective.”

 
“Yeah . . . but that was pretty stupid, Eve,” Joe chastises me as he pours two glasses. “What were you thinking?”

  I take the offered glass and drink, even though coffee’s more my thing and my body really should get some sleep. “I was thinking of making sure Alyssa was okay. What do you think? And I was hoping on the side chance of getting my hands on my gun locker.”

  Joe’s partner, who I’ve come to understand is Devin Porter, sits down after parking the car and catches the end of my statement. “Why? You have powers. What do you need a gun for?”

  “Because I have no idea how to use them. Whatever I can do, it’s not exactly reliable.”

  “That’s not good,” says Joe, shooting his whole glass of Pepsi and pouring himself another. “Because it’s your powers I really, really need right now.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  Joe pulls out his phone and opens a video file. “Before checking out your place, Devin and I did a little undercover work with the vampires. I’ve been working this angle for some time. Yesterday wasn’t the first time I’ve heard the name Marcus.”

  I watch the video, shocked as Marcus talks about his plan. When he gestures toward Joe, the video cuts out, and I hand it back. “How’d you get into that?”

  Joe shrugs. “I’ve been on secret assignment. Marcus thinks I’m a dirty cop who’s going to help him with this attack of his. They’re planning on hitting the mayor’s ceremony for the 54th. Kill them all, and I’d eventually take over as chief of police. Marcus says he’s got City Hall all taken care of.”

  Chills run down my spine. “It shocks me that they would be so bold,” I whisper. “How did you manage to get so close without my knowing?”

  “I wasn’t actually getting seduced by succubi,” Joe says, blushing a little. “After the incident at the bridge that started all this shit, I worked some connections. By promising him loyalty and info, I played it tight. Still, would have been a lot easier tonight if you’d been my partner instead of Rook here. Had to do some fast talking to let that one get by.”

  Joe has a haunted look in his eyes, and I know it had to be difficult. I wonder what other things he had to do or overlook, all because he knew he had to take Marcus down. “I wish I could’ve helped,” I say, kind of hurt that he couldn’t trust me. I’m sure he had his reasons. “But what does this have to do with my powers?”

  “Ever since your . . . mishap, I’ve been thinking about how long we’ve worked together, Eve. Three years tells you a lot about someone. I started thinking about what you said, that you don’t know what you did or how you did it. You scared the shit out of me at first. But you’ve got a good heart, I’ve always known that, and you’re more by the book than most of the squad. No matter what, I didn’t think you deserved to be carted off and made a lab rat. I’m glad those four fairies, shifters, or whatever they are saved you.” He pauses, taking another drink of Pepsi. “Where are they, by the way?”

  I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Joe. You’re right. I never knew about what I can do. I still only know a little . . . but those four are innocent. I can’t betray the trust they’ve shown me.”

  Joe nods slowly. “I understand. See, that right there is what makes me so sure that you're one of the good ones. If those guys stick around, I'd like to shake their hands. The thing that matters most is what I have planned for you.”

  “What’s that?” I ask as Devin disappears into the back. “Where’s he going?”

  “Rookies need sleep,” Joe says with a chuckle. “As for you, the word of the day is redemption. With a big ol’ fuckin’ capital R.”

  The word sends a thrill to me, and I arch an eyebrow. “But how?”

  “Simple,” Joe says. “I plan on letting the vampires attack tomorrow.”

  “What?” I ask, stunned. “Joe, are you insane? You said it yourself that they’re going to slaughter everyone!”

  “If you want to clear your name, it’s the only way,” Joe says. “And quite frankly, maybe I’m being a little harsh, but the department needs cleaning. Not to mention, Marcus isn’t stupid. I have a feeling he’s got more plants in the department and at City Hall. The way he talks, he’s just a little too cavalier about how the new mayor would be under his thumb. If we take him down now, he’ll wiggle free, and then it’s open war in New and Old Haven.”

  “We can stop—”

  “I’ve thought about it long and hard,” Joe says over me. “We need to let them try to attack. They think the way is free and clear, and the moment they think they’re going to spring the trap, we turn it around. We disintegrate every last bloodsucking bastard in Marcus’s coven.”

  “You’re taking a huge risk,” I say uneasily. “Yes, the department is corrupt, whether it be that they’re in Marcus’s pocket or that they persecute innocent Paras . . . but there are some good people. They could die. That’s not something I could live with.”

  “If we do this right, nobody with a heartbeat dies,” Joe says. “And it’ll clear your name. Hell, it might even make you a hero. Isn’t that what you want? For people to not think you’re some evil mutant out for blood?”

  “Yes, but I don’t care about being a hero.”

  Joe drains the rest of his glass, slamming it down. “No buts, Eve. This is my ass in the breeze too, and I believe in you. This op . . . I’m so deep-cover, I go down if shit goes south. You’re right, I should have tried to UV blast the entire meeting last night, cut the head off right there. But there’s no guarantee the rest would just pack up and go home even if I had. At least now, you get a second chance. People need to see that Para doesn’t mean bad.”

  “And how do you see this going down without losing any innocents?”

  Joe grins. “I’m not saying we simply let them attack and watch, just that we’ll be there waiting. I already have a SWAT team assembled and ready that I trust. They’ve got the gear, and they’ll be ready. Tomorrow night, the vampire threat ends.”

  I don’t reply for a moment, and Joe reaches across the table, taking my hand. “Eve, I need you on this. There’s only so many people I trust these days.”

  I chew on my lip. It does make sense, but there’s danger and risk involved. We both know that things never go as you plan on an operation. Something unpredictable always happens. “And afterward?”

  “Well, the bad guys will be dead, and the public will see you’re not the monster everyone’s trying to make you out to be. They'll have no choice but to accept you. To accept that not all Paras are bad. Then we rebuild.”

  I grow silent, thinking. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be. I wasn’t lying. My powers, they’re unpredictable. I’m so new to this and they can’t be relied on—”

  “Even if they aren’t,” Joe says, “you always come through. And you’re good with your gun either way. So, what will it be, Eve? You in?”

  There’s so much that could go wrong. The SWAT, as good as they are, are going to have their hands full. But if we can pull this off . . . Joe’s right. It’ll bring peace to Old Haven, at least long enough for the NHPD to start fixing things. Maybe even enough time for people like Alyssa to start to get people to listen to them.

  This would be a lot more successful if we had four kick-ass Fae warriors on the team too, I think, but I shake my head. I know them well enough to know that while they’d happily walk into the battle, most likely with Jacob making a wiseass remark, they’ll object to anything that puts me in danger. They’d never go for this.

  No, this is on me.

  Joe’s depending on me. He needs me.

  “I’m in.”

  Chapter 30

  The Guardians

  “Well, took us long enough,” Jacob says as the four Fae munch on big shawarma plates with fries. “I mean, we were looking for a human in a pile of humans, but still . . . took us long enough.”

  “Half-human,” Noah says, eating in efficient, large bites. “Who’s bonded with us.”

  “You know the bond isn’t an exact guide.
At least we found her,” Cole says. “And trying to keep track of Eve in this realm has proven more difficult than we anticipated. I hate cars.”

  Noah sighs, nodding. Whether it’s right or not, all four have admitted that their sexual encounters with Eve have formed a bond with her . . . and even if it’s against the rules, they’re drawn to her like moths to a flame. “Yeah, but look at her.”

  Across the street in what is supposed to be a FedEx depot, Eve’s working with a group of men in tactical gear, all of them armed as they talk about something. The only reason the four Fae haven’t charged across the street is because the team, a dozen heavily-armed humans, seems to be led by her. Though how she came to be in a position of power has escaped them all. Eve is supposed to be captured or killed on sight, sold as a violent Para who threatens the stability of the whole human-Para balance. Surprisingly, none of the team seems to question her authority in any way, all listening at attention and not a single roving eye among the lot of them.

  The Fae stare at Eve. She’s wearing a black, high-necked bodysuit and boots, and she’s seductive, her hips swaying and making their cocks swell in their pants. They’ve all had a taste of her and yearn to have her again.

  Eve dismisses her team and goes over to the back of what looks like a normal delivery van . . . if delivery vans were surreptitiously armored and had armories in the back. Opening the door, she takes out the rest of her gear, strapping it around her body while at the same time accentuating her curves. Dual thigh holsters carry two pistols, while on her wrists, she straps what look like large bracelets.

  They finish their food and keep watch. Cole goes back over to the food cart, dropping a silver nugget into the tip cup. When he comes back, Tyler taps his shoulder. “Look.”

  Eve’s finished gearing up, having a last-minute discussion with one of the tactical team before he gives her a short salute and walks away. Surprised, the Fae wait until she’s alone before approaching the fence. “Hey, sugar buns,” Jacob whispers, making Eve look up. “Got a minute?”