Power of the Fae

F
or my three
beautiful children who are growing up entirely too fast, who supported Mommy working on her “top secret mission”, I love you. To my husband, the love of my life, my biggest fan, biggest supporter and best friend, thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to open up the laptop and follow my dreams! I love you!

W
ARNING
: Due to the explicit language and graphic sexual scenes, this book is intended for mature (18 years +) readers only. If things of this nature offend you, this book would not be for you. If you like a good action story with hot steamy scenes with shifters, then you have chosen wisely…..

1
0 Years ago
...

S
nuggling
down further in my bed, I turn over trying to get more comfortable. I punch my pillow until it’s just right. Suddenly a loud rumble could be heard followed by the palace alarms screaming, alerting everyone of an emergency! My eyes pop open.

What the heck is that
?

I jump from my bed tossing my shoes on. Grabbing my new katana that was just given to me on my fifteenth birthday last week, I strap it to my back and head out into the hallway. There are a few maids and a guard running down the hallway. I look around and spot my personal maid Tillie running towards me.

“Tillie!” I run over to meet her. “What is going on?”

“What are you doing out of your room? The palace is under attack! Let’s get the hell out of here!” Tillie shouts while trying to drag me down the hallway with her. I pull back in the opposite direction trying to go down the front hallway stairs.

“No! I must find my parents and brother!” I run down the stairs to the main hallway with Tillie on my heels.

“Are you crazy?” she yells. I ignore her and keep going. Palace guards are running towards the front door while a few are directing people to the back of the building. The alarm is still blaring, signifying that the palace is under attack. This doesn’t seem like the drills they make us practice. I follow behind the guards sensing that they are heading in the direction of my father.

“Arlina, no! You cannot go that way! You know we are supposed to take you to the escape tunnel if we are under attack! That’s a standing order from your father!” Tillie yells over all of the noise as she follows me. “He’ll kill me if he sees you out here! Your father would not want you in the middle of this!”

“I don’t care! I’m not leaving without my family! I can help! I’ve been training.” The thought that my family could be in danger drives me to hunt them down. I am a Waldmar, dammit! We don’t run from a fight! The last guard makes a sharp right at the end of the hallway and I follow.

As I round the corner, I see my father and brother speaking with a few Guardians and The Royal Guard of the palace. My father Vamir Waldmar, Prince of the Light Fae, stands tall with his long blond hair in one single braid running down his back. My brother Keegan stands next to my father. He is the spitting image of my father. My mother always jokes around that she wasn’t sure who carried my brother, her or my father. My brother’s hair is the same. He stands about two inches taller than my father at six foot four inches. Both of them are decked out in the normal Guardian tactical gear. My father is barking orders to the Royal Guards and the Guardians that are surrounding him. I yell my brother’s name as I run towards them.

“Keegan!” His eyes narrow as they lock on me. His eyes are cold as he stares into mine. I just ignore his infamous death stare. “Where’s mom?”

“Lina, what the hell are you doing here?” He ignores my question. “You know what you are supposed to do if we are under attack! This is not a drill, this is for real!” He turns to Tillie. “Tillie, you know the protocol when the alarm sounds! Get her out of here now!”

“No, I’ve been training! I can help! I don’t want to leave you!” I stress to him. We don’t leave family behind, ever! I’m not leaving without them. I’m determined to try to help my family defend our home. I have been enduring self-defense, combat and weapons training for a year now. It is required that all members of the royal family be able to defend themselves and become proficient with a weapon. All of my trainers have said that I have excelled at physical combat and the use of a sword, hence, my father buying me a katana for my birthday. My dream is to one day become a member of the elite Guardians with my brother.

“Lina, you’re fifteen, you are not fighting now! This is real, not one of those simulations!” he shouts at me. My dad looks over at me, his face clouded with anger. There’s no point in arguing, even if Keegan lets me stay, my father will not. My father’s rage when released is unmatched by anyone. Keegan flags down a Royal Guard.

“Go to the rendezvous point. Wait for us there, we’ll get mom and meet you!” He turns to the guard. “You are to take the Princess and her maid Tillie to the evacuation tunnels. I don’t care if you have to put her over your shoulder! You are to take Princess Arlina to the evacuation point at the South Hills marina! She better be there when I get there!” he barks to the guard, his cold eyes drilling holes through the guard. The guard, visibly shaken, salutes my brother with a “Yes sir!”.

“Kee, where is mom? Don’t make me leave you! I want to stay!” I try fighting the guard who is dragging me away. The guard shifts me around in front of him, pushing me down another hallway away from my brother and father.

“We’re going to get her. She’s in her tower, now go!” The east tower is a tall, glass encased tower that my father added to the palace for my mother after they were married. In the tower is her spell room where she is able to practice her witchcraft. My father leads the Guardians and the Royal Guard out the front door with their weapons drawn. There is another rumble then a loud explosion that shatters the glass of all the windows and rattles the whole palace. We’re all thrown to the floor. I break away from the guard and Tillie, running down the hallway towards the front door.

“No!” I scream as I look to the east and see the glass tower encased in flames. The smoke pours out of the hole in the roof into the night sky. The smoke resembles white clouds against the dark midnight sky. My legs give out causing me to fall to my knees as I scream for my mother. If she was in her beloved tower, there is no way that she could have survived that massive explosion.

Everywhere I look, Guardians and the Royal Guards have engaged in fighting. Several other parts of the palace are on fire releasing more thick smoke making it even more difficult to see. Everything is moving in slow motion. Looking around, I see bodies lying around on the ground. The smoke is becoming a thick fog. I can’t tell who is attacking us through all the smoke and the cover of the night.

Through the foggy haze I can see dark creatures with large wingspans flying through the sky. All around me, I hear screams and the sound of swords clashing in the air. To my left, I see Viktor, a seasoned Guardian, in the midst of battle with a grotesque creature. He swiftly swings his sword and I watch the head of the enemy fall to the ground and roll away. The body stands stunned before collapsing to the ground. It is a dark muscular body with wings. Never before have I laid eyes on such a creature. The body begins to disintegrate slowly right before my eyes. I blink my eyes a few times, praying that my eyes are playing tricks on me.

My father and brother along with the Guardians and Royal Guards have engaged in fighting these creatures that are invading our land and attacking our home. These creatures are not of the Fae. The creatures skin ranges from brown to midnight black, some are winged and some are not. They have large claws and blood tinged eyes with large horns coming out of their heads. Faery is home to plenty of different types of creatures but none that look like these invaders. Even the Dark Fae doesn’t have any beings that resemble these.

What is going on?
A part of the decimated building begins to fall to the ground. Tears roll down my face, making it harder to see with all the smoke surrounding me. I’m grabbed from behind by the palace guard and dragged away, screaming, crying and twisting my body trying to get free. As I watch, my brother and father run into the thickest part of the dark fog, there is another explosion behind us and everything goes black.

P
resent day

Knock, knock
. I debate whether to answer it or not. I know if it’s Tillie, she’ll just barge her way in anyway. Standing in front of my floor-length dressing mirror, I roll my eyes and yell, “Come in!”

I am right. Tillie flies through the door in excitement. She’s a few years older than me and has been with me since I was fourteen years old. She may be my personal maid or personal assistant as some would say, but I truly do consider her a close friend. She knows me better than I know myself. She has all the characteristics of a full Fae. She’s tall at five foot nine inches, with long beautiful blond hair. She has the pointy Fae ears that she has had pierced at least four times in each ear. She’s dressed in a small baby blue dress with four-inch electric blue heels.

Me, on the other hand, am only half Fae. I look at myself in my mirror. At five foot three inches, on a good day, with long midnight black curly hair and green eyes. Most people would not assume I am Fae. Only my pointy ears reveal I have Fae blood. I am the spitting image of my mother. My mother, Loredana was a full witch who descended from Romania in the human realm. My mother was also a tiny woman with jet-black hair. She may have been tiny but she ruled our household with an iron fist.

My parents’ marriage was an arranged marriage to unite the Fae with the Witches. Even though they did not know each other before marrying, once they got to know each other, they fell deeply in love. My parents were never far from each other. My father, Vamir Waldmar, Prince of the Light Fae, heir to the throne, married my mother, Loredana Văduva, who was the first-born daughter to the High Priest and Priestess of the Witches’ Council. With their marriage, there was an alliance that was created by the Witches and the Fae.

“I wish your mother was here today to see you, Lina,” Tillie said as she stood behind me in the mirror helping me place my small royal golden crown on my head. “You look beautiful. Happy birthday, Princess.”

“Thanks, Tillie,” I said softly. Thinking about what happened to my mother ten years ago, my eyes tear up. I refuse to let them fall and mess up my make-up. Even though I live in Faery, there are some weaknesses that I have picked up when going back and forth between the Fae and the human realm. Clothes and shoes are my addiction. The clothes in the human realm are much different than the traditional dress of Faery.

My dress is white and off the shoulder. It cinches at the waist with a gold pin and stops just at my knees. My feet are encased in black patent leather Giuseppe four and a half inch heels with double ankle buckles. I twirl in a circle making sure everything is perfect.

“Let’s go!” We leave my room and head down to my twenty-fifth birthday party that is sure to be in full swing. Living in a royal palace has its perks. When there are parties and balls, I don’t have to worry about driving or going far and no expenses are spared on our parties. People of the Fae love to party and have a good time and live life.

“I can’t wait to see who all is coming for your birthday!” Tillie exclaims as we take the elevator to the first floor of the palace. “I wonder if you know who will show up…” she leads off quickly looking at me.

“He can come if he wants to, as long as he stays away from me.” I roll my eyes at the thought of Christian Zahir, my
ex
-boyfriend. I broke up with him a few months ago. Rumors of him and different females just kept coming up and he tried to deny every one of them. I still love him but found myself not being able to trust him. Two years of my life, down the drain.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to attend a party and let loose. Lately work has been really stressful and taxing on me. We have not rested much lately. Because of work, I’ve barely been home. In the past year, I’ve had to become more serious and deadly. I am a Guardian of the Fae.

T
he Guardians are
Faery’s elite law enforcers. It takes years of training to be able to be a member of the Guardians. They are notorious for their ruthlessness, fighting skills, weapon skills and their extreme control of their Fae magic. They are the defenders of the Fae. You don’t want to mess with a Guardian. The Guardians are faster, stronger, taller than most Fae. We are deadlier than any other Fae. Even the female guardians are a force of their own.

My older brother Keegan is the Guardian Commander. Keegan is ten years older than me. He’s the most deadly Guardian of them all. No one can beat him in a fight. Weapons are his passion and tactical strategies he can plan in his sleep. He taught me everything that I know. Just because I’m his little sister, did not mean I was a shoe-in to become a Guardian. I think, no, I know, I had it harder because I was his sister. The challenge I didn’t mind, I wanted to prove myself worthy of being a Guardian.

I didn’t want everyone to think the Princess was playing Guardian. I would practice longer and harder than anyone else. I’m the smallest Guardian and need to perfect my fighting skills. What I don’t have in height, I tend to make up with my quickness and my intensity. Not only am I smaller than the other Guardians, I’m also deadly with my sword and knives.

For my fifteenth birthday I received my katana as a gift. It is rare that she is not by my side. When it was gifted to me, she was blessed as “Dawn’s Light”. Dawn is my favorite weapon to use. She was a gift from my parents. From the moment I touched her, I knew I could not be without her. I spent countless amount of hours training and became lethal with my sword. No one took me serious at first when I announced that my dream was to be a Guardian. My father’s family scoffed at the thought that my little self could be a Guardian. My father and brother never hesitated when I told them of my dream. They supported me from day one and immediately started my training.

My father’s family is of Elf descent. Elves are the most powerful caste of the Fae. Faery is the land that we all inhabit. There are many different Fae. There are Pixies, Leprechauns, Trolls and different kinds of Fairies. Our family has ruled the Light Fae for generations. The Dark Fae is a whole other breed in Faery. They isolate themselves in their part of Faery.Their King, King Isis, has threatened war many times, claiming that he should be the one true King of all of Faery.

I push myself to the limits when training in the deadliest of martial arts. My control of my Fae powers are unmatched by others. Keegan oversaw my training and could see the drive in me. The death of my mother fueled the fire in me to one day be asked to join the Guardians. On my twenty-fourth birthday, my dream finally became a reality when I was made a full Guardian. There are not that many female Guardians and I was honored to be one of them..

In Faery, there are seven major cities, with the capital being Aveshara where I grew up. There are Guardians throughout Faery, protecting all of Faery’s inhabitants, from the major cities, to small towns, to mountainside villages. The Guardians are in charge of protecting all who call Faery home.

T
he party is
in full swing when we arrive. Music is blaring through the speakers throughout the ballroom. There are people everywhere. The ballroom is lavishly decorated on behalf of my birthday party. Why shouldn’t it be? It’s not every day the Light Fae Princess turns twenty-five.

The ballroom looks like something you would see out of a magazine. There are crystal chandeliers everywhere with soft white lights hanging from the ceiling. The floor is white marble and is buffed so clear you could see your reflection. There are at least a hundred tables that are decorated with white tablecloths with soft pink and light grey accents. Large pink and white orchid centerpieces adorn each table. The ceiling to floor windows are dressed with long, flowing soft gray sheer curtains that sparkle against the lights.

There are hundreds of people here to celebrate with me. Most I didn’t know but they were invited because of their social standing and me being my father’s daughter. Avoiding the dance floor is a must. The Fae love to dance and a lot of the latest music and dances in the human realm are now popular in Faery. I, unfortunately, did not inherit the dance trait from my father’s side. Since it is my birthday party, I must circulate the room and thank everyone for coming. Every few steps I take, someone grabs me to wish me a happy birthday and try to make small talk.

After about an hour of greeting guests, I’ve already had a few glasses of champagne in my system. I run in to a few people I know from around our city and a few friends from my childhood. I lost Tillie about a half hour ago. I’m pretty certain she left me to go to the bar. By the time I get to the bar, she’ll probably have disappeared again. Once alcohol is in that girl’s system she can’t stand still in one place for long.

Standing on my tiptoes trying to catch a glimpse of Tillie’s blonde head, I feel a presence behind me and hands grip my waist. A sigh escapes. The person I did not want to see tonight has found me.

“Hey, beautiful,” Christian says as I turn to face him. Look up at him, I should say. Fae men tend to be on the tall side and he’s definitely taller than me at six foot four inches. His blond hair is pulled back from his face and his clear grey eyes stare at me. His eyes were the first things that drew me to him when we met a few years ago.

“Christian.” He frowns at me as I step back from him.

“Can we talk for a second?” He grabs my arm, pulling me behind him. I try to resist but it’s pointless. We might as well get this over with. He pulls me over to a quiet alcove off the side of the ballroom. It’s a small intimate area where no one can see us. “Look, I know you’re still mad at me.”

“Don’t even go there!” I start but he cuts me off.

“I miss you. I’m willing to do anything to get you back, Lina.” He looks sincere, almost desperate, but I still don’t think that I can trust him.

“Christian, you hurt me. I thought that I meant something to you.” I look up at him. He gently backs me up against the wall, tucking a piece of hair behind my pointy ear. I close my eyes at the familiar touch. I have missed him too, but my mind keeps telling me that I should not trust him with my heart again.

“You do. Just give me another chance, please,” he whispers. My body begins softening as he nuzzles the crook of my neck and trailing kisses up my neck, capturing my mouth with his. He’s mastered the art of kissing. My defenses drop as I kiss him back with the same intensity.

A throat is cleared in the doorway. We break away quickly. Christian continues to stare down at me, not backing away. His grey eyes have darkened as they always do when he’s aroused or emotional. I’m captivated by his smoky eyes and can’t look away. I hear my name. I look around him seeing my brother standing in the doorway with his eyebrows raised.

“Keegan!” I try to push Christian away but that’s like pushing back a brick wall.

“Excuse me, I hope you don’t mind if I steal the birthday girl,” Keegan says.

“I have to go,” I say softly to Christian, waiting for him to back up. He nods his head as he steps away from me.

“Happy Birthday. I’ll catch you later, Princess.” He kisses me on the back of my hand before Keegan whisks me away from him. I glance back and Christian is standing in the doorway with his eyes glued to me. Keegan keeps his hand on my lower back steering me away in the direction of the bar.

“Um, thanks!” I groan.

“It looked like you could use some help.” He leads me to the bar and orders shots of tequila for both of us from the bartender. I love spending time with my older brother. It’s rare that he smiles and I always have to try to find some way to get him to laugh. He’s become too serious since taking over the Guardians.

The Guardians have been busy this week. We have been dispatched on a few missions. The Dark Fae has been causing trouble in a few of the smaller towns and the Guardians have had to deal with them. We have also had a couple of Fae that were reported missing that we have been looking into.

“So are you two back together?” he asked.

“Nope,” I say smoothing my hair down.

“Sure looked like it to me,” he replied with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s complicated. That was his,
‘
please take me back’ attempt.” The bartender brings us our shots.

“Happy birthday, Lina. I’m proud of you! Love you little one!” Keegan says while hugging me and placing a kiss on my forehead. “We need to go meet Dad. He wants to speak to you in his office.” His green eyes are serious as they stare down at me.

“Now? What’s going on?” I say after taking my shot of tequila. The cool, clear alcohol burns while it goes down and I suck on my lemon. I shake my head and blink my eyes a few times. Yikes! This is my last drink for the night. Any more and I’ll be crawling up to my room.

“I’m not sure. I think it’s important. He’s been in his office all day and just told me to find you and to meet him in his office,” he says close to my ear over the loud music. I nod my head to confirm I heard him. I’m feeling young again. I’m about to do something we haven’t done in years.

“Race you!” I yell out as I flash to my father’s office.

That’s one of the best parts of being part Fae. I can teleport myself to where I want to go. As kids, once we learned how to teleport, that would be our game. Most human kids would run races to see who were the fastest. Fae children would teleport and see who would get to a certain place first.