Page 13 of Destined to Fight

“Honestly, Fabian, I don’t have the energy to try anything, and you have my curiosity piqued about a few things. Which hotel will we be staying at?”

“You never let me know what area you stay in,” he said simply.

“Oh. I don’t really wander too far. My gym is in The Colony, and I usually start my nights there, then head into Dallas to find stories and do my research. Most of the time I end my nights in a twenty-four-hour coffee shop and write my blog before finding a free covered parking garage to sleep the day away. Romantic, right?” She couldn’t help the last part; humor was always a good way to hide the fact that she wasn’t exactly proud of her living situation.

Fabian didn’t say a word about her routine. “All right, how about one of those hotels near The Colony that has an affordable two-bedroom suite? Will that work for you?”

She smiled slightly at him, relieved that he hadn’t taken the chance to chastise her for her way of life. “Yes, that works. I’ll follow you?”

“Yes, please. Just one moment while I check the surroundings.”

Fabian closed his eyes, seeming to concentrate on something. Within a couple of seconds, though, he opened them. “It is all clear; you may move to your vehicle. Should we get separated, keep driving straight on the road you are on, and I will find you.”

It felt like he was being overprotective, but she didn’t argue. Kelly nodded and got out of his SUV, moving over to her tattered old Excursion.

The drive to the hotel was uneventful, if you call following the speed limit in Dallas uneventful. Fabian was careful not to lose her as she followed him, and he stuck to the speed limit like his life depended on it. So many cars had passed by them honking or flipping them off. It almost made her laugh, with his sporty SUV leading the way. That thing was meant to go at least ninety on a slow day, and there was Fabian, driving in the slow lane like a seventy-five-year-old.

Kelly grabbed her backpack, gym bag, and pillow out of the Excursion and followed Fabian into the hotel. She stood back while he checked them in, and then followed him to the room.

“You may take the larger room. I will sleep in here,” he said, taking off his leather trench coat and laying it on the bed in the room.

“Thanks,” she replied, unsure what else to say. Following his example, she set her things down in what would be her room for the next few nights.

Fabian was sitting on the couch in the living space when she walked out.

“So what now?” she asked.

“You may go about your day as if I am not here. I will drive if you need to go anywhere, and we can order food or go out somewhere to eat if you like, although ordering in is safer. What else should I know about you? Kade did not tell me anything about you. I did not know of you until you showed up in the meeting.”

She sat down in a chair across the room. “You mean he never mentioned me at all until then?”

“No, he did not,” Fabian replied with a slight shake of his head.

Her opinion of Kade grew just slightly. It would be a long time before she would truly trust him, if she even decided to go with him. The fact that he did not tell anyone about her spoke to his professionalism and respect for her privacy.

Something suddenly crossed her mind. “Wait, you knew absolutely nothing about me? Why in the hell did you offer to be my Guardian? Why would you do that?”

Fabian did not seem surprised by her questions. “As I have said, you are powerful, and you have the potential to impact the future of our races.”

Years of journalism experience told her Fabian was telling the truth, but not all of it. “Yes, you’ve mentioned that, but it doesn’t mean I need your protection.”

Sighing, Fabian leaned back on the couch and brought one ankle up to the opposite knee, looking as casual as he could in slacks and his usual blue button-up shirt. “I suppose we may as well have this conversation now, then. You should know everything so you can make the best decision.”

When Kelly raised her eyebrows to question him, he gestured with his hands for her to let him explain. “You get worked up so quickly. You should work on channeling that anger and judgment into something more productive. Maybe in time.

“Anyway, my initial offer was partially to protect you from Elizabeth, and partially because I knew based on my”—he paused for a moment—“intuition, I suppose you could call it, that you would need me at some point in time. Elizabeth could have ordered for you to have your memories of the past few months removed and tossed you out on the street. Or she could have called for your death if she was in the mood for it. She would not have succeeded with the sentencing with Kade around, but she is a considerable threat to you, as it is obvious she significantly dislikes you.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You mean to tell me she could have killed me for breaking into the Star Plaza? Really?” Kelly had a hard time believing the punishment for breaking and entering could be death.

“Yes, she very well could have. Arcane have to be extremely careful to protect ourselves from humans. If they found out about us, it would not end well. Of course, they have their stories and suspicions, but they do not have proof. If they ever did, it would, as humans say, open a can of worms.” He chuckled a little at his joke, clearly amused with himself.

Kelly laughed with him; she couldn’t help it. Fabian was so proper and guarded that his attempt at a joke was funny in itself.

“So Elizabeth could have ordered my death but did not. Where is the rest of the threat?”

“Kade played it down very well, but those at that table who are smart will see through him, and most of them happen to be extremely smart. Kade explained to you that you shouldn’t have been able to see the Star Plaza in its true form, much less those of us that entered. But you did, and you managed to make your way all the way up to the meeting and heard all of us talking. The spells used to safeguard that building are the strongest known to the Arcane, and you, an unbonded mage, saw right through them. That means you’ll likely be one of the most powerful mages in history when you are bonded. There may be some who will want to end your life in order to stop you from coming into your power. When you go through your bonding, your power alone will threaten countless Arcane because they will not understand you. The fear of the unknown is perhaps the most powerful type of fear.”

Putting her head in her hands, Kelly tried to process it all. She’d had to fit so much into her mind over the past day.

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