Page 3 of Fated Guardian

Lyra reaches forward and touches my shoulder. “Coral. It’s okay. If you don’t want to talk to him, you don’t have to.”

I really hope he’s not listening to this.

“I… um… I don’t think it’s that,” I huff.

Lyra pinches the bridge of her nose with her fingertips. “I really wish you’d share with me more about your past.”

Looking down, I gently touch the bundle of wildflowers on the table, their presence a reminder of the magic that lives just about everywhere.

“I know that you don’t want to share. I really do. And I know that whatever it is, it’s probably really painful. My guess is that it has to do with your family, and family is… it’s hard to talk about, especially if it’s complicated.”

I don’t react, but inside, my heart feels like it’s breaking. Again.

“It’s not really complicated,” I mutter.

Lyra freezes.

I shut my eyes, keeping my hands tightly clenched so that they don’t ooze magic and break more of my things.

“Tell me what happened,” she says softly.

I flare my nostrils. “It’s not complicated,” I assure her. “They… died.”

They were killed. That’s the part that I can’t bring myself to say. Remembering that my hive, my family, the faeries who I was born with, were killed is one thing. Telling someone else is another thing entirely. I felt it. More deeply than any of them.

All faeries are nature affiliated, meaning we’re born with special gifts or strengths that align us to nature in some way or another. Mine is plants, and in particular, wild plants. It’s even more specific than that—for example, if I lived east of the Mississippi, I wouldn’t have as strong of a connection to the plant life. Which means I wouldn’t have as much access to magic.

My hive is from outside of Seattle. The West is where I am strongest. So when it came time for me to choose somewhere to live, when I sought refuge after they were all killed, I had to balance.

Did I want to run so far that I would never be hunted by the shifters who might still be after me? Or did I want to be prepared to defend myself if I needed to?

Colorado was the compromise.

When Thorne and Oakwood pack bought the land, he accepted the bargain I offered. I would stay on the land, and he would call on me to support the pack with magic, from time to time. And now, here I am.

I feel gentle fingers on my wrist, and I open my eyes. Lyra is looking at me, her eyes filled with a kindness that makes mewant to bury myself in the roots of the meadow that I’ve claimed as mine.

I don’t want pity. Pity makes me feel even more distant from everyone around me.

“That must have been…” She stops.

Yeah. That’s what usually happens.

There aren’t any words for the violence that I’ve experienced. Which is another reason I don’t like sharing it with people.

Lyra leans back, her head tilted as she looks at me. “I can see how that might make you wary of getting to know people.”

I narrow my eyes at her. How could she know that I’m afraid of being… different? I didn’t tell her…

“You must be worried about losing people again.”

Oh. No, I’m not really worried about that.

“It would be devastating,” I say instead. It’s another partial truth that makes my tongue itch. Too close to a lie.

“I’m here. I’ll be here. Today, tomorrow, whenever you need.” Lyra smiles that sweet, kind smile. “And I think that you should consider the introduction to Nolan.”

I look away, the blush creeping up my cheeks. “No. That’s okay. I’m fine, really. I don’t need to know him. I just appreciate that he patrols and keeps me safe and…”

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