Page 9 of Guardian of Shadows

Anthony stood, and Elle had to crane her neck. She was taller than most human females, but Anthony had at least seven inches on her. None of the fae were that tall, and she quite liked that about him.

“I already told you, I’m here to help you.”

“But why? You don’t know me, and I do not deserve your assistance.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do, and I would love to get to know you, Elledan.”

How she wished that were true. “I cannot be helped.”

His startling blue eyes narrowed. “Is someone making you steal all this money?”

“You wouldn’t understand, so please, let me go on my way. I’m on a timeline.”

“If your past thefts are any indication, you have until the new moon, which is Tuesday. And you’d be amazed at what I will or won’t understand. Like how I can see your true nature although you mask it somehow. I’m also different. Not like you, but I’m something other as well.”

Elle shouldn’t be surprised that someone had figured out her timing, but she hoped it would be the police. She had wanted to be caught but not by a handsome stranger who wouldn’t arrest her. Elle stared at his bearded face, trying to see the truth of his words. If he wasn’t lying, he was even more dangerous than she first thought. Wanting to see his reaction, she admitted, “Unless you are aware of a spell to remove a dark fae’s sigil, then you’re no help to me.”

“Fae, like a fairy?”

Elle had read much lore since coming to the Earthen realm, and while fae were called fairies and elves here, the likeness of her kind was remarkable. At some point, humans must have had contact with the fae. But those books she read were meant to be taken as fiction. She had also read books about humans who could change into animals – shifters, they were called – and vampires. Elle wondered what other truths were hidden behind these mythical stories. She also wondered what Anthony was since he admitted to being other.

“Elle?” Anthony prodded.

Voices and laughter sounded in the hallway right outside her door. She really should yell for help, but what if he was telling the truth? When the noise receded, she admitted, “Yes, like a fairy, although your storybooks don’t have all the details correct.”

“That’s amazing. Are there more of your kind here? I have never heard of fae on Earth.”

He was taking the news of her being a different species well. “As far as I know, my sire and I are the only ones, unless there are those who are also using glamour to hide their true nature. How is it you can see through it?”

“That’s a good question, one I’m not sure I have the answer to. There are those of my kind with gifts, and it’s possible this is mine. I have another theory, but I’d rather not go into it yet. This sigil, what does it do?” he asked, changing the subject.

Elle pulled her sleeve up, revealing the mark Grevolus had put on her. “It is a tracker of sorts. My sire marked me when we came through a portal from our realm so I couldn’t escape him. He can find me anywhere. Also, if he dies, I too perish.”

Anthony whistled low, reaching out and tracing a finger down the mark. Elle’s skin prickled at the contact. In that moment, she wanted his hands elsewhere. It had been too long since she felt the touch of someone intimately. Not since before Grevolus had taken her from her home. “Elle...” Anthony’s voice deepened, and she shivered.

Taking a step back, she lowered her sleeve. “So, you see, you cannot help me. To answer your earlier question, yes, Grevolus makes me steal money since neither of us have the means to get a job. Not that he would.”

“You called him your sire instead of father. Why is that?”

“When I was twenty-five, he arrived at my home in Summerland, claiming to have fathered me. I was taken to the elders where my blood proved he was indeed my sire. He used glamour to hide his appearance, poisoned my mother, and pretended to be her mate, the male I believed was my father. He was then allowed to take me to Winterhaven, where I lived a lesser life with his mate and their son. The rest is a long story.”

“I have all the time in the world.” Elle opened her mouth to protest, but Anthony stepped forward and placed his finger against her lips.

“You weren’t supposed to hit the bank until Tuesday. Unless you informed Grevolus you already did the job, that gives us time to figure out a way to remove the sigil.”

Elle shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, taking another step backward. “He’s the only one who can remove it. And if I do not return within the designated time, he will come for me. Grevolus is an evil male, Anthony.”

“How long are you going to continue doing his bidding? Because if my cousin and I figured out your schedule, it’s only a matter of time until the human authorities catch on, then you’ll get caught and arrested.”

“That was the plan,” Elle admitted. “He cannot get to me if I’m in jail.”

“You wouldn’t be tossed in jail for a few months, Elle. With the amount of money you’re taking, that’s a felony. They’d send you to prison with the harsher offenders. Let’s set it up so Grevolus believes you’ve been taken,” Anthony offered. “That will give you time away from him while my family and I confer regarding the sigil.”

“Why? Why are you insistent on helping me?”

Anthony rubbed the back of his neck, looking over her shoulder. When his eyes met hers, he dropped his hand. “I don’t want to see you in prison, nor do I want you spending any more time with Grevolus than necessary. I...” Anthony rubbed at his beard. “From the moment I saw your picture, I was drawn to you. In my world, when we have someone that’s important to us, we do everything in our power to help them. Shield them from all harm. Protect them.”

Elle wanted to be important to someone, but she couldn’t trust that he wasn’t lying to her. “I won’t risk you being harmed, or worse. I will bide my time until my siblings come for me.”

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