6. Chapter 6
6
A smund was standing outside Kade’s door and nodded to them as they left.
Fabian didn’t say a word as they took the elevator down to the parking garage. She followed him to a sleek SUV that looked like it cost more than she hoped to make in a lifetime. He unlocked it as they approached, and she climbed into the passenger seat. He pressed a button as he settled in the driver’s seat, and the engine purred to life.
“So where is your place?” Fabian asked.
“My place? What do you mean?”
“Yes, I am taking you home, and I will stay with you as your Guardian for three days, as Kade said.”
Kelly wanted to die of embarrassment right there in that moment. “I, uh, I guess Kade hasn’t really told you anything about me. I live out of my car. It’s in a parking garage fairly close to the Star Plaza.”
Fabian looked at her without the judgment she’d expected to see in his eyes. “Well, as much as I want you to feel at home over the next few days, I do not believe it would be comfortable for both of us to reside in your vehicle. Let us go pick it up and then we will find a hotel close to the area you frequent.”
“Fabian, I can’t afford a hotel. I don’t know what this guardianship thing is. Can I just release you from it? I’ll be fine. I’ve survived on my own for a long time now.”
“I will cover the hotel as a cost of my service to you. Guardianship, in trial or in permanence, is not something you can release me from. I am here to protect you until the trial period is up, or for the rest of your life, if you accept my offer.” He said it all as if it was no big deal.
She let out a sigh. “Everything seems to be so absolute with you guys. And what is it with you all paying for everything? First, Kade offers to pay for my training and to support me while I learn…whatever it is I need to learn, and now you’re just going to up and pay for a hotel for three nights. I find it ridiculously hard to believe that either of you is willing to pay for anything and everything under the sun without anything in return.”
He seemed to consider what she said for a minute before he spoke in his usual gentle tone, “The ways of the Arcane are nothing like those of humans. Many of our laws and traditions, and even our way of life, date back to thousands of years ago. Because our people live multiple centuries in their lifetime, our ways change more slowly, and the mistakes and lessons of our ancestors are much more fresh in our memories. Money is not typically a struggle for an Arcane because we have had more time to build our fortunes. Arcane tend to be more thoughtful and intentional with our money, but we usually spend it freely for a good cause. Kade and I have determined you to be a good cause.”
Kelly was quick to push back. “I know you both mean well, I just don’t understand how you two are so sure I am a good cause.”
“If you choose to join us, you will have to be open to changing your ways, Kelly. For an Arcane, your word is your bond for life, as are many other things. Guardianship, leadership, and many other jobs are served until death, and it is an honor to serve in any of them. Can you let the money thing go? It is not something we offer lightly, and neither of us expects anything in return. Just let me pay for a hotel for a few nights so we can both rest comfortably.”
She looked at him, ready to argue, but his light-blue eyes pleaded with her in the most genuine way. It was as though they spoke the words he had not: I will not hurt you. I will not lie to you. I will protect you, and I need you to trust me. Fabian was so patient and kind. She could have argued with him and pushed her opinions for hours and she knew he would not become upset or stop her. That made her stop trying to push him away.
Breathe, she thought, resetting her mind. “All right, I’ll accept you paying for a hotel, just please don’t choose one like this. Pick a normal one, you know?”
He laughed; even his laugh had that angelic tone to it. He nodded and pulled from the parking space in the garage. His car took to the streets effortlessly, purring along as Fabian drove. It was clearly not meant to be driven from stoplight to stoplight in downtown Dallas.
As they approached the Star Plaza, Fabian asked which parking garage she had left her car in, and she told him. He knew his way around, so Kelly didn’t have to navigate for him. Instead, she stared out the window and watched people go about their seemingly normal lives. Shame would keep her from admitting that a normal life would be a dream come true for her. Life was supposed to be different; she was supposed to have that normal life with a husband and kids. Instead, here she was with a conscience and no job.
There you go again with your daydreaming, wishing things were different. Suck it up, buttercup.
“Shut up,” she snapped at herself.
“What?” Fabian asked, confused.
Shit, she’d just said that out loud. “Sorry, not you. I, um, tend to have conversations with myself.”
He gave a short nod and responded like talking to herself was totally normal. “Oh, okay.”
The car made its way into the parking garage, and Kelly told Fabian where she had parked. When he pulled up next to her Excursion, she unbuckled and went to open the door, only to find that it was locked. Fear started to prickle its way up her spine until she looked at Fabian. He was as calm as ever, and even had his hand outstretched to her, motioning downward, as if to tell her to calm down.
He spoke softly, “I do not unlock car doors until I know the surrounding area is safe. Also, I need to tell you where we are going, and I want a promise from you that you will follow me in your vehicle. You know by now that you need not run from me and I have your best interests at heart, but if you try to evade me, I will find you. I have a duty to you for the next few days, and you cannot release me from it in any way.”
“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.
“I still don’t understand why you would offer to protect me. ”
“I just knew it was the right thing to do,” said Fabian.
“And that’s it? You knew it was right, so you did it? Don’t you have a job or a family or anything else that’s more important than me?” She couldn’t believe she would take priority over anything in a stranger’s life.
“You really should give yourself a tad more credit. You are worthy of many things, including respect. Perhaps to help you understand my actions, I should fill you in on my race; Kade did tell you I would, after all.”
“Are all the races so different?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Yes, quite. You see, fae are the protectors and peacekeepers of the Arcane. We are trained from a young age to be warriors. Different tribes train for different things. Some of us are fighters while others work in politics as mediators to help keep the peace between Arcane races and humans. If there was ever a war, either between races or between Arcane and humans, we would be on the front lines, calming tensions and defending the innocent. Another part of protecting others is offering Guardianship. Should you choose to accept my offer, I will be your Guardian for the rest of my life. Should you lose your life first, my Guardianship transfers to your next of kin if you have any offspring. The tradition is that Guardianship is offered on a trial basis of two days. During that time, the job is performed in its entirety despite the wishes of the person one has offered to protect.”
“You all really are shaping up to be an interesting bunch, but that doesn’t help me understand why you would choose me.”
Kelly was beginning to get bored with everything. Kade and Fabian seemed to be big on the history lessons but couldn’t just lay things out as they were. Nothing was simple to them. Years of reporting had taught her that people typically did what would benefit them the most; you just had to find their motives. The only problem was, the two of them didn’t seem to have any, at least none that were selfish.
The slightest amount of frustration showed on Fabian’s face in the form of a clenched jaw, but his response was as calm and gentle as ever. “You are thinking as a human. I have told you, my powers gave me the inclination that you needed my protection and that you will someday change the Arcane world. That was enough for me to offer you Guardianship. I realize this is new to you and does not make much sense in human terms, but you will just have to trust me for now. You will learn more of our ways in time.”
“What if I don’t want to know more, Fabian? What if I just want to go back to my normal?”
Fabian raised his eyebrows at her, amusement showing on his face. “Oh, sure, the talented journalist catches a break that will land her in uncharted territories, but she turns away to enjoy the comforts of her car and the riches of self-employment.”
Kelly laughed; it was impossible not to. Fabian had remained professional and serious until this point. The sarcasm of a beautiful, proper man would break anyone. When she finally stopped laughing, she managed to respond, “Okay, okay, you’re right. It is tempting, to say the least.”
“Why don’t we get some dinner? I’d like to learn more about you, and I’m happy to explain what I can about myself or our world. I’m sure you will have many questions over the next few days.”