Read Protecting Shaylee (The Fae Guard Book 1) for Free Online Page B

upstate.
    “Upstate.” Duh. I’m about to make a snarky comment when he continues. “There are areas that are open, fields with plenty of sunshine during the day, and relatively low population. It will be easier to cross realms there. Now that we are out of the city, we’ll find a hotel for the night and cross in the late morning.”
    “You said something about the sun earlier too. What’s so important about sunshine?”
    Aden chuckles before answering. “I can’t believe you haven’t noticed. Haven’t you ever wondered why you feel weighted down and sluggish when you go days without direct sunshine?
    I just shrug. “Everybody gets that way when it’s gloomy for days.”
    I notice his hands tighten a little on the steering wheel. “Not everybody, some people revel in the darkness.” Just as quickly as it came, the stress leaves him and he relaxes again. “I’m not talking about just feeling depression. You get physically sick when you’re out of the sun for too long.” He glances at me with his eyebrows raised. “I know your dad used to take you and your mom out of the city every weekend in October and November. Those months are notoriously dark; lots of rain, and even hurricanes.”
    I think about it and have to agree—I do react strongly to a lack of sunlight. “What’s your point?”
    “The Fae cannot survive without sun, baby. We would basically waste away. During those darker months, your dad made sure that you both were exposed to enough sun to get you through the week. We need the sun for our magic to be at its most powerful. I know it sounds cliché, but we are like solar panels. We soak up the vitamin D and it fuels us.”
    He takes his right hand off of the steering wheel and lightly grabs the long hair falling from my ponytail. He runs it though his fingers, and then brushes my cheek softly before returning his hand to its previous position. “Your hair, it is the lightest of golden blonde; like mine, your dad’s, and your aunt’s. The three of you have blue eyes that seem to shine in the light of day; they reflect like jewels. Your skin is so pale, it is almost without color, and yet there is a luminescence to it. Not quite a glow, but just an ethereal quality. We all share these traits, with the exception of some of us having green eyes.” He glances at me again, his eyes caressing me from head to toe before refocusing on the road. “Though some faeries are more exquisite than others . . .” he trails off. I don’t miss the way his eyes linger on my breasts, but I decide to let it go this time. Because it has everything to do with the way your breasts got heavy and your nipples hardened at his look. I seriously wish I could bitch slap my conscious sometimes—the twat.
    I turn to stare at the scenery, trying to get my stupid hormones under control. Twenty-one years and they only cause problems when Aden is around. I’m staring out the window, ignoring him, when I remember my question from earlier. “What did my mom mean when she said they sent you to me?”
    Aden shifts uncomfortably in his seat and, for a moment, I don’t think he is going to answer me.
    But then, he steals another glance at me through the corner of his eye and sighs. “The Mie’Lorvor have many duties. One of the most important is to guard leath leanbh, children who are half human. While your magic is undetectable, that doesn’t mean you can’t be found. We protect from a distance, unless it becomes absolutely necessary to be in their life on a daily basis. In your case, your dad was former Guard. The council agreed that you didn’t need me there as often as some, so I only checked in with him in person a few times a year. When he died, I upped my visits to you, but there wasn’t a threat to keep me there permanently. Then—” I cut him off as his words clicked into place. Anger and devastation roiled in my stomach.
    “You were assigned to me?” my question is practically a whisper.
    “Yes