Chapter One

I stepped out of the heat and into the dizzying array of lights of the night club. The bass emanating from the speakers hit me in the chest as I scanned the room looking for my best friend Wendy. I walked further into the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of her golden hair. A simple locator spell could solve my dilemma, but I tried to refrain from doing magic in public. The good people of Alabama are friendly enough, but they can be closed minded when it comes to the unknown.

I am a witch. Not a particularly good one but I can manage the basics. I would probably be better at it if I knew anyone like me. Wendy knows my secret and she has a secret of her own. She's a faerie. Yes, a faerie. Wings and all. Of course, you will never see her wings unless she wants you too. Exposing your wings to any being is a very intimate and private affair for the Fae community. You had to have gained the complete trust and love of a faerie to see their true form. I was the only one who had seen Wendy exposed. If it weren’t for her, I would still be lost and wandering this world never knowing what I was.

Just as I had given up hope on finding her and had taken that first step toward the door, I could hear her voice shouting my name.

"Saraid, over here!"

Even when she's shouting at me her voice sounds soft and whimsical. I turned around and found her skipping toward me like a child. I'll be damned if the dress I made for her didn't flatter every curve of her body. I shouldn't be surprised. That is my job. I design clothes and make a living off of it. It doesn't bring in much, but it pays the bills. Wendy had a body that most women would die for. Standing here with her, I started to doubt my matching dress made of black satin. I filled mine out more in the chest, but she filled hers out everywhere else.

"I thought you weren't here yet. I was going to wait for you outside."

If a faerie could pull off a devious look, I'd say the smile Wendy wore would land squarely into that category.

"I had to meet someone, so I got here early. He is with someone else that I want you to meet."

I rolled my eyes. "Not this again Wendy. I told you over and over that I am not ready to date anyone. We can't just drag anyone into our lives. We are different and different is not accepted."

Wendy folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes, "Did I say he was a Normie?"

Normie was the term that she and I used for humans with no supernatural gifts. I cocked one eyebrow up and studied the look on her face. She was serious.

"Where in the world did you find anyone else like us around here?"

"Honey you can find people like us anywhere as long as you know where to look. So, his name is Liam and he is very easy on the eyes if you know what I mean. He doesn't talk very much, at least not to me, but it could be because I was occupied by my date."

She was talking so fast that I only caught every other word. She grabbed my hand and led me to the far corner of the club where the two men were seated at a small square table, surrounded by the people playing pool.

The man that Wendy went to was pale in comparison to the other, but it didn't take away from his appearance. He had sandy blonde hair and green eyes that decorated his cherub face.

The second man looked dangerous but dangerous in an alluring way. His skin was the color of dark caramel and his hair was jet black with what appeared to be flecks of silver strewn throughout. Not the silver of someone who is going gray with age. No. This was not a Normie trait. His hair was pulled back tightly in a braid that fell to the middle of his back and his eyes were an icy gray color with a hint of dark blue around his pupils. My eyes traveled lower taking in every inch of this glorious specimen seated in front of me.

"Damn he's fine." I noted to myself.

He seemed completely relaxed as he leaned into the back of his chair with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. His clothes did very little to hide his chiseled frame and that tell-tale bulge in the center of his hips left very little to the imagination.

I have never felt so insecure or unsure of myself. He was perfect. I don't know what in the world would make Wendy think that this man would be into me. Compared to Wendy I am a plain Jane. I don't think I am ugly or unattractive, but I wouldn't consider myself in the same league as these men. I have plain, wavy brown hair that sits at the top of my butt. I don't have a whole lot of junk in my trunk but there is enough there, so I don't look formless. My skin is pale like ivory and in my opinion the two most attractive features that belong to me are my deep blue eyes and my breasts.

I don't care for the breasts in general. It's hard to find pretty bras for double-D breasts without paying an outrageous price. Well, that and you try lugging these things around and see how much you like them. Although they seemed to draw the attention of Mr. Tall, Dark and Sexy so they could become my singular favorite feature.

"Liam and Chase. This is my friend Saraid."

Wendy smiled her most formal smile as she introduced me to the two men. I first shook hands with Chase, the one whose lap was now occupied by Wendy. Then I accepted the outstretched hand of Liam.

My hand closed around his and a jolt of energy shot up my arm and back down where it made an exit through the tips of my fingers. It left me breathless and insanely curious about what had just happened.

"Saraid… That's an unusual name."

The statement came from Chase. I hear it all the time. People either loved it or hated it.

"Some people call me Sara. I'm not particularly fond of it but I guess it just rolls off the tongue easier."

I took the seat beside the man named Liam as Wendy shot Chase a look of disapproval. "I am sorry if I came across as rude."

I laughed mostly at the expression on his face. "It's okay Chase. I hear it all of the time."

Liam looked me dead in the eyes with a questioning look. "You should not take any name other than your own. It is a beautiful name." Those grey eyes penetrated mine and for a second longer, forcing me to look away first.

"I-I don't, not like my name. It's enough being different from everyone around me in the obvious ways with having to hide what I am. Sometimes it feels nice to feel normal."

"It is unique here, but it is quite popular with the nobles of Ireland. It means Princess." How in the hell would he know that?

Wendy and I ordered a pitcher of Margaritas and the two men ordered themselves two shots of Jose Cuervo a piece and two beers. We talked about our everyday lives because we couldn't exactly talk about our "real" lives in such a public setting.

"Chase come dance with me," Wendy whimpered.

Chase put his head down in a way that said he didn't want to but that he would because she wanted him too. It was a sweet gesture and given time I think that he could be a perfect fit for her. She seemed to be absolutely taken with him. Of course, I didn't find out until tonight that she had been seeing him for almost two months, but I would yell at her later for keeping secrets from me.

Now that Liam and I were alone, it was time for some answers. I closed my eyes searching for that core of magic within myself. Once I felt it, I held on to it, feeling it thrumming just below the surface waiting to be released. I opened my eyes and whispered, "Deafala."

When I looked over at Liam, he had his head cocked to one side and was staring at me with a look of amused curiosity.

"What was that?"

"It was a deafening spell. So now we can talk freely without being overheard."

"Impressive."

I stayed silent for a moment wrestling with how to ask this stranger the questions I have about what he is and what in the world happened when we shook hands. He must have been struggling with the same thoughts because he answered for me.

"I am a Guardian. I have several abilities. I can change into many different forms, animals mostly but I can appear as someone else if I try hard enough. I can hear people's thoughts if I concentrate on them. Oh, and I'm also a vampire."

My eyes got wide but not for the reason you're probably thinking. I had heard of Guardians before, but I thought that they were no longer active. They were supernatural beings gifted with superior strength and agility to protect the witches who were of royal lineage.

The vampire half of him did not surprise me. Vampires exist everywhere. One of my two best friends was a vampire. Most are trying to find a place to fit in just like everyone else. Of course, you do have some that enjoy the bloodlust and are just all-around jackasses, but I have only come across one like that in my 34 years.

I found the ability to transform oneself into something else amazing. What I wouldn't give to be someone or something else for just one day.

"I didn't think Guardians were still around," I stated.

"For many years they remained dormant and unemployed, but they have always been around."

I didn't bother to ask why they are active now after hundreds of years. I didn't want to be rude.

"You said you have the ability to inhabit people's minds?"

He just nodded.

"When we were talking about my name were you trying to read my thoughts?"

With another nod of his head and a slight look of shame he answered, "I tried to when you shook my hand, but your thoughts are very well protected."

I wanted to be angry for the attempted intrusion, but his admission had caught me off guard. Instead, I opted for humor, "And here I thought being a witch was awesome."

He laughed. He had a sexy laugh. It was deep and husky, and my body reacted to it deep down in the most intimate of ways.

"Well, I'm glad you weren't able to read my thoughts because that would just be awkward. Did you feel that power when we touched hands? What was that?"

He seemed lost in thought for a moment and then he shook his head, "I'm not sure but I will look into it, and I can let you know what I find out."

I didn't consider it that important, but it gave us an excuse to exchange numbers. Suddenly, Liam chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"I gave you a list of every dangerous thing I am capable of and the only thing that worries you is that I may have been able to know what you were thinking. It really makes me wonder what you were actually thinking about."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I can pretend to be scared."

I pretended to cry, "Oh big, bad vampire please don't eat me."

I think I kind of liked him. Wendy was wrong, he talks plenty if you give him something to talk about.

I reversed the deafening spell, so we didn't attract too much attention and downed the last swallow of my margarita. I was feeling rather bold and sure of myself now.

"So, Liam seeing how vampires are immortal how old are you?"

"As a Guardian I was gifted with an unusually long lifespan. I was alive for seventy years before I was turned. I have been a vampire for sixty. I am one hundred thirty- five years old."

I felt my jaw drop. I wasn't expecting that. "Wow. I envy the idea of living forever."

He studied my face for a second and suddenly became interested in the floor. "It has its perks but unless everyone you are close to is immortal too, then it gets a bit lonely."

A faint look of emptiness had appeared on his face, and I wanted to take it away. I could see where he was coming from though. Who wants to live forever if it means you're alone forever?

To lighten the mood, I asked, "So you can be anything you want to be, eh? That's gotta be cool."

He wasn't expecting the shift in topic and the sudden change made him laugh. That seductive laugh of his could get me into trouble.

"What's the coolest thing you've turned into?"

I rested my chin in my hand as I watched him contemplate the answer. A wide grin stretched across that gorgeous face, and it made his eyes light up.

"A phoenix."

Apparently, what makes the Phoenix so cool is that they have the ability when injured to burn themselves to ashes just to return to their normal state completely healed. It sounded painful to me.

A dragon, a wolf, and a woman were tied with the Phoenix for the title of favorite transformation. Apparently, transforming into a woman was the ultimate prank to play on ones lonely, guy friends.

"Would you like to dance?"

I am not a good dancer to say the least, but the song was slow and just so happened to be my favorite.

He led me gracefully by my arm out to the dance floor as Ed Sheeran's vocals came through the speakers singing, "Thinking Out Loud." I crossed my arms behind his neck, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. Had I not been wearing my stilettos this would not be even close to possible. Even with my heels he still had to slightly bend down to accommodate my height but even through the awkward stance something just felt strangely right. In a way that felt vaguely seductive he leaned into my ear and whispered, "You are the only person outside of Chase and Wendy who knows what I am and has not judged me badly for it."

He caught me off guard when he spun me away from him and then back again. I landed solidly against the muscles of his chest.

"I'm an orphaned witch that has no clue about her familial background. Everything I know about our world has come from Wendy or from beings that I have met. I have a friend who is a vampire and through him I have met others. Contrary to popular belief only one of them was a murderous asshole. So, I learned to form my own opinion of people based on their actions instead of the stories about them"

Our bodies were swaying to the rhythm of the music when his eyes locked on to mine. It was then that something unexplainable happened. It looked like everyone else was moving around us with the speed of light, like blurred images passing by. Nothing mattered in that moment but him. Can he feel it too? What in the world is happening? His two fingers under my chin lifted my face up to his as he placed his lips on mine.

A volcano of energy erupted between our bodies and the room looked as though it were broken into tiny fragments of light, like we were looking out from the lens of a kaleidoscope.

My mind was screaming at me to stop but the rest of me never wanted it to end. I collapsed into his embrace as his tongue found the opening in the center of my lips and he kissed me so deep that it rocked me to my core. It felt chaotic, dangerous and yet it felt so… good. I could feel my senses returning as soon as he broke away from the kiss.

My legs were trembling, but I stayed locked on his eyes. There is my solidity.

"Wow," was all I could get out.

He placed a hand on each side of my face and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek. "I am yours. You are Mine." I’m not quite sure what he meant by that but now the room was spinning.

"I think I need to lie down."