The Fey Guardian Complete Series

By Tiffany Shand

Our memories are who we are.

But for Zoe Finn, it's all a blur. She has no memory of the first ten years of her life. The world around her is shrinking as she's pushed up against her own inner demons. It's a daily struggle just to breathe – until a handsome stranger enters her life.

Nick Trevelyan can help Zoe put her life together. As the last guardian, he enforces the law of The Circle, the council of races. With him by Zoe's side, there's no telling what they'll discover. And as Zoe investigates the mysterious deaths of psychics, the truth about her own past slowly crawls into the light. As her unusual abilities come into focus, Zoe learns more about herself than she ever thought possible.

 

Will she succeed in unraveling her mysterious past? Or will this cruel world keep her shrouded in darkness? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tiffany Shand
• Release date: Oct 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781393572800

Tiffany Shand

Tiffany Shand was born in Essex, UK and started writing short stories when she was a child. She has always done writing in one form or another and started writing novels in her early teens. She writes both non-fiction and fiction, but mostly fantasy and paranormal romance. After doing a creative writing course in her early 20s she is now a freelance writer and professional proofreader. Tiffany lives in Essex with her two spoiled cats and one very nutty hamster.

Book preview

​​Chapter 1

Zoe Finn sat across from the strange old woman, waiting for her to do something as she rubbed her crystal ball. What explanation would this fortune teller come up with? Or would Madame Zelda be a complete quack like so many others? Her reflection stared back at her — a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. She looked out of place next to Madame Zelda with her bright red blouse and rainbow coloured scarf wrapped around her grey hair like a turban.

Zoe glanced around at the coffee-coloured walls. A heady smell of incense filled the air and wind chimes jingled. The house didn’t look as retro as some of the psychics she’d visited, where the places had been filled with crystals and other new age stuff. Not that she minded that kind of thing, but she just wanted to find someone who had some genuine psychic talent – someone who could actually help her. She didn’t like the ones who made a big show of things.

Zelda’s shop had opened a couple of weeks earlier, proving to be a novelty, an oddity among all the history of Britain’s oldest recorded town. She enjoyed the town’s mix of Tudor style and Victorian buildings mixed with more modern looking places. Zoe had eyed it on her way to work more than once, despite telling herself she wouldn’t go to see any more psychics or so-called mystics.

What is it that I can help you with, dear? Madame Zelda asked.

Zoe bit her lip. This is going to sound crazy.

Tell Madam Zelda. There’s nothing too crazy for me.

Where do I even begin? she thought and said, I have a problem – I can’t remember the first ten years of my life. No doctor can find any medical reason why I don’t remember who I am or where I came from before I landed in foster care. They say it’s psychological, but every shrink and quack I’ve seen can’t help. I know something bad happened to me almost twenty years ago and I need to know what. And I have weird powers that doctors would freak over if they saw!

The psychic’s brow creased. That isn’t usually the type of problem I solve, but I’ll see what I can find out, Madame Zelda said. I will ask the spirits to help me find out about your missing past. Sometimes I see glimpses of the past as well as the future.

Thank you, Zoe said and reminded herself not to get her hopes up as she placed a wad of cash onto the table. There was a good chance Zelda wouldn’t see anything. After more than a decade of trying to get answers, she doubted anyone was going to magic them out of thin air.

I see... Madame Zelda’s voice echoed. I see... Her eyes blurred to an eerie white.

Okay, not a quack. Zoe leaned forward, eager to hear what would come next. A vibration filled the air. The hair on her arms rose, and the wind chimes grew louder as a cool breeze filled the room. At least she’s a real psychic. Maybe she can help.

Darkness follows you, a presence... protective and deadly, Zelda said.

Creepy. Zoe shivered, rubbing her arms. Bad things seem to happen no matter where I go. What kind of presence? What does it want? She clutched the amethyst pendant around her neck.

The old woman gasped, eyes returning to their usual shade of grey. I’m sorry, I can’t help you. She rose, swiping the wad of notes off the table. Please leave.

Zoe frowned. But you must have seen something. Please, I need to know.

What I saw doesn’t bear repeating. If I were you, I would leave this town before anyone else gets hurt. Now get out of my shop! Zelda pointed a gnarled finger towards the door. Out!

Zoe sighed, grabbed her backpack and walked out. The bells on the door jangled as she went. She pushed her long brown hair off her face, and a tear dripped down her cheek. Why do I keep putting myself through this? Cold, tiny spots of rain fell on her face, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Great, just my luck. I find a real psychic, and she’s too freaked out to help me. Maybe I should’ve asked for my money back. She glanced back through the window to see Zelda moving around and turning lights off. Why wouldn’t she tell me anything? If it’s something terrible, I’d still want to know.

She ducked into an alley, cursing the rain as water dripped down the back of her neck. A quick glance around revealed no CCTV around. A gold light flashed over her body as she became invisible. She crept around the back of the shop. Zelda was moving about the shop. Zoe wasn’t worried about being seen — even psychics couldn’t see her when she was invisible.

Zelda kept moving around, hurriedly putting things away as she went. Zoe didn’t like spying on people but hell, she needed answers. She crouched down and slipped her bag out of sight behind a flowerpot. Her magic hid whatever she had on her body, but holding objects was too risky. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand. A burst of gold light shot from her fingers, hitting the door handle and forcing it open.

Zelda looked up in alarm. Zoe didn’t like scaring people, but sometimes she had no choice.

She crept inside and moved over to the psychic. Just as she’d thought, Zelda couldn’t see or sense her presence. What did you see? she hissed. Tell me.

Zelda paled and clutched her chest. Who’s there? I’ll call the police!

Tell me what you saw. What kind of darkness follows that woman?

Zelda started trembling and shook her head. I don’t know. Whatever it was, it was dark, cold.

Is she in danger? Why can’t she remember anything?

I don’t know. I just sensed something dark follows her wherever she goes. I don’t think it means her harm.

Zoe frowned, that didn’t make any sense. If something dark followed her, how could it not mean her harm?

Did you see anything else?

Zelda’s eyes narrowed. Who are you?

Answer the question!

No, I didn’t see anything else, but I sensed she has great power. Almost as strong as the entity that follows her.

Zoe sighed. She wouldn’t get much else out of the woman. Plus, she didn’t want to creep the woman out any more she already had. She stalked outside. As she moved, she sensed someone watching her. When she turned around, she saw nothing. Zelda slammed the back door shut. Grabbing her bag, Zoe took off towards the bridge.

A ring glowed around the full moon, forewarning of impending doom. She turned her back on it and stalked along the bridge past the glare of headlights. A glance at her watch revealed she had only a few minutes to get to work for her shift. Although working at Straws wasn’t much of a job, it helped to pay the bills.

Too bad one of my special gifts isn’t teleportation. She pulled her leather jacket tighter as rain splashed against her face and hurried through the town centre of Colchester.

Wall-to-wall traffic lined the streets as the typical Friday night crowd tried to get in and out of the town. She’d left her car at work to avoid getting stuck in traffic again. It made her feel relieved her next shift didn’t end until one the next morning. The rain came down heavier, forming wide, dark puddles. I’ll so lose my job! This is the fourth time I’ve been late now, and Jim will have my head if I don’t get there.

Zoe covered her face with her hand, trying to shield her eyes as she ran. She collided with another person.

Jesus!

Zoe looked up into the cool blue eyes of the man she’d almost knocked over. Sorry, I’m... When she looked again, he’d vanished. She blinked, wondering if she’d imagined him standing there. A look up and down the street revealed no one either in the eerie glow of headlights and street lamps. How could he have just disappeared? She would have seen him no matter what direction he’d gone in. Unless he can become invisible like me, but I’ve never met anyone else who could do that.

She shook her head and hurried on, thinking what a strange night it had been already.

Straws was one of Colchester’s smaller clubs, more like a shed than an actual club with its black wooden walls, a scuffed dance floor and a bar that took up most of the space. But the allure of getting shots for only a pound kept people coming. Coloured lights flickered around the room; her boss had put them there to give the place more of a club vibe.

Zoe ran through to the back where she dumped her sodden bag and jacket in the corner that had been designated the employee’s area. The space was little more than a makeshift cupboard with a coat rack inside.

You’re late. Jim appeared in the doorway, looming over her. How many times have I warned you?

A shiver ran down her spine, just like it did whenever she saw him. She didn’t know why he gave off such a creepy vibe. Something just seemed off about him.

Sorry. I got caught up in the rain. I’m here now. You’re not gonna sack me, are you? she asked. You’d never find anyone to take over for me at such short notice.

A vein in Jim’s forehead throbbed as it always did whenever he got annoyed, but she knew he wouldn’t have time to find anyone to cover her shift. He needed her for the busy crowd that would be filling the club as the night wore on.

Get to work. He jerked his thumb towards the bar. You’re locking up tonight.

She groaned. I said I was sorry.

Your car’s been parked out there for over an hour. Jim grabbed her arm. I don’t like being lied to, Zoe.

Yeah, and I don’t like being touched. She yanked her arm away and moved around the bar to get away from him. She pushed her long hair off her face and squeezed the ends of it. Water dripped onto the floor, making her wish she’d tied it up earlier. She wondered if there were any towels around, but Jim wasn’t known for keeping anything other than the bare essentials around.

Well, get out there. It’s gonna be a busy night, Jim said as he stalked off.

She headed out to the bar, trying to get her mind on serving drinks rather than dwelling on what a bust Madame Zelda had been. A tiny woman with a mass of blonde curls streaked with pink came over wearing a fluorescent green dress that almost made Zoe’s eyes hurt.

Mia’s flamboyant and often outrageous fashion sense made Zoe feel frumpy in her jeans and vest. She’d never be petite or blonde. She was tall with an athletic build, light brown hair and brown eyes.

Zoe breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her best friend. She glanced around to make sure Jim wasn’t still watching her.

Hi, honey. Wow, you look like a drowned rat, Mia said.

I feel like one. Zoe laughed. Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.

Cheap drinks. Mia motioned to the sign hanging over the bar.

The usual? Zoe picked up a glass.

Mia nodded, and Zoe got to work mixing together a cocktail. Any luck finding a new job yet? Mia hissed. I tried calling...

Zoe shrugged. Sorry, I was busy.

Finally get a hot date?

She snorted, rolling her eyes. I told you, I’m not dating anyone. Dating never works well for me, and there are more important things in life to worry about. She handed Mia her drink and took the cash Mia had laid out, slipping it inside the till. As for the job thing, I’m okay here.

Zo, this place is a dump. Hell, it’s a shithole. Why don’t you just quit? You won’t have your creepy boss staring down your top or—

Working at Carmel’s shop doesn’t pay the bills. You know I only work there as a favour to her.

It’s not like you need the money. You hardly ever buy anything, then there’s your big fat bank balance—

Shush! Zoe scowled, cheeks flushing. I told you that money isn’t mine. Only Mia knew about the hefty bank balance that had been deposited and mysteriously appeared after Zoe had wound up in foster care. But she didn’t want to touch that money unless she had to. She first wanted to know where it had come from. Where she had come from.

Someone left it to you. They must’ve wanted you to use it.

Can we please talk about something else? She moved around the bar, serving drinks as she went. She moved back to Mia when she had a spare moment. Hey, the weirdest thing happened to me earlier, she said. I ran into a guy, and he just disappeared. One second, he was there, and the next, poof! Gone.

Mia’s green eyes narrowed. You’ve been mixing with the mag crowd again? The mag crowd was what they used to refer to the town’s magical community. Mia herself was a pixie with her own brand of magic. Pity she wasn’t a psychic, too.

Zoe had her own gifts, but she had no idea what to call herself. Freak was the best she’d come up with so far. No one had the same abilities as her.

What did he look like?

Zoe shrugged. Tall. Brown hair. Gorgeous blue eyes. Only glimpsed him for a second.

Wait, you went to see some psychic again, didn’t you? Zo, you know how dangerous that is. We agreed we’d stay away from that crap.

At least you know where you come from. I don’t have that luxury, do I? She tried to keep the hurt from her voice.

Look, I know how much you want to find out where you came from but...

I don’t just want to know, I need to know. Your powers don’t cause you to have freaky blackouts and headaches every time you try to remember your life before foster care, she hissed. I need to figure out what I am. Then maybe I can have some semblance of a normal life.

But you’re not normal. I say embrace it and use...

Zoe stopped listening when she spotted a man standing in the corner, face half hidden shadow as his eyes scanned the crowd. He almost looked like the same man she’d run into earlier.

As the night wore on, Zoe kept noticing him in the corner. He hadn’t moved once, hadn’t even ordered a drink. Nor had any of the various women in the bar tried talking to him, despite his rugged good looks.

Deciding to do a quick sweep of the tables to retrieve any empty glasses, she moved over to him. Judging by the other bar-goers, no one else seemed to notice him there.

He stood like a statue, even his eyes unmoving. She moved closer, grabbing glasses as she went, glancing at him out the corner of her eye. One glass sat on the table, still half full of beer.

Can I take this? she asked.

Cold blue eyes shot to hers. When their gazes met, Zoe jumped as if she’d been shocked by electricity.

He stared at her, saying nothing. Power rolled off him in waves, and it warned of danger.

She blinked, trying to shake off the strange feeling of recognition. Her mind flashed back to the man she’d run into earlier. Then something else, a flash of fire, heat searing her skin...

She gasped, the tray falling from her hands as pain jolted through her head. Oh god, not this again, not now. The last thing she needed was to suffer from one of her mind-numbing headaches again. Screams echoed in her ears and fire flashed in front of her eyes. She shook her head, the screams in her ears replaced by the thump of heavy music. When she looked down, the tray of glasses sat on the table, perfectly balanced.

That couldn’t be. She’d dropped them. She might not have heard them break because one of her weird flashbacks had interrupted her, but she’d felt them falling. When she looked in the corner, the stranger had vanished.

Zoe grabbed the tray and approached Lucy, one of the other barmaids. Hey, did you see the guy in the corner walk out?

Lucy frowned. What guy?

But there...

Better get back to work before Jim sees you, Lucy said. He’s not in a good mood tonight. He’ll take it out on all of us later.

Zoe couldn’t get the memory of the strange blue-eyed man out of her head all night. He’d vanished like a ghost and must’ve grabbed her tray too. Hell, maybe she could see ghosts now. Stranger things had happened.

Anything’s possible, right? she thought. Wouldn’t be unusual for me to start having new abilities.

Zoe? Jim yelled as she stacked empty glasses.

She looked up, bracing herself for his usual lewd remarks. Here were go. Don’t forget to lock-up before you leave. He dropped the keys on the bar.

But... she protested.

Do it, Jim growled.

She sighed as he stormed off. Some of the other barmaids said good night as they left.

I hate locking up, she muttered to herself.

She wanted to go home and crawl into her warm bed. Too bad my magic doesn’t clean bars either. She shoved the glasses onto their shelves, grabbed two rubbish bags and headed outside to throw them in the bin.

Maybe Mia is right. Perhaps I do need a new job.

Dumping the rubbish, she locked up and put the keys into the letterbox, pulled on her jacket, and headed for her car. The blue Citroen C4 looked almost black in the dim light.

Zoe pressed the key fob, and the car flashed, signalling it was unlocked. As she approached the vehicle, the streetlights bathing the car park in pools of white lights began to flicker.

She glanced around. A static charge tickled the back of her neck, reminding her of the strange sensation she’d felt with that weird stranger earlier in the bar.

Part of her knew she should climb into her car and get home, yet she stood rooted in place.

The air became icy. Her breath came out as mist and goose bumps formed on her skin.

Zoe shivered, seeing ice forming on the windscreen of her car. Surprised, she stepped back, frowning. It was the wrong time of year for ice – not cold enough for it yet. Even weird English weather wouldn’t account for the ice.

A heavy blanket of mist formed, obscuring her car and everything past it. She reached out, relieved when her hand made contact with the vehicle. Okay, this is too creepy, even for me. She tried to pull the door open, but it refused to budge as she tugged at the handle, pressing the key fob again in case the car had locked itself. It had frozen shut. Light flared between her fingers. Maybe magic does come in handy for something.

What the hell? Zoe pulled harder, willing it to open. Oh, why did I stand here like an idiot?

Having trouble there, Zoe?

She flinched, recognising Jim’s voice. Damn, I thought he already left! Why’s he here?

She let out a breath in a long rush. Jim might be a smarmy little weasel, but she didn’t feel threatened by him. My car won’t open. When she checked again the ice had grown thicker, turning the vehicle into a block of ice. What’s with this freaky weather? She turned around and jumped when she saw Jim’s beady eyes had turned pitch black, reflecting her surprised face back at her. Jim, what’s going on?

You’re not like the other girls, are you?

That’s not so hard to figure out.

I should go. My-my boyfriend will be worried, she lied, backing away. The club’s all locked up for you.

Jim lunged at her.

Zoe backed away and raised her hands. Gold beams of light shot out and sent Jim flying across the almost empty car park. Crap, what have I done?

Jim grunted, blinking in shock. What the fuck are you?

Wish I knew, she muttered and said, Look, I’d back off if I were you. I’m not exactly human, and I will use my powers on you. She didn’t like using her abilities to hurt people, but she’d defend herself as she had to.

His lip curled up, revealing fangs. You’ll pay for that, bitch!

Please don’t make me do this.

Jim came at her again.

More light flared between her fingers.

Jim, back the hell off, or I will use this on you. Her voice came out stronger than expected. Usually, just the threat or a glance at her strange power would’ve been enough to keep away any potential threat. Looked like it wouldn’t work this time. Or maybe Jim didn’t have the sense to back the hell off.

He moved so fast she didn’t have time to blink.

He grabbed her by the hair, fangs clamping down on her neck. She cried out. He screamed, staggering back as his mouth steamed with smoke. What the hell are you? he yelled. What did you do to me?

Zoe rubbed her neck, stunned not to feel any marks there.

Someone clapped, and a figure moved out of the shadows. The blue-eyed guy from the bar stood there plain as day. Bravo. But you’re kind of sloppy. He gave her a cocky grin as he leaned against a lamppost. Been looking for this guy for a long time. There’s a big price on his head.

Zoe stared at him, mouth agape. What? Was all she could manage to choke out.

Jim tried to kill her. No, not Jim, something that looked and sounded like him. But harsher.

Fire formed in the stranger’s hand. Come on, Jimbo. Time to go home.

Jim snarled, winced, then shot towards the other man.

The stranger blurred, shifting around Jim and punching him in the face. Jim fell to the ground, unconscious. Zoe stood there, frozen.

The man raised his hand. A fiery vortex swirled around Jim, swallowing up his body and leaving only empty pavement behind.

Zoe stared in disbelief at the empty space. Oh, god. You killed my boss!

The stranger gave her another grin. Don’t get your knickers in a twist. He turned, raising his hand as he looked up at the CCTV camera.

I have to go. I don’t stand a chance against this guy. Disappear, she thought. Disappear. Light flashed around her body as she became invisible.

She turned and ran, using her gift of speed to blur away in a flash of gold orbs.

​​​Chapter 2

Nick turned around. The dark-haired woman was gone. Bugger! How had she vanished so fast? Definitely a guardian, he mused. He’d suspected it the moment he’d laid eyes on her. But he hadn’t expected her to knock him on his arse and freak out. What kind of guardian did that? Hell, he’d gotten rid of that nasty psycho for her — shouldn’t she have thanked him?

Nick glanced around the car park, noticing the ice had already thawed out. He’d dealt with the CCTV cameras. Couldn’t risk exposing the entire magical world because of one idiot and a sloppy guardian. Why hadn’t she gotten rid of the bastard herself?

And here he’d thought he was the only guardian left. He hadn’t met another guardian in years.

Since he’d seen her try to open the blue Citroen, he guessed she owned it. Sloppy, sloppy. He made a quick note of the number plate, then blurred away as he moved.

The woman had vanished without a trace, but he’d find her soon enough and give her a talking to.

He headed for The Siege House; one of the town’s oldest pubs. It had bullet holes in the walls from the 17th century. It was a local hangout for the town’s magical community. Nick didn’t see the appeal of sitting around and chatting with other magic folk. With its worn out green carpet and dark Tudor style beams, it had a gothic feel. Inside, a man with a balding head and straggly dark hair stood behind the bar, then turned, hauling a barrel inside.

Nick hadn’t planned on visiting this place but decided to find out more about his mystery woman. Raf, a former guardian, was one of the oldest magic folk around. In the human world, he worked as a publican. He noticed some of the people turn to stare at him. They would tense as he moved to the bar. Not many people liked guardians, even people who weren’t fey.

Heck, I’m not here to kill or banish anyone. He brushed off their stares and glanced around the bar to see who was serving.

A lanky woman with silvery blonde hair came out and hugged him. Nick. Haven’t seen you in weeks.

Nick grinned. Hey, Silv. Yeah, wasn’t planning on it.

Silver squeezed his shoulder. We should have dinner. Joel will be glad to know you’re back, she said. What do you want to drink?

Just a beer, thanks. He moved over to Raf. Know anything about a female guardian in town?

Raf spread his hands on the bar. Thought you were the only one left. The only true guardian, anyway. The trackers don’t have true guardian powers.

He took the beer from Silver. I think I found another one. Tall, brunette, brown eyes. She threw some kind of light from her hands. Bloody burns too!

Silver snorted. I know that look. Someone knocked you on your arse, didn’t they? She grinned. Did you say female guardian? Great, now you won’t be on your own anymore. Who was she?

Nick arched an eyebrow at Raf. That’s what I came to find out.

Raf shook his head. I don’t know of any other guardians.

I’d love to know who trained her. They did a lousy job – she nearly exposed us. He scowled. You should have a word with her. Since you were the chief of the guardians once. I shouldn’t have to clean up someone else’s mess.

Raf scratched his beard. I’d be curious to learn who she is.

Check in your directory then. Nick referred to Raf’s book of every guardian – living and dead as the directory. He had his own records, but they’d never be as good as Raf’s. There was something off about her too.

Like what? Silver asked.

Nick shrugged, sipping his beer. I don’t know. It felt like I knew her from somewhere, like she was familiar. But I’ve never seen her before. As a PI he was good at remembering faces, but he couldn’t place her.

Silver spent the next hour chatting with Nick until Joel, Silver’s lifemate came in. He was tall with a mop of red hair and green eyes with a ring through his nose.

How’ve you been, Trevelyan? Joel clapped Nick on the back. Long time no see.

I’m good.

Silver laughed and kissed her husband. Nick’s pissed off because another guardian kicked his arse.

Joel’s eyes widened. Brilliant! Who was it? he asked.

Nick scowled,