A Fairy's Guardian (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter 17

It was about four in the afternoon when we finally left the park and went our seperate ways for the night. Erik had accepted his mark shortly after Axel, leaving me with two more permanent guardians that I'd never be able to shake away. It wasn't common for fledglings to have that many, and I couldn't help myself from wondering what made me so different.

I watched them pull away as Levi buckled me into the backseat of his car. The five point harness connected with a secure click that I didn't huff or complain about, for once. My thoughts were too busy focusing on how quickly Axel's demeanor had changed, the moment he found out I was a shadow fairy. His relaxed and carefree attitude had morphed into one of extreme caution, and close observations.

"Shailyn, I need you to stop thinking about it," Levi said quietly as he slid into the driver's seat. He placed his keys in the engine, but didn't start it up just yet. "It's understandable to be curious after being left alone in the dark for so long. You will get your answers soon, I promise. Right now though, our biggest priority is getting a support system built up."

My eyes narrowed at the secretive responses I've been getting all day. "Why would that be the biggest priority? You can't possibly expect me to believe the power of friendship is more important than knowing who or what I am."

Levi turned the car on with a long sigh. He glanced up into the review mirror, meeting my piercing gaze with one of his own. "The world is much larger than you were purposely raised to believe. If we throw you into the deep end without a life jacket, you will drown. For your safety, I forbid you from asking anymore questions about it until the council meets with you. They'll arrive in three days to discuss everything you need to know. Until then, you're focus is to be on getting accustomed to a life where you no longer live as a stray."

I scoffed at the griffin shifter, offended that he underestimated my resourcefulness. "Forbidding me from discussing it won't stop me from finding things out on my own. Just because I stopped going to school, doesn't mean I don't know how to read. Plus, even street rats have connections to people who would have the information I want to know."

A thick, heavy silence followed my bold statement. Levi steered the vehicle onto the main road without a single word. For a moment, I thought it was because he had chosen to ignore me. I was just about to call him out on it when he finally spoke up, using a dark tone that I had never heard him use before.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully when I say this, Shailyn. If I ever find out that you've been poking around for information, or doing little experiments on your own, the consequences will be severe. I already planned on keeping a very close eye on you, so don't think for a second, that I wouldn't know if you stepped off the palace grounds without someone with you. I'm not withholding information to piss you off, I'm doing this because it is a matter of life or death."

He paused, letting his warning linger before continuing in a softer tone. "You will be patient and wait your three days, even if I have to keep you within sight at all times. I need you to trust me on this one, even if you can't trust me on anything else. I'm not letting my fledgling get herself killed before I even got the chance to know her."

My annoyance to all the secrecy quickly evaporated at the grim, yet honest explanation. I could tell he hadn't just said those things out of an attempt to scare me. There was genuine worry in his voice.

"Life or death," I repeated, trying to understand why learning more about my own species, would come with that high of a price.

Levi nodded without taking his eyes off the road. "There is a reason why shadow faeries are extremely rare. We need to be careful on how we approach certain things. Axel wasn't wrong about how rocky it will get from time to time. The important thing is, you aren't alone."

It was quiet for the remainder of our trip back to the palace. I watched the large metal gates slam shut behind us, and couldn't help but feel a newfound appreciation for the high stone walls that surrounded the perimeter. A million questions still raced through my mind, but I didn't dare utter a single one out loud. If asking them without the precence of some really important people came with a death sentence, than I didn't mind waiting anymore.

"Alright, now that we are back home, I have a question to ask you, little minx," Levi said, putting the car in park. He unbuckled his seatbelt to turn towards me. "At some point we need to give a tour of the castle. It will prevent you from ever feeling lost, while also ensuring that the staff here are aware that you're a part of this home."

I shifted my attention away from the window to look at his face, already sensing where this was going. "Let me guess, by some point, you mean today. Like, right when we get inside."

"Only if you are feeling up to it. I know today has already been eventful. We can postpone it. My goal isn't to overwhelm you, but we can't push it off for too much longer or you might end up getting mistaken for an intruder."

My lips pursed into a tight line as I considered the request. It wasn't often that I was given the option to say no. A rare occurrence that felt stranger coming from royalty. Declining the invitation felt tempting, so tempting. I'd hide from the rest of the castle forever if I could. Yet, the shifter had a strong point that couldn't be ignored. This place was huge, which made it easy for someone to get lost in.

I would absolutely be that someone.

"Fine, we can do this now," I relented after slow exhale through my nose. "On the condition that we move through each room quickly. I do not wish to be stuck conversating with a bunch of strangers. You may be a prince tied to social responsibilities, but I am an introvert with a very serious allergy to people."

Levi chuckled before undoing my harness with a single push of a button. "Fine, we do it your way. Can't have you going into anaphylactic shock."

Nodding in satisfaction, I waited for Levi to open my door and stepped out on the grass. "Good, Im glad we could come to this mutual understanding"

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Hoi peeps! It's a me, the writer. So I've kinda decided to go a different, more exciting route for what shadow faerie are and what they can do. I did edit a little bit of the previous chapters to match this, but I know some of you have been here since the beginning of this story so I wanted to explain the change without giving too much away on the new, exciting plans.

Thank you guys for the huge amount of patience and compassion yall have shown me. Just know that I see and appreciate everyone of you ♥️