Tiffany Shand - Childhood memories awakened in Songs of cheer

MEMORIES AWAKENED

THE FEY GUARDIAN SERIES BOOK 2

BY TIFFANY SHAND

Copyright 2018 Tiffany Shand

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

Cover Design by Melody Simmons ebookindiecovers.com

Chapter 1

Z oe Finn pulled her leather jacket tighter around her and shivered against the cool air. She glanced over at Nick Trevelyan, a private investigator, friend, and all-around pain in the arse.

Remind me why were hanging out in a graveyard at 2AM?

She hated graveyardsthey always seemed creepy. But she wanted to keep busy instead of moping around blaming herself for what had happened to Carmel, her foster mum. After their last encounter with the supernatural, Carmel had been possessed by a strange entity. Shed wound up in a coma and hadnt regained consciousness.

Because were watching for signs of vampires, he muttered.

Right. That. She snorted. After all the things shed seen and experienced over the past few months, Zoe wasnt too surprised to learn vampires were real too. So, guardians kill vamps too?

Vamps are a type of under fey. Theyre more like zombies as opposed to the walking dead. And they dont glitter either.

She laughed. Good thing Im not a Twilight fan. Zoe pushed her long brown hair off her face. Shed lost her hair band again and had nothing else to tie it back with. She rummaged through her pockets in search of one but found only a small compact mirror. When she used her phones light to check her face, she noticed her dark eyes had black circles under them.

Remember the part about being quiet on stakeouts? Nick said as he turned his attention back to the silent tombstones. His piercing blue eyes looked black in the darkness as he ran a hand through his short tousled black hair.

Zoe rolled her eyes. Youd be bored without me . Staring at tombstones seemed just as creepy as being near graves. She half-expected the graves occupants to come jumping up out of the ground at any second.

Id probably get a lot more done! Nick said in thought.

She gave him a playful shove. Ha, you like having me close by, admit it! Im the only other guardian around aside from you , she pointed out. Plus, you dont have to keep watching over me so much now. I can take care of myself.

I still have orders to watch over you, Nick reminded her.

With his short dark hair, chiselled face, and piercing blue eyes, it really wasnt bad to have him following her around at least not when he didnt act like a pain in the arse. However, he watched her because the Circle suspected her of being a serial killer, not necessarily to protect her.

Ive never killed anyone, she insisted. I dont have it in me.

Everyone is capable of killing under the right circumstances, but I know you didnt kill those psychics. Its not your fault Carmel got hurt either.

Zoe winced at the mention of Carmels name and felt tears well up once more, so she rubbed her eyes. She wouldnt cry again. She needed to stay strong.

Look, you dont have to be here, Nick squeezed her shoulder, murmuring aloud. You can go home.

Zoe sniffed, forcing herself to keep it together. Im fine. The last thing she needed was to be stuck at home alone with nothing to think about. She needed to work, and that meant being Nicks assistant and a newbie guardian. She was slowly adjusting to being a guardian. Itd get easier. Every case she and Nick did together was one step closer to her lost memories and forgotten past.

Zoe glanced at her watch. What time do vamps usually rise?

Any time after sunset, Nick replied. I told you, part of this job involves a lot of waiting around.

Being a PI or a guardian?

Both.

Zoe took out her phone and scrolled through the fey database. Both Nick and Raf, the former chief of the guardians, had compiled a list of all the different fey and other Magickind. Shed spent hours scrolling through the different races, hoping it might trigger something. She still had no idea what kind of fey she might be, or where she came from. Shed been found wandering around the streets as a ten-year-old, with no memory of her past. Someone had cursed her, preventing her from remembering much of anything about her former life. Though the curse took her childhood memories, it shielded her from other magic and injury. Zoe knew the recent murders of several psychics and the attack on her foster mother were somehow all connected. She just had to find the link.

The cold bit into her skin, making her wish shed worn warmer clothing. She shivered as a chill ran down her spine, alerting her to another presence. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and hopped off the tombstone shed been sitting on. The fog crept around the headstones, making it look like the souls of the dead were rising from their graves.

Nick frowned. Whats wrong?

Shut up! I think I felt something. She still found it strange she sensed things as Nick called it but he kept telling her to trust her instincts.

He jumped down to stand beside her, pulling out his athame from his jacket.

She didnt like the doubled edged knives much, but she pulled out hers too.

The ground beneath them began to fall away as a black void opened up in the earth. Nick hurriedly grabbed her arm, blurring as he pulled her backward and away from the void.

A man dressed in a suit with glowing red eyes shot upwards from the hole in the ground that Zoe and Nick had narrowly avoided falling into.

He was definitely a vampire and definitely not the sparkly kind.

The vamp lunged at Nick. He blocked the first blow as the vamp swiped his claws at him, then sent it crashing through the air. The vamp sprang straight back up, utterly unfazed.

Zoe froze under its eerie gaze as it turned its attention to her. Maybe Im not so ready for this. To her amazement, it simply stood staring at her, its eyes burning brighter.

She shook her head, blurred using her guardian speed and shoved her athame through its chest. The blade glanced off of a rib, missing his unbeating heart. Blood seeped down his shirt.

The vamp punched her in the face in retaliation, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Zoe grunted as she hit the floor, feeling like a truck had just ploughed into her face. Her jaw throbbed, but she forced herself to stand back up. Spotting Nick closing in, she mentally called to him. I can do this!

To her relief he held back, dodging the vamp when it flew at him. Hurry up!

Zoe gripped her knife, charging again as she shoved it through the creatures back, but as before, she missed.

Nick shoved the vamp away again, and it rounded on Zoe. She ducked as it made a grab for her. Beams of golden light shot from her hands, hitting the vampire in the chest. Rise and shine, mate!

The vampire howled as the light burned through his chest.

Nick scrambled up. Kill him!

She pulled out a second knife from her boot, shoving it through its chest. The vamp exploded in a burst of gold light.

Yes, I did it! I killed a vampire! she cried, punching the air.