Loving Ean (The Fae Guard Book 2) by Elle Christensen Page B

the woods now and over to our little gang, where we stand in a circle. “I like the S’more idea,” he says jovially. “I might even be talked into a chorus of Kumbaya, if we’ve got enough alcohol.”
    Eldan laughs and punches him in the shoulder. “Brian, no one is giving you alcohol. You get handsy, and I don’t want to have to break your everything for feeling me up.”
    Kellen chuckles, “Keep it down, assholes.” He then scrutinizes me for a beat. “You trust this kid?” he asks.
    “No more than any other Fallen. But, the way I see it right now, he’s our best shot. So, I’m choosing to have faith that the kid I knew is still in there somewhere.”

“LAILA!” A CHORUS OF voices yell my name as I walk through the door to Fate’s huge, old, Victorian house. Once you’ve met her, looking at the house from the outside, the choice makes absolutely no sense. The inside however? Completely different story. Every room is a specific style, and none of them go together, but it works in a funky way. Sometimes I would swear Fate has multiple personalities, so perhaps each one of them got to decorate a space of their own.
    Walking into her nineteen twenties, speakeasy styled room, I see the group of women calling me, all settled around a poker table with bottles scattered about, some empty, and some well on their way. From the looks of things, I’ve got some catching up to do. I grin and throw my coat onto a plush, purple, velvet couch next to the door, and make my way to the game table. “What’s this? I’m shocked—shocked—to find that there is gambling going on in here!”
    Fate chuckles and tosses a poker chip at me. “Sit your ass down, Captain Renault.” She takes another chip and holds it up to her forehead, “I see . . . yes, I see a Laila pile in my future.”
    I laugh and plop down into a chair between Hayleigh and Calista. Nissa, Ailean, and one of my five sisters, Faye, fill the other chairs. Calista, Ailean, and Nissa are all council members, but unlike the human’s distorted view of these types of leadership roles, the council is here to guide, help, and only lead up to a certain point. There is no pedestal underneath them, although they have our utmost respect, they are firmly planted on the ground like the rest of us and thus, I have no qualms about attempting to empty their bank accounts every month.
    Calista grabs a beer from one of the three ice buckets on the floor around the table. The dim lighting twinkles off of her lip, nose, and eyebrow piercings when she faces me, “No Shaylee tonight?”
    Since Shaylee arrived here, Hayleigh and I have become very close with her. I’ve invited her to our girl’s night before, but Aden has been hogging her and tonight, while Aden is off on assignment, she had a different invitation.
    I pop the top and take a long swallow before answering, “She’s with her family. Besides, I don’t think Aden would want her to meet Fate without him there as a buffer.” I hear a snigger from the far side of the table and roll my eyes. Fate gets off on torturing my brother and I should probably stick up for him, but its freaking hilarious to watch him squirm. So, I just enjoy the show.
    Calista grins (not exactly innocent of giving Aden shit either, but in a very different way), “Oh, to be a fly on the wall that day.”
    I return her grin, “I’m sure Shaylee will give us a play by play.”
    “Hey!” I duck suddenly as a beer bottle goes flying at our heads, then disappears before it hits the wall and shatters. I glare at Fate and she shrugs, “You want to stop acting like little old women gossiping about me as if I weren’t sitting right the fuck here?” She grabs the deck and shuffles the cards like an expert Vegas dealer.
    Fate has the same features as the rest of the Fae, with the exception of her startlingly purple eyes. Nobody seems to know why they are different, I always assumed it was something to do with being Fate. Anyway, taking those