Free Immortal Blood by Magen McMinimy, Cynthia Shepp Editing Page B

her.
    “What was that? How’d you do that?”
    Bain smiled as he lightly took her elbow in one hand and grabbed her bag and a hissing, yowling Garcia with the other. She hadn’t even seen him pull her poor cat or her bag from the car. The thought had her turning to see if the car was still there. It wasn’t.
    “Rowan ’s compound sits between our two worlds. That’s why we have cell service here. We won this land many, many years ago, when Rowan took her role as leader to the Light Fae. She had her compound built on this spot. This is the strongest passage between our worlds. As it is our goal and responsibility to protect humans from the Fae, Rowan cut off one of the main hubs by building her fortress upon it.”
    Izzy walked with him, shaking her head. It was unreal and fantastic at the same time. Two men stood guard at the large, ornate wooden doors, both nodding as she and Bain approached. Bain nodded back as they opened the doors.
    “What were they?” Izzy asked , looking over her shoulder to get one more peek at the two men who stood in full armor at the entrance to this medieval fortress.
    It wasn’t at all what she expected the doors opened to a large, open courtyard with stables, a large, open gorge tower, and a conical spine to her left. Izzy smiled cautiously at the few people milling around. She noticed a chapel in the distance as Bain steered her through a stone wall with a large, open archway to her right. This area opened into a spectacular garden area with a mosaic pathway to the castle’s main keep. The building was square and simple in its design, but rose high above the castle’s curtain walls. It had a long wing of what Izzy guessed was the main living area jutting off to the right, at half the height of the keep’s walls. It was hard for Izzy to wrap her head around the pure size of this fortress, or compound as Bain had called it.
    It was massive and beautiful , especially the gardens. They were filled with fall colors, a large Rowan tree sat center stage of the shrub, and a flower-filled garden. Vines grew on both sides of the main door to the castle’s keep. Bright red roses adorned the deep green vines. It was magical.
    Ah … the events she could hold here.
    “Rowan ’s guards.” Bain’s voice pulled her back to him and away from her work-related musings.
    “What?”
    “You asked what they were… They’re Rowan’s guards.”
    “Well yeah , I gathered that, but what are they?”
    “Ah , you mean what kind of Fae are they?”
    “Yeah … is that inappropriate to ask?”
    Bain chuckled . “Not really, they’re sirens.”
    “Like the beautiful sea creatures that send sailors to their deaths?”
    Bain sighed. “You carry some major stereotypes, sweetheart. They are obviously male and I guess maybe they’d be considered beautiful, but they aren’t sea creatures. They live on land and breathe air, and they are an excellent warning systems, as well as fighters, both using their ability to burst eardrums and hand to hand.”
    Izzy smiled sheepishly at him . “Sorry, I can’t help but try to understand all of this by equating it to what I’ve learned about mythology and stories I’ve heard.”
    “I know , and I understand. Now come on, I’ll introduce you to my brothers.”
    Izzy nodded and followed Bain i nto the open foyer of the main keep. She watched as people bustled by, most stopping to greet Bain briefly, and then moving on.
    “It’s about time you got back . I’ve been stuck handling Cree on my own. He’s not happy, brother, not at all,” a relieved voice boomed from above them.
    Izzy ’s eyes shot up where a tall man stepped from a balcony a good forty feet above them. Izzy gasped and stifled a scream as the black-haired man came free falling down. Halfway to the ground, a pair of onyx wings sprouted from his back and glided him down the rest of the way safely.
    Bain shot Izzy a quick , sideways glance before approaching the man. Izzy’s heart calmed, giving