Fated Fae: A Why Choose Fantasy Romance Read online

  Fated Fae

  Fractured Fae Book One

  Jarica James

  Copyright © 2021 Jarica James

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in book reviews.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This is a Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance and is not suited for those under the age of 18.

  Author’s Note

  This series was one of the first book ideas I had and the characters were screaming for their story to be told. I hope you love the world as much as I do!

  * * *

  *Note, the entire series is rapid release, there will be a release a month until they are finished, check out the back of the book for links!

  * * *

  Happy Reading!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Want More?

  Also by Jarica James

  Chapter 1

  Sweat forms on my brow as I race across campus as quickly as possible. Students stare and a few horns honk as I sprint across the road, somehow missing imminent death by mere inches. Of course I’m running late again, which isn’t unusual for me, but still exhausting. At least I somehow manage to get where I’m going at the exact time I need to… most days.

  Practically crashing through the back door of my job, I rush inside and throw on my bright pink apron, skidding to a halt right behind the counter. I glance at the clock just as it hits 3:15 pm and smirk… I made it right on time.

  Thank god too, because as an architectural student , caffeine is vital to my existence. As are the meager tips I manage to make here. A girl can only eat so much ramen and dining hall food.

  “It amazes me that you manage to do that. Every single time, in fact,” my best friend Jacob says with an exaggerated eye roll. I just grin at him as I step up to the counter to help the next customer in line.

  “How can I help you?” Despite being breathless, I manage a cheerful customer service voice.

  “Black coffee, and quick,” the businesswoman says, tossing a five dollar bill at me before going back to her conversation. It hits my chest and falls to the counter in a crumpled ball. So much for the no cell phone sign behind me. It wouldn’t kill people to have a bit of kindness.

  “Coming right up, ma’am,” I say, my voice dripping with sweetness. She rolls her eyes and goes back to her conversation, turning her back to me. In fact, she stays that way, yelling loudly on her phone until I have her coffee poured. “Here’s your coffee. And next time if you don’t abide by the no cell phones in line policy, we won’t be able to serve you. Have a great day!”

  “Are you serious?” she bubbles out a fake laugh at my expense. “You can’t tell me where and when to use my belongings.”

  Jacob steps up at her words, his smile glaringly fake. “We can actually, in a personal establishment. Here’s your coffee and change, quit holding up my line. And before you can ask, I am the manager.” She huffs and rushes out, the other customers laughing at her as she goes. It’s a bit of sweet justice for today and I take a moment to appreciate it before stepping up to the next customer.

  My shift just started, but I can already tell it’s going to be a busy day. Though that's not uncommon for Deb’s. It's right on the edge of campus, which makes it easier for me and Jacob since we generally come straight from class. But that also means we have a constant flow of professors and students.

  Glancing around the room, I can’t help but chuckle to myself. The fact that so many come here still cracks me up. The decor is awful, copious amounts of pink and black in a strange retro vibe. At least it has its own brand of charm and thanks to the mix of coffee beans and baked goods, it always smelled amazing. Plus we have the best coffee in town. It’s a chaotic balance that somehow works.

  “Hey!” The shout at the front door grabs our attention. Jacob hops the counter before I can stop him and I have to rush around to follow. Being five foot nothing doesn’t exactly give me much room for managing shit like that.

  By the time I get there, Jacob already has a guy pinned to the wall, a tall fae man standing on his other side.

  “You can’t let them in here,” the guy protests around Jacob’s hold.

  “Actually, you’re now banned from Deb’s,” I say, holding up my phone and taking a picture of the guy. It isn’t his best angle, which will only be that much more satisfying when we add it to the wall of shame. “And he is welcome here. In fact, while my friend here takes out the trash, why don’t I grab you a coffee on the house?”

  “Oh no,” the startled man protests, holding his hands up. His cheeks are already red from the attention and I try to usher him away from the chaos. “I don’t want to be a pain.”

  “I insist, it’s really no bother at all.” Walking behind the counter, I wait for him to give me the go ahead.

  “Iced mocha?” His eyes are a bright green and he seems genuinely kind. Not wanting to keep him on the spot for long since he is so uncomfortable, I give a quick smile and get to work. Jacob is still waiting by the door, likely so he can make sure the asshole doesn’t bother the poor guy just wanting his afternoon coffee.

  “Have a nice day!” Jacob chirps before letting the door fall closed and joining me behind the counter. His smile drops as he looks at me and sighs. “You’d think that in 2103 we’d have some semblance of equality. Instead assholes just band together to make the fae miserable.”

  “It’s ridiculous,” I agree. “It’s not like there are a ton of them here, either. Just let them be.”

  In 2090 we found out humans weren’t alone on Earth, at least not anymore. It was a shock, sure, but their numbers were small enough that most people accepted it. The fae were only about two hundred strong when they first entered our world. Legislatures around the world enacted bans on public use of magic, in any form, as soon as they began integrating into our society. As soon as they did, the protests started and not all of them were non-violent. But they apparently had nowhere to return to, so they had little choice but to comply and lay low when they could. Acceptance was reluctant at best and hostile at worst in many places. And here in Silver Forest, it was apparently still an issue, which is ridiculous. It didn’t help that our university was in the middle of a fairly small town with small town ideals.

  I hate how people treat them, but thankfully Deb’s is a safe zone for everyone and Jacob and I don’t play with asshol
es. After printing the latest jerk’s picture, I add it to the display with the rest on the no-coffee list.

  “I really don’t get the hate, hell, half the time they blend in,” he adds, wiping down the station for something to do. “Okay, maybe they’re elegant and graceful, two things that you, my love, are definitely not.”

  “Hey!” I protest, but we both know he’s right. My gracefulness extends to mainly staying upright most of the time. “I’m stocking the coffee bar.” He lets out a laugh and brings over the extra sugar packets to help me, bumping his shoulder lightly into mine. I let out a small laugh at his signature cocky grin, his way of making sure I didn’t take offense. He never takes anything too seriously, and is always watching out for me, but his mouth has gotten us in trouble a few times. Jacob is my best friend and I can never stay mad at him for long.

  After a while I space out, thinking about the poor guy and wondering if I should have done something more to help. We may have stopped this incident, but what about the next?

  “Thinking of anyone special?” Jacob teases. I just roll my eyes and ignore his question. He keeps trying to make it his personal mission to find me a boyfriend, but I’ve just never connected with anyone. He calls it picky, I call it having standards. Never leaving the town you grew up in doesn’t exactly give you a huge dating pool… a girl needs options.

  Having a college in town brought a few more guys, sure, but no one ever feels like the right one. Jacob mainly wants us to be able to double date. He only moved here last year and managed to snag himself a cute, nerdy guy within the first six months. Lucky, bastard.

  It’s crazy to think it’s only been a few years since we met, it feels like we’ve been friends for our entire lives. Especially because in that short time we’ve managed to become each other’s family. I don’t have any family left and his disowned him for being gay, so we filled that void with our friendship. Despite having equality in the workplace and the laws, sometimes families still suck.

  “Just because you got lucky and found Sam, doesn’t mean that I’ll be as fortunate,” I shoot back and he just grins dreamily and glances over at Sam, who’s sitting at the corner table with his books and laptop, completely oblivious to us talking about him.

  Sam comes here every time Jacob works so he can study during the shift and walk him home afterward. He’s some sort of tech genius and does IT work from home when he isn’t in class, so we just supply him with free coffee for the few hours he waits for Jacob to get off work. I have a feeling that if someone didn’t make the man eat, he’d forget to.

  Jacob and Sam are like night and day. Sam has flawless, umber skin, dark eyes and keeps his curly hair short. Jacob is half Japanese and has amazing grayish blue, almond shaped eyes and flawless skin. His hair is chestnut brown and shaggy, but he keeps it perfectly styled, which sounds contradictory, but Jacob makes it work.

  “Did you get your project finished?” Jacob asks, throwing me a knowing look. I’m the worst kind of procrastinator and he knows it, which is one thing about me that drives him absolutely crazy. He’s the exact opposite and takes it upon himself to nag me into working on tasks early. It never really works, I’m a lost cause, but he’s sweet for trying. At least he gave up on our study sessions a few months ago, I just drove him crazy and accomplished next to nothing.

  As an architect major, my main assignments consist of creating blueprints and taking fake bids. Jacob is an art major and helps me perfect my plans when he can, which is the only reason I manage my decent grades.

  “Why are you so spacey today?” Jacob asks. He’s clearly exasperated so I must have missed him calling my name a few times.

  “I don’t know, I think the commotion earlier got to me,” I sigh. It isn’t the whole truth but it works for now. He gives me a sympathetic smile and glances outside like he expects someone else to come rushing back in.

  Thankfully the rest of our shift passes by quickly and without further incidents. Once I lock the doors at the end of the day, we make easy work of cleaning up and the rest of the closing duties. Deb usually schedules Jacob and I together now that she realized we make a good team.

  “Want Sam and I to walk you back to your apartment?” Jacob offers, like he does every night. It’s a sweet offer, but I enjoy my quiet evening walks too much to take him up on it. Not to mention they live in the exact opposite direction.

  “I’ve got this... and pepper spray,” I joke as I gather up my jacket and backpack. We lock up the back door and Jacob grabs Sam’s hand as they walk off in the opposite direction.

  After taking in a lungful of fresh air, I make my way down the sidewalk and enjoy the spring breeze. It’s the only time I get to take in the peaceful quiet. Even though I live alone, the apartment building is made up mostly of college students. That means there’s partying, music, shouting, and a ton of general noise at all hours. I don’t mind the noise, and the apartment is clean and cheap, so it works for me, but it also makes me appreciate moments like these more.

  I walk up to the large, brick building and use the keypad to unlock the door. Of course, the noise is already going full blast, so I can’t even hear my footsteps echoing off of the concrete stairs in the empty stairwell. The three flights of stairs keep me fit, by the time I reach my floor I’m barely breathless. Students are already spilling into the hallway, passing from one party to the next which always makes getting to my room an adventure. Not wanting to get stopped and forced to chat with a slurring person, I slip inside the moment I reach my door and quickly lock out the chaos before someone tries to walk in. It wouldn’t be the first time. If I forget for even a few minutes, someone will always come stumbling in, giving me a heart attack in the process.

  Now that I’m in my private oasis, I can finally relax. After kicking off my shoes, I head for the tiny kitchen and grab a bottle of water, drinking it down in one go. The studio style place is fairly nice. It has an open floor plan, with a small kitchen area that is separated from the living room by a long counter. I have stools on both sides so it can seat four people, since there isn’t enough room for an actual table.

  The living room is just big enough for a couch, tv stand and my desk that looks out onto my tiny balcony. The bedroom barely fits a bed and dresser, but it’s cozy. The bathroom is attached to my room and has a stand-in shower, instead of a full bath tub. I miss taking baths to relax, but I’ll survive.

  My goal for next year is to secure an apartment in Jacob’s building. It’s not only college students and it's much quieter. The units are bigger and have real bathtubs. I can get behind the quiet life if it includes soaking in a tub again. Plus, it’s not like I live a crazy life, except the nights Jacob and I go to karaoke at the bar near campus. Diamonds is the only bar that has it on the weekends and we use any excuse we can to go let off some steam.

  Taking off my jacket, I throw my backpack onto my art desk since I need it to work on my newest building sketches. My current one is my part of the class-wide, rebuilding a city final. My first choice was a library, which will give me more freedom to choose between a modern approach or an older style. Libraries are versatile, so I snatched that spot up as soon as I could.

  Putting on a pot of coffee is the first task on my list, it’ll be necessary if I have any hope of getting any work done tonight. Especially since I’m already tired and still have way too many hours ahead of me. Thankfully this semester my classes all start at noon or later so I can sleep in a bit.

  With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, I finally sit down and start working on my plans. It only takes a few strokes of my pencil before I'm lost in the project, adding in extra windows for natural lighting and large vaulted ceilings. What book nerd hasn’t sat and dreamed about their perfect library? Well now I get to make it a reality, and the beauty of these projects is that I can drop them in a portfolio. I’ll need it when I apply for jobs after graduation, and my hope is one day I’ll find the right company to put my blueprints to good use. Then I can actually see my work come to li
fe.

  I’m on my third cup of coffee before I finally finish for the night. Blinking my eyes a few times to clear the grogginess, I glance at the clock and realize it’s almost three in the morning. At some point exhaustion always cancels out the caffeine and I’ve found my limit again.

  Trying to make my life easier, I rinse out my cup and prepare my coffee pot for the morning, before changing into a tank top and sleep shorts and collapsing on my bed. It doesn’t take long before I drift off into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 2

  After snoozing my alarm multiple times, I finally manage to drag myself out of bed around ten and hurry to finish my homework while I start up my brain with coffee. When I’m finally able to function, I dress quickly and leave with just enough time to walk to campus and get to class on time. Thankfully, it’s an art class I share with Jacob and not an intensive class that I really have to focus for.

  “3…2…1,” Jacob counts down as I plant my ass in the seat and the clock hits twelve. I give him a cocky grin as I pull out my sketch pad. We started to work on perfecting our shading in the last class, so today is reserved for completing and turning in our work. Our group was given a vase and flowers as our subject, not exactly exciting work but fairly simple. Pulling out my pencils, I dive into fixing my previous mistakes and adding more shading, losing myself in my work.