Page 46 of Protector Unmatched

“Winter is right,” Hamish said from the door.

Pearce whipped his head in Hamish’s direction. He hadn’t heard him or the other Stealth Guardians enter, probably because they hadn’t opened the door, but walked through it.

Behind Hamish stood Logan and Enya.

“I filled them in,” Enya said.

Pearce shrugged. He’d expected as much. “Then you all know that I eliminated the threat Daphne represented.”

“If you really believed that,” Hamish said, “you wouldn’t have asked Winter to force a vision.” He motioned to the scarf in Winter’s hand. “You’re still worried. As are we.”

Sure, there was still a risk. But Pearce’s entire life was paved with risk. “There’s nothing to worry about. She’s not a threat.”

“Because you’re sleeping with her?” Logan asked in a sharp tone.

Pearce sucked in a breath and glared at Enya.

She raised her hands. “I didn’t say a fucking word.”

“So it’s true,” Logan continued. “I hope you’re taking precautions.”

“What the fuck!” Pearce said. “Yeah, if you must know, I’m using condoms so she won’t get suspicious.”

Logan shook his head. “I’m not talking about condoms. I’m talking about you keeping your wits about you. About always knowing where your weapon is. Making sure she can’t get it. Idiot!”

“Asshole!” Pearce cursed.

“Stop it, both of you,” Hamish interrupted. “There’s no need to call each other names. Listen, Pearce, we just wanna make sure you’re careful. At least until Winter can confirm that the threat is over.”

Pearce ran a hand through his hair. “And what if Winter never has another vision about this? Do you really expect me to stay away from Daphne for good?”

Silence followed his words. Surprised silence. All eyes were on him. Even the twins had stopped playing and were quiet now.

He’d said too much. He should have kept his thoughts to himself.

“Is it rasen?” Hamish asked.

Was it rasen, the craziness that overcame a Stealth Guardian when he entered mating season, the time when a guardian turned around two hundred years old, and the urge to find a mate for life was the strongest?

“I don’t know.” And he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. “Excuse me. I’m sure work’s piling up in the command center.”

He rushed out of the great room into the corridor, not bothering to use the door. His heart was pounding, his breaths irregular, his palms sweating. Fuck, was he having a panic attack, or was it true? Was he feeling the effects of rasen? Was it hitting him broadside without warning?

Rasen was like puberty, only a hundredfold more intense. It was the time in a guardian’s life when he was ready to mate, when his hormones yearned for that special connection with another person, when he was ready to procreate. Sure, even before rasen, Stealth Guardians had sex, and plenty of it if they had the opportunity, but nothing was serious. Most didn’t form long-term relationships in those decades and hopped from partner to partner, from playmate to playmate. Few felt the need for permanent attachment. Only when rasen hit them did that need surface, and the race to find a mate began.

Had it begun for him? He was the right age, but somehow he’d always thought it would bypass him, overlook him. As if he could hide behind his computer screen and nature would not notice him. But it appeared nature had other plans.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

He rushed into the command center and almost collided with Ryder, who was on his way out. The vampire hybrid, who was in his mid-twenties, was originally from San Francisco, where he’d grown up among an extended family of vampires and witches who all worked for Scanguards, a security company founded and run by Samson, a vampire who was older than Pearce. The Stealth Guardians had formed an alliance with Scanguards. They came to each other’s aid when necessary, and as a token of their friendship and trust, Scanguards had sent two of their hybrid vampires—half human, half vampire—to Baltimore to help out with sniffing out demons. In exchange, the young vampire hybrids received training from the Stealth Guardians.

“Hey, finally back, huh?” Ryder said cheerfully. “Anything new? I heard you helped out with solving a kidnapping.”

From the computer console, Grayson, the second vampire hybrid, turned to them. “Yeah, Enya was telling us. Sounded like a doozy. The guy wasn’t even armed.”

“And it wasn’t a real kidnapping, either,” Pearce added. “But we couldn’t know that.”

Grayson lifted his hands. “Didn’t mean to imply that you didn’t do any real work.” He pasted a charming grin on his face, confirming once more why women of all ages fell for him. He had charisma in abundance, just like his powerful father, Samson. “But you should’ve called us. We’re always good for beating up some idiot who’s playing with his sister’s feelings.”

Pearce lifted an eyebrow. Grayson wasn’t normally so conciliatory. In general, he was more combative. Was the congeniality and friendship that ruled among the warriors in the Baltimore compound finally rubbing off on him?

“Appreciate it,” Pearce said. “Next time, then. For now, it’s all in the bag.”

However, not everything was truly resolved when it came to Daphne’s brother and his idiot friend Kevin. There was something Tim had mentioned that bothered Pearce. He motioned to Ryder. “Hey, Ryder, are you busy right now?”

“I was just gonna go grab some food and hang out, so, no, I’m not busy. Why?”

“I’ve got a little job for you.”

Ryder grinned. “Cool. I’ve been cooped up here all week. I’d love to get out and do something.”

“Excellent.”