Page 54 of Protector Unmatched

“I’ll explain everything,” Pearce said.

“Yeah? When?” Because her patience was wearing thin.

Pearce sighed. “I guess sooner rather than later.” He gave Enya a look. “You guys don’t need me here, do you? I’ll take Daphne home.”

“I don’t wanna go home. I wanna know the truth. Now.”

“Not here. These two goons can wake up at any moment, and the things I need to explain to you aren’t meant for their ears.”

She couldn’t tell whether he was stalling, but she understood that Tim’s assailants didn’t need to hear what they had to discuss. Besides, she had a few personal questions she didn’t need Enya or Grayson and Ryder to overhear either.

“Fine.”

Moments later, they were in Pearce’s car, driving back to her apartment.

“I didn’t mean for you to find out this way,” Pearce said when they were about halfway.

“What exactly did I find out tonight? What did I see? Can you explain that to me?”

“I understand that you’re upset—”

She whipped her head to him. “Upset? You think I’m upset? Damn it, Pearce! I feel betrayed. I feel lied to.” She started choking up. “And I don’t know what to think about what I saw. Two guys fighting with air? And then you and Ryder just appeared out of nowhere. And his fangs. And the blood. My brother, beaten and bloodied. Fuck, Pearce, you have no idea what I’m feeling.”

“I didn’t mean to… Hell, Daphne, I never meant for you to get hurt. I wish I could have told you earlier who I am. But our race… We have to remain hidden.”

She sniffled. “Yeah, I get that. Nobody can know that vampires really exist.”

“I’m not a vampire—”

“You’re gonna deny it now? I saw Ryder’s fangs. I saw him drinking blood, and you admitted it. You told me that vampire blood can heal my brother, and now you’re just gonna claim it’s not true.”

Pearce shook his head. “Ryder is a vampire. I’m not.”

She stared at him. “Then what—”

“We’re called Stealth Guardians; we’re immortal warriors. Enya and I, and a bunch of others, live in a secret compound in Baltimore. So, in a way, yeah, Enya is my roommate, and we work together.”

He was an immortal, a man who didn’t get sick, a man who didn’t die. She wanted to say something, but he stopped her.

“Hear me out. Ryder and Grayson, who you just met, they’re vampire hybrids, half vampire, half human. They live with us to help us combat evil.”

She snorted at that, but didn’t say anything.

“I see why that may be hard to believe, but the vampires I know are good people. Honorable men and women. They’re our allies in the fight against the demons.”

“Demons?” she heard herself ask.

“They are truly evil, out to destroy mankind. The mission of the Stealth Guardians is to thwart their efforts. We’re tasked with protecting mankind. Our race has been around for millennia. We’ve developed certain skills. You saw one in action tonight. I can make myself and others invisible. I had to do it in order to save your brother, and to save you. Making myself invisible was the only way to make sure that bastard didn’t hurt you.” He ran a hand through his hair and cast her a long look. “Losing you would have been far worse.”

When he kept staring at her, taking his eyes off the road for far too long, she glanced outside and realized that they’d stopped in front of her apartment building.

“Say something, Daphne,” Pearce begged. “Please believe me when I tell you that all I did was in order to protect you.”

Her head was spinning with too much information. She had to go through it bit by bit. “So you’re not a shy computer geek working for a defense contractor?”

He smiled hesitantly. “Actually, I’m responsible for all IT needs at the compound. My job consists mainly of hacking into government and private systems to gain information that may help us ferret out the demons.”

“Why did you follow me last night? Why did you help me evade the police?”

He put his hand on hers and squeezed it. “Can we talk upstairs? That is, if you trust me enough to invite me in.”

That jolted something in her. “Does that mean you can’t come in if you’re not invited? I mean like a vampire?”

“That’s just lore. It’s not true. But I’d rather be invited in. I want you to know that I won’t do anything against your wishes.”

Why she believed him, she didn’t know. But she knew he wasn’t going to hurt her.

“Okay. Let’s go inside.”