Page 73 of Protector Unmatched

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It was still early morning, but Daphne had been up before Pearce, who’d come to bed extremely late. She’d showered and dressed before she had the nerve to wake him. He’d immediately sprung into action and been in and out of the bathroom and dressed in less than five minutes. She began to understand why he was in such a rush when he filled her in on what had happened the night before and what it meant.

To clarify she’d understood what it meant if the source dagger fell into the hands of the demons, she asked, “You’re saying that this dagger, this artifact, can create portals through which you teleport through time and space?”

“Not time, just space,” Pearce said. “Though it might feel like we’re traveling through time, because traversing thousands of miles takes only a few seconds.”

She could hardly believe it. She’d never seen a portal, never thought that teleportation would be real in her lifetime. Yet it had been real for millennia, ever since the Stealth Guardians and the demons existed.

“What a magical tool.”

“Yes, it is. And it’s even more valuable than that. It’s the only weapon that can save a Stealth Guardian’s life.”

“What do you mean by that? I thought you’re all immortal.”

Pearce hesitated and looked as if he regretted telling her. “We are. However, there are weapons that can inflict a mortal wound.” He pointed to the dagger that sat in a sheath on his hip. “This is one of them. It’s ancient. No modern weapon can kill us. But the demons possess the same weapons we do. They can kill us. But the source dagger could save any warrior and reverse the mortal wound.”

“Is that true, or is that just a myth that parents tell their kids?”

“Oh, it’s true, though I have to admit, I’ve never seen it done. The dagger was lost before I was born.”

Daphne sighed. “It’s a shame for something so valuable to be lost to your race… And you’re sure the demons didn’t get the dagger last night?”

“Absolutely. Zoltan’s surprise at finding the safe empty was unmistakable.”

“Then somebody gave you wrong information. I can have a word with my brother, find out if he really told us everything he knows about the safe,” she suggested.

“Grayson already did that last night. And before you worry about Tim, he’s all right. He told Grayson that Kevin saw the dagger in the safe about a week ago. We can only assume that the owner removed it sometime between the day Kevin saw it and the break-in last night.”

“You didn’t have the time to search the rest of the house last night, but do you think the owner could have put it somewhere else?”

Pearce shook his head. “Nobody in their right mind would leave an artifact like that out in the open. Even if the owner didn’t really know what he had, he had to have known that it was valuable. Priceless, even.”

She nodded in contemplation. “Yes, priceless. Well, at least we have a starting point.”

“We?” Pearce shook his head. “This is not your fight.”

“Maybe not, but I can help you. It’s time I paid you back for everything you’ve done for me and Tim.”

“There’s no need. Besides, if you want to pay me back later when this is over, I can think of something.” He cast a look at the bed.

She rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that’s all you think about in your life. But honestly, I want to help.”

She put her hand on his forearm, Pearce’s earlier words replaying in her head. The dagger was priceless. But Vasili had put a price on it and tried to hawk it. What about the owner? Had he, too, put a price on it?

She looked into Pearce’s eyes. “I have an idea how to find the dagger.”

“You do? What is it?”

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ll have to let me help, or I won’t tell you.”

Pearce sighed. “My colleagues won’t like it. They…” He hesitated.

“They don’t trust me, do they?” Before Pearce could confirm it, Daphne continued, “Their wives treated me nicely, but with kid gloves, as if I could snap at any moment. They don’t trust me either.”

“Don’t take it personally. They don’t know you how I know you. You’re a stranger to them. It takes a while to—”

Daphne squeezed his arm. “I understand. That’s why you’ll have to tell your friends that you need my hacking skills to help you with finding where the dagger is now.”