Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1) - By Unknown Page 0,108
moment, and Aiden saw the war that raged within his father. It was true, Deirdre had loved Julia like the daughter she never had, and had been devastated by her death. But did that give her the right to unilaterally condemn another human to death? Odd, Aiden had once thought so too, but he understood now that he couldn’t blame one human for the deeds of another.
Primus gave a slow nod. “We’ll see to it that it doesn’t happen. However, sadly, that is not one of your concerns anymore. You have broken our laws. Therefore, my suggestion to the council is to incarcerate you in a lead cell for the period of one year and one day, upon which you’ll be released into the human world never to return to us. Council, how do you vote?”
Deirdre gasped. “You can’t do that! My powers . . . you can’t do that to me!”
Aiden heard the desperation in Deirdre’s voice and felt how Leila drew closer, whispering in his ear. “What does she mean? A year isn’t very long for attempted murder.”
“It’s not the length of time, but what the lead cell will do to her.”
He heard the council members one by one giving their votes on the punishment.
Leila gave him a questioning look, so he continued his explanation. “A year in a lead cell will mean that all of Deirdre’s powers will have been drained from her body. The change will be permanent. She won’t ever be able to make herself invisible anymore; she won’t walk through walls again; and her preternatural strength, her superior senses will have vanished never to return. She will be human, not Stealth Guardian.”
It was a harsh punishment, one nobody wanted to issue. Losing one of their own in a time when every Stealth Guardian was needed desperately was painful.
“No!”
Aiden jolted at suddenly hearing Leila call out her disagreement to the council. He pulled on her hand, trying to hold her back, but she twisted away from him and approached the table.
“Please, don’t do this to her.”
His father’s eyebrows rose in utter surprise.
“You have no right to interrupt council proceedings,” Geoffrey reprimanded.
Primus raised his hand. “Let her speak.” He gave Leila an expectant look. “I’m curious why you should want to defend her, Dr. Cruickshank. After all, it was you she wanted to kill.”
“I understand, but I can also see her side. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, because I didn’t trust Aiden at first. I lied to him about the existence of another copy of my research data. It could have very easily ended with me in the hands of the demons. And then, in hindsight, wouldn’t you have rather seen Deirdre succeed?” She paused for a moment, then turned her head to look back at Aiden.
“Even you wanted me dead at some point.”
Her statement sliced through his heart. “No, I—”
“Please don’t deny it. I don’t blame you.” She turned back to the council. “I don’t blame any of you for what happened. Everybody did what they thought was best. I don’t want to be the reason why you’ll lose another one of your race. Wasn’t Finlay’s death enough? I’m not interested in revenge.”
With every word Leila spoke, Aiden’s heart expanded for her. She had so much generosity in herself, and she handed it out with grace. He admired her for the strength she showed, because it took strength to overcome one’s own sentiments about an issue and make a decision that benefited all. In many ways she reminded him of Julia, and in other ways she was so different from her. And he loved her for both.
“It still leaves the fact that she acted against the council’s orders,” Primus conceded.
Leila gave a quick nod. “I understand, and I don’t want to interfere with your laws, but surely there is a less harsh punishment you could decide on, one that would not destroy her powers.”
“You mean a slap on the wrist?”
“Something like that. Maybe a different location, another project, community service so to speak.”
“Very well.” Primus motioned her to return to Aiden’s side. “Council, a word.” He stood and the others did likewise, huddling around him, talking in hushed voices.
As Leila returned to him, Aiden pressed a quick kiss on her cheek, hoping none of the council members saw him. “I’m proud of you.”
“It’s the right thing to do. When Zoltan comes back, you’ll need every Stealth Guardian you’ve got.”
He caught Hamish’s look. “Leila is right. And Zoltan will be back. I’ve never seen anybody