Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1) - By Unknown Page 0,109

so determined. You said yourself that he’ll be a new leader, stronger, smarter, and more lethal. We’ll have to be prepared.”

Aiden couldn’t agree more. “He won’t give up.”

“The council has come to a decision,” his father’s voice suddenly sounded in the chamber.

Aiden clasped Leila’s hand, then focused his attention back on the proceedings.

“Deirdre, your punishment will be two-fold: you will be staging Dr. Cruikshank’s death in a way so the demons will believe it to be real. I leave the details up to you.”

Leila pulled in a quick breath, making Aiden slide his arm around her waist, steadying her. This measure was necessary; otherwise the demons would never stop looking for her.

“Your seat on the council is permanently lost to you. Do you accept your punishment?”

Deirdre nodded. “Yes, Primus. Thank you, you won’t regret it.”

Before she turned toward the door, Primus continued, “And make sure the demons buy it. If they don’t, don’t bother ever coming back.”

“You can rely on me. I swear it by the memory of your daughter.”

A moment later, she left the chambers, her head held high.

“One more thing then.” His father looked at him and Leila. “The data. We will destroy it now.” He lifted the pendant and showed it to everybody in the room.

“Allow me,” Leila said and walked toward him. When she reached him, he handed her the piece of jewelry.

Aiden approached, watching how Leila’s nimble fingers opened the diamond crusted pendant and removed a USB drive from its interior.

“May I keep the pendant?” she asked, lifting her eyes to face Primus.

“You may.”

Aiden reached for the USB drive. “I’ll destroy it for you.”

She smiled at him. “No, I’ll have to do it myself. You see, it’s time to let go of my dream. I’m the only one who can do that.”

He felt his heart clench at the obvious pain in her voice. “You’re strong,” he whispered.

When she looked up, his father pointed at the large flat stone boulder to one side of the chamber. On it lay a hammer. “There.”

The council members rose to follow her as she laid the electronic device containing her data onto the flat surface. Aiden noticed how her hand shook slightly when she took the hammer, closing her palm around it.

“I’m proud of you,” he murmured, locking eyes with her for a moment.

Then she slammed the hammer down on the USB drive, once, twice, three times, until it had shattered into a hundred little pieces, a solitary tear escaping from her eye and running down her cheek. As the tiny particles scattered on the boulder, Aiden caught her look and saw the sadness in her eyes as she watched her dreams vanish.

As the council dispersed, Aiden felt his father’s hand on his shoulder and turned to him.

“There’s still one issue that remains. The council has left it up to me how to handle it,” his father said ominously. “Excuse us for a moment,” he said to Leila and led him a few steps away.

“And that would be?”

“You brought a human to your compound. As you know that’s against the rules.”

Aiden’s heartbeat kicked up. “You know I had no choice. It was the only safe place.”

His father patted his shoulder. “I understand that, but that doesn’t change the rules. There’s only one set of circumstances under which a human would ever be allowed at a compound. And the council has asked me to inquire about your intentions regarding this particular circumstance.”

Aiden felt certainty about his intentions fill his heart. “Tell the council that the answer is yes.”

His father pulled him into a hug. “I’m very happy to hear that, son. Very happy.”

FORTY

After nearly a week at the compound during which Aiden had rarely left her side, it was finally time for Leila to step outside her safe haven.

“It’s time to see your parents,” Aiden said.

Leila gave a bittersweet smile. This would be the last time they saw her—if they even recognized her this time.

“You can do this.”

Pushing back the rising tears, she pasted another smile onto her lips. “I can do this.”

The things she’d been through since that fateful night when she’d met Aiden had shown her that she was stronger than she believed. She’d survived several attacks by demons and two attempts of murder by a Stealth Guardian. Somehow she would survive this too, as much as it would break her heart. But she understood the importance of this and knew that for everybody’s sake—the world’s sake—she had to make this sacrifice. The wellbeing of billions of humans was