the way Manus did. Most of the time, he followed them. Not doing so would earn severe punishment from the council.
The only reason Manus’s transgressions hadn’t reached the council’s ears yet was because their compound was particularly close-knit. Nobody wanted to be known as a snitch. Their unspoken rule was that they sorted things out between themselves without involving the council.
While Manus had no qualms about seducing the women in his care, Aiden didn’t enjoy the bitter aftertaste such an affair left behind. Yes, he sought sexual adventures outside the compound, with mortal women, but without pretense, never sleeping with the same woman twice, confining himself to one-night-stands in order not to lose focus on his mission or get emotionally involved.
He rarely had any downtime during which to involve himself in a relationship that went beyond the usual wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am method. Not that he was complaining. He wasn’t interested in a relationship. And sex? He could always get sex when he really needed it, but lately even the thrill of a quickie with a virtual stranger couldn’t chase away the emptiness he’d started feeling in his gut. He wondered whether it was the coming change that caused these odd sentiments. He was nearing his two hundredth birthday, and with it what Stealth Guardians called rasen, mating season. His hormones surged to find a mate, yet there were few choices.
The reason so few female Stealth Guardians were available for mating was the dominant male gene, which favored producing males rather than females of their species, tilting the equilibrium in their world. For centuries now, male Stealth Guardians had to look in the human world for their mates. The entire undertaking was fraught with danger: should a Stealth Guardian choose a human as his mate, rather than one of the few female Stealth Guardians, they were both in danger of losing their lives. Only a love pure of heart made a union between a Stealth Guardian and a human possible. Aiden didn’t believe such love existed. Could a Stealth Guardian ever love a creature so inherently weak?
And if the love wasn’t true and pure, the ritual mating, which bound the two lovers together, would rob them of their lives. Their death wouldn’t be instant, but knowledge of it would be. A Stealth Guardian’s immortality would drain away like sand in an hourglass. Just like his mate, he would wither away in a few short months, enough time to regret his actions and see his own death coming. Hamish had almost entered such a union, and only by sheer luck found out in time that his intended mate had been a plant by the demons.
The success rate for finding a mate was thus low, with few single female Stealth Guardians available. He’d practically grown up with Enya, who lived in the same compound with him, and he regarded her as a true sister. There was no physical attraction between them. He knew most of the other female Stealth Guardians in the US, because they were rare, but none stirred him the way a woman should tantalize a man. Maybe he was simply not meant for a relationship.
Aiden knew what was expected of him, and he didn’t want to disappoint. But pleasing his mother and father as well as their community wasn’t in the forefront of his thoughts. He was a guardian first and foremost; finding a mate and helping his race procreate was a distant second. Maybe he could suppress the urges rasen forced on him. He was strong-willed—those damn hormones had nothing on him.
“Guardian,” a voice called him. “The council will see you now.”
The attendant, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, stood in front of the door to the council chambers.
“One moment,” he requested, “please place all your electronic devices here.” He pointed to a carved out indentation next to the door.
Aiden did as he was asked and then allowed the attendant to swipe a wand up and down his body. It was a security measure so that no recording devices could be smuggled into the council chambers since all undertakings within were kept secret.
As Aiden finally walked inside, the door closed behind him with a loud clunk.
“The council welcomes you, Guardian,” Primus’s voice greeted him.
Aiden looked straight at him to acknowledge his welcome. He bowed his head. “I thank the council for receiving me, Primus.”
With the formalities behind him, it was time to give them the news. He couldn’t stall this any longer. “I bring bad news. My last assignment