Read Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1) for Free Online

evil influences of the demons, wars would ravage the earth, misery and pain would spread. Fear would escalate, and the demons would feed on all of it, particularly the fear. And they would grow stronger with every human they brought into their fold.
    Soon, the world would be overrun with evil: even more people would die of disease and hunger. Every country would be rife with war and conflict; there would be no peace keepers, no law enforcement, no organizations delivering humanitarian aid. Everybody would be out for themselves. Armageddon.
    Barclay lifted his lids. “A vote then. Those of you who believe the woman should be assigned a Stealth Guardian for protection for now, say ‘aye’; those who want to eliminate the threat by eliminating the scientist and her research, say ‘nay’.”
    One by one ‘ayes’ and ‘nays’ bounced against the wall of the chambers.
    Barclay held his breath until everyone had voted.
    ***
    Aiden paced in the long hallway that led to the council chambers, casting a look at the closed door every few seconds. It seemed as if the council members had been in there forever, or maybe it was simply because he felt anxious to get this over with. Already the council wouldn’t be pleased with the outcome of his last mission, but having to accuse a fellow Stealth Guardian of treason in the same breath, would not endear him to anybody.
    His friends at the compound had warned him about making the accusation and suggested he let the council draw their own conclusions, simply presenting the facts that he and his brothers had discovered when looking for Hamish. But Aiden knew himself too well. He was as much a hothead as Logan, even if he didn’t flaunt breaking the council’s rules 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