Page 24 of Guardian

11

Logan hadn’t put his arms around a woman in a long time. Not that this—sitting on a train, Winter’s head leaning against his chest—really constituted an embrace. All he was doing was providing support so she could rest for a few moments. Yet at the same time, he enjoyed feeling Winter snuggled up to him. It reminded him of a woman after sex, when she wanted to cuddle, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of bed and run. Only there hadn’t been any sex, and he felt no urge to run from Winter.

For a few minutes, Logan allowed his mind to wander and follow a road that was paved with what-ifs. Many decades ago he’d chosen to become a warrior to serve his people and protect them. He’d gone into it knowing full well what it meant: sacrifice. All warriors were forced to live in compounds with five to ten other warriors as their constant companions. It was almost like living in a monastery, though there was booze and partying like in any place where more than two men were assembled. Nobody demanded that warriors be celibate. But the demands of their work and the living conditions had turned many a warrior into a monk.

The opportunities for finding sexual gratification were few. Due to their birthrate being skewed toward males, there were much fewer Stealth Guardian women than men. And even fewer female warriors. His compound had one. But Enya was a prickly one. She wanted nothing to do with any of them, and he had to admit, he wasn’t interested in her in a romantic way either. He’d practically grown up with her. He knew the others felt the same way.

The lack of women of their own race meant warriors had to sow their oats with human women. In general, it wasn’t an issue. After all, Stealth Guardians looked no different from humans, and no woman would know that she was sleeping with a preternatural creature. A creature who couldn’t even impregnate her, because a Stealth Guardian’s sperm wasn’t fertile until he’d gone through a bonding ritual with a woman. One-night stands were a popular option for any warrior who felt sexual frustration, but if he wanted more, if he wanted a relationship, things got difficult.

For starters, no human was allowed in the compounds unless they were bonded to a warrior. Of course, that rule had been broken a few times by his own compound mates. However, a warrior trying to stick to the rules had a hard time making a woman trust him, when he could never take her home, home being his compound. And many women got suspicious of men who had to keep secrets like that. They could feel that the man was hiding something. Which led to the second big obstacle: a warrior wasn’t allowed to reveal that he was a preternatural creature until he’d made the decision to bond with the human.

Logan sighed. Why was he even thinking about all this? The situation with Winter was entirely different. She wasn’t a woman he’d picked up in a bar or a chatted up in a supermarket. She wasn’t a potential one-night stand or fling, though had he met her under other circumstances, he would have asked her out and explored if there was a spark between them. If, at least for one night, they could connect. But that was impossible now. Winter was under his protection and he couldn’t exploit the situation. It would be unethical. Winter was his charge. He was her guardian, her protector. Even if the council had ordered otherwise.

When the train slowed, Logan looked out the window. They were approaching the final stop: Trenton. He shook Winter’s shoulder gently, and she immediately sat up straight and looked at him. He motioned to the window, where the Trenton station was coming into view. She nodded, having understood that they would alight here.

Logan waited until most people had gotten off the train, then stepped onto the platform holding Winter’s hand. It was still best to cloak her with his touch, an action that required less energy, since making her invisible with his mind would become less secure if he lost his concentration. And right now he had to concentrate on figuring out the safest place to go.

By the time Logan had examined the map in the entry hall and found a hotel that would be suitable for their purposes, the sun had set. He looked around. There were cameras in the train station, which meant it wasn’t safe yet to become visible. He led Winter outside. It would have been more comfortable to take a taxi to the hotel, but the CCTV system around the train station could pick them up, and once Manus realized that the trail to Chicago was a diversion, he would ask Pearce to run a facial recognition program against traffic cameras and the like. Logan knew the drill.

When they were out of earshot of others, Logan whispered to Winter, “We’ll have to walk. It’s about a mile. You gonna be okay?”

“Yes. We’re still invisible?”

“Yes. But once we get to the hotel, and I see that it’s safe, I’ll make us visible again.”

“We’re going to a hotel?”

“Yes, for tonight. Then we’ll move on.” Where to, he hadn’t figured out yet, but he would. Right now it was important to get off the street.

Logan was glad when they finally reached the budget hotel he’d spotted on the map in the train station. Checking in and paying cash rather than credit at a place like this wouldn’t be unusual. As much as he would have preferred to take Winter to a better place, he couldn’t risk using one of his own cards to pay for the room. His fellow Stealth Guardians would be able to trace him in a nanosecond.

The hotel clerk at the front desk didn’t flinch when Logan asked for a room on the second floor and paid cash. Nor did he question the lack of luggage besides the small bag Winter had packed.

“Is there a place to get some dinner close by?” Logan asked while he took the keycard from the clerk.

The clerk pointed over his shoulder. “Take the alley behind the hotel. Next block has a good grill.” He glanced at Winter, looking her up and down with interest. “They do takeout, too.”

“Thanks.” Logan turned away from the front desk and took Winter’s hand again. They walked around the corner to the elevators. “I’ll get you settled in the room. Then I’ll get us something to eat.”

“That sounds good. I’m starting to feel a little hungry,” she said, a grateful expression on her face.

The room was clean and functional: two queen beds, a built-in desk with chair, a TV mounted on the wall, a small table with two chairs, and an ensuite bathroom. The curtains were already drawn when Logan entered the room ahead of Winter to make sure it was safe.

He ushered her inside and dropped her bag onto the floor next to the desk, then looked back at Winter and caught her looking at the beds.

“I’m sorry, Winter, but I can’t let you stay in a room by yourself. I need to be with you to keep you safe,” he said.

Her gaze connected with his. “I wasn’t complaining.”

“No, you weren’t. And I appreciate it. You’re taking all of this without much fuss. Many people wouldn’t.” And that made his respect for her rise even more. She was no shrinking violet.

“I’m grateful for what you’re doing to help me. You put yourself in danger for me.”

“That’s my job.” But as he said it, guilt nagged at him. It had been his job to kill her, not save her. Didn’t she deserve to know the truth, to know why he’d really come to her shop? But if she knew, she wouldn’t look at him like she did now, her eyes brimming with admiration and gratitude.

He was a cad for letting her believe he was a hero, a man of honor.

“Winter, there’s something you should know,” he started. It was best to wipe the slate clean, tell her the truth, or it would eat him up from the inside.