Page 5 of Guardian

Logan met his superior’s gaze, but didn’t respond. He knew he wasn’t expected to.

“Let me make this short. The mission you’ll be tasked with is to remain entirely confidential. Only a few people outside the council are privy to what I have to share with you.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been made aware of the existence of a psychic.”

Logan sucked in a breath.

“A psychic? A real one?” Manus asked excitedly.

Barclay nodded.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Manus continued. “There hasn’t been one in years, decades even. True psychics are rarer than a virg—”

Logan rammed his elbow into Manus’s side to stop him from finishing his crude remark. Neither Barclay nor Logan needed a reminder of how rare psychics were. And how valuable they could be to the Stealth Guardians. Though psychics were supernatural creatures, they had no telltale aura, no special scent, making it impossible to identify them amongst a crowd. They could hide in plain sight.

“Where did you find him?” Logan asked.

“Her. An emissarius came across her in Wilmington, Delaware. She runs a small tarot shop.”

“She’s a tarot reader? That’s not exactly what I’d call a true psychic.” Logan shook his head. “Are you sure your emissarius got it right? Every town has a few tarot shops, and just because it says psychic in a sign in the window, doesn’t mean the proprietor’s the real deal.”

Barclay tossed him a stern look. “I’m aware of that. That’s why I sent a second agent to bring us more information.”

“And?” Manus asked curiously.

“She confirmed the findings of the first. The woman is a true psychic, though we have reason to believe that she’s unaware of her gift. Which makes the situation even more difficult than it already is.”

There was a short pause, during which only the sounds of breathing cut through the silence.

“If she’s not aware that she’s a psychic, how can your emissarii be certain?” Logan interjected into the quiet of the room.

“Because she draws what she sees in her visions.”

“Excuse me?” Logan asked.

Barclay let out a breath. “She’s been seeing a psychiatrist.” He shrugged. “Mentally unstable. He prescribed anti-psychotic medication and suggested art therapy as a way for her to deal with her so-called nightmares, her visions. Our agent took photos of the drawings that she displays openly in her shop.”

He pulled out his cell phone and tapped his finger on it. A moment later he turned it so Logan and Manus could see the display. Both stepped closer. Logan focused his eyes on the drawing. The psychic was not particularly talented artistically, but even though the chalk drawing was crude, he had no trouble identifying what it was.

“The Callanish Stones.” The location of the council compound that had been destroyed after demons had attacked it.

“That’s not all.” Barclay scrolled to the next picture.

This drawing was somewhat better, almost as if the psychic’s vision had been clearer. “A council member’s dagger.” The nine intertwined rings on the handle were clearly in the right formation. It was no accident. No coincidence.

“She knows things about us, things no one outside of our confidence would know. If the demons get wind of her, if they can bring her to their side and use her visions against us …”

“… they could annihilate us,” Logan finished the sentence.

Barclay nodded gravely. “Yes. If she knows where our old council compound stood, we have to assume that she knows the location of the new one, and perhaps many other compounds around the world. Or if she doesn’t know yet, her next vision might tell her. In either case, it makes us more vulnerable than we’ve ever been.” He sighed. “And with her mental state in the condition it is, she has no chance fighting the influence of the demons once they set their sights on her. If they haven’t already.”

Logan exchanged a look with Manus. It would be a monumental task to protect this woman and shield her from the demons, an assignment that wouldn’t just last a few weeks or months. She would have to be protected until she was strong enough to fight off the mental influence a demon could exert on her and make her turn to the dark side. And that could take years. In the meantime, word that the Stealth Guardians had found a true psychic could not be allowed to spread. Barclay was right to keep this secret under wraps. How long Logan and Manus would be able to keep this from their compound mates, however, was another question.

“We have to act quickly,” Barclay interrupted Logan’s thoughts. “I sent you everything we’ve been able to put together on her on short notice. I wish we could run a more thorough background check, but I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of time. She’s a free spirit, defies conventions.” He pointed to the computer. “The file is only accessible under your logins. Pearce has no access to it. Study all the information carefully, but quickly. You can’t afford to make any mistakes on this one. The existence of our species is on the line.” Barclay met Logan’s eyes. “That’s why I chose you. I know you’ll follow the council’s directive to the letter.”

“Yes, Primus.”

Manus tilted his head to the side. “And I’m the comic relief?”

Barclay tossed him a derisive look. “You weren’t my choice for this job, but I got overruled by the other members of the council. Apparently you have some fans who thought that the callousness you displayed in previous circumstances might be of use in this assignment.”