Page 36 of Immortal Unveiled

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“Where the fuck is Enya?”

Manus slammed the door to the command center shut behind him and marched toward Pearce, who was sitting in front of the computer console.

His compound mate looked over his shoulder, shrugging. “I’m not her babysitter.”

“She’s not in her quarters.”

Pearce raised an eyebrow. “You went in there? Then you’re braver than most of us.”

Everybody in the compound knew that Enya valued her privacy more than anyone. Being the only female Stealth Guardian assigned to the Baltimore compound probably had lots to do with that. Living with a bunch of male warriors, who had all been single until a few years ago, meant she had to establish boundaries.

Manus wasn’t proud that he’d breached one of those boundaries—entering her private rooms uninvited—but when she hadn’t replied to his call and text message, he’d decided to risk her wrath.

He’d entered the compound in the early hours of the morning, having taken the long way home, walking much of the way invisibly so he could think and not have to worry about a demon spotting him while he was less vigilant than usual. The place had been relatively quiet at that time of night, with most of the warriors in their beds, their mates by their sides.

He’d surprised himself by telling Kim about his scars, something he’d never talked about after that fateful day. Though his compound mates and many other Stealth Guardians knew the story, Manus wasn’t the one who’d told them. The demon attack on his family’s compound when Manus had been a teenager and therefore still rather vulnerable had become part of their common history, their lore. And everybody knew not to bring it up in his presence. He’d tested his brethren often enough when in a bad mood, showing up shirtless in the kitchen, daring them to stare at his scars or make any comments. But they were a fierce lot, and they’d seen their fair share of ugliness. Nobody had ever taken the bait. Nobody ever would.

Anxious to find out whether Enya had found anything in Nancy Britton’s storage unit, he’d first sent her a text message, then called but only gotten her voicemail. He’d waited, thinking that maybe she was asleep, taken a quick shut-eye himself and showered before trying it again. When he’d still not gotten a response, he’d gone to her quarters to look for her.

“Her bed looked unused,” Manus now told Pearce.

“Fuck, Manus, if she finds out you were in her bedroom, she’ll slice you open like a fat pig ready for slaughter,” Pearce warned with a shake of his head.

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.” He paced behind Pearce.

Finally, Pearce swiveled in his chair, facing him. “Man, what’s your problem?”

Manus ran a hand through his hair. “I sent Enya out to do some work for me last night. It’s not like her not to report back.”

“What was she supposed to do for you?”

“Remember the daughter of the emissarius that was murdered by the demons about three months ago?”

Pearce nodded. “Nancy Britton. I thought you dealt with her daughter. Kim, right? Grayson mentioned you went all out to make her believe the murderer was a burglar.”

“I did. But it backfired.” Manus sighed. “She found her mother’s bracelet at the house and knows that the one the police have is a fake.”

Pearce blew some air through his pursed lips. “Bummer.”

“Yeah. So, she contacted me. Wants me to help her find out why the police are covering things up.”

“Well, looks like you made a royal mess of it. Wouldn’t wanna be in your shoes. Have you told the Council yet?”

“What do you think?”

“Ah, I see. You think you can fix it on your own,” Pearce said. “When will you ever let go of your ego and just admit that you can’t fix everything?”

“It’s got nothing to do with that!” Manus huffed. “Listen!” He approached and rested his butt on the massive desk. “I think we overlooked something when we investigated Nancy’s murder.”

“What was there to overlook? A demon killed her. End of story.”

“Yeah, but why? Why did he kill her? What did he want?”

Pearce shrugged. “It happens. Demons kill a lot of humans. It was only a matter of time until they killed an emissarius. Doesn’t mean they knew she was one.”

“They knew. I think they were looking for something. And I’m trying to find out what it was.”