“Call it a hunch.”
“Are your hunches ever wrong?”
“Rarely,” Jamie answered.
“Did you ever ask Stine why he took you?”
She huffed. “Of course. He said he was interested in studying parapsychology.”
“That was the truth,” Brax said.
Jamie shook her head. “Only part of it. What’s the rest?”
“We don’t know.”
She gave him a shrewd look. “Also only part of the truth.”
He laughed. “Forget lying. Hell, Carter. God help you if you ever try to keep anything from her.”
Figuring she needed every advantage she could get, she didn’t tell them that she had to be focusing on getting the truth for her ability to work.
“It wasn’t just your talent that brought you to Stine’s attention,” Brax said, serious now. “It was your DNA. Kaden’s DNA, to be more accurate. We don’t think Stine had yours before he kidnapped you.”
She didn’t read any deception. “What’s so interesting about his or my DNA?”
“It’s not human. Neither of you is human.”
She heard nothing but veracity in his response, which was the only reason she didn’t laugh out loud. “That’s insane.”
“Funny, Carter said the same damned thing. But you’re the truth reader. It might sound like fantasy but it’s real.”
“The rest of you?” she asked. She wondered about the others in the house and the people that she’d glimpsed moving around outside.
“Most of us here are the same as you.”
“What is that precisely?” Her mind was reeling and she was already seeing patterns, but they weren’t clear yet.
“We call ourselves the Elect. Humans are our evolutionary ancestors. Cousins of a sort.”
That actually kind of made sense. It wasn’t like evolution would cease with the rise of Homo sapiens, right?
“You said here. You mean in Tampa?”
“There are a handful who live in the city, but most of us are in the compound.”
Interesting. She’d have to ask more about that later.
“Go on,” she said. “Tell me about Stirling.”
“The Institution was founded by three scientists,” Brax said. “Stine, Orly and Lingstrom. Their grandsons run the Institute now. Anyway, in the fifties they were in charge of a secret military project researching parapsychology. When the project was mothballed, the subjects scattered or banded together here under my grandfather’s leadership. The Stirling scientists formed their institute to continue their research and later branched into genetics research.”
“They found you and Kaden because one of his doctors had his DNA tested. We think they faked your death to get complete access to you and Kaden. They didn’t know about me,” Carter finished.
The energy rushed from her body and her knees went weak. The world tilted. Carter caught her as she stumbled. She’d felt secure a few minutes ago, but hearing that Stine wanted her son too changed everything. She’d go to any lengths necessary to protect him.
“You’re sure he’s safe here?” she whispered.
“He is.”
“I want to see for myself.”
He nodded. “I figured you would, but you need to get some rest first. You’re a long way from recovered.”
“No, now.” Carter got the same obstinate look she’d seen so often on her son’s face. For a minute it silenced her. Then she shook her head. “I won’t rest until I see for myself.”
“We gotta work on this trust issue of yours, sweetheart.”
She turned to make the demand of Brax, who sighed when Esme elbowed him. “Stubborn women,” he muttered. “You better show her Mason and Gabe’s setup.”
The look Carter gave him made it clear they’d have words later. Jamie didn’t care. She’d love to crawl back in the big, soft bed and sleep for a week, but she couldn’t do that until she knew Kaden was safe. Everyone filed out of the suite, Carter and Jamie bringing up the rear. They walked down a hall and a wide, curving staircase to the first floor. If she weren’t so wound up, she would have looked around in awe. She’d figured it was a mansion, but it felt more like an exclusive hotel.
Carter steered her to one of the many open doors she saw, but she wasn’t prepared for what was inside the room. It looked like the nerve center for a major war. There was an entire wall of TV screens, and computer stations were placed everywhere. He led her to the wall, gesturing to the top row.
“The gates,” he said.
She began to relax. They were high, heavy and locked. She saw the small box that contained the keypad for access. He pointed out other screens outside the estate recording the roads that led to the entrances. There were more cameras on the outside and inside of the house and the other properties inside the estate.
“My God,” she murmured. “Must have cost a fortune.”
“No doubt,” Carter responded. “Satisfied?”
For now. Later she’d want to look around. “Yeah.”
“Good. You’re going back to bed.”
Before she could protest he swung her up in his arms and hurried out. Moments later he had her back in his bedroom. He set her on her feet, and she took one step toward the bed, then reconsidered.
“Um. Maybe I should stay in Kaden’s room,” she suggested. Nerves tightened her chest when he glared down at her.
“No. You belong in here. With me.”
What the hell? Sure, she felt the same intense attraction she’d always felt for him, but he’d disappeared from her life without a fight. It had been seven long years. Did he think they would just pick up where they’d left off? That wasn’t possible—though it was tempting.
“I think that would be a bad idea.”
“Do you?” He gave her a smile that was one part sexy and one part mean. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in seven years. I know last night was the first full night’s sleep I’ve had in seven years. No nightmares I can’t get out of my head of you in some other man’s arms. For the first time, I know exactly where you are, and I’ll be damned if I let you walk away from me again. So get used to it, sweetheart. You’re here, and here you’ll stay.”
With that he turned and stalked out, slamming the door behind him. She could only stare at the air he still seemed to fill. She hadn’t been using her skill at reading the truth, but she knew she’d heard it and she was confused. And hurt and pissed the hell off. She wanted to charge after him. Wanted to know, if he’d felt that strongly about her, why he hadn’t searched for her? She wanted to ask, but she was so damned tired and everything hurt. She decided to wait until she was stronger. She took her new clothes off, put his T-shirt back on and buried herself under the covers.
Chapter Two
Carter was afraid his fury would consume him, but it faded away as soon as he saw Kaden running to him. He scooped the boy up in his arms, to Kaden’s delighted laughter, and spun around.
“Dad,” Kaden said, still giggling. “This is a baby game.”
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Carter winked, burying the regret he felt over not having been there when Kaden was a baby. Hiding his other regrets too. He shouldn’t have let Jamie go, and he shouldn’t have snapped at her like he had upstairs.
Kaden wiggled until Carter set him down. His son grinned up at him. “I met Grandma. She said when she’s feeling better we’ll make cookies.”
“She did, huh?” he asked as Esme stepped out of Zach’s lab. “Have you talked to her yet?” he asked his sister.
She nodded. “She couldn’t give us much. Stine had her for years, but apparently he thought she wasn’t useful, so he kept her pretty drugged up,” Esme answered telepathically.
He felt the anger rising in his blood again. He’d blamed his mother, Merilee Durand, for a lot of things that turned out weren’t her fault or under her control. He should have been a better son. A more sympathetic man. A better mate and father. He felt like a failure all the way a
round.
Esme frowned at him. “Don’t do that.” She held her hand out to Kaden. “I’m taking Grandma lunch. Want to help?”
Kaden bounced on his heels. “Yes!”
A few minutes later Carter followed his son and sister into the suite assigned to his mother. He carried a tray Esme had loaded with soup, sandwiches and drinks and set it on the coffee table before looking for his mother. She was wearing the jeans and T-shirt Esme had bought her the day before and was sitting at the big bay window.
She turned when they entered. Her smile was wistful, her eyes widening as she saw him.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Carter. All grown up and so very handsome.”
“It’s good to see you,” he said with a lump in his throat. “How are you feeling?”
Her smile blossomed, and she moved to the sofa to take the bowl of soup Esme handed her. “Wonderful. It’s so quiet here.”
He knew she wasn’t talking about the noise level. She meant the voices in her head—the thoughts of other people that had plagued her her whole life and that had been used to label her schizophrenic and institutionalize her. It was quiet here because all the members of the Elect were taught to shield their minds.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I should have believed in you.”
“You couldn’t know, and I have a second chance. I don’t want to ruin it with regrets.”
She gave him a shrewd look, and he checked to make sure there were no cracks in his shields. Blinked back the moisture in his eyes. She had enough to deal with. She didn’t need his guilt piled on top of her.
“Esme and the others have been explaining things to me. I remembered someone when you walked in.”
“Who, Mom?”
“I don’t recall his name. He wore street clothes but walked like you.”
“You think he was military?”
She nodded. “Or used to be.” She frowned. “I wish I could remember his name.”
Esme patted her hand. “Don’t worry. It’ll come to you.”
“I’m sure it will,” Merilee said, then shuddered.
Carter joined her, trying to control the tide of emotion rising in him as she leaned against his side and tilted her head back to smile at him. He could see the shadows in her eyes—sensed her pushing back the memories and was so damned grateful they’d found her in time.
“Tell me what y’all have been doing,” Merilee said as Kaden quietly snuggled up at her other side and closed his eyes. She wrapped her arm around him, and Carter tried to ignore the lump in his throat as he watched his young son truly relax. Kaden was much better since he’d been under Esme and Zach’s care, but like his mother, he was still recovering. “Tell me everything.”
He and Esme exchanged a look before bursting out laughing.
“Why is that funny?” Merilee asked, brows drawn together. An expression crossed her face he hadn’t realized he’d missed. One part exasperation, one part mirth. “What kind of trouble have you two been up to?”
“Nothing too bad, Mom,” Esme said. Carter was amused as his sister skipped describing her wild teenage years and went straight into the parentally approved stuff. “We both finished college early. I went on the med school and Carter went in the Army.”
Merilee arched an eyebrow—another look he remembered. “You’ve left out fiancés, grandsons, the woman who better be my future daughter-in-law, and how you knew where to find us,” she said with a hint of severity—a tone he used to interpret as don’t you dare try to lie to your mother. Come to think of it, it would probably be a good idea to continue to interpret it that way. And how the hell did he answer her? Some things just didn’t need to be shared.
“I’m working on Jamie. We haven’t seen each other in a few years,” he said, refusing to wince at the disapproving look she gave him and unwilling to explain why it had been so long with Kaden right there. The boy knew Carter hadn’t known about him, but Carter didn’t want him to hear all the details or come to blame Jamie for keeping the secret.
“She’ll come around, Mom,” he continued. “We both made some mistakes, but it’s nothing we can’t fix.” No matter what had happened in the past, he was determined to make Jamie a permanent part of his life.
His mother held his gaze a long time before finally nodding, turning her face to smother a yawn. He’d give her a little time before insisting she go back to bed.
“And you, Esme? How did you find Brax?”
“He found me actually,” Esme said, her tone light and amused. Carter couldn’t help but smile at the joy in her eyes. “I was trying to figure out why Kaden kept getting sick, and sent his DNA to Zach.”
“The rude doctor,” Merilee said, and Esme laughed.
“That’s the one. Brax came to see me instead, brought me back here and brought Carter and Kaden in.”
“Where you discovered we’re not human,” his mother said softly.
“You’re accepting that much easier than I did, Mom,” Carter said. He’d refused to believe it at first, but she didn’t seem at all surprised.
She shrugged. “I always knew we were different. I mean more than just the telepathy. You were both always stronger, faster. You almost never got sick and recovered very fast. And so damned smart I used to wonder how I’d keep up.” She ended sounding more amused than irritated.
Esme used the opportunity to change the subject and tell their mother more about the Elect while Carter sat back to watch, feeling more relaxed and at peace than he could remember having been in years. Merilee seemed genuinely happy and sane. Perhaps she was right and regrets were pointless. He’d like to believe that. After her second smothered yawn, he made everyone leave. She returned to her bed reluctantly but gave him a brilliant smile when he promised to bring Jamie and Kaden back for a private family dinner.
When he left, Carter wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Kaden ran off to play with his friends, Merilee and Jamie were sleeping, and he was going out of his mind. He hovered in the security office, searching the Stirling personnel records they’d hacked, but didn’t find anything new.
He finally gave up trying to distract himself and returned to his suite. Jamie was asleep, breathing deep and even. There were still shadows under her eyes and bruises all over her body, but already she looked better. The Elect healed fast. She wasn’t so wan, and each breath drew his shirt tight across her chest, outlining hard nipples that made his mouth water. He cursed himself. The last thing she needed right now—and the one thing he wanted most—was his cock buried in her to his balls.
He should leave—just get the hell out of the house for a few hours—but his feet didn’t follow his command. He moved closer, toed off his shoes and socks, ripped off his shirt and shucked off his jeans. Then he climbed into the bed and spooned up behind her. He wouldn’t take her when she woke—she wasn’t ready yet—but he could at least keep her in the protective shelter of his arms.
Jamie couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well. She woke sore but refreshed, without the fatigue that had hounded her so long. Everything that had happened rushed back to her mind. Abduction and torture, rescue and reunions. Not human. And none of it mattered because she was in Carter’s arms.
Those arms tightened around her middle. “You’re awake,” he murmured, pressing a kiss against her nape, then leaving a trail of fire in its wake as his lips moved up.
“Yes.” She gasped because his teeth scraped a tender spot. Then she groaned when his hands slid up her torso to cup her breasts.
“Tell me to stop, sweetheart. God help me, I don’t think I can do it on my own.”
Why on earth would she want to stop him when it felt so damned good?
This time he groaned, and she knew he’d read her thoughts again. “Because you’re still recovering from repeated beatings. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She maneuvered to her back so she could stare up at him. She reached up to place her hand on his nape and slowly tugged him down. “Then b
e gentle,” she whispered.
“I don’t know if I can.” She felt the fine tremor in the body hovering so close to hers. “I’ve wanted you for so long. Been hungry for so long.”
She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Throwing caution to the wind, she lifted her head to kiss him. It was soft at first, hesitant when he didn’t immediately accept her offer, but she was determined and tried again. With a soft groan of capitulation, he opened his mouth and took over the kiss. Sensation, desire, swept over her. She whimpered a protest when he broke away but bit it off as he shoved up her shirt and started kissing his way down her body.
Her nipples were tight little points by the time he reached them. He pinched one between his fingers and lowered his mouth to the other. He held her gaze as he blew a hot breath over her, then licked her so briefly it was pure torture.
“Carter, more,” she begged.
He didn’t give her what she wanted. Didn’t suck her into his mouth and relieve the ache in her nipples. She held her breath as he kept moving down. Her clit throbbed, and she could feel her juices slipping out to coat her thighs. He knelt between her parted legs, put his hands under her knees and spread her wide. She strangled her cry, unsure if the sound threatening to escape would be pleading or demanding. She wanted his mouth on her. Now. Wanted the pleasure—the excruciating orgasm only he could give her.
He chuckled. “In a hurry, sweetheart?” He moved one hand and spread the folds of her sex.
“Answer me,” he ordered when she couldn’t find her voice. “Or I’ll stop right here.”
Oh, she remembered this dominant, commanding lover. She’d missed him.
But two could play his game.
“I need more. It’s been so long. I can’t even get myself off with a vibrator most times. I dream of your tongue on me. Your cock fucking me.”
He growled, but it was a sexy, exhilarating sound. “Ask and you shall receive,” he said seconds before sucking her clit between his teeth.
Her mind splintered with pleasure. It washed over her, wave after wave, but it wasn’t enough. Nowhere close to enough. She wanted all of him, hard and thrusting inside her, but she was leery, too. She felt something building between them, something that would be only more intense with penetration. Her worry was shoved away by lust when he rose over her. His erection nudged at her entrance and all she cared about was his possession.
Warrior: The Elect, Book 3 Page 2