Guardian

by Loribelle Hunt

  “How’s the arm?”

  “Good. Ready to take the stitches out?”

  Mallory shook her head. “Let’s give it a couple more days.”

  It wasn’t a serious injury. The bullet was small caliber and had barely grazed her. Mallory had put in three stitches, and as Esme showed her the wound, she was pleased to see it was healing nicely with no signs of infection. She pulled a file folder from her satchel and flipped it open, handing over the typed-up witness statement Esme had dictated over the phone to her.

  “Short and sweet,” she said, turning to meet Brax’s worried gaze. “The fire was caused by a gas leak. What my report won’t mention is the line was too cleanly cut to have been an accident.”

  The air in the room went frigidly cold and Mallory was reminded just how powerful Brax was. She rubbed her arms and after a few seconds her chills went away, but it wasn’t Brax’s powers that had warmed her. She spared a scowl over her shoulder for Zach, who just shrugged, before turning back to Brax.

  “And the murder investigation?”

  “Stalled. It won’t be connected to this.”

  Esme had only come to the attention of the Elect a few days before. She’d been testing her nephew’s DNA for any clue to explain the boy’s recurring, undiagnosed illness and discovered that, like herself, he wasn’t human. She’d consulted Zach, another expert in genetics, which led Brax to her lab just in time to save her from a kidnapping attempt. A few hours later, Esme’s half brother, Carter Owens, and his son Kaden joined her inside the Elect compound. A damn good thing, since the next day Esme’s house was set on fire and Kaden’s old doctor killed.

  The big question was—why? Brax believed someone had discovered the existence of the Elect because of Kaden. Until a few months ago, Carter and Esme hadn’t even known of his existence. Then his mother, Jamie Wade, died during surgery and Carter was contacted. After he discovered his son had been sick much more than a normal six-year-old, he’d taken him to a new physician and asked Esme to check for genetic diseases.

  She’d been destroying her results the night Brax found her. During the scuffle, her would-be assailant dropped a business card for a private mental hospital called the Stirling Institute. Brax suspected someone at the Institute was involved. A theory bolstered by Kaden, who was precognitive, when he’d seen a photo of the building while the adults were researching it. Kaden had insisted that not only was his mother there, but so was Esme’s and Carter’s.

  “I talked to my friend at Stirling,” Mallory said. “He says they’re wonderful to work for if you know how to keep your mouth shut. The salary and benefits are great. They actually pay for six months of maternity leave, and they pay for their staff to advance their certifications.” And here was where it got a little tricky. “But they’re secretive. Everyone signs a nondisclosure agreement.”

  “We need to find a way in,” Mason said.

  He was Brax’s security chief. At his side stood a man she hadn’t met before but knew was Carter Owens. He was a former Special Forces soldier and looked just as she imagined such a man should, cold and hard. His gaze gleamed with intelligence. Another Elect male out to protect the species and their women. She almost rolled her eyes. That was just what they needed. More of them. But she was getting off track.

  “I pick up enough hours every year to keep my nursing license current,” she told Brax. “Usually I volunteer at a free clinic, but it turns out Stirling has a short-term, part-time position available. My friend pulled some strings and they’ve already offered it to me.”

  “Absolutely not,” Zach snapped, and this time she did roll her eyes. “You think they won’t run a check on your name? They’re after Esme. She’s with Brax. I’m in charge of research and development for his company. It won’t be hard to figure out you’re connected, Mallory.”

  She ignored him and focused on Brax. “I used my maiden name and I have the documentation to support it. You aren’t going to be able to get anyone else in there, Brax.”

  “She has a point, Zach,” Brax said, but his reluctance was clear. “This is too important. We need to find out if they know about us, and if so, how big a threat they are. And if there’s a possibility Jamie and Merilee are alive and being held there, we have to find a way to get them out. We need someone inside for that.”

  “You wouldn’t allow Esme to do it.” Zach’s voice had gone back to cold and unaffected.

  “Whoa,” the woman in question countered. “Brax doesn’t allow or not allow me to do anything.”

  She switched her glare from Zach to Brax, who just sighed. Zach wisely kept his mouth shut.

  “It’s the easiest and fastest way in,” Mallory reminded them.

  “She’s right,” Mason said, and she gave him a smile of thanks. “When do you start?”

  “Tomorrow morning. They don’t have a problem working around my regular schedule.”

  Brax nodded, but she could see how unhappy he was about it. Elect males tended to go crazy protecting their females and as the president of the committee that ruled them, Brax considered it his job to protect all the females, not just family.

  “You aren’t going in cold, though.”

  “It can’t be something they’d suspect. Everything that goes into or out of the building gets searched. No cell phones or cameras are allowed inside.”

  “I’ve got that covered,” Gabe chimed in, grinning. She wondered what kind of gadget she was going to get stuck with. He turned to Brax. “Are we done here?”

  “You check in before you enter and as soon as you leave,” Brax ordered her. “Mason will keep a team close by in case something goes wrong.”

  She nodded. “Fine.”

  Gabe motioned her to join him and she followed him down the hall to the security office. It was a long space with one end set up as a lab. It looked like the kind of place a mad scientist would work. She’d always loved to hang out with him. He had the coolest gadgets.

  He dug in one of the small drawers and pulled out a cross on a short gold chain, handing it to her. A diamond was mounted in the center. It wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

  “We’ll be able to see and hear everything you do. Unfortunately, you won’t hear us.”

  He looked over her head, and she turned to see Zach entering. When he reached them, he looked over the necklace and nodded once in approval. “The GPS tags?”

  “Ready when you are.”

  “We’ll do it in my lab.”

  “What are you talking about?” And why was she really sure she wouldn’t like it?

  Gabe picked up a small white envelope and opened it so she could see the tiny hermetically sealed chip. “Subdermal GPS.” He grinned and she could tell how impressed he was with himself.

  “Oh, no. No way.”

  The smile Zach gave her was anything but friendly. “Do your father and brothers know what you’re up to?”

  She pressed her lips together. Hell, no. They’d have a fit and probably try to lock her in the attic.

  “You get the tracker.” He took the envelope from Zach and wrapped his hand around her elbow to steer her from the room. “Or I can make a phone call. If I can’t make you listen to sense and give this up, maybe one of them can.”

  He thought he’d maneuvered her pretty well, and he had, truth be told.

  “As soon as this is over, it comes out.”

  “No problem, baby.”

  They walked into his lab and stopped at an exam table. She hopped up on the edge. “Where does it go?”

  Mason and Gabe joined them.

  “Normally, we’d put them in the upper arm,” Mason said, shaking his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea under these circumstances. We want it someplace it definitely won’t be seen.”

  “The back of her hip. Or a bit lower,” Zach said.

  She glared at Zach. “You mean my ass.”

  “Don’t worry, baby. It won’t hurt. Much.” She knew the innuendo was intentional by the gleam in his ey
es. She rolled hers and shooed the others away.

  “You are not staying for this.” She pointed at the door when they didn’t budge, but one glare from Zach and they were gone. Zach closed and locked the door behind him. He was all business when he faced her again.

  “You can leave the pants on, but you’re going to have to work them down some and lie on your stomach.”

  She didn’t budge.

  “Tracker, or I will call your father, Mallory.”

  “God, you’re an asshole,” she muttered, unsnapping her pants and laying down flat on the table. She turned enough to glare over her shoulder. “This is not helping your little campaign to get me back.”

  “What campaign?”

  “Give me a little credit, would you? I’ve known you my whole life. I know when you’re up to something.”

  “And you do love surprises, don’t you, baby?” he murmured.

  She turned back to stare at the wall, trying to dredge up anger but only managing anticipation. She loved surprises and he knew it. How was that fair?

  He didn’t say anything more and she grew nervous waiting for him to move, bracing for the feel of his hands on her skin. Part of her craved it, thought she’d die without it, but the other part dreaded it. She knew how hard he’d be to resist once he touched her. His caress was soft, then cool as the scent of alcohol filled her nostrils and she felt the prick of a needle.

  “To deaden the area,” he said gruffly. “Ready?”

  “Go ahead.” But poking her with a needle wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Oh, this was bad. If she couldn’t control her hormones, how the hell did she expect to keep any emotional distance?

  He moved to prepare his supplies while the injection took effect and in no time at all, it was over. She could feel the tiny bump under her skin and knew it would be tender once the local wore off. He handed her a packet of pills.

  “Antibiotics and pain pills for the night. It should be fine in the morning.”

  She nodded, but she was already righting her pants. She needed to get out. Just to get some space from him. But when she reached the door, he stopped her.

  “Oh, no. As long as you’re working at Stirling, someone is staying with you.”

  The man had lost his ever-lovin’ mind.

  “There’s no reason for that. I’m going back to my house. Mason will no doubt have someone watching it by now, with orders to follow me wherever I go.”

  Shrugging, he opened a cabinet door and pulled out a small duffle bag. “And you’ll have a guard inside the house too.”

  “Not you,” she snapped.

  “You seem to think this is negotiable, Mallory.” His smile was cold. “It isn’t.”

  She could almost hear the threat. She either cooperated with him or he’d call her father and brothers, who would try to smother her with good intentions. No way in hell.

  “You’re sleeping on the couch.”

  “Whatever you say, baby. I’ll follow in my car.”

  She gritted her teeth against another protest and stalked out of the house.

  Chapter Three

  They’d been at Mallory’s house for almost an hour and he could still feel her anger lashing over his skin. He welcomed the pain. He knew he’d earned it and it was better than being separated. He just wished it wasn’t silent. Let her bitch or yell or even cry. Hell, he just wanted her to talk instead of ignore him. That obviously wasn’t working.

  A simple plan took shape in his mind. If he wanted her back—and he did—he’d have to seduce her. Though that wasn’t quite as simple as it seemed. She wasn’t the girl he’d met when they were kids. Wasn’t the young innocent he’d claimed and married. She had a hard edge now. She probably needed it for the work she did, but he wanted her to soften with him at least.

  He watched her pace the living room as the sun began to set and glanced at his watch. He’d love to take her out someplace for dinner, but even if she’d agree, it wasn’t possible until the Elect figured out what the Stirling Institute wanted from them and put a stop to it. He left her to pace and went to search her kitchen, surprised to find it well stocked.

  “What are you doing?” Mallory asked.

  She didn’t look quite as unfriendly when she looked around to see what he’d piled onto the counter. Eggs, chopped ham and peppers and cheese. One side of her mouth curled up and she shook her head as she stepped past him to pull a pitcher of tea from the fridge.

  “Breakfast for dinner. I guess some things never change.”

  He had omelets cooking on the stove in no time and watched from the corner of his eye while she got plates and utensils. He slid the first omelet onto a plate, then the second, and followed her to the table.

  “I can cook a few other things now. I had to learn,” he reminded her.

  “I suppose you did.”

  Her tone was so even it put his guard up. He’d given her as much space as he could stand, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t kept up with her life. She’d grown into a woman used to going her own way and going it alone. With a snarky attitude that drove her family crazy, but he found amusing when it wasn’t directed at him. Hell, sometimes he even liked it then. He changed the subject, asking a question he’d avoided during their previous conversations, afraid it would just lead to an argument.

  “So why arson investigator? You could have stayed in nursing.”

  Or joined the police department, he thought, but he didn’t dare say it. He didn’t want to give her more ideas on how to turn his hair gray.

  “You want to talk now, Zach?” she scoffed. “Little late for that, isn’t it?”

  “We can’t start over. I know that’s impossible, Mallory,” he said softly. “But can’t we at least start new?”

  He let the silence stretch while they finished eating. With no conversation, it didn’t take long, and he turned sideways in his chair as she picked up her plate and carried it to the sink to rinse off. She bent to put the dishes in the washer and he tried to ignore how the pants hugged her ass. When she straightened she grimaced and he realized her recent incision must be hurting. He was at her side in a second. She froze as soon as he set his hand on her hip.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “Don’t touch me,” she ordered in a harsh whisper and pulled free, placing herself across the room.

  Her reaction made him hopeful. The emotions she felt shone unmistakably in her eyes and her scent. She craved him. She’d missed his touch. But she was wary as hell. He finished the dishes with his back turned to her. It grew so silent he’d thought she left, but she was still watching when he closed the dishwasher and turned to follow her. Her head was cocked to one side, lower lip tucked between her teeth. She was so fucking sexy she made his balls ache.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Just trying to figure out what game you’re playing here.”

  That was what she thought? That he was just toying with her? He was Elect. His mental abilities were run of the mill for his kind. Telepathy and empathy. But the connection he’d always shared with Mallory was deeper, more resilient than he’d have believed possible three years ago. It had been agony living without her. How many times had he had to stop himself from picking up the phone and calling her when he was late in the lab mulling over a new problem? How many times had he woken, surprised and shattered, to find her side of the bed empty?

  “I am not playing games with you, baby.”

  He waited a moment to see if the words would sink in. To see if she believed him. Her expression smoothed to indifference but her emotions remained unsettled and confused. He could have a look in her mind, figure out what her objections to getting back together really were, but it was an invasion he wouldn’t force on his mate.

  She huffed. “Right. What’s with the new determination? You didn’t want me back so much the last three years. Or only on your terms, at least. You know that’s not gonna happen.”

  “No. I’ve wanted you back the whole time.” He took a shaky breath
. “And I’m willing to compromise.”

  “What the fuck is different now?”

  Surprised at the profanity from his once-sweet, innocent wife, he almost missed the question. He stalked forward, caging her against the wall with his arms and thighs.

  “You came into my territory, baby. You woke up the part of me that won’t be denied his mate any longer.”

  Scowling, she shook her head. “I was doing my job. Helping Brax out. I didn’t come out there to restart something with you. And I believe you’ll compromise when Hell freezes over, Zach,” she ended so sweetly sarcasm should have been dripping from her pores.

  It didn’t put him off in the least, though. It was a challenge, a tossed gauntlet. One he was more than ready to take up. He let her shove him away and considered how to proceed as she walked down the hall. She returned moments later with a sheet, blanket and pillow.

  “I have some paperwork to finish up. The couch in the living room is yours.”

  She disappeared up the stairs. He wanted to follow but figured he’d pushed her enough for the day. Besides, he’d blurted out the compromise thing and he needed to figure out how he was going to deal with it. The chances of getting her to quit her job were probably nil, but if he could win her back he was certain he could convince her to move back in with him.

  The house might prove to be a lure. When they’d split, they’d been living in a suite in Brax’s house. The house Zach had had designed for them was long since complete, however. He doubted she’d seen it. He didn’t spend a lot of time in it himself. When he did, it was too easy to imagine her there, her absence too painful.

  He raised his eyes to the ceiling and wondered what she was doing up there. Wished there were some magic words he could say to make everything better and cursed himself for a fool. Winning her back wouldn’t be easy. He was honest enough to admit it shouldn’t be. And for today, he’d done what he could. He found the television remote and settled on the couch, figuring he was in for a long, uncomfortable night.