Guardian

by Loribelle Hunt

  “Those are natural instincts for us. It’s part of what we are,” Zach felt obliged to point out.

  Brax made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “It’s a dilemma, I know. But whether you like it or not, she’s a modern woman. She’s learned to be independent, and she likes it. Try to take that away from her, let that rage and fear get the best of you and you really will lose her. You won’t be able to apologize enough, you won’t be able to make up for it.”

  This was a side of Brax he’d never seen before and he wasn’t sure he liked it. “You been watching Dr. Phil again?”

  He laughed. “Let’s just say I’m learning the hard way.”

  “Esme.” The woman Brax had recently mated with was no pushover.

  “Esme,” Brax agreed with a smile Zach didn’t even want to try to interpret. But he sure would like to have what he saw between the two when they were together.

  He heard a car door slam outside and took a deep breath, vowing to stay calm, to stay contained.

  “Ready?” Brax asked.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  He stepped into the foyer at the same time Mallory walked through the front door. She looked pale but otherwise fine. He didn’t hurry to her, though he saw the expectation in her eyes. After a moment she tilted her head to one side and frowned. He thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes, but surely he was imagining that.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, finally stepping forward. Slowly. Cautiously. He felt a spike of fear on the bond between them, but knew it wasn’t him that scared her.

  “I’m fine. Really.”

  She said the right words, but he was connected to her and he knew it was a lie. He held his arms open and she walked into them. “You’re safe now,” he whispered.

  “Don’t get used to this,” she whispered back. “I won’t hide inside this compound forever. I won’t let you smother me with protection.”

  He didn’t voice his first thought—why the hell not? “I know. But you can stay with me tonight, at least. Let me hover and be overprotective for a little while, baby.” He had no idea what she heard in his voice, what she felt from his mind, but he knew for sure she was only letting him have his way temporarily.

  “Just tonight, Zach.”

  He heard the uncertainty in her voice, and it broke something in him. Those bastards had shattered her confidence in herself. He could destroy them for that alone. If he knew who they were. Slowly, he let her go and looked down at her, brushing her hair from her face.

  “Why don’t you go to the house and take a hot bath? I’ll bring you dinner.”

  She gave him a suspicious look. “You’re not thinking of cutting me out of the loop here, are you, Zach?”

  “No, baby.” He sighed. “I’ll tell you everything, but I need to take care of you first.”

  She looked at the other men gathered in the foyer—Brax, Mason, Carter and her brother, Brad. They looked as determined as he felt. “Y’all never change.”

  “Hey, I’m trying.”

  She smiled. “Yes. You are trying.”

  He heard the subtext. Trying her patience. Laughing, he nudged her towards the door. “Go. I know you think I can’t be redeemed.”

  He waited until she left, her brother nodding and following her out. He knew Brad would see her home. “I want these assholes.”

  “We all do,” Brax said grimly with a glance at Mason and Carter. “I think they have a plan.”

  “Good. Fill me in while I make her a plate.”

  They followed him into the kitchen and he rummaged in the fridge for sandwich makings.

  “Mallory already verified the women we’re looking for are there, and we have the keycard. She seems to think we need to move quickly,” Mason said.

  “Agreed,” Zach replied.

  “How much time do we have?” he asked Zach. “When is she supposed to go back?”

  “I’ll verify with her, but I think not until this weekend. Five days.”

  “That’s good. We can work with that,” Carter said. “We need at least that for a workable plan.”

  “And what is the plan?” Zach asked.

  “We’re gonna hijack a truck. Then Gabe is gonna hijack their security,” Mason said smugly as the other man joined them.

  “I thought you said you couldn’t get into their system.”

  “Not from here. But if I’m inside? Piece of cake.” Gabe held up the copied keycard he’d made.

  “Do I want to know how you think you can pull this off?”

  Mason shook his head, but there was something in his expression that made Zach uneasy. “What?”

  “A lot to work out still,” Mason said. “Give us a day or two to come up with the details.”

  “Fine, but I want Mallory out,” he said.

  He knew by the look Brax and Mason exchanged that wasn’t likely. Brax shrugged and Zach resisted the urge to punch him. “If she wants out, but we’ll probably need her at least one more day.”

  Zach didn’t respond. They knew how pissed the idea made him. He shoved a stack of sandwiches in a bag and grabbed a couple of Coke cans. He needed to get to Mallory. He had to see she was safe and try to talk her out of this insanity, though he feared even with her recent scare it was a lost cause.

  Nodding to his so-called friends, he backed out the door. “Fill me in later.”

  Now it was time to comfort his woman.

  Chapter Eight

  Brad was with her every step of the way, so she didn’t rush to the house, but once there she waved him away and locked the door. Alone, she leaned back against it. That was when the shakes started.

  Adrenalin, she told herself. Just a delayed reaction to fear and excitement. A hot shower would help, Zach was right about that, but no bath. She was afraid if she got in the big tub she’d never want to get out. She felt like an old woman, tired and drained and all used up, as she made her way through the living room, then the upstairs to the master bedroom.

  Zach hadn’t changed anything from her plans for the house, and as near as she could tell, everything she’d left at the old place had been moved here. She approached the closet with trepidation. After her hospitalization, her brothers had brought a few of her things. She’d never mentioned what was missing. Makeup, perfume, books. Clothes. The things Zach had always liked to see her wear.

  She’d spent a few days in this house. Resisting Zach and the change she sensed in him. Living out of her suitcase. Which would be a problem unless the laundry fairy had come while she was at work, and she was pretty sure that hadn’t happened. She had a gym bag in the trunk of her car and considered going to search for it, then decided that was probably a waste of time and energy. She’d bet the contents of her retirement fund that somewhere in this house were several boxes of her things.

  They weren’t hard to find. There were two closets in the master bedroom. She knew which was Zach’s because he never shut the door all the way. She opened the other. The boxes were stacked against the back wall. The first she opened contained what she was looking for. She ignored the dresses and found a pair of soft purple lounging pants and a matching tee to wear with it.

  In the bathroom she set the knobs to hot in the walk-in shower, ignoring the big soaking tub, and stripped off her scrubs. She only stayed under the spray long enough to wash and warm up.

  She found Zach waiting for her in the living area after she got out, dried and dressed. The look he swept over her was pleased and scorching hot, and her body responded against her will. He couldn’t miss the way her nipples hardened. He’d scent her sudden arousal too. But he didn’t say a word about them.

  “I brought sandwiches. You should eat something, baby.”

  An hour ago the thought of food would have made her stomach roil, but now she found she was starving. She sat on the sofa in front of him and reached for one.

  “What’s going on?”

  He snorted. “I’m not sure. They said something about hijacking a truck. Ge
tting Jamie and Merilee out. Breaking into the computers at Stirling.”

  She interrupted when he started talking about hacking into files. “How does Gabe think he’s going to pull that off?”

  Zach reached for a sandwich and shrugged one shoulder. “I have no idea. You know Gabe, though. If anyone can do it, he can. He seems to think that card he cloned will help.”

  “I guess.” But she wasn’t so sure. Stirling was serious to the point of paranoia about security.

  “You can’t go back there, Mallory,” he said softly, seriously. “And you need to take leave from the fire department too. It’s harder to protect you outside the compound and right now Brax needs those resources focusing on Stirling.”

  So he thought he could just ease into taking over her life?

  “I won’t quit my job.”

  “I know. I’m not asking you to.” He reached over and squeezed her hand when she would have protested. “Two weeks, baby. How long has it been since you took time off?”

  Judging by his expression, he knew she never had. Oh, she took a few days off from the department, but she used them to volunteer at the free clinic. She’d never taken that length of time for herself. Never even thought about it. She didn’t have any burning desire to go anywhere and she couldn’t face a week of silence in her condo. Two would be hell.

  “And you need to stay inside the compound while we figure this out.”

  That ignited her temper as nothing else had. She jerked her hand away. “Think you’ve maneuvered me pretty well here, don’t you?” She stood. “My parents are gone right now. I’ll stay at their house.” It was a ridiculous suggestion, and she knew it. She’d been staying with him, but that was temporary, damn it. What he wanted… He wanted her to surrender and she refused to do it. Not on his terms.

  “We’d be more comfortable here. In our own space. But if you insist, fine. We’ll stay at your parents’,” he said calmly. Like he wasn’t trying to totally disrupt her world.

  Hell no. She shook her head. “One of my brothers can stay with me. Not that I need a babysitter,” she said scornfully.

  “They have their own lives. Their own duties.”

  Oh, he was pushing his luck. “I’m a duty now?” she asked sweetly.

  A look of confusion crossed his face. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You implied it,” she snapped, and then cocked her head to one side and studied him. “Is that what I am, Zach? This sudden new interest of yours? A duty you haven’t been fulfilling?”

  The idea hurt worse than she’d expected. Glaring, he stood and stalked towards her. He grabbed her shoulders when she went to whirl away, forcing her to look up at him. “That has got to be the most insulting thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “Really?” She didn’t struggle, didn’t move an inch. “I’m sure I’ll do better next time.”

  The look that crossed his face was one part amusement, one part fury. “You plan to make a habit of insulting me?”

  “Why not? There’s a certain satisfaction in it.”

  His face lowered towards hers and she couldn’t make herself dodge him even if he hadn’t been holding her still. His lips brushed over her cheeks, her lowered eyelids. “You’ll have to stick around for that,” he whispered seconds before his mouth closed over hers.

  And she was so screwed. She couldn’t stand to be separated from him again, but she also refused to give up the woman she’d become. He’d mentioned compromise days ago, but he was already back to his old ways, trying to get her to move inside the compound and quit her job. She could fight him, but it was exhausting. He was so…much. His personality was so overwhelming. Demanding. Would he be able to help himself? The sex was awesome, though. Couldn’t it just be about that? He broke the kiss and stared down at her.

  “What’s wrong? I feel your pain, baby.”

  “It’s nothing.” She tried to tug him back down to meet her lips. Not only did he resist, he let her go and stepped away. Frustration burned in her stomach.

  “I know when you’re lying to me.” He took her hand, lacing their fingers together. Damn it. Of course he did. And right now she didn’t know what she wanted much less what she needed. She wrenched free from his grip. She needed to think.

  “I’m going on a run. I’ll stay in the compound,” she added snidely.

  He didn’t protest when she stalked out. She already had her running shoes on and stopped just long enough to pull her mp3 player out of her purse. She clipped it to her waist and stuck the buds in her ears. She didn’t count on him following, but he kept his distance so she didn’t bitch. Much. Or out loud. And then a perfect, evil thought occurred to her.

  Grinning, cranking up the volume on her mp3 player, she headed for the longest trail inside the fences. She wondered if he’d kept running after she left. He’d always hated it. She, however, loved to run and in the last few years she’d taken up marathons. For the first few miles, he kept up easily, but it wasn’t long before she heard him struggling.

  She slowed to a walk and veered off the path, heading towards the stream and little watering hole that was a hot make-out spot when she was a teenager. She supposed it still might be, so she hit mute on the mp3 player and paused outside the clearing, cocking her head to the side and listening. It was silent and empty, but not abandoned. In the years she’d been gone, someone had brought in a picnic table and a couple of lounge chairs. She stretched out on one, not looking at Zach when he took the other.

  “Feel better?” he asked drily.

  The hell of it was she didn’t.

  “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?” There was a hint of exasperation in his voice. She sighed.

  “Why are you doing this, Zach? Trying so hard to get me back?”

  He gave her a shrewd look. “I don’t think so. You know why I want you back, baby. I show you every night. What’s really wrong?”

  “Do I know why you want me back? I’m not so sure. Sex? That’s easy. You can get that anywhere.”

  “You can’t be serious. This is not about getting laid.”

  “Nice bonus, though, huh?” she asked sarcastically.

  He stood and paced. “Okay, wait. We’ll deal with that in a minute. That isn’t what upset you so much you tried to run me into the ground.”

  She shrugged, but kept a cautious eye on him. “I had a moment. Sue me.”

  “What do I have to do to get you to talk to me, damn it? You have to admit I’ve been trying.” He was angry and she was glad since it sparked her own ire.

  “For how long, Zach? How long are you going to try? When are you going to revert to true form?”

  She stood, ready to leave and find someplace she could be alone. He grabbed her hand before she could go. The look on his face was unbelieving and hurt. She almost softened, but she knew Elect males. Any sign of weakness and they took full advantage. She tried to tug free.

  “Oh no, baby. You aren’t going anywhere until you talk to me.”

  Whether she liked it or not, she did owe him an explanation of some sort, didn’t she?

  “So talk,” she countered, feeling belligerent now. “When does the reversion to the real Zach happen?”

  “You’re afraid.”

  “No, I’m not,” she scoffed. “I’m just pissed off in advance.”

  “You don’t think I’ve learned anything over the last three years?” He sounded…what was that? Careful? Curious? She wasn’t sure.

  She turned around to face him. Damn, the man didn’t have a right to look so good. Didn’t have the right to make her heart race and pussy clench. “I think you can’t help it. I think you are what you are. Elect.”

  His jaw clenched. “I can’t help what I am. You’ve always known that. Since we were kids, Mallory.” He stalked closer but he didn’t touch her. “It wasn’t a problem before.”

  “Of course it wasn’t,” she hissed. “Because I let you take over. I was so—” She cut that off. She was just making it worse, giving him ammuniti
on. Like he needed more. She was at the edge of the clearing when he spoke again.

  “Your parents mated young, didn’t they? Your mom is hell on wheels, but was she always like that? She was sixteen when she met your dad and she’s human. I think she grew into it.”

  “Unlike me.” She’d always wondered if that made her a tiny bit inferior in his mind.

  “Our son,” he said softly, “was Elect.”

  He didn’t understand how that cut.

  “But I’m not. A daughter…”

  “Don’t you dare.” He glared. She could practically see the steam from his ears. “Our child is our child, Elect or human. I don’t care about that.”

  “So why did you leave?” she asked, and even she could hear the confusion and misery in her voice. She felt small. Weak and alone.

  “Because I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t save you, or me, that pain. And…I didn’t know how to face you.” He paused. “I failed you and our baby. I have to live with that.”

  She was stunned. “Wow. You are a dumbass, aren’t you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You couldn’t have done anything, Zach. You know how this goes. Human mother. Elect father.” She shook her head. “Sometimes it comes together, like with my brothers and me, and sometimes it doesn’t. Is that really why you didn’t fight for us?”

  “You’re wrong. That’s my failure,” he said quietly. “I failed you. Our child.”

  “You think you could have stopped it?” She didn’t think so.

  “No.” He shook his head. “Intellectually, I know nothing I could have done would make a difference. Emotionally, I know I should have been paying more attention.”

  She finally realized he was still guilt-ridden. How had she not seen that before? They were a couple of idiots. “You couldn’t have done anything, Zach. Neither could I. It just…happened.”

  He nodded and took a deep breath. “I know that now, but it doesn’t change the fact I wasted a hell of a lot of years trying to save you, us, from another loss.”

  She couldn’t meet his gaze. She knew the risks. “That would likely happen again.”

  “Would it? And that brings up another question,” he said awkwardly. If she hadn’t witnessed his show of discomfort, she’d never have believed it.