Protector: The Elect, Book 1

  Dedication

  To all the great people who support me and my work. Thanks!

  The Elect

  They aren’t human. They’re the next step in evolution, and they’re hiding in plain sight. Their senses are sharper, finely honed. Stronger. Smarter. Faster. Nature has created the perfect predator.

  Welcome to the top of the food chain.

  Life evolves, and for humanity the next step has arrived. The Elect are here, and all they want is to be left alone. But a malevolent unknown force is gathering against them. Driven by fear, The Stirling Institution has figured out humanity is not alone and is determined to destroy the threat. They’ve operated in secrecy while investigating the new species, but now they’re prepared to attack.

  The Elect are in a fight for their very existence, but first they have to find the people trying to destroy them.

  Chapter One

  He drew the line at killing a woman.

  Which was a problem if she proved to be a threat. It would be a cryin’ shame if he had to wipe the last several weeks from her memory. Dr. Esme Durand was brilliant, a pioneer in genetic research. That was the reason he’d sought her out, but it didn’t have anything to do with the fierce desire that gripped him. He’d always found smart women attractive, but she was so much more than that. She was so beautiful she tempted a grown man to fall to his knees and beg for the privilege of touching her.

  He took a slow deep breath, taking in the strawberries-and-cream scent that clung to her, and moved back farther into the shadows, determined to figure out what it was about her that drew him so intensely. Short golden curls framed high cheekbones and big brown eyes, and her long white lab coat did nothing to hide the voluptuous curves underneath. Her sensible shoes were low-heeled, barely adding an inch to her five and a half feet. She was much shorter than him. Tiny in comparison.

  And she didn’t have the sense of self-preservation God gave the most basic creatures. He didn’t need his psychic abilities to sense her single-minded focus. If she noticed him hiding in the dark back corner of her office, she didn’t show it. Not even when she rounded her desk and had a clear line of sight to him. For the first time in his life, he felt the need to protect a female who wasn’t a member of his species or one of the women who belonged to them.

  Fuck. He shouldn’t have been the one to come. Since when did the president of the Elect Committee do grunt work? But he’d been too intrigued when Zach had briefed him about the situation, the coincidences of events that brought her to their attention too much to ignore. He hadn’t had time to do a full background check on her. All he knew about her was where she’d gone to graduate and post graduate school, and that she’d known Zach for a couple of those years.

  He almost wished he’d waited for more information. It was foolish to rush in without knowing as much about her in advance as possible, but time was of the essence. The Elect couldn’t allow reports on the blood tests she’d run to spread. Plus he hadn’t been able to shake the feeling he had to be the one to approach her, and he’d learned never to ignore the instincts that were part of his talents.

  They weren’t human. They were something different. Something the Elect only discovered in the last few generations and had only been able to prove with the advent of modern DNA testing. The next step in hominid evolution. Since mankind hadn’t proven itself very tolerant of differences over the course of its history, secrecy was paramount. Braxton Lee would be damned if he’d see any of his people become science experiments. Protecting the Elect was a duty he’d devoted his life to and not even the lovely Dr. Durand, or his interest in her, would stand in the way.

  His purpose here was simple. Find out who she’d talked to other than Zach Littman, another genetics expert but one who happened to be Elect. Brax would destroy anything she possessed that might expose them as not being human. Then he’d wipe the memories of their existence from her mind. He suspected that would backfire, because among the very strong-willed or brilliant it didn’t always work. If he had to pick a candidate for mind wipes going wrong, she would be one. He couldn’t have that. He had killed to protect his people before, but he knew he couldn’t kill her.

  Every instinct he had, more primitive, more astute than a human’s, refused to let her come to harm, especially at his hands. That was bad, real bad. He was going to break every one of his rules for her and he knew it. Fucked if he could explain why.

  She reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a vial of blood. Excitement and a vague sense of disappointment surged through him. She was making it too easy. Too easy to glide forward and take it from her. Too easy to take the file she’d carried in with her. Gabe, the Elect’s computer expert, should be hacking her system and erasing any evidence left on her computers now.

  There was no challenge left for Brax except to find the source of that blood. He’d searched her office while she was in her lab next door, but hadn’t discovered anything that would lead him to the donor. An Elect donor. Whoever it was didn’t know what he was, didn’t know he wasn’t human. Part of the Committee’s job was to search out other members of their kind and bring them into the fold, where everything was carefully explained. None of them would go outside Zach Littman for any kind of medical tests that might lead to discovery.

  Lee Enterprises owned the most advanced and extensive labs in the world. They dominated the market, and Gabe had a nifty little program in their intranet that notified him immediately when Elect DNA was sequenced. Sometimes a sample slipped past them though and unfortunately, the lovely professor had stumbled on one. Thank God her phone and email records showed she’d contacted no one in the field but Zach about it. If she had, she’d already be contained, along with her contacts. Brutal, but necessary.

  It seemed her personality had protected her. According to Zach, she was a loner, withdrawn to the point of being cold. Her colleagues respected her brain and her knowledge, but none were more than friendly acquaintances. Any efforts to draw her in, to get to know her on a personal level, were rebuffed.

  Watching her, his fascination only growing, Brax decided Zach was wrong. Maybe it was his instinct again, warning him things weren’t what they appeared, or maybe it was the way she moved with such easy sensual grace. Whatever the reason, he was determined to find the fire hidden under the reserve. He sensed it there, and he needed to know more. He couldn’t remember ever being so drawn to a woman who was a potential threat. He didn’t understand why, but he didn’t like it.

  He let his powers expand. She had excellent control over her thoughts and emotions. It was unusual in a human, but he could still get a sense of her emotions without letting her feel his intrusion. He was surprised by what he found. He’d expected excitement at her discovery, curiosity at the very least, but she was worried. Uneasy.

  She stared down at the vial in her hand, the file that rested on her desk, and took a deep trembling breath. He felt her make a decision, didn’t know what it was, and was surprised again when she stood and took the papers to feed them into a shredder. The remnants were stuffed into a small paper grocery bag, but Brax knew that wasn’t enough. They could be pieced together. They had to be burned. She moved back to the desk but didn’t sit down.

  “You might as well come out, since you’ve decided not to hurt me.”

  She sounded amused and not the least bit concerned for her safety. He felt her mind brush against his. She wasn’t as helpless as he’d thought. She was a telepath. The knowledge shocked him almost as much as her voice. Her honeyed drawl set loose a whiplash of desire through his body. His cock throbbed to sudden life. He couldn’t remember ever having such a quick response to a woman or ever being so out of control over his reactions, bu
t what the hell. He’d already decided he wanted her. He stepped into the light, and her eyes narrowed.

  “I expected Zach.”

  “He’s busy. I came instead.”

  He didn’t want to talk about Zach or why he’d come to see her. He wanted to know if her mind was as strong as he suspected. If her confidence in her ability to protect herself was well founded. He wanted to know everything about her.

  She looked at the vial before dropping it back in her pocket. “Did he have a message for me?”

  Her scent changed. Nerves, a hint of fear. It was a natural and correct reaction. Finding herself alone with any strange man should scare her, and an Elect male even more so. She should be afraid of him, but he didn’t like it one damned bit. Then he realized he wasn’t reading her right. It wasn’t him she feared, it was Zach’s response, or lack of one. What the hell?

  “I need you to come with me, Dr. Durand.” He nodded to indicate the tube she had hidden way and the small bag of paper. “You need to bring those with you.”

  The fear spiked, bitter and acrid against his tongue. Though her expression never changed and her eyes remained clear, she shook her head. “They’re going straight into the incinerator.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. It was damned strange. She was a scientist. Why wasn’t she excited about her new discovery?

  “Not that I’m protesting, but why?”

  She just shook her head again and moved to step around him, back through the lab door. A growl welled in his throat as he reminded himself why he was there. He could explore his fascination with her later. Now, he needed answers. He couldn’t allow her to walk away from him. He grabbed her elbow before she could escape, scowling down at her. “Why, Dr. Durand?”

  It wasn’t fear changing her scent now. He took a deep breath, letting the sweet arousal wrap around his senses. Arousal that rose with no more provocation than an impersonal touch and close proximity. Damned if he wasn’t going to have her under him soon. She licked her lips. Her warm brown eyes grew dark and stormy, but he saw a hint of vulnerability too. He brushed the side of her face with his free hand. He wanted to wipe away that exposed look in her gaze. He wanted to soothe her fears, wanted to keep her safe and protected. He wanted her to feel cherished. It was a stunning revelation for him. His reaction, so sudden and fierce, made no sense. What had happened to the reserved, focused man who’d walked in her door?

  “The world isn’t ready for this,” she whispered.

  Her words snapped him back to reality. His response to her was a mystery to be solved later. He needed to get his damned head straight. Who was this woman who kept twisting him up? Did she know she had evidence of a new species? Hell, did she know what she was doing to him? He felt her certainty in her findings, but couldn’t read her thoughts about anything else. “And what is this? What have you found?”

  “I’m sure Zach knows. Ask him.”

  His eyes narrowed. Did she know Zach was Elect? “Maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe that’s why he sent me.”

  She ripped her arm free and stalked into the lab. He followed her to the incinerator attached to the lab, enjoying the bite of anger whipping around him. Cold his ass. She tossed the vial of blood inside before he could stop her. Not that he would have.

  “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid, Mr.…?”

  “Lee.”

  She tossed the bag inside and swung the door shut, turning to face him. He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he lifted her knuckles to his lips. He had to taste her. It was imperative. Her breath hitched, the scent of her arousal intensified and wrapped around him. It was intoxicating.

  “Lee?”

  “Braxton Lee. But you can call me Brax, baby, all my friends do.”

  And they were going to be very, very good friends. He saw the instant she recognized the name. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled that cloak of reserve around her again. He’d allow it. For now.

  “I would expect the president of Lee Enterprises to do anything it took to keep me from destroying that blood.”

  Since his company was well known for genetic research and Zach, his chief scientist, for collecting samples, it was a logical conclusion to make.

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “You didn’t tell me what it was.”

  “But I did say you should ask Zach,” she snapped.

  The flash of temper should have cooled the heat in his body, but it only made it hotter. “Why would Zach send me if he knew?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You ask anyone in my field who the world’s foremost genetic expert is, and they’ll tell you Zach Littman. You should know that. You’re his employer.”

  She took a deep breath and that damned white coat didn’t do anything to conceal the tantalizing breasts beneath them. He couldn’t wait to bare her nipples to his gaze, his touch. His tongue. He could see them pebbling the more he pushed her. He was reaching to do just that when the building’s alarm started blaring. He grabbed her arm instead, dragging her through the door to her office.

  “Time to go, baby.”

  She tried to dig in her heels, but he was bigger and stronger. He tossed her bag to her and dragged her back through her lab to the private stairwell, figuring it was there to escape chemistry experiments gone wrong. He pulled the key from the deadbolt on one side and relocked it on the other. Hopefully, the lab occupants on the floors below kept their doors secured. They’d gone from the sixth floor to the second when she jerked to a stop.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “There’s where you’re wrong, Esme,” he snapped. “You aren’t going anywhere without me.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from him. He was fucked. Short of tossing her over his shoulder, he couldn’t budge her.

  “Why would I agree to that?” she asked.

  Her demeanor had completely changed. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was dealing with a hard-nosed street cop. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed tight. She’d taken on an aura of determined calm that made him realize she’d give him hell if he tried to force the issue. She’d try a different tactic if she knew how intriguing he found that.

  “You want to wait and hang around for whoever just broke in?”

  “You broke in,” she reminded him.

  His earpiece gave a warning click before Mason Cole, his security director, spoke. Brax had forgotten he was wearing the damn thing. “Unfriendlies in the front, Brax. The back is clear for now, but hurry.”

  Damn it. “Look,” he ground out, “I can’t explain anything here. I’ll take you to Zach. You trust him.”

  Four floors above them, the door rattled and they both looked up as the intruder fired two fast shots.

  “I’m not the one shooting at you,” he pointed out.

  “He’s shooting at the lock,” she snapped back, already hurrying down the stairs. “But, point taken.”

  They exited on the bottom floor and Brax pulled her at a dead run with him to the back doors. He was impressed as hell when she kept up, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He flipped the mic down and spoke softly while peeking outside. It looked clear. “Pick-up,” he ordered.

  “Two minutes.”

  “Not good enough, Mason.”

  “It’s okay,” Esme whispered, tugging at his sleeve.

  She held up a set of keys. Her smile was tight and angry, but she was cautious when she stepped out the door as if she’d run into the night many times before. She set off into the parking lot with an efficient, smooth gait that was fast but unhurried. If anyone drew the attention of unwanted eyes it was him, but he couldn’t help himself. The need to protect her was riding him hard. He stuck close to her side, one hand on the small of her back, the other holding his pistol next to his thigh. She hadn’t even batted an eye when he pulled it out. Who was this woman? She wasn’t only the cerebral scientist he’d imagined her to be, for sure.

  They stopped next to a new Camaro, and he bit ba
ck a curse. The damned things were not designed with six-foot-four men in mind. She unlocked the door with the key instead of the remote, silently, so there were no flashing headlights to alert anyone to their presence. She’d either done this before or planned in advance. He took the keys from her, reached in to hit the unlock button for the other door and escorted her around.

  “I’m driving.”

  Seconds later, he backed out of the space and checked the rearview mirror in time to see a man bursting from the door they’d just exited. He lifted his weapon but didn’t fire as Brax accelerated. Instead, he lifted his wrist to his mouth. If Brax had to guess it would be he was calling in the rest of the team Mason had seen enter the building, or a backup follow team. It seemed like a lot of work and effort for one lone researcher. Brax had a bad feeling the situation was a hell of a lot more complicated than he’d first believed.

  He keyed the mic on his earpiece. “Follow us to the compound.”

  Esme didn’t speak until they were off the small college campus and on the highway heading out of the city. “Care to explain what the hell is going on?”

  “I’m saving your pretty little ass,” he hissed, spotting their tail. He’d guessed right about the second team. He would have had a team standing by to follow in case his prey escaped too. Acting without intelligence and a plan was a mistake he wouldn’t make again. He accelerated, whipping around slower cars while she gasped and grabbed the oh shit handle.

  “Seems more like you’re trying to kill me the hard way.”

  He loved that flash of waspishness. He grinned, punching it when a stretch of clear lane opened on the left and watching in the rearview as the SUV behind them smoothly moved in to block their pursuers.

  “Baby, I have no intention of killing you.”

  Unless it was with ecstasy. Damn. He didn’t know what the hell had come over him, but he was staking his claim. He’d have her in his bed within the next twenty-four hours.

  It wasn’t going to be as hard to lose the tail as he’d feared. Traffic was heavy and he remembered there’d been a big concert and baseball game that evening. One or both must had recently finished. He saw an opening in traffic in the right lane and slid into it just in time to take the next exit. There was no pursuit in the mirror when he checked, so he keyed the mic.