Read Online Protector: The Elect, Book 1 by Loribelle Hunt - Free Book Online Page A

four-door that had never felt small before. And it wasn’t just his physical size that was overwhelming. He radiated a calm resolve that made her teeth ache and her heart pound with trepidation. He wanted her to know he had no intention of letting her go. That he’d fight to keep her.  
    She was so on edge, her senses so jacked up, that each block closer to her home brought an additional dose of unease. She knew something was wrong before she turned the corner. She slammed on the brakes, not that she could have gone any farther.  
    “Jesus,” Brax muttered. “Get us out of here, Esme.”  
    She stared at him in astonishment. She needed to get closer, not farther. “That’s my building. It’s on fire.”  
    “I know, baby.” He reached over and gently rubbed the nape of her neck. “We need to get lost. Fast.”  
    “You think someone set it.” The shock was wearing away to anger. She turned in the middle of the road and drove toward the doctor’s office. “Who the fuck are these people, Brax?”  
    “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” He flipped his phone open and keyed in a call. “Head home, angel. Until we know what’s going on it’s the safest place for you. For all of us.”  
    “Yeah, Mason,” he spoke into the phone. “Abort and return to the compound.”  
    He listened for a long time. “See you there,” he said, and finally hung up.  
    “Well? What was that about?”  
    “They’re already inside the office. The place is trashed and the alarm wasn’t tripped.”  
    Her hands tightened on the steering wheel hard enough she was surprised it didn’t crack. “This is really startin’ to get on my nerves.”  
    He snorted. “Understatement.”  
    She made the turn off for the highway. “Has anything ever happened like this before? I could use some history here, Brax.”  
    Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face. “As far as I know, once the Army cut their subjects loose in the ‘50s, no one ever looked for them again. I need to speak to my grandfather.”  
    She gave him a startled look  
    Suddenly, she was curious about this new species. The scientist, the researcher kicked in. She could guess they were taller, stronger. She knew they had psychic talents. But what else was different? She hadn’t seen anyone older than Brax when they’d arrived last night and hadn’t had time to think about the older generations, much less ask.
    “What’s your life expectancy?”  
    He shrugged. “Same as a human’s, but we get fewer diseases, so we tend to live a little longer.”  
    “How old is your grandfather?”  
    “He’s lived longer than most. He was one of the founding members of the Committee.”  
    “And the Committee is…?”  
    “Think of it as the Elect’s ruling council.”  
    “I just bet you’re the leader of it,” she murmured.  
    “How’d you guess, baby?”  
    She huffed out an exasperated breath and shook her head. “Someone as bossy as you wouldn’t follow anyone else.”  
    His grin was plain evil. Wicked and dominant and avaricious. That look shouldn’t make her body burn, shouldn’t make her want to rip off her clothes and offer herself in sacrifice. He should be illegal.  
    She turned onto the compound’s road and input the code he gave her at the gate. He directed her to his house, and she paused on the porch.  
    “Your grandfather lives with you?”  
    He chuckled. “No. He has his own home on the property. We’ll talk to him later. It’s a little too early go disturbing an old man’s peace, don’t you think?”  
    She was pretty sure that wasn’t why they were waiting. She backed over the threshold into the house, watching as his eyes grew darker, hotter. Rapacious. She spun around and hurried to the study, not that she believed there was any safety there.  
    “This is a bad idea,” she muttered.  
    He shut the door behind him. Turned the lock with a click that sounded like a boom in the silent