Underground Guardians: Protector

by Lisa Renee Jones

  PROTECTOR

  An Ellora’s Cave Publication, January 2005

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0107-9

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

  Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  PROTECTOR © 2005 LISA RENEE JONES

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Pamela Cohen.

  Cover art by Christine Clavel.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Protector has been rated S-ensuous by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Protector

  Lisa Renee Jones

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Cheez Doodles: WFI, Inc. Corp.

  Ford Mustang: Ford Motor Company Corp.

  Ford Explorer: Ford Motor Company Corp.

  Prologue

  The Groom Lake Military Base, Area 51, Nevada—January, 2015

  A scream ripped through the silence of the lab.

  Dr. Gina Lawrence looked up from the microscope as a hint of a smile slipped onto her lips.

  It had started.

  Her peer, Dr. Michael Carmichael, stiffened beside her. “What in the hell was that?”

  The door to the lab opened abruptly. Jeff Divers, one of the lab assistants, stood in the doorway holding his stomach, his face pale and his lips trembling. “They’re taking…over,” he said in an uneven voice. “Hide.”

  Dr. Carmichael rushed to Jeff’s side and wrapped his arm around him. He looked down at his hand, now covered in Jeff’s blood. “You’re bleeding. Oh, God, you’re bleeding.”

  “Hide,” Jeff said, and then slumped against Dr. Carmichael.

  Gunshots rang in the distance. “They’re taking over,” Gina said, with no hint of fear in her voice, because she felt none. She had waited patiently for this day, a better day, a day when the better race would shine.

  “You mean the soldiers, the test soldiers?” Dr. Carmichael asked as he pressed two fingers to Jeff’s neck and grimaced when he found no pulse.

  In a jerky, panicked movement, he sat Jeff on the ground. Then, he turned and faced Gina, searching her face for answers. He wiped his bloodstained hands on his lab coat, leaving red finger marks on the bright white cloth.

  She nodded slowly, still sitting in her chair, ever so calmly. “They are the future, our creation. It’s time they take their place as leaders.”

  Dr. Carmichael’s eyes widened. “You’re crazy! What are you saying?” He moved across the room with lightening speed, fear in his every step, and stood before her.

  Desperately he demanded, “What do you know about this?”

  She shrugged. “It was inevitable.”

  He grabbed her shoulders, his fingers biting into her slender flesh. “Tell me now! What is happening?”

  She met his gaze with a steady one of her own. “The stronger, better race is taking over. Soon they will control far more than this facility.”

  “Are you crazy?” he blurted. “They are monsters that need to be terminated, not set free! We made a grave mistake creating them. Tell me you aren’t helping them.” He shook her. “Tell me!”

  Footsteps, a spray of bullets and then commotion near the door made them both look up. “Release her, Dr. Carmichael,” a deep voice said from the doorway.

  Dr. Carmichael stared at David Alexander, the first converted soldier, formerly Special Forces. A man once good but now so evil hell would welcome him. And he knew what he wanted. More power. As a doctor he’d never meant to create such a monster. His goal had been to better man. To allow a chance for survival in the face of war. To think he’d created such a beast sickened him.

  He looked at David, big and broad, and blocking the exit way. At a soldier who had slowly began to erode those around him. Little by little he’d become an arrogant, harsh commander. A leader who led to darkness. Why had he not alerted someone of the changes in his personality? Why? Now it was too late. His stomach churned with regret as he took in the menacing expression on David’s face.

  Dr. Carmichael’s hands dropped to his sides as he started backing away from Gina. Fear danced in his eyes as he stared at David Alexander, a man too big to be human, too strong to be normal and far too dangerous to face one-on-one.

  Gina pushed to her feet and sashayed toward David, her life mate, bonded in the Arion way. When she reached his side, he handed her a gun. “Is it done?” she asked him almost casually as if she had no doubt.

  David didn’t look at her once she held the gun. He kept his attention locked on Dr. Carmichael. “It’s done.”

  “Oh God, you’re one of them now, aren’t you?” The doctor screamed as he stared at Gina.

  Gina moved toward her desk. “I’m David’s mate,” she said simply. She opened a drawer as two other soldiers converged on Dr. Carmichael. He turned and started to run but it was such a hopeless effort, Gina let out a bark of laughter. In a matter of seconds, one of the soldiers held him effortlessly.

  Gina walked toward their captive, a syringe in hand. “Time for a nap, Dr. Carmichael.” She tapped the plastic tube to knock out the air bubbles.

  “Good news,” she said in a taunting voice. “You won’t die like the others. We plan to put you to work.”

  His eyes widened as she approached him. “What is it that you want? What is worth killing so many.”

  David answered, a cocky sureness to his tone. “World domination. What else?”

  Gina smiled, clearly pleased with her mate’s words. “To create the perfect race. Those who don’t convert will simply cease to exist.”

  Dr. Carmichael shook his head in disbelief. “I won’t help you.”

  “Oh, I think you will. You see,” she said with confidence, “we can make life very, shall we say,” she paused for effect, then added, “uncomfortable?”

  She injected his arm. He flinched and then glared at her. “You might as well kill me. I won’t help you.”

  She smiled nastily. “You might want to reconsider. I believe you have a daughter at a nearby university, correct?” She let her brow inch up in question. “It would be a shame if she had a little accident.”

  “You leave her out of this,” he said vehemently, his voice was already fading, as was he. His eyes fl
uttered up, down, up as he struggled to stay awake.

  “Please,” he whispered, because his strength was quickly dying. “Don’t do this. It…will be…a deadly mistake.”

  And then he slept.

  Chapter One

  Las Vegas, Nevada—May 2015

  An angel had just run smack into him and Mason Alexander was completely, utterly spellbound. His hands rested on her shoulders, steadying her so she wouldn’t fall. The sweet smell of jasmine inched its way into his nostrils making his body stir, activating the depths of his unique sensory abilities, making his heart race wildly against his chest.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said in a soft, musical voice that danced along his nerve endings and made his body ache in ways he thought he no longer had the capacity to feel.

  He’d been alone for a long time, his feelings and physical needs tightly locked away deep inside. It was a part of his life he had learned to accept.

  Until now.

  The hustle and bustle of the university campus was living and breathing around them but he tuned everything out, focusing on the consuming reaction he was experiencing. Why did this woman instantly make him desire things he’d long ago forgotten?

  This wasn’t good. He needed to be focused on the greater good of man, not his carnal desires.

  To make matters worse, he knew exactly who she was and, without a shadow of a doubt, life had irrevocably become more complicated.

  He had known she was attractive from her pictures but in person…her impact on him was like a blazing flame of heat and sensation, unlike anything he had ever imagined.

  Before he could formulate his thoughts, he was drawn back under the veil of her unique presence. His body raged with awareness as his eyes devoured the soft curves of her tempting body.

  Logic faded and good intentions began to do the same.

  He stared down at her, realizing she was a good foot shorter than his six-foot-three-inches. God, she was angelic and beautiful, so pure and sweet.

  “Don’t be sorry,” he said in a soft tone, not wanting to frighten her or give away what lurked beneath his surface. Something inside him roared with life. Something he didn’t understand. Oh, he knew his beast. Knew it far too well.

  But this was different. More animalistic. Carnal. As if he had to touch her and taste her soft lips. Somehow, he managed to keep a low growl from his tone. “I find the experience quite…inviting.”

  She tilted her head to one side as she tossed long strands of blond hair over her shoulder. His body tightened in response, images of that silky hair draped over his chest flashing in his mind like some sort of flashback. He blinked away the images but not the potency of his body’s response.

  As he met her gaze, he searched her face, wanting—no, needing—to know what this power she had over him was. How did she evoke such fire in his veins? Such pure lust. He was a man of utter control. He had walked away from the temptations of the flesh. Known he had no choice. Yet this woman snapped more than a tiny piece of his restraint.

  And with nothing more than her mere presence.

  Her eyes, as green as new grass, held a look far hotter than the July sun as she smiled up at him. She, too, felt at least a hint of what he did. If he really wanted her… He shoved away the thought. It wasn’t a matter of want. His choices were no longer his own.

  Her words snapped him out of his inner conflict. At least for the moment. Playful and sweet, they reminded him of whom he was dealing with. Of how opposite he was from her. “Inviting?” she asked, with a slight smile playing on the corner of her lips.

  Then, despite the rage of pure heat in his body, he found himself smiling back at her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled. It was well before he had lost his ability to live a normal life, long before he had come to this place in his life.

  Most people found his dark features and dark black eyes intimidating. Or maybe it was more something they saw in his eyes. Something dark. But not Holly Heart. Her playful response suggested she didn’t. A fact he found more than a little intriguing.

  And surprising.

  And far too tempting.

  There was something about her smile. It both fired the flame and yet still calmed his beast. The parts of himself he kept tucked away deep below the surface, desperately denying they existed. Yes…her smile. It made him feel an inner peace.

  He needed to see it again. To enjoy a moment of lighthearted banter as if he was normal. Playfully, he teased, “It’s not often a woman wants to meet you so badly that she tries to knock you over.”

  She tilted her head back as she laughed with feminine delight, giving him a sweet view of the soft ivory curve of her neck. His teeth ground together as he felt his body go rock-hard. She was so close he could smell the soft scent of flowers. And something more intimate. Something wholly her.

  To explore her with his mouth, to press his lips against her perfect creamy skin, was almost an uncontrollable need. His hand was still on her shoulder. He felt her softness beneath it, calling to him. Urging him to run his hand down the length of her arm. He knew he should drop his hands. Knew it, but didn’t.

  To touch her—even briefly—felt as addictive, no, necessary, as breathing. Straightening, she fixed him in her luminous gaze and drew a breath. The action seemed to bring her closer, sending him into another unbidden flash of images. Her breasts pressing against his body, nipples—quite rosy and perfect, he was certain – nestled in his chest hair.

  He cursed inwardly. His desire for this woman was so unnaturally charged. So consuming. He quickly schooled his features, making them unreadable, knowing she was staring up at him.

  “You, sir, are too arrogant for your own good.”

  She looked at one of his hands, still resting on her shoulders, and he sensed something in her. As if she too had been thinking about him touching her, just as he had been.

  “Now,” she said with the tiniest hint of flirtation, “if you will kindly release me, I’ll be on my way.”

  He found himself not wanting to let go of her. Never in his life had he had such a possessive urge to make someone his own. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off somewhere. To make love to her until she screamed his name. To feel the softness of those amazing curves in his hands and pressed intimately against his body.

  To brand her as if she could indeed be his possession. One he would never let go.

  That thought blasted through his infatuated haze with a mean shot of reality. He dropped his hands abruptly.

  He could never ask her or anyone to share in the hell that had become his life. Besides, she was his assignment, his job and his mission.

  “Are you okay?” he heard her ask and realized he had, for a moment, drifted back into his normal dark self.

  He stared down at her, knowing he could never have a woman like her, knowing he could never have her, knowing he might not ever be normal again. His eyes held regret, sorrow and a hint of pain.

  “I’m fine,” he said but it was a lie.

  She wet her lips and probed his expression with intensity. She seemed to ponder her response a moment before smiling. “I’m Holly Heart and don’t make fun of the name. My parents are to blame, not me.”

  She kept smiling as she stretched her neck to look up at him. “I’m a professor at the medical institute. If you, um, you get a chance, stop by some time or…call me. I’m in the book.”

  And a brilliant pioneer of genetic research, he added silently. Being in her presence, she appeared so young, far less than her thirty-two years, yet…obviously there was an amazing depth to her.

  “A doctor as well, I assume?” he asked as if he didn’t already know the answer.

  She smiled brightly. “Yes, but I don’t practice. I do research through the school.”

  Her smile was like salve to a wound, it soothed him so, with such powerful force, he had to glance away from her.

  Holly Heart was off-limits. If she knew what he was, she would run and hide, as
well she should.

  Still…he couldn’t resist touching her one more time. He offered her his hand, preparing for the jolt to his body. “It was nice meeting you.”

  She looked down at his hand for a long moment before slipping her delicate-looking fingers against his palm. The rush of pure heat that rocked his body was as intense as the warmth he felt in his heart.

  He pulled her hand to his lips and placed a lingering kiss on her knuckles. She tasted irresistibly unique, doing some strange thing to his senses that he found hard to resist. He battled the urge to flick his tongue across her skin—to taste her more fully.

  Instead, he inhaled her soft, perfect scent, as his lips lingered. She shivered in response and he felt the satisfaction of knowing the attraction was mutual.

  But the sense of loss for what could never be was more intense…a potent rush of regret. He could never pursue what was so obviously between them.

  He looked at her as he raised his mouth from her hand, seeing the heat of her own arousal in her amazingly green eyes. Their gazes locked for an eternal moment. “You remind me of an angel, Holly Heart.” Then he dropped her hand, turned and walked away, needing some space to reinvent his game plan and get this crazy reaction to his newest assignment under control.

  * * * * *

  Holly stepped into her lab office, still thinking about the amazing man she had just bumped into. Actually, she mentally amended, it was more like a head-on collision. The sparks ignited were far too in-your-face and explosive to be initiated by a minor bump.

  No, something had happened between her and the sexy stranger. Something unique and wonderful and more satisfying than she could possible explain.

  Holly walked toward her desk—one of several sitting in the far corner of the office—pausing at a large cage which held a chimpanzee.