Warrior: The Elect, Book 3 Read Online Free

missed. One part exasperation, one part mirth. “What kind of trouble have you two been up to?”
    “Nothing too bad, Mom,” Esme said. Carter was amused as his sister skipped describing her wild teenage years and went straight into the parentally approved stuff. “We both finished college early. I went on the med school and Carter went in the Army.”
    Merilee arched an eyebrow—another look he remembered. “You’ve left out fiancés, grandsons, the woman who better be my future daughter-in-law, and how you knew where to find us,” she said with a hint of severity—a tone he used to interpret as don’t you dare try to lie to your mother . Come to think of it, it would probably be a good idea to continue to interpret it that way. And how the hell did he answer her? Some things just didn’t need to be shared.
    “I’m working on Jamie. We haven’t seen each other in a few years,” he said, refusing to wince at the disapproving look she gave him and unwilling to explain why it had been so long with Kaden right there. The boy knew Carter hadn’t known about him, but Carter didn’t want him to hear all the details or come to blame Jamie for keeping the secret.
    “She’ll come around, Mom,” he continued. “We both made some mistakes, but it’s nothing we can’t fix.” No matter what had happened in the past, he was determined to make Jamie a permanent part of his life.
    His mother held his gaze a long time before finally nodding, turning her face to smother a yawn. He’d give her a little time before insisting she go back to bed.
    “And you, Esme? How did you find Brax?”
    “He found me actually,” Esme said, her tone light and amused. Carter couldn’t help but smile at the joy in her eyes. “I was trying to figure out why Kaden kept getting sick, and sent his DNA to Zach.”
    “The rude doctor,” Merilee said, and Esme laughed.
    “That’s the one. Brax came to see me instead, brought me back here and brought Carter and Kaden in.”
    “Where you discovered we’re not human,” his mother said softly.
    “You’re accepting that much easier than I did, Mom,” Carter said. He’d refused to believe it at first, but she didn’t seem at all surprised.
    She shrugged. “I always knew we were different. I mean more than just the telepathy. You were both always stronger, faster. You almost never got sick and recovered very fast. And so damned smart I used to wonder how I’d keep up.” She ended sounding more amused than irritated.
    Esme used the opportunity to change the subject and tell their mother more about the Elect while Carter sat back to watch, feeling more relaxed and at peace than he could remember having been in years. Merilee seemed genuinely happy and sane. Perhaps she was right and regrets were pointless. He’d like to believe that. After her second smothered yawn, he made everyone leave. She returned to her bed reluctantly but gave him a brilliant smile when he promised to bring Jamie and Kaden back for a private family dinner.
    When he left, Carter wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Kaden ran off to play with his friends, Merilee and Jamie were sleeping, and he was going out of his mind. He hovered in the security office, searching the Stirling personnel records they’d hacked, but didn’t find anything new.
    He finally gave up trying to distract himself and returned to his suite. Jamie was asleep, breathing deep and even. There were still shadows under her eyes and bruises all over her body, but already she looked better. The Elect healed fast. She wasn’t so wan, and each breath drew his shirt tight across her chest, outlining hard nipples that made his mouth water. He cursed himself. The last thing she needed right now—and the one thing he wanted most—was his cock buried in her to his balls.
    He should leave—just get the hell out of the house for a few hours—but his feet didn’t follow his command. He moved closer, toed off his shoes and socks, ripped off his