Warrior: The Elect, Book 3 by Loribelle Hunt Page A

She can call fire, control it, mold it. As an arson investigator, she has a life separate from the Elect. No reason to live in their compound, or to try to mend the rift with her estranged husband.
    Until a case involving an Elect mate forces her to return to the home she fled three years ago. Her nursing background makes her the best choice to infiltrate The Stirling Institute. It’d be an easier job if her ex didn’t insist on shadowing her every move—to keep her “safe”.
    It’s not her body she’s worried about. It’s her heart.
    Zach Littman made one major screw-up in his life. He let Mallory go. As long as she stayed away, he was willing to leave her be. But now she’s back in his territory, and he has every intention of making up for his past mistakes.
    If she lives long enough…
    Warning: Take one sexy, alpha scientist, add in an estranged wife, and he gets very creative winning her back. Contains make-up sex hot enough to singe, a little light bondage, a dangerous undercover mission, and a heroine who doesn’t quite breathe fire.
     
    Enjoy the following excerpt for Guardian:
    Arson investigator Mallory Littman pulled up to the call box at the imposing gates and took a deep, fortifying breath. The high walls concealed a very exclusive, very private community. Apartments, houses—heck, even a small town complete with schools. All of that was a few miles from her current location, though, and not her destination. She was going to one of the few houses that sat alone, where Braxton Lee, president of Lee Enterprises and leader of the Elect, lived and worked. It was amazing the place was such a well-kept secret. Mallory wondered—not for the first time—how long that would last.
    The people who called themselves the Elect looked human, but they weren’t. Maybe they’d evolved alongside humans or maybe they were something new. That’s what their scientists believed, but Mallory wasn’t so sure. They were definitely different. Most were telepaths, but that wasn’t what set them apart. Plenty of humans were too. They were, however, stronger, faster and smarter. And insanely protective and possessive. They created a mental bond with their mates and rarely split up. And she was both one and not one of them. Usually their offspring were Elect. But not always. She should know. Her father and brothers were Elect, but despite having some unusual talents of her own, Mallory’s DNA was as human as her mother’s.
    With a shake of her head, she leaned on the buzzer. She didn’t have time to ponder the intricacies of interspecies mating. She had a case to finalize, even though the official report would be a farce, and she needed Esme’s signature. But more importantly, Brax, Esme’s mate, was waiting on the information Mallory had gathered on the Stirling Institute, the mysterious group that was suddenly much too curious about the Elect. But hell, she wasn’t looking forward to going inside the compound. She knew who else was behind those damned gates. She used to live in there with him.  
    She’d thought at first that Zach would stop blaming her. That he would come around. She didn’t lose their child on purpose, after all. But she’d rarely seen him since that night. The first year they’d had very little contact. An email, the occasional phone call. She figured they’d both been too emotionally shattered. Later they’d tried face-to-face meetings. Dinners that started out well, but ended with both of them pissed off and bitter. He didn’t like the life she’d chosen, refused to bend even a little. Refused to see that she was a strong, independent adult. She didn’t need a man to take care of her. She could handle that herself, thank you very much. He thought she was weak. She’d made herself strong. He thought she needed a protector. She’d made herself a guardian.  
    And still, he stayed away.  
    She was surprised at how much that still hurt, but she sighed and bucked up and pushed the call