Alec: #11 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  “You understand so little.” Anassa reached up and pulled her hood back. Thick white hair rolled out of the hood and over her shoulders. Her skin, only slightly less white than her hair, stretched over her face. The bones beneath were distorted. Two ruby red eyes stared back at them.

  Alec grunted. They’d always known Anassa was something more, but a direct look at her helped a lot of the answers fall into place. There was one likely explanation for her appearance.

  “The conversion process didn’t take,” Nero said quietly. “Did it?”

  Out of all of them, he was the one who could understand the most. The Horatius Group hadn’t spared even those that worked for them. Nero had been something in between, not man or hybrid, but still not Glycon. It wasn’t until Rem injected him with a larger dose of the serum extracted from the stone that he became a full hybrid.

  The transition hadn’t been an easy one, and none of them even knew if he would make it out alive. One thing the hybrids had learned the more they worked with the stone was how unpredictable it was on the whole.

  “It made me something more,” Anassa said defiantly. “It gave me a purpose I never had. When the stone spoke to me, it told me just what I was needed for in this world. Even the foolish plans of the Horatius Group fit into a greater goal. They have served their purpose, and your cousins at Luna Lodge have helped dispose of them, but my plan continues.”

  Rem casually crossed his arms and stared expectantly at Anassa. “And what purpose would that be exactly?”

  Alec knew that despite his casual stance, the leader hadn’t taken his attention off Jenna. If Rem had an opening, he would charge and tear Anassa apart, even if it meant putting them at a disadvantage against their enemies. Alec wouldn’t blame him. He would do the same thing for Hope.

  “To bring on a new age of man,” Anassa shouted with unexpected strength. “An age of the hybrid. You should be happy. You are among the forebearers of the next stage of humanity. All should become hybrid.”

  Alec frowned. “Not everyone can make it through the process.”

  Anassa shrugged. “Those who are not chosen will be fuel for the stone.”

  Nero growled softly beside him. Hope slid her hand into Alec’s, and he gave a small squeeze. This was wrong. They all knew it was. They’d also already seen Anassa sacrifice people to the stone. She wasn’t bluffing.

  “Now hand it over,” she said.

  Anassa jabbed the gun she was holding into Jenna’s round belly. The Vestal grunted a little from the impact.

  Rem growled loudly, and Alec wondered if they could make it to her before Anassa managed to fire off a round. It was a risk, but he wasn’t sure what else they could do. If they handed over the stone to the insane zealot, they would lose their best weapon against the godsons, let alone Erebus, and there was no guarantee Anassa wouldn’t sacrifice them.

  Alec was surprised when Hope gave his hand a firm squeeze.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  Before he knew what was happening, she was moving forward quickly despite her paleness and sweat-soaked forehead. Alec stepped forward but stopped when one of the Azilian brothers pointed a gun at him.

  “That’s far enough,” the man shouted.

  “I thought you all weren’t allowed to talk without permission,” Alec said.

  “Special circumstances. What with the end of the world and all.”

  Several other men pointed their guns at him. The others pointed their weapons at the remaining hybrids.

  Nero scoffed. “Trust, huh?”

  Hope slowed as she approached Anassa. “I got what we need. After all, this is what we’ve been working for. It’s what the stone wants.”

  Anassa smiled at her and lowered her gun. One of the brothers pointed his gun at Jenna.

  “I knew you would see my side,” Anassa said. “After all, there is only one path, and it is the one illuminated by the light. What we do, we do for all of humanity.”

  Alec watched in horror as Hope held out the stone, offering it to the snarled outstretched hand of Anassa, sealing humanity’s fate with each step.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hope moved forward. Her insides flipflopped with each step she took, but there was no turning back now. She’d decided she was the only one who could do something and still couldn’t see that she was wrong in that choice. None of the hybrids would ever be able to get to Jenna in time, and eventually they would have to give the stone to Anassa. The only way this could work was if she were the one to do it. Besides, the stone seemed to be pushing her on. It knew what she needed to do and offered the strength she never thought she’d have.

  She almost laughed. A few days ago, she was still questioning fate, but now she was accepting orders from a magical stone.

  Hope never considered herself particularly brave. Sure, she’d had to be tough more often than not, but there hadn’t really been any time where she’d needed to face true evil. At least not like this. The Azilians were supposed to give her purpose and lead her to her true love, not proudly announce a plan that might involve wholesale death.

  But here she was, each step drawing her closer to the most insane thing she’d ever done. She was uncertain just how she was going to pull it off, but she knew she had to try. If anything, she had to do it for the sake of all of the hybrids’ unborn children. They didn’t need to be born into a world built atop of sickening sacrifice.

  Hope stopped just outside of Anassa’s reach. The other woman waited, slight impatience on her face.

  “Do you know the sound of true love?” Hope asked.

  Anassa’s stiff face twisted into a frown. She was clearly confused by the question. It was likely the last thing she expected to ever be asked in a situation like this.

  “Give me the stone,” Anassa rasped.

  “I feel sorry for you,” Hope whispered. “You’ll never understand the true beauty of the stone. I’ll only give you the stone over my dead body.”

  “You ungrateful little bitch! Don’t worry. That can be arranged.”

  Anassa’s face twisted in rage. She lunged forward, but Hope had been ready for the attack. She spun to dodge the cult leader and grabbed Jenna tightly before wrapping her arm around the small woman while grasping the stone with her other hand and pressing it against Jenna’s.

  “Protect us,” Hope whispered as she’d done before. “Please, protect us.”

  “What are you—” Jenna began but stopped when blinding white light beamed from between their hands.

  They stared down at the stone. It had turned crystal clear, like a piece of glass between them.

  Hope continued her chant, unsure who she was praying to, but whoever or whatever it was, it had protected her before, and she could only hope it did so again.

  A soft, sweet hum vibrated through the two Vestals, comforting. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket. It was similar to what she had felt before but different still. Stronger. Less draining. Maybe having two Vestals together provided more power.

  “She’s protecting us.” Jenna wrapped her other hand around the stone and began to chant as well.

  Hope couldn’t exactly explain it either, but Jenna was right. She was protecting them. There was no way to say exactly who She was, but there was no question in her mind about the love surrounding them.

  Anassa’s scream forced Hope’s attention. She glanced toward the Azilian leader. The woman had reached out a hand to grab at the stone, but the white light had scorched her. She pulled back a charred hand and recoiled from the light.

  The hybrids watched them, mouths open. The brothers who had held them at gunpoint lay crumpled on the ground. For a brief moment, Hope wondered if they were dead like the godsons, but something in the light told her they weren’t. It wasn’t the intent of the stone to kill humans. It wanted to protect them from harm.

  Hope turned back to Jenna, luminous from the glow of the stone, and could only guess she looked much the same, both like ethereal beings.

&n
bsp; “She is us,” Jenna said softly. “We are her.”

  The words echoed in Hope’s head. They shouldn’t have made sense and yet they did. Whoever was protecting them was a part of them. Somehow it felt like the origin of who they were. She wanted to know more, to find out why they were they way they were.

  Jenna’s hand slipped away from Hope, and the woman slumped to the ground.

  “No,” Hope whispered.

  Rem rushed over to the pair and scooped his pregnant wife into his arms before Hope could even think to move. “I got you,” he whispered to Jenna.

  Hope turned and found herself being pulled into a crushing hug by Alec. She didn’t feel nearly as drained as she had the first time she used the stone.

  “I thought you were going to die,” Alec mumbled against her neck.

  Emotions choked Hope, and she shook her head. In the moment she’d known exactly what she was supposed to do, but now everything came bubbling up to the surface. The adrenaline of the moment had washed away, and all she was left with was the raw reality of what she had done.

  Alec pulled back and crushed his mouth to hers. His tongue found its way between her lips and plundered her mouth as if it were the last time. Hope wrapped her arms around his neck, just glad to feel alive and to be there with him.

  When Alec finally pulled away, she stared up at him. The soft blue glow of his eyes comforted her soul.

  “Well, isn’t this sweet?” came a harsh female voice.

  Hope turned and blinked, surprised to find a woman in red standing just at the edge of the woods. It was a strange sight, and out of all the things she expected, this was the last thing she’d ever imagined.

  The woman herself was unusual. Her shockingly blonde hair hung in waves to the side of her face, but it was clear there was something strange about the skin she hid there. But the features that set the whole thing off included a red pencil skirt and matching red jacket, with full ruffle embellishments on both, paired with some very high heels. Hope couldn’t figure out how the woman managed to walk in them normally, let alone in the woods.

  The hybrids growled at the woman, recognition on their faces. A small army of godsons stood behind her, including one to her right who was even larger than the others.

  Rem narrowed his eyes on the large godson. “The godson leader.”

  Anassa hissed. “You always were one for an entrance, Agatha.” The woman held her burned hand close to her body and made sure to stay a few yards from the hybrids, a smart move considering that Rem would likely tear her from limb to limb if given the chance.

  Agatha rolled her eyes dramatically and stepped forward. “We can’t all be a martyr.”

  Alec’s arms tightened around Hope.

  “We could always work together again,” Anassa said. “Just like old times.”

  Rem snorted. “Your grand plan involves helping that crazy bitch?”

  “Silence, hybrid,” Anassa shouted. “You know nothing.”

  A smile spread across Agatha’s face, and for the first time, Hope could see the skin that was hidden beneath the hair. She gasped. The twisted and tortured flesh looked like melted wax.

  Agatha clucked her tongue. “Oh, those days are long gone. The Group is destroyed, after all. Those who didn’t end up behind bars have scattered with the wind. I had long since stopped serving them long before I came here.” Her bright red lips still twisted in a smile. “No, the only greater purpose I serve these days is myself.” She nodded to the godson leader. “Get the stone,” she said firmly. “Kill them all if you need to.”

  Alec pushed Hope behind him as the large godson pinned his eyes on her.

  “I will have that stone,” the godson leader said.

  Alec growled loudly. “You’ll have to get through me first.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alec glanced behind him at the closed compound gate. There was no way to get the women inside to safety that way. Anassa had made sure of that. Shouts, grunts, and growls from inside filled the air, hybrids straining to get the gate open. Likely, the brothers had barricaded the gate to ensure they wouldn’t be disturbed during Anassa’s recovery of the stone. He had faith their men would make it through, but that left just four of them to fend off the army of godsons.

  “Shit.” Alec glanced at Rem and Jenna.

  The Vestal was slumped against the compound wall, her face pale. She was awake but clearly unwell. Hope sat down on the ground next to the woman and placed her hands against her forehead. Jenna smiled faintly at the contact.

  The hybrids surrounded the women, forming a living wall, as the godsons advanced, their red eyes locked on their foes. Alec had half-expected a charge, but he had to keep reminding himself they weren’t the mindless Glycons the hybrids were used to fighting.

  “We’ll take them head on,” Rem said. “It will at least give the women a chance to get away. No matter what, we can’t let them have that stone.”

  Alec looked back over at Hope.

  “I’m not running,” Jenna said quietly.

  Rem turned to frown at the little woman. “This is no time to be stubborn,” he growled. “You have to get to safety.”

  Jenna struggled to get to her feet. Hope held out a hand to help the woman stand.

  “Your growly bit might work on the others, but I’ll do what I damn well please,” Jenna said. “Now give me a gun, and go handle these assholes. My feet are killing me.”

  Hope coughed loudly and raised a brow in Rem’s direction. “You sure you’re ready for all this?”

  He grinned back. “You bet your ass I am.”

  Sergius snorted and passed over the gun he had tucked against his side. “Nothing like having your woman call you out to make fighting super-Glycons seem like the lesser battle.”

  Rem cracked his knuckles. “Guess we better get this over with. I’ve got some feet to rub.” He grabbed a gun and handed it to Jenna.

  The men stepped forward, still maintaining their barrier between the godsons and the women. Their enemy stopped advancing. The tension in the air was so thick they were nearly choking on it. And yet the godsons didn’t move. Agatha tapped a bright red nail against her thigh, frowning. Anassa inched away from both groups, a slight smile on her face. Alec wondered if she thought the two groups would finish each other off.

  “What are you waiting for?” Agatha shouted. “Kill them!”

  Alec glanced around. The godsons didn’t move. He looked over at Nero and Sergius. They shrugged. This was about the strangest standoff he’d ever seen. Clearly, the enemy had shown up to fight, but now they seemed strangely reluctant.

  “It is time,” Anassa declared.

  The fallen Azilian brothers all stood and reached into their robes, pulling out something blue in their hands. If only Agatha hadn’t shown up, the hybrids could have escaped while the bastards were still stunned.

  Alec frowned at the blue in the men’s hands. More stones? Maybe she had been holding out, but that didn’t make sense. If she had access to more stones, she wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to recover the one the hybrids had. It was only when the men lifted the objects Alec could see what they were in the clear morning light, syringes filled with blue liquid.

  “Damn it,” Nero growled.

  Rem shook his head. “Too much fun.”

  Sergius let out a quiet grunt.

  Agatha’s eyes widened. “It can’t be.” Her voice cracked.

  The brothers pushed the syringes into their necks and emptied the contents.

  “Shit,” Alec groaned.

  “Get the women,” Rem said quickly.

  The godsons backed away. The brothers started to twitch and shriek, their veins darkening, their fingertips extending into claws. Their bodies elongated, and their muscles grew, skin cracking and rejoining. Their eyes started to glow red. They were becoming Glycons.

  The hybrids rushed to Hope and Jenna. Rem grabbed Jenna, and Alec grabbed Hope. They sprinted toward the trees with Sergius and Nero guar
ding their backs.

  Agatha sneered. “No matter. Your trash won’t win.”

  “We shall see,” Anassa declared.

  The newly birthed Glycons loped toward the godsons, shrieking and growling, a stampede of violent, aggressive monsters.

  “What’s happening?” Hope asked.

  “Anassa had a trump card up her sleeve.” Alec glanced behind him. “Something that would give her a chance against the godsons.”

  The horde of Glycons tore into the godsons. They had superior numbers, but the godsons were stronger. One godson all but tore the head off a Glycon with a single punch. Four others sliced into him, but he’d killed two of them before they brought him down. The hybrids could only hope the two armies took each other out, and they wouldn’t need to do anything.

  Alec’s group continued fleeing. Agatha and Anassa focused on the immediate fight rather than the fleeing hybrids and Vestals. Perhaps they thought they would be easy prey once the other enemies were defeated. The hybrids stopped at the edge of the forest as Joran, Frank, Nicole emerged from the trees with several people from town, all holding guns. Some held pistols, other rifles. A few had shotguns. One man even had a crossbow.

  “They wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Joran shrugged.

  Alec looked around at the people. He’d encountered many of them in town. His gaze dipped to their weapons. For a moment, he wondered if they were there to take the hybrids out. It wouldn’t be the first time his people were met with hatred.

  His arms tightened around Hope. Alec was about warn them off when an older woman in the group raised her revolver and fired off three rounds. A Glycon screamed behind him. Alec looked that way in time to see it hit the ground.

  “Thank you,” Alec said.

  The woman nodded back and ran a hand through her silver blonde hair pulled back on her head.

  “This is our town,” she said firmly. “We plan on defending it right along side of you. I don’t care if there are monsters. If they die when they get shot, it’ll work out just the same.”