Rem: #12 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  Jenna sighed. It had worked out for them in the end. Still, the whole thing felt wrong. The hybrids wanted a place to live and never wanted others to have to leave their own homes.

  Her stomach flipped, and she looked down to her massive belly as the baby shifted. She smiled and placed a hand there. Her gaze wandered over to the empty seat next to her. The folder she’d gotten at the doctors sat there, and despite all her frustration and concern, her smile spread.

  Jenna pulled out the ultrasound pictures. It was the first ultrasound she had been able to get. Without a doctor they could trust nearby, she’d had to rely on Rachel, and it wasn’t like they could do an ultrasound over the phone. To have a doctor place his hands on her and tell her for certain that everything was going well was exactly what she needed to hear, especially with all the other uncertainty swirling around her.

  She hadn’t known how much worry she’d been carrying until her doctor’s words lessened it. Now, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

  Lovingly, Jenna ran a hand over her large belly as she stared at his sweet little face on the photo. She was close and so far along that she could already imagine what he’d look like once he was born.

  With everything that had been going on, they hadn’t even picked out a name for the baby. He might be born with no name. Something about the idea of it made her heart hurt.

  More than anything Jenna wanted this child. She wanted the family and life she and Rem both deserved. Nothing had been easy for either of them. She wanted a fresh start.

  A slight tap on her window startled her out of her deep thoughts. Jenna turned and smiled warmly at her Uncle Dave. It had been good to see him getting out finally. At the compound he had kept mostly to himself, still recovering from his heart attack a few years back. She also had to bet that stepping away from his military life had been harder than he wanted to admit, especially since he wasn’t in a position to do much to help the hybrids.

  She knew he blamed himself for letting the Luna hybrids be targeted, and that leaving with Rem and his group had been a way of making up for that. He’d helped quietly in the background with planning and organization, but she could always see the guilt there.

  That was something Rem didn’t understand. She would have loved for the battles to be over so her uncle would not have to worry about hybrid safety anymore.

  Jenna stepped out of the SUV into the sun and sighed. It was nice to have the warmth on her face after the brutal winter. Living in the mountains had its charms, but the snow wasn’t among them. She had been half convinced she was going to have their baby during a blizzard.

  “You and Frank getting up to no good again?” she asked, grinning at her uncle.

  Frank and her Uncle Dave had really connected over the past few weeks, and it had been a relief. She could see the life slipping from his eyes each day they were there over the past year. He was too uncertain of where he fit into this new life. Now he had someone his age with a similar lifestyle to talk with, and that could help restore his sense of purpose independent of the hybrids.

  “Just got back from checking supplies and setting up future deliveries with Frank. Rem said it would be helpful to have us get it all established. I think he just knows we’ll put our boots up anyone’s ass.” A wide grin spread across Uncle Dave’s weathered face.

  Jenna snorted and slammed the SUV door. “That sounds like him.”

  When she turned back, he raised a gray brow. “Trouble?”

  Jenna leaned her aching back against the SUV and held out the envelope. Her uncle took the pictures out and ran a rough thumb over the little face.

  “So this is our little fella, huh?”

  A small shimmer of light caught his eye. She knew what he was thinking. It was the very thing she had thought over and over during her pregnancy. Not everyone was still there to appreciate the coming child. Not all losses in life came from Glycons and magical stones.

  “She would have loved this,” he said quietly. “Would have loved him.”

  Uncle Dave looked over to her with a touch of sadness she had seen him wear from time to time and still felt down to her very soul when it showed.

  “They both would have been so proud of the woman you are today.” He paused for a moment, and she wondered if he was struggling to find the right words until he spoke again. “You know they would have been crazy about Rem. He’s a good man.”

  She knew that. It went without saying that Rem was the best man she’d met in her life beside her dad and her uncle. He was the one she went to bed dreaming about and woke up in his loving arms.

  It had been so hard though never fully having him to herself. She was a strong woman, but sometimes she wanted to know that she was just as important to him as he was to her. Maybe it was the hormones, but at times she felt so very alone.

  “I know,” she said quietly. “I just wanted him there with me. It was a special moment and he missed it once again.”

  Uncle Dave leaned in and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in for an awkward hug thanks to her belly.

  “It’s been a hard run for you all,” he said next to her ear. She could smell his aftershave, and it comforted her in a way she hadn’t known it would. It was a smell she associated with family and protection.

  When her mother died, her uncle had become her new family center. It had been so long since she’d needed his strength, but Jenna leaned into the hug. Her large belly bumped against him.

  “Just give it a little time,” he said softly. “Things just need time to settle. I know you all will work it out. I know better than most about how hard it can be to adjust from wartime thinking.”

  Wartime thinking. He was right. That’s what they’d been dealing with, a long, dangerous war against a ruthless enemy.

  Jenna nodded against his chest. She didn’t have the words for a response but was glad for the comfort.

  When she finally pulled back, he smiled warmly at her. “Now you get yourself inside and take a load off those feet. Wouldn’t want our special fella coming early.”

  Jenna smiled as her stomach jumped with a hard kick. Her uncle’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “I think he has something to say to that.” She grinned.

  Her uncle reached out his hand. Jenna had seen it with the others, the need to feel the life growing but the reservation to go further. She took his hand and guided it to her stomach where she was certain the baby’s foot was about to come busting through her side.

  He gave another solid kick.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  The wonder in Uncle Dave’s eyes was all she needed. This is what life was all about and her uncle was right, they would sort things out. She might be more than a little annoyed with Rem, but he was trying to build a better life for all of them, even if his priorities were off at times.

  After a moment, her uncle’s hand slipped back. This time the tears in his eyes were completely visible.

  “I missed all this with you,” he said. “When your mom was pregnant, I was overseas. By the time I came home you were already half grown. When she died, I promised myself I’d take all the second chances in life.”

  Jenna blinked and could feel the tears falling freely from her own eyes. Uncle Dave stared directly at her, his red-rimmed brown eyes so sincere as he spoke. There was so much love there.

  “Thank you for letting me share this.”

  She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his weathered, bristled cheek. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  They smiled at one another for a few more moments before pulling away. Pink tinted his cheeks. The hardened ex-major wasn’t used to expressing himself like this, but she was glad he had. It was a connection to where she came from and helped put where she was going into perspective. They could both help each other continue to move forward.

  Uncle Dave ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “I better get back to organizing,” he said quickly. “Besides, it’s too cool out here. You nee
d to get in and warm up.”

  Jenna smiled at his doting. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  Uncle Dave gave a small nod before turning back toward the road. He was only a few houses down. It was far enough they all had their space but close enough they could stop and say hello without worrying about driving.

  Jenna turned toward her new house. Despite everything, it really did feel like home. Maybe with time all the rest would fall into place. She rubbed her belly gently. Everything just needed to fall into place before the big deal.

  She sighed. There was no time to waste spend thinking on those things. Her uncle was right. She needed to take the chance to put her feet up while she could. She’d have to deal with the rest later.

  Chapter Three

  When a man faced a fierce battle, he should arrive with a weapon. Sometimes he didn’t have the time to get the best weapon, so he would rely on whatever he could find.

  Rem bounded up the stairs, bundle of flowers in hand. He hated the cliché act of flowers when in trouble, but it seemed like the best option at the moment, and the only thing he could pull off on short notice. Or at least that was what he kept telling himself. It seemed to work for Lucas whenever he was in the doghouse.

  The more he thought about it, the more he decided taking relationship tips from Lucas seemed like his first mistake. Maybe he should have just called someone who wasn’t having to apologize to their woman all the time. Someone like Magnus.

  Rem ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Sometimes it didn’t matter who a man talked to or what flowers or gifts he brought. Sometimes a man showed up knowing he could be massacred.

  The truth was he had royally fucked up. He’d sworn over and over he would be there for the appointment. More than anything he wanted to see their child, to see the embodiment of them both growing inside his lovely woman. The baby represented their future together, a positive future that had nothing to do with Erebus or the Horatius group or any of the other garbage they’d been dealing with since he and Jenna got together.

  Just the thought of his coming son growing in Jenna made Rem’s chest swell with pride. He snorted. If Jenna knew his feelings, she would have asked him if he wanted to beat on his chest and go peeing around the yard to mark his territory. And if he were to answer honestly, Rem couldn’t exactly say that he didn’t want to do that.

  She was his woman carrying his son, and he wanted to mark her for the whole world to know. As barbaric as it might be, the instinctual part of him wanted nothing more than that. It was the simplest way he knew to keep her safe.

  Coming to Eagle Ridge was supposed to be a part of keeping her safe, along with the other Vestals, but fate had other plans. He didn’t want to believe he had no control, that they would have ended up there no matter what, but it was hard to ignore everything that had happened. Agatha might have tracked them down no matter where they went, but relocating next to the Azilians was harder to explain away.

  He let out a low growl. It didn’t matter now. Those battles were over, and the battle to earn back his mate’s trust was just beginning.

  Rem stopped at the front door and frowned. He turned and assured himself that her car was there, but inside he knew she wasn’t home.

  He waited a moment, cocking his head to the side and listening. The quiet street should have allowed him to easily pick out some hint of her inside, but there was nothing.

  It didn’t make sense. Jenna wasn’t the sort to just leave before a fight. If anything, he usually expected her to be there waiting to give him hell. It didn’t happen often, but they were a typical couple with typical fighting. That is when they weren’t trying to beat up bad guys and save the world from dark gods.

  Rem’s heart pounded with fear, making it harder to concentrate on listening for her. No. This wasn’t like her. Something had happened. Yes, he’d stopped off to get the flowers and hadn’t rushed right over, but it wasn’t like he’d spent an hour messing around before coming home.

  While he had been deciding on roses or seasonal flowers, she had been taken. Or worse. He’d failed his mate and his baby.

  Rem slammed into the door, wanting to take the enemy by surprise before he tore them to pieces. The inside jamb shattered with the force, and the door swung wide, slamming into the wall with a loud thud. A mirror hanging on the same wall fell and crashed to the ground breaking into pieces. He didn’t care about the damage or the mess.

  Jenna. She was all he could think of.

  He raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time in mighty strides. When he reached the top, he charged into their room, growling. He threw open the door without destroying it this time and found… nothing. All was as it should be. Nothing out of place or as if there had been a struggle. Jenna’s scent clung to his nostrils. She’d been their recently, but she wasn’t there now.

  Rem frowned and closed the door. He made his way to the nursery. Bright afternoon light filtered through the curtains. Again, everything was as it should be.

  It didn’t make sense. He sniffed the air again, looking for anything out of place, either the stench of Glycon or something similar. Nothing.

  He turned and made his way back down the stairs. He headed into the living room and then wandered through the dining room. Nothing out of order, nothing damaged and no strange scents. So far, the only damage to his new home was what he’d inflicted on the door.

  Rem stepped through the kitchen to the back door. Maybe they had come in that way and grabbed her while she was in the kitchen. The back door remained firmly locked and everything put away except for a couple plates sitting in the sink.

  He took in a deep breath, trying to find any scent that might let him know who had taken her or what had happened. There had to be some sort of clue.

  Again, nothing but their normal home smells came back to him. The sweets she had been baking over the past few days for the wedding party. The smell of chicken from the night before. Soft floral hints from her shampoo and even the cocoa butter she spread across her growing belly reached his nose.

  His frown only grew along with the volume of his growl. Maybe there were Glycons masking their scent again. Maybe they had taken her before she even reached the door. He’d gotten better than the other men at finding their scent even with their chemical, but if they had improved on the formula, he was fucked.

  Rem scanned the room. There had to be something. Some sign. Some evidence.

  On the table, he spotted a note propped against a glass. When he picked it up, two small pieces of paper fluttered to the table. The one that landed showed the squished face of a child, little fingers stuck inside its mouth in an ultrasound photo.

  Rem turned to the note.

  You’re still an ass, but at least you make a cute son. Doctor Myers said we’re both healthy. We have less than a week to get our shit together before he’s here. Be home late because of the baby shower. Eat real dinner. Cake doesn’t count.

  Love always,

  Jenna

  Rem looked back to the photos. He turned the other over. It was a side profile. His son’s little body fit snugly inside the tight confines of his wife. He ran a finger over his child and felt a lump grow in his throat as relief flooded over him.

  They were safe. She was exactly where she said she would be that morning, but he’d been so preoccupied it hadn’t stuck in his head. Just like the ultrasound.

  He looked down at the pictures.

  The pregnancy was real. His son was real. Things were finally happening, and they would be the family he always dreamed of. He studied the tiny little face. It was already clear he would be the perfect combination of Jenna and himself. He couldn’t help but wonder if the child would have his hybrid traits, but if he did, they would handle them together.

  He would be the father he needed to be. The father he wanted to be. All of their planning and work had been for this very moment. He had really fucked up by missing that special moment.

  Rem sat down the photos on the table. H
e had been so busy trying to push things to be normal he’d missed the chance to experience the first real normal thing in his life.

  Agitated, he made his way over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. It wasn’t often he drank these days, but after all the hard work he had put in to get things ready for the weddings, it felt like a good time for something cold and alcoholic.

  He popped the top off the bottle and took a few swigs of the cold brew. The bubbles felt good going down. It had been such a long time since he had a drink. It had been too much of a risk with the threat of constant attack.

  Rem ran a hand over his face. He could already feel the fatigue now that he’d sat for a moment. Things were fine as long as he was moving, but as soon as he stopped, he could feel the bone-aching need to rest.

  The more he pushed to get things back to a new sort of normal, the more tired he grew. Maybe it was just his body actually not allowing him to burn himself at both ends.

  He put the bottle back to his lips and drained the rest of the beer. His gaze settled on the pictures again and then the trail of glass he had made getting into the house. Rem leaned back and looked at the smashed door and broken mirror.

  “Fuck,” he grunted.

  She might forgive him for missing the ultrasound, but he doubted she would be thrilled to get home tonight and see the mess he’d made of things. At least he hadn’t inflicted much damage to anything other than the door and the wall.

  Rem pulled out his phone, dialed, and placed it to his ear.

  “Lucas, I need you to do me a favor, and you can’t tell Taylor about it. I’m already in enough shit.”

  Chapter Four

  Jenna smiled from her seat on the couch despite how achingly uncomfortable she felt no matter what angle she sat in. It was just one of the discomforts that came with the third trimester. It wouldn’t be long now, but she was beyond ready to have this baby. Just needed to make it past all the festivities before then. She couldn’t say if the future would be free from turmoil for the hybrids, but she prayed they could at least make it past her delivery.