As silly as it might sound, she was hoping for just a little bit of Christmas magic. Anything that might make Marcus look her way for just a moment. Sometimes a woman just had to take a chance.
“Holy shit,” Taylor said as she stepped up to her.
She gave her spirited red-headed friend a warm hug. Taylor was wearing her normal boots, jeans, and heavy flannel shirt. Not at all surprising.
“You are sex on a stick,” Taylor said and gave her a wink.
Courtney could feel the heat as it rose on her cheeks, and she glanced around the room. “I just thought it might be nice to dress up.”
It hadn’t even occurred to her that she might be a little too overdressed for the evening. She sighed when Jenna and Lara stepped over wearing cute holiday outfits. Jenna’s pregnant belly stuck out slightly in her red Santa-style dress.
“You look amazing,” Lara said. She leaned in for a hug and whispered in her ear, “He’s crazy if he doesn’t notice you in this outfit.”
Courtney smiled. As embarrassing as her friends could be, it was still nice to know that she had people on her side.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
Lara gave her arm a squeeze before leaning back.
Unable to stop herself, she glanced over to where Marcus was laying out the goodies from her basket. She watched as he glared down at a younger hybrid, Jace, someone she had spoken to on a few occasions.
Jace had been trying to get one of the shortbread cookies she made but stopped in his tracks when Marcus gave a low rumble deep in his chest. He snapped open the container of cookies in front of Jace and proceeded to shove them rapidly in his mouth, all the while glaring at the other man until he walked away.
Taylor sighed loudly. “Oh Christ,” she said and rolled her eyes. “I’d better go save your damn cookies before he decides to piss on them all.”
Courtney gasped. “You don’t really think he’d do that, right?”
She couldn’t really be sure. The hybrids were supposed to have a stronger animal side from her understanding.
Taylor just shook her head and stomped over to the table where Marcus stood, still eating the cookies. Courtney watched as her friend sent him off in a huff.
For a moment, her eyes caught his. Mouth still stuffed with the cookies he slowed his pace. She felt the jolt of electricity that came from just looking at him. His eyes trailed down her body and then back up to her face.
A bright flash of blue flickered behind his eyes, and her heart raced. A warm glow filled her, and she shivered at the excitement that pulsed inside her.
Marcus broke eye contact with her and took a position on the couch, not far from where she stood with Jenna and Lara. His eyes were now firmly back to whatever he was working on with his hands and a small knife.
Taylor returned, and they all fell into small talk for a while, too long really. Courtney knew she needed to go over to him, but fear gripped her heart. Better to just chat with her friends and build up the courage.
Finally, Courtney’s heart felt ready. She’d gathered her courage. She reached into the small satchel she had carried in.
“I’ll be right back,” she said to her friends as she pulled in a giant breath. “I just have something I need to do.”
Body trembling with each step, she made her way over to where he sat on the couch. Not allowing herself the opportunity to run, Courtney sat down beside Marcus and held out the small container in front of him.
Time to take a chance.
Chapter Three
Marcus frowned at the little container in Courtney’s delicate fingers. What was this about? He’d been told that people liked to give gifts around this time of year. He inwardly cursed himself for not expecting something like this from her. To keep his distance from her, he needed to anticipate what she might do.
“I made you something,” she said, a small blush on her cheeks.
Now he was trapped. He couldn’t just not take it.
Staring at the box, he found it hard to concentrate on anything because of the sweet and spicy smell drifting off Courtney. He knew what others would claim it was, her Vestal scent. He kept reminding himself that might not be true.
It might just be a story they’d all convinced themselves was true. After all, a chosen hybrid shouldn’t have to rely on a human for mating.
Marcus took the box, his fingers brushing hers as he did so. A sensation zipped up his arm and straight to his heart. His heart hammered hard against his chest, and he resisted letting out a grunt.
It didn’t matter what he told himself about Vestals and Courtney. The truth didn’t matter. The reality was that his body and soul called to hers when she was around, and touching her was a mistake. That was why he’d been trying so hard to avoid any serious contact with her.
Maybe the connection was more one-sided, though. Marcus glanced over to her to see if she felt the same.
Her lips parted, and he could see she had painted them. No. They called it something different. Lipstick. Yes, lipstick. The blush on her cheeks though was fresh.
He shook himself slightly. This was ridiculous. He wasn’t some child who let his emotions rule his body. Even if he wanted her, that didn’t mean he had to give in. He was a man, in the end, not a beast.
He glanced at Rem out of the corner of his eyes. This was his fault. He knew what would happen.
So what if Rem had set him up? That didn’t mean Marcus had to play right into his trap.
He’d show his cocky leader that he was still in control. He knew that a lot of the other hybrids thought he was a hot head not worthy of respect. Before he didn’t care, but as time had passed, he began to grow more irritated. He was tired of being an outsider, including among his own people.
Marcus opened the lid on the container and was surprised to find little brown men inside. He looked them over, confused. It took him a moment to realize the little brown men were cookies. How strange. He grunted noncommittally.
He stiffened as Courtney leaned in slightly to point to the little blue lines on the brown cookies.
“They’re gingerbread men,” she said. “Well, actually they’re gingerbread hybrids.”
He narrowed his eyes. The little blue lines along the arms and shoulders of the gingerbread men resembled a familiar pattern, the blue lines running across his own body, proof of his purer Atlantean heritage, or so he believed. The only thing he could be sure of was the blue, often glowing, tattoo-like lines set his group of hybrids apart from those of Luna Lodge.
He stared closely at the cookies, trying to think of what they meant. “Are these me?” he said, his voice full of curiosity.
When he turned to look at her, their faces were just a few inches apart. He could smell the cinnamon on her breath. Her nearness summoned an ache unlike any he’d known. For the first time, he thought about closing the gap between them, to let himself follow the base instinct that told him he needed her.
He fought against the urge. It didn’t matter what he felt. She was a human.
The pink on Courtney’s cheeks grew as he stared at her. Her big brown eyes dipped down instantly, and he wondered if she felt the same pull.
“Well, I had to use someone as a model,” she said. She brought her eyes back to his after fumbling for words a moment. “So yes,” she said softly. “They are you.”
It was a cookie. He shouldn’t feel anything over a cookie. But it wasn’t really the cookie pulling out his feelings and stripping his soul bare. No matter how much he might want to deny it, she called to him.
The whole room melted away for a moment, and it was just them sitting on the couch. Was this what the other hybrids talked about? Was this destiny or the hand of the gods?
He picked up one of the cookies. If everything they believed about Vestals were true, and he denied her, he might be going against what was intended for him. But why a human? It was like everything else he believed was being mocked.
Marcus took a bite. Somehow it tasted just like she
smelled. He bit back the groan that wanted to come out. His own body continued to work against his careful control around Courtney.
He chewed on the cookie slowly, savoring it. She watched him in silence, a slight smile on her face. After finishing, he picked up another cookie. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time he’d eaten the third cookie.
“Are those gingerbread men?” someone said.
He had been so focused on her that he hadn’t even realized several of the men and their mates had closed around Courtney and him.
Whatever his confusion over her, he didn’t appreciate the others barging in.
Lucas reached in to grab a cookie. Marcus quickly popped the lid on and held it out toward Courtney.
“If you don’t like them—” she began, confusion spreading on her face.
“No,” he said quickly and turned to glare at Lucas who had ruined the moment. Then he turned back to Courtney. “You gave them to me. Not to them.” He practically growled the last word.
Lucas shrugged and backed away. Rem stood behind him, a smirk on his face. The look lit a spark of irritation in Marcus. Why did their leader always have to know?
Marcus wasn’t so sure why it really mattered that only he eat the cookies, but the idea of sharing something she had made for him just pissed him off to no end. He tried to tell himself it had nothing to do with Vestals, even if he didn’t fully believe it.
“Are you still planning on driving up to see Mr. Martin tonight?” Lara asked.
He turned and watched as Courtney nodded and looked at her watch.
“Oh, I didn’t realize it was so late,” she said. Her forehead creased in worry.
She shot up from the couch, and he was once again reminded why he’d nearly fallen on himself before. Her tight sweater dress accentuated all the right curves as she adjusted the garment. He hardened at the sight and hoped no one could tell given how he was seated.
“Who is Mr. Martin?” he asked, trying to not growl again. He wouldn’t be teased by her if she had some human man she was also flirting with.
Courtney stopped to look at him. “An old friend who lives on the mountain,” she said. “He’s getting on in years, and I like to check on him.”
The following surge of relief surprised him. Just some old man. Not a threat. But why should he worry about that sort of threat? She wasn’t even supposed to be for him.
Marcus sighed in his head. Still, the storm was coming soon, and because of this stubborn old man, she was going to end up risking herself. Whether she was supposed to be his Vestal or not, he didn’t want to see her hurt.
“I really don’t like the idea of you driving up there alone,” Rem said. “You’re one of us now, and we take care of our own.”
Several of the nearby men nodded in agreement.
Courtney wasn’t paying attention though. She had already rushed over to where her coat and hat lay next to the door. Marcus stood and followed the others as they tried to talk sense into her.
“You can’t go out there,” Lucas said. “You’ll wreck your car.”
“Really should’ve left earlier,” she mumbled to herself.
“We really should have one of the men go with you,” Rem said, his tone now insistent.
Marcus glanced over to his leader. Rem raised a brow at him. There was no way he was getting goaded into going. Sure, he’d considered it, but now that his leader seemed to be insisting, he resisted.
It wasn’t his problem. He didn’t have time for this. Who knew what the Azilians were planning? Or, for all they knew, some group of human fanatics might be closing on them.
Before he thought the storm would provide protection, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it could also be used to conceal an incursion into their lands. They could be taken by surprise and not even realize what was going on.
They needed him there, and no way in hell was he letting Rem push him into this. Courtney was leaving, and it was all for the best. Who knew what would happen otherwise?
She’d lived in the area for years. She had to know how to drive around safely in this kind of weather.
The corners of Rem’s mouth quirked up. “Maybe we should have Jace—”
“I’ll go,” Marcus blurted out to his own surprise.
His heart hammered hard in his chest as he tried to control his rising irritation. No way was he letting Jace go anywhere with her. The damn kid would have his paws where they didn’t belong. No fucking way.
Courtney stopped and turned to look at him. Her hand stilled on the button at the breast of her coat. “Really?”
Marcus offered a curt nod. He reached past her and grabbed his own coat. “Let’s go before we both get killed.”
Chapter Four
After Courtney loaded up the car, they began the arduous journey up the treacherous icy mountain.
Long minutes of silence passed, and she sucked in a deep breath. Her heart pounded.
Mr. Martin lived about an hour up the mountain by car. The passage was often blocked by snow or ice or even mudslides.
Much of it was covered by dirt roads, and there was no direct route, making the trip up to see him somewhat difficult. It was far too easy to miss a turn.
Although that wasn’t what she was thinking about at that moment, nor what was making her heart race. The very fact that Marcus had decided to come along with her set every little nerve in her body on end. All she could think about was the hulking quiet man sitting next to her in the car. His woodsy smell excited her, probably more than it should.
She glanced over at him and gave a small smile. Seeing him clutch the container of cookies filled her with happiness in a way she hadn’t expected, a satisfying, lingering warmth.
Of course she hoped he would like the cookies. She obviously made them with him in mind, but to see the way he acted when Lucas tried to take one had to mean something. Didn’t it?
Marcus remained a mystery to her. It wasn’t exactly like she hadn’t ever had a boyfriend before or men in her life, but he was different, and not just because he was huge, well-muscled, and handsome. Hell, he wasn’t even all human.
But it was more than just that. Something about the way he carried himself just didn’t seem to match those around him, from his movements to even the cadence of his speech the few times he spoke in front of her, as rare as it had been.
She didn’t know how to describe it. Maybe this is what people meant when they said someone had an old soul.
Snow fell lightly on the windshield as the car bumped along the dirt road. She glanced over again at Marcus as he pulled something out of his pocket.
The small contact lens case was something she’d seen many of the hybrids carrying. It made sense. The first thing she always noticed when dealing with them without their contacts was their bright blue eyes, which often glowed. That wasn’t exactly something you could explain away in Eagle Ridge.
Their eyes were beautiful in her opinion. She’d never seen eyes so clear and soulful, even when they weren’t glowing.
With ease, Marcus put in the brown contacts and then placed the container back into his pocket. He then pulled out something else small and ran it between his fingers.
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him with a little piece of wood, patiently carving on it.
“Do you like to whittle?” she asked.
Marcus looked over to her, and she got the distinct feeling he had no idea what she was talking about.
“The little wood piece,” she said, nodding towards his hand. “My grandpa used to whittle back in the day. He’d make all sorts of little things for the grand-kids.”
Marcus turned her way and seemed intrigued by the conversation. A mix of surprise and happiness passed through Courtney. Most of the time, it was almost as if Marcus was doing his best to ignore her, and now here he was carefully paying attention to what she was saying.
“Does he still do it?” he said.
Courtney shook her head. “He
passed away when I was in high school,” she said. “He’d had a stroke a few years before then and lost use of one hand. The other shook so badly there was no way for him to continue.”
“I’m sorry,” Marcus said softly. “That must’ve been very hard for him.”
Courtney nodded and swerved the car slightly to avoid hitting a downed tree branch. Without thought she reached out and placed a hand on his knee to steady herself.
Almost instantly something shifted in the car. The atmosphere, their mutual presence. The feel of it rocked her to her core.
It took a few moments for her to even realize that her hand still rested against his leg before she pulled it back. Courtney’s face heated, and she refused to look in his direction.
“Sorry,” she said quietly.
They drove in silence for a while, and she wondered if he felt the shift in the atmosphere she did. It was such a strange feeling. Almost longing. As if she were close to something she’d been seeking for a long time.
That didn’t make any sense though. Yes, she was attracted to Marcus, but she barely knew him. How could she feel such a pull toward him?
Courtney brought herself back to the present.
“My grandpa was such a strong man,” she said. “He and Grandma lived on a little homestead. Their lives were simple and full of hard work, but I think that’s just the way he liked it.”
“Sounds like an honest life.”
Marcus didn’t know what the hell had come over him. An hour in the damn car, a touch of his knee, and he was ready to take Courtney off into the mountains and start their own homestead.
Vestal? No. The more he thought about it, the more he doubted it could be so simple. Why burden his kind with something that was just going to trouble them? Maybe it was true, but he didn’t want it to be.
It didn’t matter. She was a human, and he wouldn’t let himself be with a human.
The other possibility was that she laced his cookies with something. He glared down at the container in his lap and opened the lid.
Marcus: #5 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 2