Marcus: #5 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  Marcus groaned. His ribs and back burned, but he’d live. A few more hits like that, and the ice would be weak enough to push the Glycon through. At this point, he just needed to make sure he didn’t go with it.

  He threw a few punches. Even though he’d worried about the Glycon going after Courtney, when he finally caught up, he’d assumed he would have made short work of the creature. An individual normal hybrid tended to simply be better than a Glycon.

  The truth was the battle was turning out to be much harder than he’d thought it would be, and the Glycon was proving a tough foe.

  The Glycon was stronger, faster, and smarter than any he’d ever seen before. Most didn’t take much effort. They tended to attack with predictable tactics. They’d charge, and if you grabbed them right, you could snap their necks before they ever did any damage.

  But not this one. Beyond its size, strength, and speed, it’s tactics were closer to a hybrid than a Glycon. The beast, if he could even call it that, was thinking about its moves and countering his own.

  Sure, it’d charged more than he did, but it was mixing things up enough that he couldn’t easily handle it.

  And that didn’t even take into account the fact that the creature could talk.

  This all proved one thing. The Horatius Group had gotten better at making their army. These creatures were still bloodthirsty shock troops, but they could think. They could change their strategies in the course of battle and decide which fights were worth taking on.

  This didn’t bode well for his people. A mass assault by these improved Glycons would be hard to counter. Even if they could fight them off, the casualties would be horrendous.

  He spun and kicked the Glycon, sending it reeling back. The Glycon growled. He growled back.

  The only chance was that the Glycon wasn’t working for the Group. He’d denied it earlier, and Marcus had no idea whether such a creature would lie.

  That still didn’t answer the question of where the Glycon had come from. Given his rough appearance, he might have escaped, though that didn’t explain how the creature had ended up so close to them.

  If the Glycon were lying, then the Group already knew where they were. As it was, they had a hard enough time dealing with the Azilians. Adding the Horatius Group to the mix would mean trouble for them, if not outright destruction.

  They weren’t ready. Some of the group could fight, but many had never been trained. There weren’t enough of them to take on a battle with an army of creatures like this.

  The current fight had taken on even more meeting. Protecting his woman was important, but if this Glycon was some sort of scout, he needed to make sure he never returned home to report his findings. Now, this fight was about protecting his people.

  Marcus swept with his foot, but the creature jumped away at the last moment, hissing and growling.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus spotted Courtney just a long the tree line, likely where the water ended.

  She was quite a distance away, but he didn’t dare move closer. He needed to make sure that he and the Glycon were in deep water when the ice broke. He only hoped he was fast enough to get away.

  The Glycon swiped again, and Marcus spun around, nailing it in the back with an elbow. The creature let out a loud growl before leaping backward.

  At this point, cracks riddled the ice in the area. It wouldn’t be long now.

  He shot his foot out. This time he landed a blow against the Glycon’s stomach. The hit connected with a lower rib, and he felt a rib snap underneath the pressure.

  The Glycon howled in pain. Glowing red eyes fixed on Marcus with hatred. At this rate, he might be able to finish it off without depending on the ice, but with Courtney’s life on the line, he’d rather be careful.

  The creature charged him again, but instead of running at him, the Glycon pushed off the ground for a giant leap.

  Marcus sprinted away from the Glycon as it landed. He could hear the cracking ice underneath it, but the Glycon was so fixated on him that it missed the sound.

  One more good hit. That was all it would take, and this thing would be done.

  Despite the slashes, punches, and kicks, Marcus treated the whole thing like it was a game of chess. The flurries of hits and kicks provided a distraction until he forced the Glycon to end up in the center of several cracks.

  It was time. Marcus growled and leapt off the ground. The Glycon stepped back and raised its clawed hands.

  The Glycon laughed as Marcus landed hard on the ground in front of him, his fist slamming hard against the ice.

  “Miss,” the Glycon roared and laughed.

  The laugh stopped when a loud cracking ripped through the air.

  It wasn’t enough. Marcus slammed his other fist into the ground. Both knuckles cracked and bled. He needed to act quickly before the Glycon figured out what was going on. He pounded his fists into the ice.

  The Glycon’s eyes widened, and he roared. The creature crouched, preparing to attack when the ice around it broke and it slipped into the deadly cold water.

  Marcus stepped away from the water’s edge, watching the ice to see if the Glycon managed to free itself. Courtney rushed toward him.

  “It’s not safe,” he called.

  She ignored him and kept running. As they all but collided, he lifted her into his arms.

  He was worried, as the ice was still weak, but everything seemed to be holding for the moment.

  “You’re hurt,” she said.

  He grunted. Bloodied and sore, he was definitely hurt. But he’d won, and she was safe.

  He kissed her hard. All that mattered was her.

  The kiss was abruptly cut short when she was suddenly yanked back.

  Marcus held tightly on to her. The half-frozen Glycon had made it halfway out of the water. His claws were just barely snagging the bottom of her shirt.

  “Mine,” the Glycon hissed.

  Marcus yanked hard. The shirt tore. He placed Courtney carefully behind him.

  He turned and glared at the Glycon. “No,” he said, balling his fists. “She’s mine.”

  He slammed his fist hard into the side of the Glycon’s head. Something crunched, and the Glycon fell back into the freezing water.

  Marcus grabbed Courtney and rushed away from the ice as more cracks spread. When they reached the edge of the pond, he put her back down, and they both watched the pond, silent except for their labored breathing.

  A good minute past. Nothing emerged.

  He’d won.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Courtney leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “You came for me,” she said softly.

  Marcus picked her up without a sound and rushed toward the cabin. “We need to get you inside before you get frostbite.”

  She shivered slightly, but his warmth helped push away the cold. Still, she was only in sweats and a t-shirt, and with the fight over and her heart returning to normal, her mind could no longer ignore the cold. And she realized she could barely feel her toes or fingers.

  Marcus looked down at her as they moved through the woods. The rays of the morning sun filtered through the trees and reflected off the snow.

  She watched as he struggled to find his words. Instead, she noticed he picked up the pace. In no time, they were back at the cabin.

  Once inside, Marcus placed her on the couch and threw several logs onto the fire.

  Rubbing her shoulders, Courtney made her way into the bathroom. There she slipped off the wet sweatpants and grabbed some medical supplies. When she returned to the living room, she found Marcus had made a roaring fire.

  “Put your feet by the fire,” he said gruffly.

  Courtney sat down on an ottoman by the fire, glad to warm her toes after being in the snow for so long. Slowly, feeling came back to her toes.

  Marcus sat down in front of her. Although his own wounds still bled freely, he seemed more concerned with her feet.

 
He let out a sigh of relief. “It doesn’t look like frostbite,” he said as he gingerly held her feet in his large hands.

  Courtney pulled her foot from him and placed it on the ground, the feeling now totally returned. She stood in front of him and nodded to the ottoman.

  “Your turn now,” she said.

  Marcus scowled at her and turned away. “I’m fine.”

  She sighed loudly. “Can’t a woman just take care of her man?” She looked him up and down. “That… thing tore you up.”

  “Glycon.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what it’s called. The Horatius Group made it, though that one seemed like a runaway.”

  She thought that over, shivering for a moment at the idea that more creatures like that existed, and the horrors the hybrids had been forced to deal with.

  He turned to stare at her for a moment and then quietly sat on the ottoman. Courtney sat on the floor in front of him between his legs.

  She carefully cleaned the scratches on his stomach, legs, and body. They looked painful to her, but he didn’t even seem to notice as she worked.

  After the wounds were cleaned, Courtney placed a little ointment on the areas and then a piece of gauze over them. It wasn’t until she placed the tape on the gauze that he spoke again.

  “I love you,” he said softly.

  Her hand stilled for a moment, and she wasn’t certain that she’d heard him correctly.

  Courtney stared up at him.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” he said. “I’ve spent all this time trying not to feel anything for you and then suddenly you were gone.” He closed his eyes. “It was too close.” His eyes snapped open.

  Tears flooded her eyes as she continued to stare at him.

  Marcus gave a bitter laugh as he looked down at her. “I can’t even do this right without making you cry. I’m a failure as a mate.”

  Courtney sat up on her knees and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. When she pulled away, her tears had dampened his cheek.

  “I’m not crying because I’m sad,” she said. “I’m crying because I’m happy.”

  Marcus frowned and shook his head. “You humans make no sense. I love you, but I don’t know if I’ll ever understand you.”

  Courtney laughed. “Stop complaining and tell me you love me again.”

  His bright blue eyes glowed back at her. A small smile played on the corner of his lips. “I love you.”

  Her heart hammered in her chest. He really had said it.

  Courtney leaned in for another kiss but stopped when he pulled his head away. She frowned.

  Marcus raised a brow. “You don’t have anything to say?”

  She stood and sat in his lap, her legs straddling the sides of him as she did so.

  “I love you,” she whispered, her mouth just inches from his ear.

  Instantly, she felt him respond to her words. His hard length pressed against her center.

  “I need you,” he said.

  “But you’re hurt.”

  “Not that hurt.”

  Courtney nodded. She needed him and understood. They needed to be connected after nearly losing each other.

  She kissed the sides of his face where he’d been hit over and over. Bruises were already starting to form, and it only made her more frantic to have him inside her.

  His hands skimmed over her arms and then to the t-shirt she was wearing. He lifted it and tossed it to the ground.

  Courtney wrapped her arms around him, pressing her breasts to his hard cold chest. She hissed at the feeling.

  Marcus frowned. “Are you hurt? Maybe this isn’t—”

  She silenced him by placing soft kisses against his neck. “Tell me you love me again,” he whispered. Courtney pulled back to stare into his bright blue eyes. “I love you,” she said. “Despite all the crazy that is going on, you make sense. My heart belongs to you. It always has.”

  He kissed her now, hard and with more passion than she’d ever felt before.

  Something ripped, and it wasn’t until she felt his fingers pressing against her wet center that she realized he’d ripped her panties.

  Courtney pulled back to frown at him, but he only tossed them onto the fire.

  “They are in the way,” he said with a frown.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when he lifted her off his lap and bent her over the ottoman. Instantly, his hot wet mouth was there lapping at her most secret area.

  She moaned as he pressed his tongue deep inside her.

  “So sweet,” he murmured.

  She shivered at his words.

  Marcus pulled away and placed wet kisses up her back until he reached her ear.

  “I can’t go slow,” he whispered. “The beast in me needs you hard.”

  Her insides fluttered at his words. “I’m yours,” she said, the words coming out like a low growl of her own.

  He pushed into her in one thrust. His hips didn’t stop. Marcus gripped her hips as he fucked her, going faster than she even thought possible, each time slamming hard against her cervix as he did so.

  Her orgasm built with a speed she’d never experienced before. Before she could even say anything, Courtney was squeezing him hard inside her.

  Marcus groaned loudly as she milked him, his cock still painfully hard inside her. All the pain of his wounds seemed distant now, like a lost dream. Now, there was only him and Courtney.

  The need inside him urged him to push on.

  He stared down at their joined bodies. His thick cock filled her pussy, which stretched around him.

  Just seeing their bodies joined like that made him grow even more. He could hear her panting as another climax grew.

  He sped up. The sound of their bodies meeting combined with the little moans she let out every now and again sent him spiraling over the edge.

  Marcus shouted his release as she squeezed him once again, pulling every last drop from his body.

  “I am so lucky to have you,” he whispered. Then he lifted her. He needed to take his woman back to bed for some sleep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Courtney watched as Rem walked the grounds. It had taken Rem, along with a few other of the hybrids, nearly all day to actually get up to the cabin. Most of the roads were impassable from the snow, and they had been surprised to find her car in the ditch.

  Luckily, they had been able to get the car out of the ditch, and it now sat just outside the cabin. Though there were a few dents in it, there was nothing a few little repairs couldn’t handle.

  “A Glycon?” Rem said. His tone suggested he wasn’t surprised.

  Marcus nodded. “This one was different,” he said. “It was stronger, faster.” He rubbed his neck. “It could plan. Fuck, it could talk.”

  Rem arched his eyebrows. “Talk?”

  “Not a lot, but it said some things. Plus, I think it set the trap with the car in order to get to Courtney.”

  “So, it wanted a Vestal and a mate?”

  She looked over to Marcus who nodded. Her stomach turned a little at the idea, and she placed her hand in his for comfort. She hadn’t understood that it wanted to bond with her. Courtney had only assumed it wanted to kill her like Mr. Martin.

  “The real question is where it came from,” Rem said.

  Marcus shrugged. “Its clothes were pretty torn and old. It said it wasn’t with the Group.”

  “But it just so happens to be in the area we’re in?” Rem frowned deeply. “Even if that’s true, I don’t like the implications.”

  “I don’t know. It sounds strange to say about something like a Glycon, but I don’t think it was lying.”

  Rem stroked his chin. “Well, we’re here, and so are the Azilians. Maybe there’s something about this area that’s attracting our kind and people interested in them.” He shrugged. “That means the Group might be coming eventually, and we’ll need to be ready.”

  Marcus nodded once, hi
s face tightening.

  “And we need to be prepared for any other surprises. Next time, we might run into a Glycon that is more interested in just killing as many people as possible and not just trying to kidnap a Vestal.”

  Courtney cleared her throat, and they both looked over at her.

  “What about Mr. Martin?” she said quietly.

  Rem glanced toward the back of the house. “What about him?”

  “I can contact the police, but they’ll want to know what happened. I can’t tell them a Glycon killed him.”

  “Just tell them that when you and Marcus found the body, it was already like that. They’ll assume it was an animal. At least this way, he can be taken care of appropriately.” Rem stared hard at her for a moment. “They can’t know the truth. They won’t distinguish between hybrids and Glycons. I need to know that you’ll say it was an animal.”

  Marcus growled, and his eyes flashed. Rem stared at him with narrowed eyes.

  “What are you saying?” Marcus said, his voice filled with challenge.

  Rem ignored him to focus on her.

  She squeezed Marcus’s hand. “I understand. I don’t care as long as Mr. Martin is taken care of. I’ll call the police later today and tell them what I found. Besides, Marcus already took care of his killer.”

  A thoughtful look crossed Rem’s face for a second. “That he did.”

  Despite everything being over, tension still filled her. She didn’t want to be the cause of any trouble between her lover and his leader.

  Marcus stroked her fingers lovingly, and it helped to ease the worry she felt.

  Rem glanced between the two of them. “I see things have progressed with you two.”

  Marcus dropped her hand and huffed loudly. Courtney knew that he hated to have people look at their love, but he needed to move past that. She wanted to share their happiness.

  Courtney looked over to Marcus. “I love him,” she said simply.

  She watched as his cheeks tinted pink, and his eyes flashed for just a moment.

  His hand picked up hers again, and she smiled brightly at him.

  Rem gave a loud laugh and clapped Marcus on the shoulder. “I think she’s going to give you a run for your money. Good luck.”