Cyrus frowned and stepped away from her. At first, she thought she’d done something wrong and offended him until he spoke.
“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Cyrus shouted, glaring at the man who’d called out.
Several of the other men looked chagrined. Men, well, men and boys. Several of them might be larger than your typical high schooler, but they were definitely teenagers.
April stepped back, not expecting the loud booming sound erupting from Cyrus. His eyes glowed brightly as he shouted at the man.
The other hybrid stepped back. His gaze darted from her to Cyrus, and she wondered if a fight was about to break out.
Maybe that was how they settled things when they were alone. Lord knew that even normal human men were pig-headed enough.
“We didn’t mean—” the other hybrid began.
“No, you didn’t think,” Cyrus ground out. “Worse, you weren’t aware of what was around you.” He gestured around himself. “You need to have fucking situational awareness at all times.” He took in deep breaths and then fixed his gaze on the man. “Fifty. Drop and give me fifty.”
The man dropped instantly and started doing push-ups, counting off with each one.
“Really, I’m fine,” she started but stopped when Cyrus turned his hard stare on her.
“You could have been hurt,” he said. “He needs to learn. Not just for you, but for his own sake.” He nodded toward the field. “This isn’t just for fun. It’s for training.”
She gave a small nod, not quite knowing what to say. April just watched until the man finished counting and stood up.
“Now hit the field,” Cyrus said.
His features relaxed some. He turned and picked the bags back up before walking away. She followed quietly behind him.
They walked for a bit longer, but stopped outside a two-story house.
“This is the women’s dorm for now,” he said, making his way up to the house. “There’s no one there currently, but our new teacher should be moving in soon. Don’t know much about her, but you could ask Titus about that.”
April nodded and smiled as she stepped inside.
She turned to thank him, but he was already away from the house and walking down the lane. Almost jogging really, as if trying to get away from her.
She quietly closed the door and leaned against it. Maybe it was for the best that the handsome man retreated. His presence lingered in her mind.
She sighed. She needed to keep focused on the job.
It was going to be a long few weeks.
Chapter Five
Cyrus paced back and forth in Titus’s small office. He could still feel the anger and lust from before as it beat steadily inside of him.
Now that he was away from April, he realized how being around the Vestal was already affecting him and his judgement. The football incident was proof enough.
The situation was bad. Sure, he might be a hard ass on the men, but he never really lost it like he did today. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his self-control.
"What the hell happened out there?" Sol asked.
Cyrus stopped his pacing and stared at his superior. He shook his head. Sol witnessed the whole thing on the field. There was no hiding just what had happened.
"It’s that woman," he groaned. "Something just flipped in me."
He watched as Sol and Titus raised a brow at one another. They all knew what this was, even if she didn’t smell as nice to them as she did to him, they would know she was a Vestal. The two men were just waiting for him to voice it out loud, maybe just to make sure he realized the situation himself.
"Fuck,” he said and sighed loudly. “She's my Vestal.”
He looked between the two other men. Each gave him a knowing nod.
Cyrus plopped down in the open seat in front of the desk. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed loudly. "Fuck."
Titus cleared his throat. "We can always pull you off.”
Cyrus shook his head. "You know that's not going to change anything. If anything, it might make her more suspicious.”
Sol took the seat next to him as Titus leaned back in the swivel chair at his desk.
"Why does she have to work for them?" Cyrus said quietly.
"Doesn't necessarily mean she's on their side," Titus said.
“Are we sure?” Sol said.
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe this was intentional. Maybe the Group sent along a Vestal on purpose.”
Cyrus growled. If he were being manipulated by the Group, someone would pay.
Titus shook his head. “Maybe, but they didn’t know until today who was going to be showing her around, so it wasn’t like they could plan for it, and that’s assuming they could produce a Vestal for someone specific. It’s just a coincidence.” He glanced over at Cyrus. “Honestly, this might work to our advantage. She might be more inclined to sympathize with the hybrids if she’s feeling her Vestal pull. I think we should give her a chance.”
Cyrus looked up at him. A chance? Was that really something they could afford to do? Everything seemed to hinge on this investigation. If April decided against them, things could be much harder than they were currently.
Sol nodded. "Agreed, besides I worry less about the woman and more about this military man," he said. "Major General West has made his name known for doing whatever it takes to move up the ranks."
“Ambition.” Titus frowned. "That makes him dangerous."
The general would be looking for something, anything, to nail them on in order to make a further name for himself. They would need to make sure that both the general and April were closely watched. At this point, both could prove serious threats.
"I've got Ava showing him around a bit," Titus said. "I'm sure it will piss off Zeno, but I figured she would be the most apt to deal with his bullshit. Not only that, but the general seems to like the pretty ones."
Cyrus frowned and let out a small growl. He’d picked up on that as well. West seemed very comfortable placing his hands on April, too comfortable. Maybe the two were already together.
Irritation zipped through him the more he thought about it. She might not be his, and maybe he could never have her, but there was no way he was happy about that sort of man being near her.
Cyrus shook his head. He was already starting to let himself get distracted.
“We better hope they don’t come across Zeno,” Titus said. “He’s likely to pee all around Ava just to prove she’s his.”
Cyrus let out a small laugh.
A small knock came from the door, and they turned to look just as it opened. Ava stepped into the room and nodded to the men. She sighed loudly.
"He sure likes to talk a lot about himself," she said. "Went on and on and on about all his medals and all the places and men he commanded. I don't think he really saw anything that we were looking at."
Titus nodded. "Good."
She blinked. “Good?”
“If he’s too busy puffing himself up, he’s too busy to find things he doesn’t like about us.”
“Isn’t that April’s job?” Cyrus muttered.
“Yeah, but let’s just hope you keep her on point.”
"Where is he now?" Sol asked.
Ava stood just inside the door. "I left him at the women's dorm. He said he needed to speak to April."
Anger roared through Cyrus as he thought about the two alone together. Just knowing his reaction only pissed him off more. Complicated didn't even cover his feelings at the moment, and he’d never thought of himself as anything like complicated.
He stood abruptly. "I need to go."
Titus raised a brow. "You sure you can handle this? Like I said, I think you being involved in this might work out to our advantage, but if you want out, I’m fine with that.”
Cyrus shrugged. "I teach the men all the time about suppressing anger and fear. Fairly certain I can suppress my own urges."
Sol let out a loud
bark of laughter. "Good luck with that."
Titus nodded. “Very well.”
Cyrus quickly stepped through the door and down the hall. He would not let his emotions break him.
* * *
"I know my job," April snapped as she hung up her clothes in the closet.
She was tired of hearing how important it was that she got good results. What she resented was the implication that good results meant what the general wanted.
The whole point of her presence was that she was an independent and objective third party. She would do her damn job, and whatever the outcome, they would just have to deal. The one thing she refused to do was manipulate her findings or be deceptive.
They had lied to get her to the meeting in the first place. They continued to lie, expecting her to make a case for them against the Lodge. For what reason?
She didn’t know, but that wasn't what her job was. She would do exactly as she was hired for and nothing more, nothing less. They couldn’t fuck her over too badly for being really good at what they hired her to do.
April glanced over to where Richard had made himself comfortable on her bed. The sight of him there, acting like he owned the place, only pissed her off more. It was clear that the general was getting just a little too comfortable with her.
He flashed a brilliant smile that she was sure worked with plenty of other women, but only seemed to make her a bit ill.
It was just all so fake.
It didn’t help that it seemed very fake compared to the very real connection she felt toward Cyrus.
Woah. She barely knew Cyrus. Just because he was nice on the eyes and rugged didn’t mean she had to let her brain leave. She needed to concentrate on dealing with Richard.
It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d been around this type of guy. The one that would shoot his own mother to move up in the ranks. She hated the sort.
They all expected that she would fall for them right after seeing who her father was, but that would never happen. Her father had gotten his glory by being the sort of man that others looked up to. He didn’t look down on his men and always made sure their needs came first. Sometimes even over those of his own family.
April shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that right now. Being back in the military sort of life only reminded her of things she didn’t really want.
She stepped farther into the closet, hoping he might decide to just leave.
“You know…” Richard began.
She spun around only to find Richard standing right there. April nearly jumped out of her skin.
“We could always go for a drink when this is all over.” He raised a brow and stepped forward.
Without thought she placed a hand on his chest to put some distance between them. April pushed past him, trying to escape being crammed in the closet with him.
“I really think—” she said.
She stopped as her gaze collided with the handsome hybrid in the door.
Cyrus. Her mind seemed to sigh just at the sight of him.
Despite his hard features and scowling face, April still found herself irresistibly attracted to him. His eyes flashed a bright yellow for a second.
“You were say—” Richard said. He frowned and followed her line of sight.
April watched as Cyrus looked over to Richard who had stepped out of the closet after her and stood just a little too close to her side.
“I knocked, but no one answered,” Cyrus said.
April nodded to the closet. “Sorry, I was just hanging clothes. I hope it’s okay I took this room,” she babbled.
Somehow she found herself very nervous, especially since just earlier she had been pressed close to all those muscles. Just the thought of it made her ache a little.
“I didn’t really know…”
The words died in her mouth as she noticed the two men staring at one another, each sizing the other up.
“So you’re the one that’s going to be escorting April?” Richard said.
Cyrus grunted. His gaze drifted back over to April, and then he nodded.
Richard cleared his throat. “Well, we expect her to be well taken care of,” the general said with authority.
“Don’t worry, she will be.”
She was surprised to see the almost wolf-like smile Cyrus gave. Only it wasn’t aimed at her but Richard.
Her cheeks heated. Cyrus must have heard Richard suggest a drink. Now he was just trying to get a rise out of him. She wasn’t a pawn.
“Well, I think I’d better get settled in,” she said with a firmness that seemed to surprise both men.
Richard straightened his jacket and made his way to the door. He stopped and glared at Cyrus then turned to April.
“You call if anything happens,” he said. “Anything at all.”
April nodded. “I will.”
She watched as he walked out the hall and heard him proceed down the stairs.
Cyrus waited until Major General Dick was out the door before talking. Hell, it might not be right rank-wise, but he’d prefer to just think of him as Major Dick. He didn’t trust that man at all.
“Since it’s your first night, I thought we might have dinner, and I could finish the main tour,” he said.
He was planning on finishing the tour, but dinner somehow slipped out. Well, they had to eat. It wasn’t totally out of nowhere, but it still made him feel like the control he had sworn to keep was already starting to slip.
A bit of pink filled her cheeks, and the sight of it only excited him.
“That sounds good,” she said.
Cyrus nodded. His gaze darted to the bed and then back to her. He needed to get the hell out of there before he really let his control slip. It didn’t help that he could smell that smug prick all over the room.
“I’ll be back in an hour to pick you up.”
With that, he hurried out and made his way back downstairs and to the car. He sat there for a moment cursing the newly found hormones that raged inside.
This whole thing was a bad idea, and yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself from mucking his way through. He just hoped that their connection would be enough to make things all turn out right.
If not, he didn’t know what he’d do.
Chapter Six
After finishing dinner, some surprisingly good fish with rice, Cyrus led April outside.
She had to set some of her preconceptions aside. As silly as it was, she’d half-expected the hybrids to mostly eat red meat.
A little shame passed through her. She wasn’t being that much better than Senator Woods and the general, acting like the hybrids were animals and not just men with a few special abilities.
She needed to do a good, thorough job. She’d not deliver some half-baked accusations like Woods and Richard seemed to want. Instead, she’d be professional and fair. It was the least she could do.
She took a moment to look back at the huge dining hall. The size of the building and the efficiency of the meal preparation surprised her. Again, she wasn’t quite sure what she’d been expecting, but the whole place had an air of military precision, but without some of the tension she’d witnessed on military bases.
Many reports stressed how the hybrids were, in real terms, super-soldiers, but now, spending time with them, they didn’t feel that way to her.
When she thought about that, it made sense. After all, even if they were mostly genetically engineered for war by the Horatius Group, they weren’t a military unit serving a country, but, in a sense, a family or a tribe. When they’d gained their freedom from the Group, the only thing they really had was each other.
It was almost like having all the advantages of the military combined with the loyalty of family.
She was already seeing that Luna Lodge was a well-oiled machine where the people were taken care of. It wasn’t a luxurious existence by any means, but they weren’t starving and freezing in the rain either. There were no homeless hybrids sleeping on the street,
no young hybrids being ignored.
Before taking the job, she’d read a lot of the publicly available reports on the place. In the beginning, shortly after the US government allowed them to settle the land, the hybrids had received a decent amount of funding from the government, along with some other, more secretive benefactors. The funding had been enough to stabilize their financial situation.
She could see how it’d been helpful. After all, Luna Lodge was effectively a small city, and with some people, including several women moving into it, it was almost like it was becoming its own tiny little country.
The wind picked up, its cold touch wrapping around her. She shivered and pulled her coat more tightly around her as Cyrus led her farther into the cooling night air. Although she wanted to keep up with her business attire, it would be hard to do so while staying there. Things like heels weren’t going to work well in a place that required so much walking over uneven terrain.
Instead, she’d settled for a pair of black slacks and ballerina flats. A bit more casual than she would normally wear, but no one around seemed to really care much. If anything, she felt more out of place in her original outfit.
It was another minor detail about Luna Lodge that surprised her. Given how much emphasis the hybrids placed on training and the still very military-like structure they seemed to employ, she’d expected more uniforms and that sort of thing.
She glanced over at Cyrus, who looked ahead as he walked with her. Conversation at dinner had been almost non-existent, tense really. It was like he didn’t want to talk to her at all. Her confusion mixed with attraction to produce more than a little irritation.
She didn’t understand his behavior. He seemed almost pissed to be eating dinner with her at times, but he was the one who’d invited her and mentioned a tour. If he was so put out, he should have just left her alone for a bit.
Several younger hybrids passed by. She recognized one in the group. He was the one who had thrown the football that nearly hit her. Now that she was paying closer attention, she couldn’t help but notice how young he really was.
The public, and even the government, seemed to act like all the hybrids were grown and dangerous men, but put little thought into the presence of a decent number of younger ones. It was dehumanizing, she thought. But maybe that was the point.
Cyrus: #11 (Luna Lodge) Page 3