“Like what?” she urged him.
Titus looked her in the eyes. The pain of the memories still etched into his soul. “No food, beatings, shock.” He shrugged. “Whatever they could find that would get the best results.”
“They used your friends against you,” she said softly.
He shook his head. “I wasn’t allowed friends. I hadn’t spent much time with any of them outside training exercises until we were released.” He gave a bitter laugh. “No, they used everything against me, but instead of harming me, they only harmed the men.”
He took a deep breath as he opened up wounds he didn’t like visiting. “The scars Lucius has are my fault,” he said. He keep his eyes forward, so he didn’t have to see the scorn in her eyes. “They brought in a woman, a Vestal.”
“Vestal?” she asked.
He looked down at her and debated what to say. Titus sighed. “A woman that draws us to them.” He stared at her for a moment before continuing. “A woman that smells unbelievably good to us.”
She swallowed hard, and he knew that she understood what he was implying. “They brought her in. She was one of the ones they paid,” he said and looked away again. “It didn’t matter. She didn’t draw me, just like all the rest. I refused to try. I couldn’t even if I had wanted to.”
He heard her breath hitch in her chest.
“They were angry I wouldn’t even try.” His face contorted in rage. “He was angry. So they sent her to Lucius.” Pain filled his chest as he remembered. “He won’t talk about what happened, but when she came out, his face was as you see it. We think she came back several more times, but he won’t say.”
“Poor Lucius,” she whispered.
He nodded. His guilt tore at his layers.
She placed her soft hand against his face, and he leaned into it.
“You didn’t do this,” she said to him. “They did with that horrible woman.”
He sighed. “If I had just done what they asked…”
“If they had just been better people,” she said with conviction. “Those bastards deserve to burn in the hottest pits of hell.”
His eyes fell on her. She blazed with anger, and it warmed him that she cared to that degree.
“You’ve heard my nightmares,” he said softly. Her cabin came into view, and he sighed. “So what are yours?”
Kate yawned and buried her head back against his chest.
“It’s silly really,” she said. Titus shifted her in his arms as he climbed the stairs. “There are always these glowing red eyes.”
Titus froze.
Chapter Nine
“Red eyes?” he said menacingly.
Kate looked up at him from her comfortable position. His face was fixed on hers.
“I know it’s silly, but I saw a pair in the woods the other night. They creeped me out so bad that I haven’t been able to sleep well since.” She yawned.
“When?” he said firmly. She blinked a few times, thinking. “Kate, it’s very important. When was this?”
She blushed and glanced away. “After we…after we were finished on the deck.”
The heat poured over her as she thought about it.
Titus thundered up the stairs with her still in her arms. He turned the handle and shut the door behind them.
“From now on you lock your doors,” he said to her.
She nodded deftly. They entered her room, and he sat in the middle of the bed before making a sweep of the area. Kate watched from the bed as he looked all around and then into the darkness of the forest.
He pulled out his phone.
“I need a sweep of the forest by my cabin,” he said to the person on the other end. “Tell them to keep an eye out for any and everything.”
He turned to look at her, worry etched on his face. “It could be nothing. I’ll talk with you more about it in the morning. Call if they find anything.”
Titus hung up and looked at the window. “Is that why you’ve kept the blinds drawn?”
She looked over at the window and nodded.
He sat down on the side of her bed and scrubbed his face with his hand.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
Titus looked to her. “Likely nothing, but it doesn’t hurt to have a look.”
She nodded.
He stood, and she felt her pulse jump into her throat.
“Where are you going?” She scrambled to move to the end of the bed.
“I have a long day tomorrow, so I’m heading to bed,” he said and turned to the door.
“Wait!” Kate couldn’t believe the words were even coming out of her mouth. She hated to sound so weak, but she was tired and with him, she felt safe. “Stay,” she said.
She could hear the rumble from deep in him. “Kate,” he said in warning.
“Not like that,” she said quickly. For the first time in ages, she fumbled over words. “I’m just tired. It’s been so long since I got a good night sleep.” She sighed. He didn’t seem convinced. “I just feel safe with you,” she said quietly and looked up at him. “Please stay, Titus.”
He glanced between her and the door. “Fuck,” he groaned and walked out of the room.
She tried not to let her disappointment show as she got up and pulled out a tank and shorts to wear. She made her way to the bathroom and got ready for bed.
Kate scrubbed her face and stared at the woman in the mirror. She did have dark circles under her eyes and without the eye makeup there, they seemed even more sunken and hollow than before. Her hair was still pulled back into a pony tail from the flag football. Frustrated, she pulled it out and brushed until it was sleek and shiny.
She brushed her teeth and slipped on the clothes. When she was finally ready, she flipped off the light. At least she wasn’t going to bed nearly as sexually frustrated.
Kate stopped when she entered the bedroom. Titus sat on the end of her bed, pulling his boots off his feet.
“I thought you were leaving?” she said quietly.
Titus looked up at her. “Did you want me to?”
She shook her head.
He pulled off the other boot and let it drop to the floor. She walked around to the other side of the bed and pulled the sheets down. Kate wondered if he would even fit into her full-size bed. It wasn’t really something she’d ever had to consider before.
She slipped under the covers and watched as he pulled off his t-shirt. Her heart raced even though she was really too tired to do much about it. His hand hovered over the button on his pants when he looked down at her.
“Just sleep,” he said.
She nodded and wondered if he had heard her heart.
He pulled his phone from his pants and placed it on the side table. Then, he walked over to the light. He flipped the switch, and the room fell into darkness. Kate listened to the rustle of his pants and the sound of his buckle hitting the floor.
Part of her quivered at the idea of him being in his underwear again.
She rolled over to the edge of the bed when she felt the other end dip down with his weight.
“Goodnight,” he said gruffly.
“Titus,” she said softly and turned to look at him. “Can you see me?”
He sighed and turned toward her.
“Yes.”
She smiled at him. “What about outside?” she whispered. “How far can you see outside?”
The room was quiet for a moment, and she wondered if her question had made him angry.
“It isn’t really like that,” he said. “I can see well up close, but the further away things are, the less clear they become.”
She propped herself up on her elbow and strained to see him in the dark.
“That doesn’t seem very helpful,” she said bluntly.
He chuckled, and she couldn’t help but smile. “It’s not by itself. I would be able to see if someone was in the woods but might not be able to tell if they are a friend or not. That’s where my sense of smell comes in.”
&nbs
p; She perked up at the mention of smell. It seemed like such a large part of who the hybrids were.
“How far can you smell?” she asked excitedly.
“About two miles,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice.
“What is it like?” She scooted a little closer and gasped when his arm came out to pull her to his bare chest.
“It’s…overwhelming.”
“What do you smell right now?” she asked.
Her head rested warmly against his shoulder. She sighed as his hand rubbed absently at the underside of her arm.
He breathed in deep, and she smiled.
“I smell soap, the wood from the house, lingering coffee, the honeysuckle from outside, the earth and grass.”
She smiled and sat up a little. Her hand rested on his chest as she turned toward his face.
“I love the honeysuckle,” she said.
He shifted, and his face was closer than she expected.
“It’s why I wanted my house out here,” he said.
“That and you’re more the solitary sort of guy,” she said quietly.
The room fell silent as they thought about that.
“Titus,” she said quietly.
He sighed and placed a hand on her head. It was comforting to have him slip his fingers through her hair.
“What do I smell like?” she asked.
His hand stilled on her face.
“Kate,” he growled.
“If I’m a Vestal, shouldn’t I get to know what I smell like?” She stared where his face should be. “Wouldn’t you want to know if you smelled like a cheese burger or something?”
She smiled at his laugh.
“Definitely not a cheese burger,” he said.
“Titus,” she whispered. “What do I smell like?”
He groaned and didn’t talk for a moment. She started to wonder if he was just going to ignore her.
“Sex,” he said. “You smell like sex.”
She blinked at him a few times.
“You wanted to know,” he said defensively.
“Does it smell good?” Her pulse hammered in her throat.
His chest rumbled under her fingers. “It’s perfect,” he groaned. “It’s like flowers and sex all rolled into one.”
She felt him suck in a big breath.
“Do I smell like that to all the hybrids?”
His arms tightened around her. “No,” he said harshly. She listened to him steady his breathing before he spoke again. “Well, mostly not. No one else seems to have this strong of a reaction to you.”
Kate swirled her finger on his chest as she thought about what he had said.
“What’s in the woods, Titus?” She knew it had to be more than he was letting on.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I hope a bird or rodent.”
She shuddered as she remembered those eyes. “And if not?”
“If not then we have big problem,” he said quietly. “The kind my nightmares are made of.”
“You’re not going to tell me are you?” she asked.
She felt him shake his head. “Not if I don’t have to,” he said quietly. “Now go to sleep, Kate.”
Kate placed her cheek against his chest. “Goodnight, Titus.”
* * *
Titus groaned when his phone rang in the quiet room. He glanced at the time. Four hours. Better than he normally got.
“Yeah,” he said, trying to keep his voice down.
Kate was draped halfway over his body, and if she moved her leg any further over, it would have been a very different sort of wakeup.
“We’ve got the go ahead,” Carter said over the phone. “Can you be ready in thirty?”
Titus looked down at Kate.
“Send one of the men over to get me in twenty,” he said quietly.
“Roger,” Carter said. The line went dead.
“Who was that?” Kate asked.
“Major Carter,” he said. “They found another installation where hybrids were being kept.”
Kate sat up with alarm.
“Is anyone still there? Have they caught the men at the top? When are they going to go public with this?”
Titus put his hand on her thigh, and she quieted.
“We don’t know much of anything,” he said and stretched. “We’re leaving here in thirty to check it out.”
“You’re going with them?” She twisted her hands in her lap.
He slipped his hand into hers and pulled her to him.
“I need to,” he said. “If there is anyone there, they are going to need someone to lead them.”
“And you’re that guy,” she said softly.
“It’s in my blood,” he said and tilted her head so she looked him in the eye.
“Maybe a day or two,” he said.
She nodded.
“You’ll be fine,” he said. “The men reported last night that there wasn’t a trace of anything in the woods, so it was likely just some animal.”
The worry at her brow stayed creased. He was surprised when she threw her arms around him.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
She gripped his shirt and pressed her lips hard to his. No gentle pecks, this was brutal and burned him to his very core. She slipped her tongue into his mouth for just a moment and then pulled away.
They stared at each other for a moment before she spoke.
“Something to remember me by,” she said.
It seemed like it was supposed to come out as a cute joke but instead seemed far more important.
“I’ve got to pack,” he said and gathered his clothes off the floor. When he was dressed and standing at the door, he looked back to her. She seemed so delicate and fragile sitting there.
“I’ll find you when I get back,” he said softly and walked out of the room.
Chapter Ten
For the last hour, they had been holding the same spot, watching to see if anyone came in or out of the installation. Titus was tired of waiting but held his position regardless.
“How long are we going to wait here?” Apollo buzzed in his ear from the other side of the complex.
“Until Carter gives us the go ahead, we don’t fucking move,” he growled to the younger man.
Apollo was the best damn tracker they had, but his recklessness was going to get one of them seriously hurt one day if he didn’t learn some discipline. Titus cringed. The thought struck a little too close to what he had experienced.
“Let’s move,” Carter said in his ear.
The plan was that he and Lucius were to come in the main entrance. If there were guards, they would be the first to know and could better disable them. Then half of Carter’s team would enter the back with Apollo. They would meet in the middle and go from there.
Titus and Lucius raced down the side of hill until they came to the side of the building. They had debated if they should go at night, but after the recent sightings of the Pale Man, it just seemed less of a risk to go during the day.
They slowly walked to the front door. Titus spied the cameras and pointed them out to Lucius.
“Operational?” he asked.
Titus stared at them. The light didn’t seem to be on, but maybe that was just to reduce their visibility at night.
“Hard to tell,” he said quietly. “Keep an eye out.” He raised his weapon.
Titus twisted the handle and was surprised to find it opened without resistance. He was fairly certain they were going to have to break down the door.
Lights flipped on automatically as they stepped into the silent building.
“Is it all automated?” Lucius asked as he stepped in a little further.
Silent white hallways greeted them, along with a mixture of a few glass-doored offices and large, empty rooms with blacktop counter spaces arranged in large islands covered with shelves filled with bottles and boxes, undoubtedly laboratory spaces.
Titus nodded to Lucius. It was much nicer than the place they had
been kept. That meant it was a newer facility, maybe with better hybrids. As much as he hated it, the idea chilled him. If the Horatius Group was able to make more like the Pale Man, there would be no help for them. Any of them.
“We’re clear,” he said into his headset. “Doesn’t look like anyone has been here for a bit.”
“Damn,” Carter replied. “We were afraid that was the case.”
They pushed in further as the men came down the hill.
“Looks like housing,” Lucius said to him as they walked down the hall. There were dozens of rooms with two sets of bunk beds in each room.
“This could house a lot of men,” Lucius mumbled.
Titus stared at the rows of doors, wondering where they had all gone.
“You guys are going to want to see this,” Apollo said over the radio.
“Location?” Titus said.
“Far north corner,” he replied.
Titus checked his watch. “We’re on our way.”
They continued along the hall until it opened up into a larger room. Mats lined the walls, and some seemed to have been ripped up a bit.
“This is a sparing room, but we never had these sorts of issues,” Titus said. “What sort of hybrids have they made now?”
Carter’s men filtered in the room with their commander close behind.
“Have you ever seen a place like this?” Carter asked.
The hybrids shook their heads. “This is nothing like the place we were in,” Titus said. “Apollo has something. Maybe it will shed light onto things.”
Titus led them to the other side of the room and through another long hall.
“These are more offices,” Carter said to his men. “I want these rooms stripped of any and all paperwork. If there are computers, we’re taking them. I don’t want one sticky note being left.”
Several of the men nodded, and they split off to start loading things.
Titus could hear Apollo just down the hall. He was surprised when they reached the end. It looked to be some sort of command center with a viewing window into a large holding room.
When they walked up to where Apollo and a few men were standing, he noticed the screen.
Titus: Luna Lodge #2 Page 7