“No,” she said dryly.
His chuckle only pissed her off more.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “I’m afraid we’ll only be here a few days until the drug take effect.”
“What drugs?” She stood and moved to the side of the cage.
His large red eyes beamed back at her, but his face remained a mystery.
“He was very close to hitting your ovulation cycle,” he said. “I knew you were close at the hearing but had to be certain at the café.”
She could hear him breathe in deep and shuddered. “If it weren’t for his stench on you, you would smell perfect. But it won’t be long before you smell much better.”
A flash of heat rippled through her body, and she gripped the bars of the cell.
“What did you give me?” she groaned.
“Just a little something to help your ovulation along,” he said.
She dipped to the floor and shivered uncontrollably. Kate panted through the ache. Her nipples tightened, and she felt her inside flutter awake.
“Ah.” He heard him breathe in the air. “I see the side-effects have kicked in. It’s really not such a bad thing.” She could hear him moving around and knew he was closer when he spoke. “By this time tomorrow, you’ll be begging me to take you. The pain will be so bad and that will be the only thing that will ease the pain.”
“Don’t bet on it,” she gritted out.
His chuckle echoed against the walls.
“Oh, you’ll want me tomorrow if you know what’s good for you,” he said.
Within seconds he was face to face in front of her, his glowing red eyes just inches from her own. She stared at his pale skin and long white hair. It seemed more like a mane than hair. She shivered and looked away.
“You’re a smart girl, Kate,” he whispered. “Smart enough to bring a phone.”
She whirled around to look at him. The man held her phone in his hand just outside the gate.
“Tomorrow can go one of two ways, Kate. Either way ends with us becoming one. The only question for you is how that happens.”
He reached in, and she clamped her eyes shut. Her stomach lurched forward as he brushed a finger along her face.
“I hope that you’ll be more willing then,” he said softly.
She heard the rustling of clothes as he stood and opened her eyes once again. He stood just on the other side of the cell, watching.
“No one knows where you are,” he said quietly. “You’re on your own, Kate.”
He dropped the phone to the floor and stepped on it.
“Someone will be in soon to take you to shower and bring something to eat,” he said and walked to a huge metal door. The man stopped at the door and looked back. “You should eat to keep up your strength for tomorrow.”
Kate stood on shaky legs.
“What’s your name?” she asked loudly.
She could see the whites of his teeth as he smiled.
“Romulus,” he said. “Curious about me?”
Kate shook her head. “I just like to know the name of the man Titus is going to kill,” she said loudly.
His eyes blazed red. One second he was by the door, the next he was hauling her to the side of the cage by her arms.
“You pathetic boyfriend is no match for me. Even if he did make it here before we leave, there’s no way he’d ever be able to take me on,” he hissed in her face. “It might seem to you that we are in competition for your love, but unlike him, I have no problem taking what rightfully belongs to me.”
He leaned forward and licked her neck through the rails. The cold bars bit into her flesh as he pressed her to the hard metal. Bile burned her throat, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much it had bothered her.
He set her down, and she scrambled over to the bed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, Kate,” he said stiffly and stalked out the room.
When the door was shut she turned to the pillow and cried silently into it. All that time she’d spent trying to be so independent was going to come back to bite her in the ass. If only she had just called Titus, this would all be in the past.
Kate sat up and looked over to the phone. With any luck, it would still dial.
She got off the bed and walked back over to her spot on the floor. Just within reach, she slid the phone to her through the slots.
Kate hit the power button and prayed that it might somehow work.
The light stayed off. She bent her head over her knees and tried to think of something. There had to be something she could do about all this.
She moaned as another wave wracked her body. Her body clenched in need, and she gritted her teeth. Romulus might be right. If this kept up, she might be begging him by the time he came tomorrow.
Never before had she felt so over-sexualized. Every piece of her hummed with need.
Kate stumbled over to the bed and lay down. Maybe if she concentrated on something else, it would pass. She started counting by threes in her mind. Anything to keep her mind off the pain.
After a few moments the pain subsided. Drained, she let sleep take over.
* * *
“Three hours away by air,” Carter said as he hung up the phone. “In a remote part of the northeastern US.”
“Another facility?” Titus asked. His heart slammed into his chest.
He was glad they had found her, but he didn’t know that she was safe.
“Possibly,” Carter said. “Should I send in local law enforcement?”
“No,” Titus said forcefully. “It’s the Pale Man. I just know he’s behind this, and if that’s the case, we’re all in grave danger. He’d swat them like flies.”
“You’ve mentioned him before,” Carter said. “Tell me about him.”
Sol pushed a bag into Titus’s hand and spoke. “We never really saw much of him, and there are many rumors as to how he came to be,” he said. “But what we do know is that he’s ruthless. There’s nothing he won’t do.”
“But aren’t most in the Horatius Group?” Carter asked.
Titus shook his head. “It’s worse than all that. He’s dangerous. He isn’t just a hybrid, he’s a super-hybrid.”
Carter walked toward the door, and they followed. “So what works against him?”
“Light,” Titus said. “It’s the only thing. He can’t go out in the light. If we strike during daylight, we should be able to avoid him.”
The major looked at his watch. “Almost eleven,” he said. “That doesn’t leave us many hours does it?”
His lips pressed into a firm line. With travel, it didn’t leave them many hours. It was more than likely that they would get in, rescue her and have to hole up somewhere. It could end very badly.
“Chopper should be here in a moment,” Carter said. “We’ll take it to the plane and go from there.”
Titus nodded and looked to the sky. She just had to make it a bit longer, and he would be there.
* * *
“Ow, that hurts,” Kate groaned.
Groggy, she slowly opened her eyes. A man in a gray uniform stood over her. He glared at her.
“Good,” he said sharply. “I don’t have all day to wait for you to wake up. Eat your lunch. Then, you need to take a shower.”
“I don’t want a shower,” she said.
“Do I look like I fucking care?” The man pushed his face next to hers. “You’ll eat, or I’ll force you. You’ll wash, or I’ll wash you.”
Kate shivered and sat up. The aches from the shots were coming more often. Romulus had been right. She was in such pain most of the time but ached for someone to touch her. Anyone.
“Quit day dreaming and fucking eat,” the man said and shoved her toward the sandwich.
Kate stumbled and landed next to the sandwich on her hands and knees. He chuckled behind her. She pulled at it and quickly ate what was there. It sat like lead in her stomach, but she did need to keep up her strength. If she wanted any chance of esca
pe, she’d need to be alert and ready.
He walked over and jerked her to her feet.
“Shower,” he said.
Shoving her every so often, they made their way to a small bathroom with showers.
“Strip,” he said. His leering eyes fixed on her breasts.
Kate pulled her blouse and skirt off.
The man hitched an eyebrow. “All of it.”
Kate turned and unlatched her bra and pulled down her panties.
“Get in,” he said. “Soap’s on the wall.”
Kate pulled the clear door closed behind her and stepped into the hot spray. As much as she really didn’t want to be showering in front of some unknown man, it felt good against her tender muscles.
All the shivering had left her slightly sore and more tired than she could have ever guessed. She soaped up and fought the urge to fondle her hardened nipples. Kate rinsed off the soap and searched the wall for some sort of razor.
She glanced at the man. Apparently they had already thought of that. She sighed and turned off the water. He tossed a towel over the edge, and she toweled off in the stall. It was better than letting that perv stare at her.
Kate stood on the other side of the door, formulating a plan. It was a long shot but worth the chance. He watched her through the glass, and she shivered. Without much more thought, Kate slammed the door open. The sound of crunching when it hit his face made her smile. Not waiting for him to recover, she sprinted through the door. Naked and tired, her legs strained to go faster.
She could hear him just behind her. Puffing as he managed with his likely broken nose.
“You cunt,” he yelled as he lunged at her.
His meaty arms wrapped around her waist as they both crashed to the floor. Her head smacked the floor, and she felt like throwing up.
The man rolled her over and slapped her across the face. Blood trickled into mouth, and she focused on keeping down the food in her stomach.
“I should fucking teach you a lesson, bitch,” he said and fumbled with his pants.
Her heart raced as she struggled to get free of him.
The man froze when something roared through the building.
He stood and pulled her up.
“I’m not fucking getting paid enough for this shit,” he mumbled.
Kate quietly came along. Naked and cold, she stood in her cell as he walked away. A few minutes later, he returned with some clothes.
“He wants you to wear these,” the man said and dropped them on the table just inside her cell.
He moved quickly out of the building, and she wondered if he had decided to just go home.
Kate walked over and held up the clothes. Skimpy bra and panties, complete with a skimpy red dress.
She raced to the bucket in the corner and rid herself of lunch. Romulus was coming soon.
Chapter Fifteen
It was late afternoon by the time they arrived outside the facility. Titus was so on edge he paced outside the truck where they were gathered. He could smell her from there, and it was driving him insane.
“Titus,” Carter called to him.
He came and stood beside the older man.
“Can you tell if he’s here?”
Titus lifted his nose and smelled the air. It was all around him.
“He has to be,” he said. “Best bet would be to stay above ground.”
Carter nodded.
“Just like before, it’s under my command. The Pale Man shows up, and we defer to you.” Carter looked around at the men. Once again, Apollo and Lucius were present.
“You three,” Carter pointed to Titus and his men, “your main goal is to find Kate. You’re the only ones that will be able to scent her out. My men will play back up and take out any obstacles in the way.”
Carter looked around. “Try not to kill anyone. The more that serve time, the better it is. Also, we might be able to convince them to turn on the higher ups once we get them into custody.”
The men nodded and went into position.
“You going to be able to follow that?” Lucius said from next to him. He checked the clip on his 9mm, then holstered it.
Titus turned to look at the man.
“No,” he said bluntly. “I need to get to her, and I’ll do whatever I have to.”
Lucius looked a little stunned.
Titus put his arm on the man that he’d once caused so much pain. “Help me.”
“Always,” Lucius said and slapped him on the back. “We’ll get her back.”
He looked between his two men. Titus knew they understood his pain and was grateful to have such faithful companions. He had never before leaned on anyone for help, but today he was going to have to.
“Ready,” Carter buzzed in his ear.
Like a shot, they were off. They slipped silently through the tall grass up to the worn down building. The closer they got, the stronger her scent was.
“You need to be prepared for the worst,” Lucius said into his earpiece. “We can smell her all over. She could really be in any state when we get in. No matter what, the men need to fall back when Titus is near Kate. He’s going to get territorial in such a crazy situation.”
“Roger,” Carter said. “All men are to give a six-foot radius to Titus and Kate when she is found.”
Titus breathed a sigh of relief. It had been weighing on him since they set off. He couldn’t even guess how he might respond to her if something was wrong.
“Do you smell that?” Apollo said from his other side.
Titus stopped and smelled the air. There was something off about the smell. The Pale Man smelled strange, but this scent was even more unusual. He still couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“What about humans?” Lucius sniffed the air again. “Where are the humans?”
He was right. Aside from the men they had with them, he wasn’t really smelling any.
“Maybe they only operate at night,” Apollo offered.
Titus shook his head. “Or maybe this place is non-operational and just a holding facility.”
Lucius nodded. “From the look outside, it doesn’t seem to get much traffic. I imagine he didn’t expect we’d find them.”
Titus looked to him. “We very nearly didn’t.”
“We go on your signal,” Carter said in his ear.
Titus nodded and took a breath. He just wanted her safe.
He kicked hard on the rusted out door, and it burst open with little damage. Titus stepped in and let his eyes adjust to the darkened room. He scanned, sweeping his pistol. There was no movement, but he could smell her everywhere.
“I think it’s stronger this way,” Lucius said.
“Does the smell bother you?” Titus asked.
“It’s strong,” Apollo said through gritted teeth. “But we’re here for you. Neither of us is going to turn on you.”
Titus nodded to him. “Thanks.”
They followed through the halls. Her scent was so thick in the air it was almost giving him a high from the smell. He could feel his control slipping the closer they got. He stopped when her cell came into view.
“What the fuck?” Apollo said from beside him.
Titus tore his eyes away from Kate’s huddled form on the floor.
“Costa Rica,” Lucius whispered.
He was right. Titus had been so fixated on her that he’d not even registered the dozen men that surrounded her. They were huge and heavily muscled, easily the size of any of the hybrids at Luna Lodge. Their exposed arms had deep grooves that Titus had seen before in Costa Rica.
The turned in unison. The men stood staring at them. Their eyes blazed yellow, and their faces contorted into masks of savage hate. He couldn’t help but wonder how they were going to get past these men if they were even half as strong as the Pale Man.
“Carter,” he said into his piece. “Pull back your men. We’ve got a situation.”
“What sort of situation?” he asked.
“The kind your men have
no chance of surviving,” he said.
“Fall back!” Carter yelled into their ears. “All men, fall back.”
“Have your men take aim at the building and wait. I have a feeling we’re going to need to make a fast get away,” he said to Carter.
“Will do. Take care of yourselves in there.”
“Are you all ready for this?” Titus asked his men.
“Is the no-kill order still in place?” Lucius asked, never taking his eyes off the men across from them.
Titus shook his head. “No,” he said solemnly. “We saw the tape of these men, if we can even really call them men. What little conscience they once had has been burned with the transformation. They are more beast than man.”
Lucius nodded.
“Man, Sol is going to be so pissed you made him miss this,” Apollo said with a grin.
Titus turned and grinned at the man. “Well, we better make sure we have a good story to tell him.” He slipped his gun into his holster. He needed to work off his anger and frustration. Besides, the enemy didn’t have guns. Might as well make things fair.
Lucius and Apollo holstered their weapons as well.
Titus’s head snapped back when one of the mutated hybrids sprang at him. He was surprised to see just how far he could jump. They rolled for a moment before he jumped to his feet. Being right next to one, he nearly choked on the stench.
“Jesus Christ,” Apollo said as he wrestled with one of them. “These fuckers sure do stink.”
“Keep on task,” Lucius shouted as he snapped the neck of one of enemy. The man fell lifeless to the floor.
Titus was both impressed and a little intimidated with the efficacy of the kill.
“Sir,” Lucius called. “You get to your woman, and we’ll deal with this.”
Titus nodded. The hybrid came at him again. This time he was ready. Titus picked him up and tossed him into the nearby wall. The man grunted and then slumped to the floor.
“Kate,” he shouted.
She lolled her head to the side and stared at him as he made his way to her.
“You came,” she whispered. His stomach turned.
She shook on the floor and didn’t seem in control of her own body. Titus raced to the front of the cage and pulled at the bars. His muscles strained, and he grunted when he felt the pop of the hinges as they gave way.
Titus: Luna Lodge #2 Page 11