Quintus: #7 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  He might have been the easiest fit, though. Being quiet made him very good at spying. Not the most glamorous job, but the more they knew about the area and the people there, the safer they could feel.

  For some of the other men, like Atticus and Vitus, it had been a little more difficult to figure out their role. Both were good fighters, but no one seemed to really know what to do with the younger men. Everyone would need to fight if the hybrids were attacked, but during peacetime, there was only so many full-time fighters needed.

  Rem stared at each of the hybrids in the room with his deep green eyes. They were still odd in a community where everyone had bright blue eyes, even if Quintus was currently concealing the color with terrible brown contacts. Rem finally fixed his attention on Quintus.

  That level of attention suggested the leader had a job for him. He waited in silence.

  “This mayor is no idiot,” Rem said to him. “She must realize just what it would sound like to say she saw a monster, and is trying to figure out a way to get help without being dismissed as crazy. If she’s any sort of real leader, she’ll know the usual groups in her area. Ours included. She’ll also eventually recognize Jace from his trips to town. A woman like that will put things together.”

  Quintus didn’t know much about the mayor other than she was a woman and tended to be fair with the people in town. That was something he could admire in a person. He only hoped she would show them the same fairness.

  Rem gestured to him. “I’m sending you to find out just what she’s pieced together. I want you and Nero to be my eyes and ears today.” He nodded to Nero. “He’s had the most experience dealing with the Glycons, considering his past. Trust your instincts.”

  Quintus looked over at Nero. Even though he now looked like any other hybrid, large but still human, he’d once been some sort of experiment gone wrong, something that resembled more beast than man. Or, really, more Glycon than hybrid. Considering he used to willingly do the Horatius Group’s bidding, the comparison wasn’t completely unfair.

  An injection of the strange serum used in the creation of hybrids during their escape from the Horatius Group seemed to have turned him into something more like a normal hybrid.

  There were still a few among the hybrids who feared the man for his past, but Quintus had watched Nero since he’d joined their group. All he had to judge him on was the man he knew now. And that man was loyal to Rem and the other hybrids.

  Rem turned to Atticus and Vitus.

  “The Glycons are still out there,” Rem said. “You’ll go with Jace, Magnus, and Nyx to look for them. Whatever they’re doing here can’t be good. It’s only a matter of time before they strike again. We need to do whatever we can to keep everyone safe.”

  Atticus and Vitus nodded in return.

  Rem’s expression tightened for a moment. “You’ll also run some of the patrols by the Azilian compound.”

  Atticus frowned. “The Azilians?”

  Rem raised a brow. He wasn’t fond of being questioned. “Even though their leader has helped us out a few times, we don’t know that they don’t have a hand in all this,” he said firmly. “It could be some sort of long-play trick. I want our asses covered on all ends.”

  Atticus grunted. “Then maybe we should have a getaway plan in case this all goes to shit.”

  His words hung in the air, and everyone stilled.

  There had been talk in the community, fear really, that things would go south, and they would all be sitting ducks. The chances that the Glycons could overtake them were slim, but there was a chance that they were just the distraction while the Horatius Group swooped in and returned them to slavery and experimentation.

  Rem leaned in. His bright green eyes burned brightly. “Just because you don’t know the getaway plan, doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”

  Quintus watched as Atticus averted his eyes and swallowed hard.

  Rem leaned back, and for a moment, Quintus could see the strain of the job getting to him.

  Reading people. That was something else he was good at, but that came with being a good spy.

  “Now let’s get going on this,” Rem said loudly. “We’ve all got jobs to do.”

  Quintus and Nero made their way to the door with Atticus and Vitus close behind.

  When they were just outside and heading towards the vehicles, Atticus stomped off into the woods.

  Vitus sighed. “He’s not trying to be a dick. He just doesn’t want to go back.”

  Quintus frowned. “None of us do.”

  Vitus nodded and sighed. “Some of us had it worse than others,” he said quietly.

  Quintus looked over at him. He had never been very good at making friends, but Vitus and Atticus had worked their way into his fold as much as any other person could. And yet they never talked about their time before.

  “I thought we all came out of cryo the same way,” Quintus said. “Blank, mostly. Impressions at most.”

  Vitus shrugged. “Most did, but there are a few that have some snatches of memories from before. They just don’t talk about it much.”

  “You?”

  Vitus shrugged. “What’s in the past should stay there.”

  For a moment, Quintus wondered just how well he knew either of the men before Vitus gave him a wide smile.

  “Besides,” Vitus said. “I don’t have time to think about the past when my Vestal could be anywhere waiting for me. Preferably naked and willing.” He gave Quintus a wink.

  Vestals. It seemed that was the hot topic with many of the hybrids. More and more were pairing off with their fated mates, which only made others hopeful of the same. Some more than others.

  Maybe all the bizarreness, including their encounters with the Azilians, was part of some grand fate. Quintus didn’t know. He wasn’t even sure he cared. Fate wasn’t something he could control. So there wasn’t much point in worrying about it.

  He shook his head. “Your Vestal is going to go running the other way if you go at her like that.”

  Vitus frowned. “I can be charming,” he said. “I’ll just charm the pants off her.”

  Quintus rolled his eyes. If only he could operate that way. To focus on moving forward and not seeing trouble around every corner.

  “Let’s go,” Nero called from the truck.

  Quintus nodded and turned to Vitus. “I hope some day you get your Vestal.”

  Vitus gave him a small smile and clapped him on the shoulder. “You too.”

  Chapter Three

  Allison rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. Not only had she not gotten enough sleep last night, but now she had a throbbing foot to match her pain thanks to her floor. And of course, there seemed to be a never-ending stream of people who wanted meetings with her today. For such a small town, there seemed to be a lot of people who had issues.

  There was no question that it was going to be a very long day.

  She looked at the paper in front of her. A few names were circled, but she knew that several of the people weren’t going to work for the job no matter how desperate she was to get that damn hole in her floor patched. Her top choices were all booked solid for weeks.

  That left the second-string choices. Old Man Jenkins was about 80 million years old, give or take 25 million, and nearly blind.

  There was no way in hell she was going to have him repairing the hole, despite how much she liked him. She was certain this was going to require using a saw, and the idea of watching him nearly cut off a finger gave her chills.

  Then there was Sam, who liked to get drunk and yell at the cars that passed by his house. Again, the idea of watching him work with power tools just made her more than a little uneasy.

  She supposed she could look up some video online, but fixing a hole like that seemed well beyond her abilities. After all, she’d just mastered getting into her bedroom when she accidently locked herself out.

  She jumped when her secretary, Celine, knocked on the door. The woman looked as if she had som
ething to say, but instead looked at Allison with concern.

  “You okay?” Celine asked.

  Allison groaned. “You mean besides the fact that I have a gaping hole in my living room? God knows what could crawl in through it.”

  Celine snorted but choked it back when Allison looked up from her desk.

  “You know my rule,” Allison said. She resisted rolling her eyes.

  “Spiders that come inside have declared war and are fair game,” Celine recited.

  Allison nodded. She may have grown up in a mountain town, but she was city all the way when it came to bugs and other creepy and crawly things.

  “Your ten o’clock is here,” Celine said after a moment.

  Allison pushed the paper out of her way and nodded. "Send them in.”

  She was slightly surprised when a huge man stepped into her office followed by the researcher she’d heard about who was looking into the animal killings. The pair was followed by a large, handsome black man. Allison found she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him.

  There was no question, these men were beyond good looking. She’d heard from some of the women in town that the men up the hill were something else, and they hadn’t been lying. There was something about the quiet dark man in particular that held her eye, and it wasn’t just his huge muscles.

  Maybe it was the mindful way he seemed to move or the grace his large body seemed to command. Whatever it was, she found herself hard pressed to ignore him.

  When their eyes met, she felt a zing of tension race down her spine. As if there were some invisible cord pulling her to him. It took all her self control not to lick her lips. She shook herself hard to pull herself from the sort of trance that came over her.

  Not that Allison was against meeting men, but this was not the time or the place.

  Veronica stepped up to the desk as the two men took seats on the side couch. Taking the lead, she stretched out her hand, which Allison shook.

  "Thanks for agreeing to see us,” Veronica said. She motioned to the men. “This is Nero and Quintus.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Allison said.

  The men both offered her a polite nod.

  Nero and Quintus? Unusual names for unusual men. She dared a glance at the man who had caught her attention before. She knew nothing about him, but somehow the name Quintus seemed to fit.

  “They are very enthusiastic about my research,” Veronica said. “I think you'll find that my experiments have been very successful. And my equipment has many useful and immediate applications in the Eagle Ridge area.”

  Allison took the papers handed to her. “Give me a moment.”

  She skimmed over the material. She was no expert, but from what she could tell the woman had taken amazing data and seemed to know what she was talking about.

  According to Allison’s background research, Veronica came highly recommended by people much more well versed in this area than herself and was known to be an up and coming mind in the field.

  After looking over the papers, she sat back up and looked around the room. Her eyes lingered on Quintus. His gaze met her own.

  Brown. Something about his eyes felt wrong. Like they weren’t right for his face. It was strange really. Plenty of people had brown eyes, especially black men, but somehow his just didn’t feel right.

  "I… I," she stammered. Feeling his hot gaze still on her, she felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back. "From what I understand we just need to place your devices around the town, and that will get rid of the animals responsible for the attacks?"

  Veronica nodded. "Essentially, yes. It should keep the animals causing this from going near town. Obviously people who are farther out are still at risk, but just the presence of the equipment might encourage the predators to move on.”

  The mayor nodded. It sounded like a good plan, and it was her duty to do whatever needed to protect the people of Eagle Ridge.

  Her eyes slid over to Quintus, and her heart thumped harder as he watched her. A flush ran over her body, and she picked up the papers from the desk to fan herself.

  “Is it hot in here?” Allison said.

  Veronica shook her head, and the men continued to sit in silence.

  Not that she needed an answer. It was more rhetorical than anything, given the weather had remained cool in recent weeks, even if it wasn’t as cold as it had been.

  Allison felt silly getting so bothered over a man. It had been years since she felt like this. The last time she could remember had been when she was getting ready for the summer bonfire junior year of high school.

  It had been the one that Tom Picket had asked her to go with him. It had also been the one when he’d tried to steal third and ended up with a hand print on the side of his face.

  She’d never seen a boy cry so much over such a little slap.

  The memory forced her mind to a darker path. Everything about the devices seemed too good to be true. Just add a little technology and all their predator problems would go away?

  Just like Tom, she had a feeling that these men had ulterior motives for their concern. Whatever it was, Allison was determined to find out.

  Chapter Four

  Allison was beautiful.

  It was what Quintus had been thinking since the first moment he stepped into the room. Gorgeous with her long brown hair pinned back behind her head and large green eyes. Like a little deer in the woods.

  Quintus watched her silently from the couch. He knew instantly that the hum in his chest wasn't just excitement from meeting a beautiful woman. He could feel her draw from the deepest part of his soul.

  He wasn’t like some of the men. He believed wholeheartedly in the truth of the Vestals, and all the men finding theirs since moving to the area only further proved how real the idea was.

  Allison was his Vestal. The one woman meant to be with him. The woman who would complete him.

  Fuck.

  Accepting the truth didn’t mean he had to like it, though.

  It certainly hadn’t been what Quintus was expecting. He wasn’t looking for his mate like Vitus. Quintus just wanted to do his part for his fellow hybrids.

  He glanced around the office, taking in the surroundings to get his mind off the woman. It was a simple room not containing much. Just the couch they sat on, a desk with chairs on either side, and a few pictures on the desk. A couple of filing cabinets completed the room.

  Quintus didn’t recognize the people, but there was no mistaking the family resemblance to the slightly older woman in one of the pictures.

  Another picture had Allison smiling happily with her arm around another woman who didn’t look like a family member. She wasn’t wearing a ring, but he couldn’t ignore the chance that she was already married.

  The irony of her maybe being unavailable after finally finding her struck at him. He kept his face impassive, but the worry was really there. Vestals were supposed to be a matter of fate. He hoped his fate wouldn’t be so capricious.

  His gaze landed on a piece of paper pushed to the side of her desk. On it she had circled several of the names under a header note about “possible handymen” and another note about “remember to ask about carpentry skills.”

  It seemed that she needed a person to come and do work on her house. He almost smiled. All of the hybrids following Rem had at least a little skill with tools. They couldn’t trust outside humans, after all. It might be stretching things to say he had carpentry skills, but he knew the right side of a hammer and saw.

  This was his opportunity to get in with Allison and find out just what it was that she knew about the Glycons. It would also be a chance to find out if she already had someone in her life.

  Allison nodded and pointed to a chart on one of the papers. “And these are the only costs?”

  Veronica nodded. “It’s all off-the shelf gear that requires only some minor modifications by me. The hard part was figuring out the relevant frequencies. I already have enough to begin, and I can order the remainin
g equipment I need and get it here within a day.”

  "Well, this is well within our budget for animal control. Let's get these devices installed as soon as we can," Allison said. “I’ll make sure all the necessary permits are expedited. Normally, this might take a lot longer, but this is a public safety issue, so I want this done ASAP.”

  Some of the tension left Quintus’s shoulders. To her credit, Veronica was a pro. Despite how worried she had been about the situation, it had gone relatively easy despite all the ways they had pictured it going wrong.

  "I'll start work on this first thing in the morning," Allison said, and stood.

  The mayor nodded. Both Quintus and Nero stood as well.

  He needed to make his move. Quintus stepped over to the desk. Allison jumped at his presence.

  "I happened to see you are looking for a handyman with carpentry skills,” he said.

  He watched as her eyes went from him to the paper and then back to him again. "Are you a handyman? Can you fix a hole in the floor and keep out the bugs?"

  Bugs? Quintus shrugged. "I have my moments, and I know my way around a hammer and nails.”

  Allison surveyed him from top to bottom. He wondered just what she thought would make a good handyman. When she nodded after a moment, he found himself relieved that he passed muster.

  "My place tomorrow," she said. "First thing in the morning since it’s the weekend. You can pick up my address from Celine."

  Quintus nodded.

  His group headed out the door, and when he stopped to get the address, the others made their way out. Tiny scrap of paper in hand, he found Nero standing just outside the car, his body still as he watched a woman across the street.

  "What's wrong?" Quintus asked.

  Nero shook his head. "I thought I just saw…" His words trailed off. “I’m just letting my imagination run away with me.”

  Quintus glanced around, but all he could see was the back of a woman as she entered the town hall they had left.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Nero shook his head again. "It couldn't be," he mumbled.

  Quintus wasn't quite sure just what was going on but was glad to have fulfilled his purpose. Now he just needed to figure out how to repair flooring.