There were so many things that still needed to be done and for some reason, the baby shower hadn’t been at the top of her list. It wasn’t that she didn’t love spending time with her friends, especially when things had been so chaotic the past six months. But it just felt strange, off somehow. Like the new normal was the heightened panic they had all been dealing with, and she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop during the eye of the storm. She hated feeling that way, but there wasn’t a lot she could do about it. Trying to tell herself not to feel that way only seemed to feed the worries more.
Besides, the baby shower was the least of their worries. There was still the rest of the weddings to deal with, and they only had two days left before the big show, not to mention bachelorette parties and the reception. All of these were much harder to pull off in an already small town that was half-empty.
Granted, most of the planning and execution weight linked to those events had been taken off her plate, but just the idea of attending all them made her squirm on the couch and cringe in pain. Truth be told, she would have preferred to sit at home getting a back massage until it was time to pop.
Despite Rem’s slip-up earlier, she had to admit that she was missing Rem’s nightly rubdown. It was the perfect thing to help with the pressure on her back and feet. It didn’t hurt that he knew her body so well that it was like he instinctively knew just where she hurt and how to make it better. She loved that part of him, and it was times like that she believed that Vestals and hybrids truly were two sides of the same soul who had always been destined to find one another.
Lord, did that man know how to make it all better. He might be many things, but Rem was never selfish when it came to making her feel good. The Horatius Group could have made a good side profit on super-gigolos.
A small smirk spread across her face, and Jenna quickly placed a hand over her mouth so none of the other women would notice. She had never been one to kiss and tell, and she certainly wasn’t about to start tonight. That didn’t mean she couldn’t mentally enjoy memories of what her man could do.
It wasn’t that she was a prude. There were just things she liked to keep private. What she shared with Rem was special, and she didn’t want to share those things with anyone else. It was like having the best secret ever, and it was just between the two of them. That made it about far more than mere pleasure.
She doubted Rem talked about their sexcapades to the other men. While he liked to play at the arrogant leader, talking about his relationship wasn’t his style, and not even because he cared that much about privacy. He figured it was better to sit back and let them think even more outlandish things than he could ever boast about.
Jenna rolled her eyes. That man liked to make them all think he always had an ace up his sleeve, but sometimes he was just really good at out-bullshitting everyone around him. Not that he wasn’t always thinking ahead, but the planning was a little less clear than he’d have them all believe.
Winging it is what she’d call it, or a bit of luck from opportunity and preparation. It wasn’t a bad thing. Their people had confidence in him, and their belief in his ability to plan ahead helped solidify that. She would never want them to have less confidence in Rem.
Their people.
It would have seemed strange before that Jenna considered the hybrids her family, but she did. Everything about that felt perfect down to her soul. Not only had they all shared in the dangers of the Horatius Group, but also the bizarre, otherworldly threats from Agatha and Anassa.
This new band were an odd bunch, no longer just Vestals and hybrids. They’d even added some of the townspeople more recently, and somehow it worked. They had created a real community, a loving place for their children to grow up with a peace none of the hybrids ever had. They had crafted a future together through the turmoil and danger.
She smiled and rubbed a hand over her belly. Her precious cargo stirred at the touch, and she felt the all too familiar ache in her back again. Soon, so soon.
When she got home, she absolutely planned on making Rem pay for earlier with a back rub. For starters. He had a lot to make up for, and if he was half the leader and mate he claimed, he already knew that.
“Well, someone seems to be having a good time all on their own,” came a woman’s voice. Nyx.
Jenna blinked, and then her cheeks heated.
Taylor raised a brow at her from the seat across the room. Jenna looked over to Nyx who sat to her right on the couch. One of the few hybrid women Jenna had gotten close to or who was even present among the group, Nyx gave a knowing smile. Her stupid hybrid senses probably picked up on Jenna getting a little excited thinking about Rem.
Nyx winked at her. “That little beast you’ve got in there must really be kicking up a storm. I can feel him from where I’m sitting. Seems like he takes after his father there. Though you can make sure he doesn’t grow up as cocky.”
Jenna instinctively patted her belly where she’d been rubbing. The little guy moved toward her touch again, and she wondered just how much like his father he would be. It was what they all wondered. There was still so much they didn’t know about the children of hybrids and Vestals.
There had been a few babies born at Luna Lodge and it seemed they carried some of the hybrid traits, but the Eagle Ridge hybrids were already different as proven by the power of their glowing tattoos. No one was really sure just what the children would be like. As for Rem, he was in a category all his own, with elements of both groups of hybrids embodied in one man.
Not that it mattered. Jenna loved her baby’s father, and she would love her baby just the same.
“Have you picked out a name yet?” Courtney asked.
Jenna grimaced. Nothing seemed to be right. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the right name just hadn’t come.
“Not yet,” she said quietly.
The other women grew quiet, and she wondered what they were thinking. Maybe she really wasn’t cut out to be a mom after all. Jenna wouldn’t go so far as to say she was maternal in nature. She’d never spent a ton of time around children, and even in school she hadn’t really been keen on kids her own age until she was older. It was hard not to think that her failure to come up with a name might mean something more.
“Don’t worry,” Taylor grinned. “This is Rem’s son. He’ll likely come out and tell you his name. Let’s just hope it isn’t stupid.”
Jenna laughed at the idea with the others. Despite their gentle ribbing, she knew the whole compound respected Rem. He’d led them through hell in more ways than one and created a bond that went beyond the typical respect given to a leader. He was well-liked by everyone.
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Jenna grinned. “I think a little cake might help, though. It might give me some ideas.”
Grace went over and sliced off a piece of chocolate cake.
“I still wish you would have let me make the cake,” Grace said as she handed Jenna the cake. “Who ever heard of anyone making the cake for their own baby shower? It’s not right. The whole point is for us to take over for you.”
Jenna waved a hand at her as she rested her plate on her large belly. “You all are busy making flowers and wedding cakes. Not to mention setting everything up.” She patted the side of her stomach. “Not exactly like I can be much help. Besides.” She grinned and took a big bite. “I like my chocolate cake. I usually don’t get to have any since Rem gobbles it up before I get the chance.”
Nyx snorted next to her. A chocolate monster wasn’t likely the picture of their great leader the other hybrids had in mind, but Jenna knew him in a different way. He was sweet and sometimes silly, a man who got concerned when a plate fell on the floor or who had an extreme obsession with taking baths with her just to wash her hair.
Jenna smiled. Her anger from before was already starting to pass. She loved him completely, mistakes and all.
“Okay,” Allison said, standing. “How about some presents and then games?”
The small woman was used to being in charge as mayor of Eagle Ridge and still had no problem keeping them on track. Jenna relaxed a bit more. It was nice to turn over the reigns and just sit back.
“Sounds fantastic.”
Chapter Five
“Shit.” Lucas grunted as he set the new door into place. “You know this isn’t how I planned to spend my night.”
Rem snorted. “That makes two of us.”
“I should have let you twist in the wind.”
“You’re a good man.” Rem grinned.
“I’m a stupid man.” Lucas stared at the door with a frown. “But it’s too late to back out now.”
They stepped back to look at the work. It wasn’t exactly the same door, but it was nice. Jenna might like it even more. Or at least that’s what Rem was hoping. This was a new home, and it wasn’t like she had all that much time to lock in obsessions with every feature.
Rem’s gaze shifted over to where the mirror had hung. There was no replacing that tonight, and even if he could, he wasn’t certain what the hell to buy. He had many talents, but interior decorating wasn’t among them.
“You know it’s over, right?” Lucas said quietly.
Rem grunted. “It’s not over until we get a mirror.”
Lucas shook his head. “I’m not talking about the mirror. I’m talking about how you busted down your own door in a panic.” His firm hand landed on Rem’s shoulder who turned to look at the younger man. The hand dropped away as Rem faced him. “We’re safe,” Lucas said quietly. “We won. All the threats and trouble, but they’re dead now, not us.” He gestured to the door. “When you do things like that, it’s like you think they’ll be back any second.”
Rem sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know we won, but it just doesn’t make sense,” he said quietly. “Why would they all sacrifice themselves like that if there wasn’t more? And what if Erebus is out there somewhere?”
Lucas shrugged. “If he is, he can’t do anything without someone helping him it seems, and they all took themselves out.”
“He might be coming.”
“He spent all that time threatening us and coming after our Vestals, and now decides to wait? I don’t buy it. For now things are quiet, and we need to just try to live in these moments. Because these are the only moments that really count.”
Rem stared at the other man. He’d always seen a bit of himself in Lucas. They were both the carefree sort on the surface who had more going on under the lid than they would ever let anyone know.
“Damn, when did you get so poetic?” Rem asked.
Lucas grinned at him. The smile reached all the way to his eyes. “Guess that happens with old age,” he said. “You’d probably know better than me.”
Rem chuckled. It felt good to laugh. He’d found himself doing it more recently and each time it was like a surprise. Almost as if he’d forgotten what it felt like. The battles had taken their toll in a lot of little ways.
“Fucker.” Rem dusted his hands on his pants. “This old man can still kick your ass.”
Lucas motioned around the living room with a grin. “I’m not helping you fix anything else you break tonight.”
Rem grimaced. “Guess I better get cleaned up before Jenna gets back from the shower. Pretty sure I’ve got a long talk coming my way even if the party’s cooled her down.”
Lucas nodded and made his way to the door. He paused and turned back to Rem. “Always remember, you did good. It wasn’t an easy road, but we all owe you our lives.”
Rem frowned. “You don’t owe me shit. Our lives were stolen, and I was forced to work for those pricks knowing all that. I’m no saint. I’m a man with a whole book full of mistakes.”
Lucas shook his head. “We all know that without you we wouldn’t be here. You did what you had to until it was safe to free us all. You could have left at any point, but you didn’t, and that’s the part that really counts.”
Rem opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Lucas held up a hand.
“Look, we’re not going to build a statue in your honor, but I just thought you should know that when you say we all deserve the lives that the Group, Anassa, and the others tried to take from us, that includes you.”
Rem closed his mouth and stood there in surprise. It had been about the last thing he expected to hear.
“Take care of your little woman,” Lucas said as he stepped out onto the porch. With a final wave, he hopped in his truck and pulled down the drive.
Still stunned, Rem quietly closed the new door. He walked back into the kitchen and dropped down into a chair near the table. Lucas’s words still rolled around in his head.
Was it really so hard for him to accept? That the war could actually be over and now they would have to live their lives like normal? In his mind it sounded like a dream, but maybe he was just afraid. Maybe he couldn’t do normal and would end up fucking everything up.
He had argued with Jenna that it was over, even to the point of pissing her off, but when left alone with his thoughts, he couldn’t let go of the fear.
He picked up the ultrasound pictures again. There wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do to keep Jenna and their son safe, to give them everything they needed and to make the life he’d always dreamed off. Surely that alone would mean that he couldn’t fail. As long as he kept their needs in the forefront, he would live a life worth having.
A smile spread across his face at the thoughts of all the things he wanted to do for his son.
Son.
The word lingered in his mind. He would be a father and would have a son. It filled him with a joy he’d never known or could have even imagined.
His eyes drooped a little as he continued to stare at the picture. His mind drifted off with dreams about what his growing family would be like, his woman and his son, as they both gave him a true purpose in the world. Being a leader was important, but changing the world would mean raising a whole new kind of hybrid, the sort that would be able to blend in better than they ever had and wouldn’t have to hide away on some island like the Luna hybrids.
A whole new generation of hybrid. The weight of exhaustion continued to tug at his eyebrows.
* * *
The world shifted around him, the soft gentle pull like a welcoming hug. It wasn’t real. He knew it wasn’t, and yet Rem couldn’t seem to get his body to respond.
“Where am I?”
He spoke the words, but they echoed into the white nothingness.
“You are in the void,” a low woman’s voice spoke back.
Rem spun around but still he felt the pull that slowed his movement. A tall, slender woman stood in front of him. Her light brown skin was a stark contrast with her white slit sheer skirt and gold-inlayed fitted crop top. Her piercing crystal blue eyes stared back at him.
He’d seen these eyes before.
“Erebus,” he growled.
Her beautifully sculpted face twitched at the name. “He is not welcome here. This is my space. A breach linking your time and mine.”
She was speaking, but the words made no sense to him.
“How?” he asked.
The woman stepped a little closer. Rem could feel his muscles tense, but he knew it would do no good here. Neither of them were really there, and this was a space she controlled.
“You are out of your time, and I am beyond mine,” she said. “Our line called to one another and since your blood was strong enough, I was able to reach out.”
His mouth fell open. “Our blood? We’re related?”
She nodded. “Just as your hybrids are also my blood, although their link is weaker than yours.”
It had been the second dose of the essence the doctor had injected him with. He knew he was more powerful than the other hybrids, not something he stressed often. They needed to have that connection with him, and the last thing he wanted was for them to view him as if he was more of a freak of nature than he already was.
“Why are we here?”
&nbs
p; “I am Lapis, and you are here because your people are in grave danger.”
Danger was something he was more than acquainted with.“Erebus lives. Jenna was right. This isn’t over.”
The words echoed, and he could feel his heart hammer in his chest. He had known it. Despite the quiet and the hope that the godlike creature was gone, Rem had still felt him there, somewhere in the darkness just outside the reach. Maybe that’s why he’d tried so hard to convince Jenna he was gone.
“Where is he?” Rem asked.
Lapis glided halfway around him. Her skirt billowed slightly. Her feet never quite touched the floor, and yet they still moved as if she were walking.
“He is like mist, sifting along the wind as he waits for his time where he can become whole.”
Rem clenched his fists as he turned to face Lapis. “And how does he become whole?”
Lapis stared directly at him. Her crisp blue eyes stared him down, almost daring him to look away.
“A vessel. A child vessel. A new soul that hasn’t yet been tainted. Only one that is strong enough to take on a creature such as him.”
Rem’s stomach churned. No, no, no. It couldn’t be.
“You can’t mean—”
“Your son is his opportunity.”
There was no sorrow in her voice. She said those terrible words as if she were telling him about lunch.
“He can’t have him,” Rem shouted. “I won’t allow it.”
Lapis sighed. “It is already written. Your child is the vessel and his bride will not be far behind.”
Grace. He was sure the bride must be the baby she and Vitus were close to having.
Bile rose in Rem’s throat. They were supposed to have peace, and yet once again that was being threatened by something outside his control.
Rem: #12 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 3
