Rem: #12 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  “How do I kill him?”

  Lapis turned, her back now facing him. “You don’t.”

  It was the first time he’d heard anything like sorrow in her voice. When she turned, once again she pinned him with her stare. “The only way to end Erebus is to make sure he doesn’t get his vessel.”

  Rem nodded. That was a given.

  “And how do I do that?”

  She stared back at him. The silence was deafening.

  “No,” he nearly shouted. “There is no fucking way that’s happening.”

  Lapis sighed. “It is the only way. Your child must die.”

  Rem stomped forward until he was standing right in front of the woman. “Well, find a new fucking way because that’s not going to happen.”

  “It has to,” she said quietly. “I know how you must be feeling—”

  Rem cut her off with a growl as rage bubbled up inside of him. The beast ached to be set free, dream world or not.

  “You know how I’m feeling?” he shouted. “You don’t have the first fucking clue how I’m feeling. You’re asking me to kill my child and then have the nerve to act like you know anything about me?”

  Lapis seemed disturbed by his rage and shifted a few feet away from him. “You must control yourself, or you’ll disrupt the link.”

  “Fuck your link and fuck you. You show up out of the blue, tell me to kill my son, and then want me to be calm about it? Where the fuck do you get off, lady?”

  Lapis turned sharply and frowned at him. “If you let Erebus get to the child, the world is doomed. How many billions of children will you sacrifice for your own?”

  “None. So you’d better find a new fucking way.”

  Lapis shook her head. “This is the only way, and if you won’t do what needs to be done, we will find another.”

  Rem roared in anger. He launched his body at the woman. He didn’t care if it was her space. There was no way he was letting her send someone for his child. He’d die first.

  Just as he came close to landing the first blow, a blinding light knocked Rem backwards. He could hear a scream despite the fact that he hadn’t managed to hit the woman. The space they were in began to fizzle away, and darkness moved in.

  * * *

  Rem woke with a start. His body trembled as he sat up and looked around the kitchen where he was still sitting.

  Had it been real? It felt real. That was for sure. His body certainly thought it was real enough. Every muscle in his body was tense and quivering. There was no way his mind could make up a dream like that with such specific details.

  He looked down to the table at the ultrasound picture. His heart kicked up into his throat.

  Jenna. He needed to get to Jenna right now. There was no safety. There was no victory.

  He stood so quickly the chair clattered to the floor. He raced to the door and into the darkness to save his woman and his son.

  Chapter Six

  “Done!” Nyx shouted.

  The gathered women froze in the process of swaddling their own baby dolls. Jenna turned toward Nyx. The other woman stood proudly holding up her own doll, a huge smile on her face and clearly happy with the outcome. There was one small problem.

  “Nyx, you can’t tie a blanket around a baby’s neck!” Courtney cried.

  The women gathered for the shower laughed at her reaction. It was a touch on the emotional side. Clearly someone had some of her own news to share.

  Taylor took the baby doll, turning it over in her hands and examining it carefully. “You can if he’s trying to be a superhero.” She shrugged and handed the doll back. “With this kid, that would be more accurate.”

  Courtney huffed and went over to the doll, eying it with suspicion. Nyx handed it over with a smirk. The women burst out laughing as Courtney held up the doll, a sour look on her face.

  “You pinned the diaper to the baby!” she shouted.

  Nyx shrugged. “Let’s see him try and take that off.”

  Taylor nodded her agreement. Jenna snorted as Taylor drained the rest of her cup.

  Courtney pushed past Taylor and took Jenna by the hands, her eyes wide as she stared at her.

  “Don’t ever let her babysit,” she whispered. “Or Taylor.”

  “I heard that!” Taylor huffed. “Besides, I’m more the corrupting aunt than babysitter.”

  Nyx, for her part, smiled, but didn’t say anything. If she was offended, she was giving no sign.

  Jenna chuckled and patted Courtney on the hand. It was so good to be surrounded by women she could trust, even if some of them had questionable views on proper swaddling and diapering techniques.

  “This little guy is going to grow up with so much love and family,” she said. “More than most of us could have ever dreamed.” She leaned forward a little. “I couldn’t ask to have a better family. Not just me. All our little ones will have an amazing family to count on.”

  Pink spread across Courtney’s face. Jenna was glad Courtney understood her point. Jenna might be the woman of the hour with how soon her delivery was and as the mate of their leader, but each and every child in their extended family was important and represented a future for the hybrids. Based on what they’d seen from the Luna Lodge hybrids, their children would be even more special than their parents..

  Thundering footsteps hit the porch. Jenna jumped up, but Nyx was faster, her arms coming up and her feet planted in a combat stance. The hybrid was ready to defend Jenna. The other women spread out on her sides. They might not be as strong as Nyx, but none of them would let anyone lay a finger on their pregnant friend. The door burst open, but it wasn’t an enemy on the other side, it was a red-faced Rem.

  “You’re safe,” he breathed heavily as he rushed forward and swept her into his arms.

  Jenna leaned back to look at his face. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Combined with his ragged breathing, he’d clearly sprinted halfway across town to get to her rather than taking his truck. Her heart kicked up even more than before, and she placed a hand over her chest.

  “What’s happening?” Nyx asked after a couple seconds of silence. It was the question they all wanted the answer to.

  Rem stepped back and ran a hand over his face, a slight tremor as he did so. Jenna swallowed. She knew something had shaken her cool, calm, and collected hybrid. She’d never seen him so concerned.

  “I…” Rem looked over to Jenna. “I don’t know yet.”

  Nyx frowned. “Should we assemble the men?”

  Rem shook his head. He locked eyes with Jenna. He clearly wanted to tell her everything, but not until they were alone. Nyx looked between the two, her frown deepening.

  “Set a meeting for the morning,” Rem said evenly, the tension in his voice now gone.

  Nyx looked like she wanted to say more but nodded. In fact, most of the women looked like they were about to ask for more answers, but Jenna knew he wasn’t ready. Rem liked to have a plan. It was just how he worked, and she would do what she needed to make sure she always had his back, even when he wasn’t asking for it.

  “I’m feeling a little unwell from all the excitement,” Jenna said, and made her way to stand by Rem. “I think it might be good for me to go home and lie down.”

  Everyone focused their attention on her. Her statement didn’t do anything to wipe the concern off their faces, but at least it pulled them from looking at Rem.

  “Contractions?” Courtney asked quickly.

  Jenna shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. Just exhausted.” She smiled at the group of women standing in front of her. “Thank you all for such a wonderful evening. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

  “You get some rest,” Taylor said. “I’ll drop the haul off tomorrow.”

  Jenna smiled, thankful that her friends understood. The last thing she needed was Rem getting more agitated as people stuck around. He mumbled his goodbye and gently helped her out to the SUV.

  They drove in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable silence. She knew
he was thinking, trying to process just whatever it was that happened. Now that his adrenaline was fading, maybe he could see things more clearly.

  He pulled up just in front of the house, making sure to get as close as he could to the door, to shorten the distance she would have to walk. Jenna smiled. It really was the little things that made her feel so loved by him. No matter the situation, he was always so thoughtful.

  As they reached the front door, she frowned. She’d not been paying attention before.

  “This isn’t our door.” Jenna leaned in closer. “This is our house, but this isn’t the same door.”

  Rem grimaced. “There was an accident.”

  He opened the door and they stepped inside.

  Jenna frowned. “Does this have something to do with you crashing the party?”

  She glanced over and noticed the mirror that normally hung on the wall was also gone. Despite her curiosity, Jenna decided to keep quiet until she learned more. A woman didn’t leave for a few hours and then find her door gone. That just didn’t happen.

  Rem made his way over to the couch and patted the seat next to him. Jenna sighed and lay down on the couch, her aching feet stretched out in his lap. She could hear just about any news as long as he was rubbing her feet.

  Gingerly, he removed her shoes. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to explain everything without sounding insane. Although, after everything they had been through, the insane and unbelievable was sort of their normal. The truth behind the Atlantean hybrids was something even most of the Luna Lodge hybrids wouldn’t be able to accept.

  Jenna wiggled her toes now that she was free from the socks and shoes she’d been wearing. Despite the fact she’d worn a floral summer dress, she’d still opted for tennis shoes. Rem knew the other shoes she had made her feet hurt more and with all the weight up front, he was glad she was being practical.

  Rem wrapped his large hands around her foot and gently rubbed his thumb into the center. A deep sigh escaped from her, and for a moment he had trouble trying to remember just what it was that he needed to talk to her about.

  “The door and mirror were just an accident.” Rem sighed as he continued his ministrations on her feet. “I couldn’t sense you here and thought something had happened. I… overreacted.”

  Jenna moaned before peeking one eye open to look at him. “So you bust open the door like some big alpha man to save your woman?”

  Rem gave a shallow nod. She wasn’t wrong. That was exactly what he had done. In fact, he’d done it twice that night.

  “You fixed the door.” Jenna snuggled deeper into the couch. “And I hated that mirror. So we’re good.”

  Well, that was one thing he didn’t need to worry about at least. Rem moved his hand to the back of her calf and rubbed the sore muscles there.

  “That isn’t all though,” he said quietly.

  Jenna opened her eyes and stared at him with concern. He struggled to find the words. The whole thing still seemed so out there he could hardly believe it himself. Would she even believe him?

  She struggled to sit up, her large stomach clearly hindering her. Rem easily slid her onto his lap. Her legs now dangled over the side as he cradled her against his body. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her stomach. When he sat back up, he could see the concern written all over her face.

  “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together,” Jenna said in her quiet but firm way.

  The woman was strong as nails. Always had been. It was what he admired the most about her.

  “I had a dream,” Rem said.

  Jenna frowned. “What sort of dream?”

  He should have known she would instantly pick up on the fact that dreams weren’t always just dreams. With the experiences they’d had since coming to Eagle Ridge, it was clear the dream world wasn’t a place they only had to fear nightmares.

  “There was a woman there. Lapis. Similar to us, but not. She brought me to this void she controlled to warn us.” Rem managed not to growl. “She said Erebus is alive somewhere.”

  Jenna’s breathing kicked up, and Rem knew the thought had to terrify her. Hell, it scared the shit out of him. How did one go about killing a demigod?

  “Was that all?” she asked quietly.

  Jenna was searching his face, and for half a second he considered telling her the complete and disturbing truth. Keeping something so big from her wasn’t how he usually operated. Jenna was the person he leaned on the most, even more so than the men who fought beside him. She was his very reason for getting up in the morning. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a duty to protect her, especially when she was fragile.

  Rem shook his head. Like hell he was going to put that sort of weight on her. The only way he’d let anything happen to Jenna or his son was if he was dead. Lapis was wrong.

  He leaned forward and kissed Jenna. Rem could tell by the way she gasped into his mouth that it was more aggressive than he had intended, but there was no slowing the hunger inside him. Twice, he had thought she was gone. Right now, he needed to hold her and know she was safe.

  Jenna leaned back and licked her lips, a coy smile on her face as she shifted her ass over his growing bulge. “Maybe we should take this somewhere more comfortable.”

  Rem smiled widely. He stood with her still swept up in his arms. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

  Chapter Seven

  It didn’t take long for Rem to deposit Jenna on the bed, pull off her clothes, and get to the fun. But, as always, he attended to her needs before his. Those opening minutes together summoned bliss.

  Jenna pressed her bare back against the bed. Her hands clenched the sheets on either side as perspiration beaded over her fevered body. She moaned loudly as Rem ran his tongue against her clit. The muscles in her legs started to quiver. Her next climax was coming.

  “I can’t,” she panted.

  “Really?”

  Jenna shuddered. She couldn’t see Rem but felt the rumble of his words as he pressed his mouth firmly to her center. His thumb now circled her clit as his tongue snaked deep inside of her. She arched her back as far as she could and let out a low, deep moan. The pressure was already intense inside. Her insides quaked around his tongue, and she could hear as he lapped up her wet center. It only made her muscles tremble more.

  Three times he had taken her over the edge, and the man hadn’t even taken his pants off yet. It was infuriating to her how well he knew her body and how easily he could bend her to his will, like he knew her body better than she did.

  “Please.” She sighed. “Get on the bed with me. I need you here.”

  “I think you need me down here.”

  “Please.”

  Rem slid his hands down her legs as he stood. His bright blue eyes stared at her, standing out in the dim room. Something about the way they glowed did something for her, the mere look making her insides twitch, not that she’d ever tell him that. His ego was already through the roof.

  Jenna propped herself up on her elbows to watch as Rem flicked the top button of his jeans with a grin. His movement exposed more of the soft trail of hair.

  “Enjoying yourself?” he asked, a wide smile on his face.

  Jenna opened her mouth but stopped only to smile back. She slowly slid one hand across her breasts, tweaking her nipples and biting her lip. A soft moan followed.

  “I’m very much enjoying myself,” she murmured.

  A low rumble filled the room, and Rem’s eyes glowed. She loved when he was like that, just rough enough to make it amazing but never over the top. He’d been so sweet with her recently. Too much. She was in some desperate need of a little man handling by her man in particular. She needed to know he still desired her as much as before she’d gotten pregnant.

  Rem ripped his pants off and climbed easily onto the bed. He started to lean down for a kiss when Jenna rolled them over onto his back. In truth, she knew he actually rolled them, but he went with her direction, and she liked that.

  Strad
dling her legs on either side of his thighs, she planted her wet center on his very hard cock, pressing him flat against his stomach. She ran her hands gently over his chest with a heavy-lidded look and soft smile.

  Jenna could see it was killing him she hadn’t moved at all over him, but for once she wanted to savor the rough side. Wanted to push him just a little. She leaned down, her breasts brushing against the hair on his chest.

  “It’s my turn,” she whispered.

  Fuck.

  Rem was fairly certain Jenna just might kill him if she didn’t start moving, but then, if she did, he wasn’t certain he would be able to contain himself. It’d already taken all his self-control not to throw her down and shove himself into her. He wanted her too badly to control himself. Not just wanted, needed. If he didn’t get inside her soon, he wouldn’t be surprised if he exploded from the pressure.

  He had been so careful the larger her stomach grew. Everyone said that women toward the end hurt all over, and they were uncomfortable all the time. Hell, he’d seen it with his own eyes. He always kept that in mind. No way he wanted to add to Jenna’s discomfort.

  But that didn’t matter now. There was only her body on his dick. This wasn’t about discomfort anymore. It was about nothing but pleasure.

  All thought left his mind as she slowly slid along his shaft, her soft pussy lips wrapping over the sides as she coated him with her juices, the same juices he had helped make just moments ago. He’d done it to pleasure her, but he wasn’t going to complain about it helping him out.

  “Fuck, baby,” he moaned. “It’s too much.”

  There was a little lift in her breathing as she moved. Her tender clit bumped against the head of his cock. Each time she did he could feel little zings of electricity zipping through him. It was already too much.

  Rem closed his eyes as she moved, trying to hold himself in check. An eruption was coming. Suddenly, she stopped and lifted herself off him. He managed not to growl at the loss.