Vitus: #9 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  “Vitus!” Grace shouted.

  She knew they were too far away though. It was unlikely her voice would carry like she hoped. Thrax hurried off, and Grace watched as her little house disappeared in the distance as the super-Glycon carried her away.

  * * *

  Vitus woke up with a start, his name still echoing in his ears.

  Something was wrong.

  He listened to the sound of the house. It was far too quiet. He inhaled deeply. Grace’s scent was present but not as strong as it should be. She wasn’t there.

  The hybrid jumped out of the bed and slipped on his pants.

  “Grace?” he called out.

  No answer.

  His heart pounded in his chest the more time that went by and she didn’t answer him.

  Vitus raced from the room. Nothing was out of place. No doors open or indication she was taken. In fact, it seemed like she’d turned the heat up a little.

  It was then that he noticed the light in the distance through the window.

  Vitus frowned. Why had she gone to the store in the middle of the night?

  A knot formed in the middle of his stomach. All the reasons he could come up with were ones that he wasn’t sure he wanted to focus on.

  Without bothering to put on a shirt or shoes, Vitus sprinted across the snow and down the street toward the store, only barely registering the cold outside.

  He let out a low growl as he spotted the glass and the smell of Grace’s fear in the air. There was another strong and familiar scent, though one that wasn’t pleasant.

  “Thrax,” Vitus grunted.

  He followed their footprints in the snow. She’d run, but Thrax had caught up with her.

  Vitus glanced toward the woods now. The damn Glycon was in there somewhere with his woman. He clenched his fists in rage.

  As quickly as he could, Vitus made his way back to the house. He would go after her, but he would be smart about this. There was no telling how far they were traveling, and Thrax was faster. He would need everything he could on his side to get Grace back before something happened.

  He grabbed his phone and gun from the bedside table. Bullets had proven to be less than helpful against the hulking beast, and who knew what Agatha had done to him, but a few shots might still slow him down. Besides, one shot to the head should do the trick. Of course, Vitus was guessing at this point.

  Vitus slipped on the t-shirt he had worn the day before and wished he’d thought to bring his coat, but it would have to do.

  He flipped open the phone and hit Rem’s name on his contacts list.

  “Yeah,” his leader asked, his sleepy voice indicating he had been sleeping.

  “Thrax has Grace,” Vitus said quickly as he slipped on his shoes.

  “When did he take her?” Rem sounded fully awake now.

  Vitus shook his head. “Not long. I’m going after them.”

  “Wait for back up,” Rem said sternly. “You can’t win against him by yourself.”

  “I also can’t wait.”

  “That’s an order,” Rem growled into the phone. “Getting yourself killed won’t help Grace.”

  Vitus grunted. “She’s my bonded,” he said firmly. “I’m going to get her back. No matter what it takes. You can kick my ass for disobeying you later.”

  He snapped his phone shut and put it on vibrate. They would be able to trace him after they got there, but he was through talking. No amount of talking would convince him to stop him from going after what was his.

  Grace was counting on him, and he wasn’t about to let her down.

  Chapter Seventeen

  For such a large man, Grace was surprised with how gentle Thrax was with her. The whole time he was running through the woods, the giant Glycon didn’t let one thing hurt her. She might have felt some sympathy for the creature if he hadn’t kidnapped her and she wasn’t so worried about what would happen once they reached the place he intended on taking her.

  Grace swallowed. She knew Thrax wanted her for his own. Just what that meant, she still wasn’t sure, and most definitely did not want to find out. She could only hope and pray that Vitus was coming to save her.

  They ran for what felt like ages. Her body grew sore from being held for so long.

  The world around them was starting to wake up, even if the animals were strangely silent. Frightened, she assumed, by Thrax. The sun hadn’t yet crested over the horizon, but she knew it would happen any time now.

  She wondered what happened when the sun came up. It wasn’t something they had talked about, but it seemed the Glycons were more active at night. Although that might have been because they could cloak themselves in darkness. If they had some sort of vampire-like allergy to the sun, she doubted Thrax would risk traveling so close to dawn.

  When they passed a silo in the distance she knew very well, Grace gasped.

  They were near Taylor’s ranch. The one she managed with her father and new boyfriend.

  Often she’d bought meat from them, but it had been years since she’d personally been out that way. Mainly it was old farms that had long since been abandoned. Many of the people looking for a better chance looked for work elsewhere. Eagle Ridge life wasn’t for everyone.

  Grace furrowed her brow. Taylor’s new man was from Rem’s group, which meant he was probably a hybrid. Her vague hope of rescue strengthened.

  Just over the hill, they rounded a bend. The snow there was compacted into the ground. As if many feet had run over the land making it so.

  When Grace looked up, she noticed the trees in the surrounding forest. All her life she’d lived in the area, and never had she seen nearly all the vegetation dead in such a way, as if all its life had been sucked clean out of it.

  Her stomach churned at the sight, and her hope began to fade. They’d already moved quickly and surprisingly far away from Taylor’s ranch.

  Something about the area reminded her of her dreams with the Shadow Man and running through a black forest.

  This was the black forest. Death. This was the hellscape from her nightmares, and there was nothing about this place that bode well for any of them.

  Thrax pushed into the heavy doors of a barn. The thick metal doors helped animals last the long winters. At least when the barn held animals.

  As the doors closed behind them, Grace blinked in the darkness, her eyes had been still trying to adjust to the brightening dawn.

  Slowly her sight started to come back to her as Thrax carried her through the barn. Each stall was holding something, but she couldn’t quite make it out at first. Slowly things started to come into focus, just some shapes. Ones that seemed oddly familiar.

  Something nearby started to shake in the stall. She could make out the blue glow from inside and the shape of a man. The man convulsed a few times, and Thrax paused to check, moving closer to the stall.

  There she could see the man more clearly. A man as large as Thrax was strapped to a chair. His eyes were closed, but she felt sure that if they were to open, she would see the same blood red eyes. Connected to his arms were two IVs with a thick glowing blue liquid being pumped in. It was like nothing she’d ever seen.

  No. That wasn’t right. Grace frowned. There was something unsettlingly familiar about the color. It looked oddly similar to the color she’d seen in the eyes of Vitus and the other hybrids.

  A shiver ran over her, and Thrax held her closer.

  She found the move oddly comforting from the man she’d feared up to this point. Maybe there was something human still left inside him after all.

  The man in the chair stopped moving, and Thrax stepped away from the stall. Again, he started moving past the stalls. She glanced around the room and wondered just how many of them there were. If just one Thrax was hard for them to take down, what could a whole army do?

  The idea made her sick to her stomach. No matter what happened, she had to make sure Vitus knew and that his men had time to prepare for what was to come. Someone who knew what was going on ha
d to stop this craziness.

  They stopped at the end of the walkway, and Thrax opened the door. Warmth seeped from inside, and Grace sighed at the feeling. Despite being held, there was nothing warm about Thrax. It was like being held by a statue.

  Plus, she hadn’t planned to be outside nearly as long as she was. Her poor sockless toes were nearly frozen, and her fingers about the same.

  Grace began flexing the feeling back into them as they filled with pins and needles.

  Thrax gently sat her on the couch and placed a warm blanket over her body. She watched him from where she sat and wondered what sort of man he had been before he was changed. A good man? An evil man?

  She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d chosen to be turned into what he was, but given everything she’d heard on the news about the Luna Lodge hybrids and what she’d learned from the Eagle Ridge hybrids, she doubted it.

  Grace knew that everyone had a story, and she would venture a guess that the Glycons were no different. She doubted they were ever given the remotest choice on being turned into a monster. Even if someone had told them they’d get speed and strength, she just couldn’t see many willing to give up their humanity for it.

  Thrax quietly stepped over to the sink and filled a glass there with water. He brought it over to where she was and thrust it into her hands.

  She nodded and took the glass. Being thirsty wasn’t going to help her be rescued, so she saw no reason to refuse him.

  He eyed her until she placed the cup to her lips and took a small drink. He nodded his approval.

  “You will be my mate,” Thrax said after a moment.

  It struck her as almost funny for a moment, like a toddler declaring what role she would play.

  “I can’t be your mate,” she said to him.

  He frowned and snorted. “You will be my mate,” he repeated.

  “I’m sorry, but I already have a mate,” she said, hoping that there was some hope of reasoning with Thrax.

  A low, deep growl filled the room.

  “Him,” Thrax said.

  For the first time, Grace noticed the stump where his hand had been. Since he’d carried her with that arm, she’d never even noticed. Although she knew just what had happened.

  Thrax let out a snarl, and she jumped at the sound. His face contorted in rage, and she wondered if she’d pushed him too far.

  “I kill him,” Thrax rumbled. “You be mate.”

  Her throat ran dry at his words. “No,” she whispered.

  Thrax frowned and stomped toward the door, clearly not willing to hear anything else she might have to say.

  “Please,” she said as she scrambled to stand from the couch. “You can’t. I love him.”

  But he was already out the door, the lock firmly latched into place.

  Grace fell back on the couch. Large tears rolled down her face. Not only had she gotten herself captured, but she’d just sealed the deadly fate of the man she loved.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Vitus growled. It was slow-going through the woods. The snow had helped by providing a trail, but with the Glycons and hybrids roaming the woods around, it was hard to tell what was fresh and what wasn’t.

  He breathed in deeply and searched for her. A familiar and powerful scent hit his nose: the sweet, cloying scent of his woman.

  He turned his head and only hoped that his nose wasn’t leading him astray. The longer she was away from him, the more concerned he became. Maybe Thrax would move her elsewhere.

  For that matter, he didn’t know what plans Agatha might have, especially now that she had the stone. They still weren’t sure what other resources she had managed to gather. Vitus could only hope that he was fast enough.

  Worrying wouldn’t help him. He just needed to get there and make sure Grace escaped, no matter what happened to himself.

  Trusting instinct, Vitus pushed harder now, his nose the only guide.

  The scent slowly grew thicker. His heart hammered in his chest as he made his way down the farm road that met the clearing. The area looked familiar, but he wasn’t sure exactly where he was though. He only hoped the other hybrids weren’t far behind.

  Rem was right. He couldn’t take Thrax by himself, let alone Thrax and other Glycons together.

  Maybe he didn’t need to. Maybe he only needed to just get past the super-Glycon. Killing him could wait until after Grace was safe.

  Vitus moved around a bend and froze, a low growl boiling up.

  The smell of death and decay filled the air. Something was wrong there. So wrong that every animal part of himself was at odds over what to do. The man wanted to save Grace, but the scent in the air was a warning for sure, a warning that his beast side screamed at him to heed.

  Screw that. He wasn’t leaving without his Vestal.

  Vitus slowly made his way down the hill toward a large barn. Grace’s scent had only grown thicker. He was sure she was there.

  He stepped into the place, tense and half-expecting a fight, but it was unlikely Thrax could smell him over the smell outside.

  Vitus held his hand to his nose. Inside wasn’t all that much better. It’d been a long time since he smelled such an awful stench.

  Something jangled next to him, and he jumped to the ready, raising his fists. Instead he found a locked stall. He crept over to it to peer into the cage.

  He grunted at the sight of a man being pumped with blue fluid. He knew exactly what he was seeing.

  Agatha was making new super-Glycons. More like Thrax. She’d already been putting the blue stone to use.

  He wondered where they were getting the blue liquid. While the stone bestowed the power, it still needed to be charged in a way. From what they’d seen, that required either hybrids, Vestals, or the sacrifice of normal people. Whatever the truth, Vitus figured the answer would horrify him.

  He crept away from the stall. It was best if he just focused on finding Grace and getting the hell out of there. If one super-Glycon was bad, he couldn’t guess what dozens of them would do.

  Slowly he moved along, doing his best to keep a light step. The soft sweet scent of Grace still lingered in the air, and he was just glad that she was still there.

  Vitus glanced around a corner. Nothing in sight. Quickly he made his way over to the door and twisted the knob.

  Locked. Damn. He could easily bust the door down, but that would alert every free Glycon in the area, including Thrax.

  “Hello?” Grace’s soft, sweet voice called out from the other side of the door.

  He grunted. He didn’t care anymore about the danger. Now that he knew she was right on the other side of the door, he wasn’t about to leave her there for a minute longer.

  “It’s me,” Vitus said quickly. “Stand back. I’m going to kick it open.”

  “Okay.”

  Vitus kicked the door hard, and the wood splintered on the frame where the lock once was. He’d done it now, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was seeing his Vestal still alive.

  Grace peeked around the corner and then launched herself into his arms. Vitus pulled her tightly against him.

  “I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispered.

  He kissed the top of her head. “You can’t get rid of me that easy.”

  A loud roar ripped through the room. Vitus wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned.

  “Stand behind me,” he said firmly.

  Grace nodded as she moved behind him.

  “We’re already bonded,” he called out to Thrax. “She’s of no use to you.”

  Thrax snarled. His face was outlined by the light of the office.

  “I kill you,” he said. “Then make her mine.”

  Behind Vitus, Grace gasped.

  “Even if you do kill me, that doesn’t change anything,” Vitus said firmly. “Just let us go.”

  Thrax thrashed his head back and forth like an animal readying to charge. “Be my mate!”

  The super-Glycon was lost in hi
s rage now. There was no reasoning with him.

  Vitus pulled out his gun. He could only hope it stalled Thrax enough and that the other hybrids were close behind.

  He raised the gun and pulled the trigger three times. Each bullet landed in Thrax as he charged from across the room, but none hit him in the head.

  Thrax closed the distance quickly, swiping out a beefy arm and knocking Vitus hard against a nearby stall. His gun went flying. The wood of the stall cracked. Inside one of the new super-Glycons stirred.

  “No!” Grace shouted.

  Thrax turned to stare at her, an odd expression on his face, as if he were surprised she was upset.

  Vitus grabbed a shovel and charged the hybrid. Thrax turned just as Vitus slammed the metal hard against his head. It rang loudly in the room.

  He dropped the tool and grabbed Grace’s hand.

  “Run,” Vitus shouted.

  Although he’d stunned the massive man, he knew it wasn’t likely to keep him out for long.

  He grunted loudly as Thrax slammed into him from the side and smashed him into another stall.

  Vitus breathed in hard. His lungs burned as he pushed back against the beast.

  “She is mine,” Thrax shouted.

  Vitus twisted his body, trying to ignore the pain. His lungs ached as he did so, but it also threw the giant man off balance, sending him stumbling forward as Vitus dipped down the opposite way.

  Grace and Vitus were separated now. Thrax stood between them, and there was no hope of the hybrids getting there nearly in time. A decision needed to be made. He’d told Rem that he would get her back no matter what, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  “Run,” Vitus shouted to Grace. “Run and don’t look back. No matter what.”

  Thrax snarled at him and glanced over to her, but Vitus wasn’t going to give him the chance to take her again. Grace was going to get away.

  Vitus charged Thrax with everything he had, knocking the monster down as they rolled in the dirt and hay.

  He landed a hard blow to Thrax’s ribs and felt some satisfaction at the crunch that followed.