Nero: #2 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  Nero nodded. The Group did everything with a purpose, but with little consideration for the suffering it caused. He grunted. Marcus was still a prick, but he could begin to understand why. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t beat his ass if the man talked more shit to Nyx.

  “I think he’s just trying to find his place with us,” Lucas said. “To figure out where he fits in. So he’s gotta push the boundaries.”

  Nero snorted loudly. “Yeah, I wouldn’t know anything about that,” he mumbled. “If I still looked like I did before, you probably wouldn’t even let me stay with you.”

  He stopped when Lucas put a hand on his arm.

  “You know where you belong,” he said firmly. “She knows it too.”

  Nero frowned and turned away. He didn’t want to talk about her with him, not anyone really, especially when he wasn’t sure if he might have already lost her.

  “They’ll all get used to the idea,” Lucas said and smiled. “Most of them are just pissed you beat them to her.” He turned and winked. “She’s been the talk for some time now. We’re not with the Group anymore, so it’s not like all the hybrids think about women in the same way.”

  A rumble filled Nero’s chest as he stared at the other man. The idea that other men had been talking about taking his woman made him want to go back and beat them all down at the same time. He’d held back before. Maybe they needed to see the real him. He’d punch in the face of everyone, Remus included, if it meant defending Nyx.

  Lucas held up a hand and stepped back.

  “Hey, I think it’s pretty clear she’s made her choice,” Lucas said quickly. “You’re aren’t exactly the guy people want to challenge.”

  Nero frowned. Except one of them had challenged him. If Marcus thought he was going to just stand by, he had another thing coming. Nyx was his. He would do what he need to make sure she wanted only him.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Nero said gruffly. “We have a mission.”

  Lucas grinned at him. The moonlight twinkled in his eyes. “Got a busy night, huh?”

  Nero snarled as the other hybrid chuckled at his discomfort.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Rotten bastards,” Nyx said and slammed the shot glass back on the table in Jenna’s living room. “All of them. Worthless, stupid men.”

  She looked up at Jenna as she poured the next shot. She’d lost count of how many she had but knew she needed more.

  “Especially your stupid man,” she said and pointed at the other woman. “Thinks he knows so much. He doesn’t know. I could have gone out.”

  Jenna sighed. “You’re hurt. He’s just looking after his people. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately. He sees that. We all see it.”

  “I’ll look after myself,” Nyx muttered, slurring her words. “I’m a big girl.”

  “How much has she had to drink?” Lara asked, looking more amused than concerned.

  Nyx frowned. “Not nearly enough. I’m still pissed off, and I can remember all the idiot men who annoyed me.”

  Lara snorted loudly, and Jenna frowned at the pretty blond who had recently bonded with Magnus. The snappy reporter was just the sort of person they needed to protect their group and had already proven an invaluable addition.

  She had initially stumbled across the hybrids while investigating the Azilians. Even though Lara had been wrong about the hybrids being up to no good, her instincts that the cult were hiding something had been spectacularly confirmed.

  She also knew how to work the media to hide their presence. For the moment, for all their concerns over the Group and the Azilians, they didn’t have to deal with the more mundane crazies that had plagued Luna Lodge. Using the Atlantean-loving Azilians had proven to be a much better cover than any of them would have ever expected.

  Well, maybe not Rem. He seemed to always think of everything. Always a step ahead of all of them. He’d even managed to put one over on Romulus and the Horatius Group.

  Nyx grimaced. Just the thought of their overbearing pompous leader left her a sour taste in her mouth. Always smirking, acting like he knew what was going through her head. She slammed back the next shot of whiskey, the alcohol burning down her throat.

  “You know you’re drinking his good stash,” Jenna said with a sigh.

  “Yep.”

  “It’ll irritate him.”

  Nyx looked across to the small woman and grinned. “Good. He deserves it.”

  It wasn’t often they were all able to get together, despite living within walking distance from one another. They were both setting up a new home and a new society, really. It wasn’t as if the hybrids could risk making themselves public anytime soon.

  Plus, there always seemed to be something to do or some new crisis to deal with. They’d come to the area looking for a new start away from the Horatius Group and the constant attacks on Luna Lodge, but fate had decided to mock them.

  “Are you sure this is about Rem?” Lara asked, her reporter streak showing itself.

  Nyx narrowed her eyes at the other women. “Who else would it be about?”

  “Seriously?” Lara gave a loud laugh. “I don’t know. How about that nice hunk of man meat that everyone has been talking about? It’s not exactly like we’ve got thousands of people here. News travels fast.”

  Nyx huffed loudly. She’d hoped she might avoid talking about Nero with anyone else for a while. It wasn’t as if she had figured out what their deal was. It may have been one night of sex and nothing more. Given how he took off in the middle of the night, that seemed more likely.

  Or did it? If he really didn’t care, why would he pound Marcus? It could have been he was protecting her honor, or maybe he was just pissed about the other hybrid disrespecting him. She couldn’t be sure. Stupid men.

  She poured another shot and downed it. The amber liquid was starting to hit her now, and she feel slightly less irritated, though also a bit dizzy.

  “Better,” she mumbled. Nyx leaned back against the pretty gray couch Jenna had bought and sighed. “We had sex last night,” she said.

  The words were out of her mouth before she could even think to stop them. There was no reason stop now. The other two would hear it soon enough from their men given the stupid big-dick brawl between Nero and Marcus. At least if she brought it up, she could control the conversation.

  Both Jenna and Lara leaned forward.

  “And?” Lara said with a grin.

  Nyx sighed and covered her eyes with her arm to stop the room from spinning. The booze had made her less irritated, but she was definitely going to regret it tomorrow. Stupid Rem. Stupid Nero.

  “And it was great,” she snapped. “It was fantastic, okay?”

  The room grew quiet for a moment, and she took her arm off to look at the other women, her cheeks heating.

  Jenna shook her head, confusion on her face. “I don’t understand. If you liked it, what’s the problem?”

  Nyx sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “He was gone this morning,” she said. “I woke up, and he was gone.”

  Jenna gave a small smile.

  “This is all new to him,” she said. “I’ve seen this a few times now. These men, you know, they don’t know how to deal with this sort of thing. The Group didn’t prepare hybrids for romance.”

  Nyx snorted. “I’m a hybrid. You think this isn’t new for me?”

  Jenna shook her head, then pushed up her glasses. “Not like this,” she said. “These are your people. He’s alone. And even more, everything has changed for him. He’s still dealing with the fact that he doesn’t even look like he has his entire life. I think he convinced himself he looked like a monster, so he was a monster and always would be.” She shrugged. “At least that it what it seems like. It’s not like he talks to me a lot about his feelings.”

  Lara nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

  Nyx let out a long breath. She knew that there was more to Nero than the man they knew from before. He was as divided and torn as any of t
hem. Maybe more since he’d been locked away in a lonely world, trapped by his unique situation and appearance. Maybe she did need to cut him a little break.

  “You’re right,” she said and picked up the bottle. “But Rem is still an ass, and I’m not leaving until I finish off his bottle.”

  Jenna shook her head as Lara laughed. “Don’t encourage her.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nyx waved to Jenna as she stepped out of her house.

  “It was fun,” Nyx said with a wave. She managed to keep from slurring. The last thing she wanted was someone insisting they help her home.

  With that, she started walking to her own house.

  Despite the way the evening started, Nyx enjoyed spending time with the other women. They chatted for some time about the simple things, and it felt good knowing they were a part of the community they’d created together.

  When Magnus and Rem returned from the evening’s mission, there was a part of her that hoped Nero would come as well. Not that he owed it to her. Hell, at this moment, she wasn’t even sure what they were. A couple? But still, there had been a part of her that had hoped.

  Nyx kicked a rock and watched it skip away.

  As she rounded the corner, her house came into view. She looked past it, over the hill. All the lights were out, and yet she knew Nero was there.

  Anger pushed through her. How long was he planning to ignore her? It was one thing when he was preparing for the mission. She was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  Maybe he needed to concentrate, but now the danger was passed, and a few minutes of efforts would have made things clear. If he thought beating on people and ignoring her was going to keep her interest, he had another thing coming.

  Nyx stomped her way past her house, not even bothering with a second glance. Animals scattered in the woods, but she didn’t pay them any mind.

  When she reached the door, she paused and took a deep breath. Nero had haunted her thoughts the entire day. Now that she was here, Nyx wasn’t so sure she could talk to him. She did her best not to burst out laughing. Who was the coward now?

  She jumped when the door flung open. Nero stood in front of her, gun drawn and aimed at her face. Her heart thundered, and she leapt to the side, looking for some cover.

  “Fuck,” he hissed and dropped the gun to his side. “I thought you were Marcus.”

  Heart still pounding, she nodded slowly, taking and releasing a deep breath.

  His hair looked like he’d just woken up. It stuck up in little ways that made her want to rake her hand through it just to know that she was the reason. Her eyes slid down his bare chest. With her blood already pumping, the hard lines excited her in a way she had never known before.

  Nyx followed the path down his stomach. The fly on his pants hung open, and she could see a bit of hair peeking from the flap. He looked like he’d woken up naked and just slipped on the closest thing. Good to know he’d kill Marcus with his pants on.

  She licked her lips and glanced back up to him.

  His eyes glowed, and she knew she’d been caught staring.

  “I… um,” she said. All this time she’d had so much that she wanted to say, and now that she had the chance, it was hard to find the words. She wanted to blame the alcohol, but the sight of Nero had cleared her mind. “You didn’t stay,” she finally blurted out.

  Nero frowned down at her, clearly confused.

  “It was my first time, and you didn’t stay.”

  Inside her head she yelled that she should stop and not to spill everything. She sounded like an idiot explaining how it was her first time. If she told him too much, she’d lose any control of the situation.

  Nero glanced around. She was talking loudly. His house may have been away from the others’ but keen hybrid hearing made things more complicated. With all the rumors and trouble already, she was only giving people more gossip fodder.

  He stepped back, and she stepped past him. Her arm brushed his warm chest. Her breath caught in her throat.

  She looked around the small living room and smiled. The housing units were very similar. Some had two and three bedrooms, but most were a standard one bedroom. With so many hot-blooded men around, the hybrids found it useful to have their own places where they could decompress.

  A simple cream-colored couch sat in the middle of the room. Pictures of flowers hung on several of the walls. It was clear Nero had left things just as they were when he moved in.

  Her smiled faded as she thought this over. Not changing anything would make sense if he had no intention of staying.

  Nyx turned around and was surprised to find him standing so close. She stepped back. He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on her.

  “I came…” she said. Her heart hammered in her chest. “I just…”

  She trailed off as her back pressed firmly against the wall.

  Nero moved in closer. The heat from his body made her shiver in anticipation. He stopped just shy of touching her.

  Nyx let out a little sigh.

  “I left,” he said quietly, “because I didn’t want to cause problems for you. But I still fucked things up.”

  She opened her mouth to respond but stopped when he pressed into her, the words caught in her throat as she struggled to think, let alone breathe.

  “I would have liked nothing more than to wake up next to you and spend the morning showing you just how much I enjoyed being together,” he said.

  Nyx took in a deep breath and tried to stop her heart from leaping into her throat.

  He leaned his arm up near her head. His woodsy scent enveloped her.

  “For me,” he whispered near her ear. “It’s just you. You are the only woman I’ve ever wanted.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nyx needed those words. And now he’d finally said them. She turned her head to look at his face cast in the glow of his blazing deep blue eyes. Nyx swallowed as she stared at him. The heat from last night still flowing between them.

  She licked her lips and watched his eyes flare at the action.

  He groaned loudly.

  “You don’t know what you do to me,” he whispered.

  Nyx gave a nervous laugh. “I think I have a pretty good idea,” she said and moved slightly. His hard cock pressed hard against her.

  For the first time, Nero grinned at her, and it was as if she was seeing him in a whole new light. Two small dimples formed on his cheeks.

  She brought her hands to his face and cupped the side of his face.

  “I like seeing you smile,” she said quietly.

  For a moment she thought he might look away or move. His face flushed under her palm.

  He kissed her, his mouth hot and coaxing. He nipped at her bottom lip, and she opened to him.

  The kiss was slower than their others. He took the time to explore her.

  Nyx moaned when his hand found to her ass. He pulled her hard against the swell in his pants.

  Nero pulled away from her mouth and looked down at her.

  “I need to be in you,” he said. “I need to show you how much I want you.”

  She shivered at his words. Somehow his straightforward ways turned her on more than anything else he might say.

  Nyx raised her arms over her head. “I’m yours.”

  Her simple words echoed in his head and fueled him in ways she couldn’t begin to understand.

  Hunger burned inside him, a fire he didn’t think would ever die out now that they had been together.

  Nero slowly lifted her black t-shirt. His knuckles traced slowly up her side as he did so, brushing against the side of her black lace bra. When he’d pulled it off, he tossed it over his shoulder.

  Nyx raised a brow at him. He only grinned as he moved down her body.

  One after the other, he lifted her feet and removed her sneakers. Then, he slowly worked off her yoga pants. Her bright blue tattoo stood out against her pale skin. He leaned forward and traced the line with his mouth, planting warm wet
kisses.

  Nyx ran a hand in his hair, and he glanced up to her. Her face flushed and lips parted. He came to her black lace panties and growled at the obstruction.

  She pulled his head back to look up at her.

  “No way you’re ruining another of my favorite pairs,” she said and frowned.

  Nero snorted loudly. “Just do without.”

  Nyx raised a brow. “You sure you want that?”

  Nero growled loudly as she slipped off her bra. Before he hadn’t gotten the chance to admire her more than ample breasts. The idea of them not being confined during training both aroused him and infuriated him. He’d love to see her that way but not if there were other men around.

  “Fine,” he grunted.

  In one quick sweep, he had her panties down and sailing across the room.

  With her now exposed, Nero continued to explore the body he hadn’t given himself the chance to the night before. His mouth trailed down her body until he found himself at the apex of her thighs.

  He spread her legs and glanced up to her. Nyx stared down at him, a deep blush spread across her face. Nero lifted one leg.

  She smelled like heaven. He breathed in deeply and leaned in.

  Her legs shook as she watched him. His tongue licked the seam of her lips, just slipping past the folds.

  Nyx moaned as he swept up and down over her, the tip of his tongue brushing against her tender clit.

  Her hand tightened in his hair, and he moved over her.

  She gasped loudly when his placed his mouth firmly against her and pressed his tongue deep inside. She could feel it move, and she shivered hard against him.

  “Nero,” she whispered.

  He growled at his name on her lips.

  His tongue darted in and out of her. With each movement, she called out his name, overcome by delicious vibrations that accompanied his welcome entrance.

  “Please,” she whispered. “I need you.”

  He stilled between her legs, his tongue still buried deep inside her.