No, no, no. He couldn’t think of her that way. She was just a woman.
A new sort of worry crept into his belly. Something he wasn't really used to. Worry for another person over something he had no control over.
Sure, Atticus cared about the other men and women he lived around, but the Horatius Group had taught him one thing: survival meant focusing on yourself above all. It was how he had made it through this far.
Atticus shook off the unnerving thoughts and stepped into the office, closing the door behind him.
The other men leaned over the desk where Allison had placed the map.
Red X’s littered the surrounding areas outside of the range where they had placed the animal-repelling sonic devices. They watched as she added several more X’s to the outer ring.
"These are all animals found by rangers, conservation workers, or hunters," Allison said.
Quintus grunted. "The hunting field is growing.”
Although the hybrids had taken out several during their fight at the old mill, there were still a number of Glycons out there, including Thrax, the new super-Glycon Agatha was using against them.
They still didn’t know what she was up to, but whatever it was, it didn’t bode well for anyone in the area.
They continued to stare at the map. There was no telling where the enemy was hiding. Agatha was crazy but smart, the deadliest combination in their world.
"We’ll send men to this area today," Quintus said.
He drew a circle on the small area of the map that was free of most red marks.
"We’re more likely to run into them where they haven't hunted then where they have," Quintus said.
Atticus had to agree. The movements were methodical, and there they stood a chance of finding something.
"My place tonight?" Quintus said to Allison after folding the map again.
Atticus and Vitus exchanged a look before slipping out of the office and into the waiting room. It was a new thing to either of them to have their boss being so very much in love openly. That was the power of the Vestal-hybrid bond.
Vitus nodded to the door. "Going to head over to the store and grab a few things.”
Atticus opened his mouth to say he would follow, but Vitus grinned widely at him.
"Just stay here, and let Quintus know I'll be right back." He winked.
And just like that he was out the door and gone. Atticus could have wrapped his hands around the other man’s neck at times.
Atticus glanced over to where Celine sat at her desk. Her head drooped slightly as she tapped away at the computer. He frowned.
He didn't like to see her like this, with dark circles under her eyes. She looked as if she hadn't slept for quite some time.
The door to the office opened and unsurprisingly, Quintus and Allison stepped out looking a bit more rumpled than they had a few moments ago.
"So, um, I'll see you tonight," Allison squeaked out.
Quintus grunted in reply and headed toward the door.
Atticus followed behind him but paused just before stepping outside. He turned to stare directly at Celine, her eyes meeting his. Normally, he tried to avoid looking at her, but today he just couldn’t help himself.
"Take care of yourself," he said softly.
Before she could respond, he was out the door following Quintus to the truck.
Vitus leaned casually against the vehicle, a smug grin on his face.
Atticus frowned. "I thought you were going to the store," he said as he climbed into the truck.
Vitus shrugged. "Changed my mind.”
Atticus glared out the window. The asshole was trying to push something that could never happen. Still, him just talking to Celine had made Vitus beyond happy, which only put Atticus in an even fouler mood.
"Prick,” he grumbled, and continued to stare out the window, trying not to think of the pretty strawberry-blond headed woman he’d left behind.
Chapter Three
Celine couldn’t believe how she was acting. It was silly really. Floating on a cloud because of a few words Atticus had spoken to her. Not that the thought stopped her.
It was one of the few times his behavior toward her matched the feelings and vibe she got from him.
By the time five rolled around, Celine was ready to head home to her nice, warm bed, where she could at least pretend that she’d get a good night’s sleep for a change. She held out some small hope the kindness from Atticus might be enough to counteract whatever was leading to her having nightmares.
Celine groaned as she thought about what she would make for dinner that night. Unless she wanted to have another evening of cereal, she would need to stop by the store. Maybe a couple single-serve dinners would be perfect. No cooking and no mess. Not really the best tasting but who cared?
She stepped into the doorway of Allison's office and smiled when her friend looked up from the mound of paperwork there. People acted like being the mayor was a glamourous job, but it seemed the job was more paperwork than anything else.
"Headed out?" Allison asked.
Celine nodded. "Think I'll stop by the store on my way home."
Allison smiled at her. "Tell Grace to get out one of the pumpkin pies from the back." She grinned.
Celine laughed. Even though it had been years since Allison worked at the old grocery store, she still seemed to know the inner workings of everything there, especially now that her sister was in charge of the whole place.
"Don't work too late," Celine said, and nodded to the stack of papers.
Allison huffed loudly. “I swear some of these assholes are just submitting things to make more work.”
Celine shrugged. It might actually be the case. The election for mayor had been highly contested, and many weren’t so thrilled a woman had won, especially one so outspoken.
“Maybe you should start losing some of that work.” Celine grinned.
Allison laughed loudly but shook her head. “Last thing I want to do is give them more fuel.”
Celine smiled. That was why she loved working for her. Because no matter what they threw her way, Allison only used that as a chance to prove them wrong.
The mayor glanced down at her watch. "I’d better hurry, or Quintus is going to be here before I’m finished. He might toss me over his shoulder and drag me back to his house," she mumbled. A blush spread across her face as she realized what she had just said out loud.
Celine laughed and gave her friend a wink. "I'm sure he would."
She stepped out of the office doorway and over to the coat rack. There she slipped the tweed coat over her soft blue blouse. She frowned when she noticed just how off her shirt had been. Somehow she'd miscalculated and missed the top button totally, leaving an ample view of the swell of her breasts.
"Shit," Celine mumbled, and righted the issue.
It wasn’t her finest hour. The loafers she was wearing only made her feel as short as she actually was. The black pants did nothing for her figure. But this morning hadn’t been about what would make her look hot. It was about what she could wear that she wouldn’t trip in.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. If she had known that today was the day Atticus had decided to pay her any attention, she would have worn the sexy black pencil skirt with the low-cut white blouse.
“Of course,” she mumbled.
Just her luck. Though at least maybe he’d been able to appreciate her breasts.
Her face heated at the thought. It could be he thought she was being too forward and leaving her shirt unbuttoned on purpose.
She shook her head. There was no reason to sit there and worry.
Celine picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder before heading into the hall and then outside.
In their neck of the woods, once the sun dipped below the mountain, a chill swept over the land. She shivered and pulled the neck of her coat up around her face.
The store was right on the corner across from the office building. It seemed silly fo
r her to climb into her car and drive just around the corner. Instead she decided to shop lightly and hoof it over.
There was just something about the feel of the old grocery store that she couldn't quite get in the big box stores. She liked the way the front door swung open instead of slid open. Like it had when she was just a little kid and hopped on the mat to see it swing.
There was always someone there to greet her when she came in. At least, normally there was.
Celine frowned slightly. No one was there.
Maybe today was just off though. The store seemed to be empty as she stepped in. Not a sound at all.
Her heart kicked up as her sleep-deprived, overactive imagination kicked into high gear. A robbery? A bear?
A bear robber? She snickered, realizing just how tired she must be to even be thinking of something like that.
Celine picked up a basket and slowly made her way to the produce section.
She was surprised to find Grace on the floor slapping stickers on the melons there but her thoughts about a million miles away. A small blush spread across Grace’s cheeks, and Celine wondered what the quiet woman must be thinking.
It always struck her how'd different Grace and Allison were from one another. Allison always seemed like a force to be reckoned with where Grace was more like a gentle breeze.
She was a slight woman, although you might not know it from the oversized sweater and broomstick skirt she chose to wear. Celine couldn't exactly say she had the best taste in clothing, but she beat Grace out every time.
“Hey there,” Celine said quietly.
Grace jumped at the intrusion into her silence.
“Holy Moley,” Grace said. She placed a hand against her chest. “You scared the heck out of me.”
“Sorry,” Celine said sheepishly. “It seemed like you were deep in thought.”
Grace blushed again and stood. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she said quietly. “I’ve been a bit tired, and it’s been an… unusual day.”
Everything in Celine wanted to press the other woman on what exactly she classified as unusual, but it was clear she wasn’t keen on talking about it. She could only hope it meant unusual in the male variety.
"Allison said I should talk to you about one of your famous pumpkin pies from the back," Celine said, grinning at the other woman.
Grace waved a hand dismissively. "They really aren't famous." She sighed.
Celine laughed at her modesty. "Pretty sure everyone in Eagle Ridge knows how good your pies are. Pretty sure that makes you famous in our book."
A blush spread across Grace’s face before a giant yawn ripped from her.
Celine's eyes went wide. Grace was the sort that went to bed exactly on time every night. She was not a person to get tired early.
“Boy, you weren’t kidding about being tired. I didn’t think that was possible for you.”
"Sorry," Grace said, and sighed. "I haven't been sleeping very well recently. I keep having these terrible nightmares with creepy dark shadows." She stared off into the distance as if she were remembering the horrible dream and shivered.
"The Shadow Man?" Celine said, before slapping her hand over her mouth. She couldn't say why she said it, but it just seemed right.
Grace snapped her head toward Celine to stare in shock. "How did you know that?"
Celine leaned in a little, feeling far more self-conscious than she had originally.
"I’m the same," she said. "It started a couple weeks ago. At first, it was just a feeling. Each night it gets worse though. Some nights I'm afraid to even go to sleep, so I just lay there."
She sighed and rubbed her temples. Maybe it was somehow related to Grace and the dreams, or maybe it was a big coincidence. Though, at that moment, it didn’t feel like that.
"He visits those he courts,” a creepy voice hissed out of nowhere.
The two women turned and were surprised to find a brown-cloaked man standing nearby,
Celine had seen his people before. They lived up out of town. They were a strange group that sometimes came down to recruit women into their cult. They claimed to worship the Atlanteans and their god, Atlas. They called themselves the Azilians, and no one in town put much stock in their ramblings. For the most part, they seemed harmless, if creepy.
Still, it creeped her out that not only had he heard what they said but talked as if he understood. She didn’t get a hostile vibe from him, but it wasn’t what she’d call normal either.
"I'm sorry?" Celine frowned at the man.
He stepped closer to them, his eyes wide with fear.
"He comes to you at night. He comes in the darkness that dwells in our hearts. Through the breach that was created. He seeks the power of the stone." He raised a finger and shook it. “He who lives in the shadows.”
Celine stepped back away from the man, his increasingly strange words setting her on edge. There was something ominous about the way he spoke. As if his words had taken root inside of her and spoke to the fear that had been building there.
"You must speak with Anassa," he said, and pulled out a pamphlet to shove in their hands. "Only Anassa can save you."
Grace and Celine watched as he walked away. A chill swept over Celine.
"Told those creeps to stop coming in here," Grace grumbled. “They’re bad for business.”
Celine turned and raised a brow. It wasn't often she heard Grace speak like that about anyone.
"What?" Grace said. “It’s true.”
Celine shook her head. It seemed silly for her to voice her worries about what the man had said. If only because she was afraid the more she thought about it, the more likely she was to believe what he said.
"You do your shopping, and I'll grab that pie," Grace said, and gave her a soft smile. It seemed like she wasn’t interested in continuing the dream conversation for the moment. Maybe that was for the best.
Celine wandered the store as she thought. She glanced down at the pamphlet in her hands. Anassa was who he said could help her. A part of her wondered just what that meant. She was tired of the dreams and wanted to understand. However, a healthy fear of being chopped up into little pieces also helped her to keep her distance.
She made her way back to the checkout and grabbed a few chocolate bars once she realized she’d gotten nothing else to eat. Dinner of champions. If she were lucky enough, maybe she'd be home in time to order pizza.
Grace frowned at the chocolate bars and pie. "Is that it?"
Celine nodded. The door to the front opened, and she watched as a mother stepped in with her small child, the little boy doing what she had also remembered doing so long ago on the mat.
When the mother and child had moved into the store, she leaned forward as Grace placed her pie and candy bars in the bag.
Celine couldn’t let it go. Two people having the same weird dream?
"What if he's right?" Celine said.
Grace shook her head. "He's just some crazy from that cult. He probably just overheard us and started saying all that to trick us into joining their cult.” She held up the sack and Celine took it.
"But we dreamed the same thing," Celine said. "That has to mean something."
Grace glanced around, clearly uncomfortable talking about it any more. "Coincidence," she said, her voice giving way to the worry that lay under. "We’re both likely overworked, and this animal business is getting to the two of us."
Celine nodded. It sounded logical enough, but she still didn’t buy it.
Something scratched at the back of her mind. A nagging thought that she just couldn’t seem to shake.
What about the blue eyes?
"Have a good night," Grace said, shaking her from her thoughts.
Celine nodded and made her way back to her car. She placed the chocolate bars in her pockets and set the bag on the seat next to her. For a moment, she stared at the pamphlet before starting the engine.
This was a bad idea, but she was out of options. She needed answers.
> Chapter Four
The three hybrids had searched this part of the woods up and down, but there was nothing. In fact, it was almost too clean. Animals didn't scurry about. Birds didn't chirp. The whole area was still, quiet, as if the forest knew there was an unusual presence hunted in the area.
It wasn’t until the sun had just started to dip behind the mountain that they had any movement at all. Not just some random animal but a Glycon in the distance.
Atticus blinked, surprised at the sight. It was the strangest thing he’d ever seen. The damned thing just sprang out of a clearing and stared at them like a deer caught in headlights.
Quintus shouted the pursuit, and the Glycon tore away.
They sped through the woods after the creature. The hybrids were far enough from town they were actually able to use their full speed. The damn Glycon was faster.
They had fought with the new breed of enemy before and knew they were stronger, but this was just a clear indication that in many ways, the hybrids remained outmatched by the creatures.
Atticus, Vitus, and Quintus pursued the creature for a good twenty minutes before a clearing broke in front of them.
“We’ve got him now,” Vitus shouted.
The men stepped out of the woods and were surprised the find the Azilian compound before them. The Glycon was nowhere in sight.
“Where is he?” Quintus shouted. He let out a low growl.
Atticus shook his head. His sight was easily the best of the group and still he had nothing. It was as if the damned beast just disappeared into thin air.
They started to comb the ground, looking for some clue as to what happened. Even his scent had gone cold. A hard thing for a creature such as that to do. None of the noxious chemicals the Horatius Group used to hide scents were present either.
"How did he get so close without anyone noticing?” Quintus said. He pointed to the men at the gate who seemed more concerned with the hybrids’ arrival than what came before them.
It certainly seemed suspicious, but it was hard to tell. The Azilians, and more specifically their leader, Anassa, had helped the hybrids out several times. She wasn’t exactly an ally, but her behavior didn’t match up with a person who was allied with someone like Agatha.
Atticus: #8 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 2
