Lucius (Luna Lodge #3)

by Madison Stevens

  They reached the door to the cafeteria, and she braced herself for what happened every day.

  Apollo opened the door, and she walked in. Conversations dipped across the room. Every. Single. Time. It was like they somehow forgot that more women worked there. They just considered Rachel one of the guys. Hannah knew Rachel was far prettier, but her absent mindedness and dismissive attitude had annoyed a lot of the men.

  “They will get used to you eventually,” Apollo murmured next to her ear.

  She jumped at his nearness.

  “You’d think they wouldn’t care,” she said quietly. “Lucius said I don’t have a special smell.”

  Apollo froze and gave her a funny look. It made her heart thump hard in her chest.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” he said in a low voice. “I wouldn’t say that at all.”

  Her face flashed hot, and she quickly looked away. She might not be interested in Apollo, but that didn’t mean he had no effect. Hannah jumped when her eyes clashed with Lucius from across the room. His eyes burned into her, and her heart raced at the sight of him. Even from across the room, she thought he looked amazing and shivered at the desire he stirred in her.

  “Let’s get lunch,” Apollo rumbled as he followed her line of sight.

  She jumped when his hand came around her waist and guided her to the line. Hannah moved along with Apollo, glancing occasionally behind her at the hulking man. Lucius continued to watch them as he ate his lunch.

  Slightly nervous, she skipped all the good stuff and just grabbed a sandwich and fruit. She paused at the brownies. It really wouldn’t be a good idea. She already had enough calories and didn’t really need the added fat. Holding onto her willpower, she turned and walked to the table. Rachel was already munching on her pasta but stopped when she sat across from her. Apollo slid in easily next to her.

  “Still mad at me?” Rachel asked.

  She could feel Apollo look curiously between them.

  Hannah shook her head. “Not mad but don’t inject me with things without my knowing first.”

  Apollo coughed loudly. “Something I should know about?”

  Rachel waved her hand, and before Hannah could give her the eye, she was talking.

  “I just gave her the birth control shot,” she said.

  The men around them quieted. Hannah groaned inwardly. There was no need for super-hearing when Rachel was willing to blab it to the world.

  “We’re all going to get them,” Rachel said matter-of-factly. “You men are a little too fertile, and it seems every time a woman is with one of you, she ends up pregnant…with multiples.” She eyed him suspiciously as if his sperm were somehow going to infect her from across the table. “Women have the right to decide when they want to have babies,” she said, pointing her fork at him with emphasis.

  “Uh,” he began. He looked to Hannah for help.

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  “So,” Hannah said, trying to break the tension. “We’re going to have a fall festival.”

  She smiled excitedly to Rachel whose mood seemed to only worsen with this news.

  “Great,” she mumbled.

  “Didn’t you have fun at the last one?” Hannah said. Her smile fell. She knew she shouldn’t let Rachel get to her, but she had worked so hard to make the last one fun for everyone.

  Rachel’s face softened. “I’m sorry. I did have a good time, but these things just aren’t me.” She sighed. “With everything that’s happened recently, I wonder if it’s even a good idea.”

  “I think that’s why he’s doing it,” Apollo chimed in between bites. When they had first started eating together, Hannah had been amazed with how much he could eat, but looking around, most of the hybrids were that way, eating ten times what a normal man would eat. She was just glad they weren’t farting and scratching their balls at the table. Some table manners were better than none. “We could all use a little something right now. With the babies and Kate being pregnant, everyone is on edge. We can’t let what little happiness we’ve gotten be ruined.”

  Hannah could understand that. When Erica and Sol’s son and daughter, Atticus and Cassia, were born, it was a birth felt by all the hybrids. They weren’t just a community, but a family, and as a family, they wanted to protect their young. Not only were Erica and Kate given guards, but the hybrid facility housing the younger boys was also being closely watched. There was a general thought that no one was safe. The Horatius Group was ruthless.

  “Are you finished?”

  A gruff voice came from behind her. She jumped as it startled her thoughts. Hannah turned around to find Lucius standing just behind her.

  “I…” she stammered. “What?”

  “Are you finished eating?” He stared at her now empty plate and blinked a few times. She hadn’t even realized she had eaten her sandwich and fruit.

  “Yes,” she said and stared up at him. It was the first time he had ever talked to her in the lunch room. It was the first time he had talked to her outside of his duty in general.

  He nodded and turned to look at Apollo.

  “I’ll take her back,” he said dismissively.

  She could feel Apollo tense next to her. “It’s my duty,” he said stiffly.

  Lucius folded his thick arms across his broad chest. The muscles in his bulged in ways that made her want to trace her tongue along them.

  “Yeah, and now you’re off duty.” Lucius raised a brow. It was a clear challenge, and Hannah wondered what the rules were for this sort of thing. Would they start fighting? Somehow things like that all sounded far more glamorous than they actually were, which was totally terrifying. The last thing she needed was two super men throwing down next to her.

  Hannah stood and placed a hand on Apollo’s shoulder. “Thanks for picking me up.” She smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Large fingers removed her hand off Apollo and pulled her into a wall of muscle.

  “I’ll be taking her to lunch from now on,” Lucius said firmly.

  Hannah tried to slow her racing heart as she straightened herself. He had pulled her so close to him it was hard not to move without creating more friction between their bodies. She glanced over at Rachel, who looked between Apollo and Lucius in fascination. The two men glared at each other for a moment before Apollo turned with a grunt.

  Hannah jumped when his hand landed at the small of her back. The thin material of her blouse didn’t stop her from feeling the hard callouses on his hands. He gently pushed her toward the door. She tossed a quick wave to Rachel and walked quietly beside Lucius. It was only then that she noticed that nearly every eye in the room was on them. It was odd behavior though. She had never seen him do something like that, so either she was in trouble, or she was going to be. There was really no other explanation.

  He slammed open the door, and she moved quickly through as he held it for her. She didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear from his frown and stiff posture, Lucius was pissed.

  The door clacked shut, effectively cutting out the sounds of the lunch room.

  Lucius glanced at the door and sighed.

  “So…” She shifted awkwardly. He was so quick to get her out here, and now that she was, he didn’t really seem to know what to do with her.

  “Here,” he said and thrust his hand out.

  Surprised, she held out her hands. Just like every time he dealt with her, Lucius gently placed the items in her hand. She blinked as she realized what he deposited.

  She looked up to him slightly confused. “A sandwich and brownie?”

  He stared off down the hall as if he didn’t really want to have the conversation.

  “You should eat them,” he said and started to walk down the hall.

  Hannah had to take large steps to keep up with his great strides.

  “But I already had lunch,” she said and tried to hand them back to him.

  They came to a set of double doors she had never been to, and she paused as he pushed
the door open for her.

  “You didn’t eat much, and you fainted last night,” he said. “You need to eat.”

  She brushed past him as she passed through the door and then stopped.

  It was sweet that he cared enough to check on her. She smiled.

  “I’m fine. Really.” She blushed. “It’s not going to hurt me to cut out a few calories. I should be fine.”

  Her face reddened, as he stopped in the hall to look her up and down.

  “Eat the sandwich and the brownie,” he said finally and continued down the hall. “You look like a woman should look.”

  The screws in her head started to turn. Did that mean he liked her body, or that it was just acceptable? Sometimes he could be so maddening with the way he dealt with everything.

  They stopped outside a door, and he pulled out a key. She expected that he would tell her to wait outside, but instead he held the door open for her.

  The office was a decent size, similar to what Kate had before getting pregnant without all the loud construction going on at the other end of the building. An extra-long sofa rested against one wall, and Hannah wondered how many nights he spent sleeping on that couch. The worn leather suggested more than he should.

  Other than the couch and desk, the room was empty. No pictures. No certificates or knick-knacks. Not even a calendar. His desk was clear of everything except the desktop computer and a laptop to the side. It looked as if he used both at the same time. She was dying to know how he did that but was afraid it would be prying.

  He shut the door and stooped behind his desk. At first she thought he might have dropped something but was surprised when he rose with a large box.

  “It’s a fan for your work room,” he said. Slight color tinted his cheeks, and she knew that he had gone to great lengths to get this for her.

  “Thank you so much.” She beamed at him. “Apollo is always complaining about the air-conditioning back there, but it’s just hard to get good flow.”

  He frowned at the mention of Apollo. She mentally smacked her forehead.

  “Does he come there often?” Lucius set the box on the couch and pulled out the chair on the other side of his desk.

  He walked around to the other side and reached under the desk again. This time he emerged with a soda and sat down.

  He clearly wanted to make sure she ate where he could see her.

  “Sometimes,” she said and unwrapped the sandwich. “Quite a few of the men stop by. Mostly just to chat.”

  She started to take a bite but stopped when she noticed his eyes flash yellow.

  “What do you chat about?” he asked, his voice tight.

  She took a bite and swallowed before speaking, mainly just to gather her thoughts.

  “I think most of them think I’m a good stepping stone when it comes to meeting women,” she said and blushed. “I’m just good at pep talks.” She took another bite and then continued. “But really, I listen. You all had a hard time. Some more than others,” she said softly. Lucius shifted in his seat. “They don’t want to talk to a doctor, so I’m it I guess. I really wish they would though. And some of the younger boys just need a mother figure around.”

  His brows furrowed in confusion, and she couldn’t help but think it was cute. “The younger hybrids stop by?”

  She nodded in between bites.

  “Usually just to help unload some heavy things and raid my candy stash.” She grinned. “But I think mostly they are seeking out what they are missing.”

  “And what’s that?” he asked gruffly.

  Hannah set down the end of her sandwich and stared at him. She had seen this over and over. The men there just didn’t seem to get it since it had just been them growing up.

  “A mom, Lucius,” she said softly. “Those boys are just seeking out a mother figure in any way they can. Someone to fuss over their eating habits or pains. Or just a woman to give them a hug.”

  He sat back in his chair and seemed to think over what she had said. There had to be a part of him that could understand this.

  “They are getting a new teacher at the start of next fall,” he said suddenly.

  Hannah stopped unwrapping her brownie.

  “Oh?” She looked up at him. “What about Augustus?”

  He watched as she took a bite of the brownie and wondered if she should offer him some with the looks he was giving her.

  “He’ll continue to teach. Augustus is a brilliant man, and his tactical skill can’t be matched,” he said with confidence.

  Hannah nearly choked on the brownie. “Is that something they are learning?”

  He frowned. “Of course.”

  “Lucius,” she cried. “That’s hardly a normal curriculum.”

  “These are hardly normal boys,” he said.

  Hannah ignored the fact he just didn’t seem to get it.

  “So who is this new teacher?” she asked.

  “She comes with a lot of credentials and is currently working at a private school where a number of big people send their children.”

  “A woman?” she asked, hopeful.

  He nodded. This woman might end up being a little stuck up if her credentials said anything, but something would be better than nothing for these boys.

  Hannah finished the last few bites of her brownie.

  “Well, I’m glad they will get a second teacher.” She stood. “I think I had better get out of your hair. Besides, I’ve got a lot of planning for the fall festival.”

  He frowned. She paused. She knew he wasn’t a fan of parties.

  “Just let me get the fan,” he said stiffly.

  Surprised by how quickly things changed, Hannah waited for him by the door. When he opened it, she hurried through. Once the door was locked, they were on their way. They walked in silence, his dark mood only worsening as they neared her door.

  Once outside, she turned the key and frowned. The door wasn’t locked. Maybe the door hadn’t locked well on her way out.

  “Thanks for lunch and the brownie,” she said.

  “Yeah,” he said absently and looked around. “Well, I’ve got a meeting to get you to.”

  Hannah frowned at him. She hadn’t heard of this.

  “A meeting?” She crossed her arms and stared at him.

  “With Titus,” he said and opened the door.

  She stared at him for a moment. Everything about this seemed off, and there wasn’t a chance this meeting was going to be fun.

  “All right,” she sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter Four

  A few minutes into the meeting, Lucius realized it just wasn’t going the way he had hoped. His goal in convincing Titus to call a meeting with Hannah had been to convince them the festival was dangerous and how much work it would be to keep everyone safe.

  He looked at Hannah sitting nicely on the couch. Her pencil skirt split slightly at the side, exposing the creamy skin there. She shifted, and his eyes found hers staring defiantly back at him. Pissed didn’t even begin to describe her anger at him. Lucius was fairly certain that if she could beat the shit out of him, she just might have.

  “You put the babies, Erica and Kate at risk having this,” Lucius said. He turned around to look at Titus, who had remained seated at his desk this whole time.

  “Does it put them at risk?” Hannah asked quietly.

  Titus sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. For the first time, Lucius noticed how worn out his leader looked. Worry was eating away at him, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do to alleviate his fears. The enemy was at their doorstep, and if they made one wrong move, lives might be lost, including those of the babies. The stakes were higher than they had ever been, and it made the festival idea all the more stupid.

  “There is a risk,” Titus said slowly to them both, his attention lingering on each of them in turn. “But we need this.”

  Lucius opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Titus held up a hand.

  “Things have
been on edge around here, and we need to start changing that,” he said. “We can’t let Romulus dictate our lives.”

  Titus turned to look out the window, and Lucius followed his gaze. Several of their men sat some distance away from Carter’s men. It had been that way since the doctor left. Most didn’t know whom they could trust and having been fooled at the gate by a plant by Woods, the dirty congressman, it was no wonder they felt the way they did.

  “They are divided now,” Titus said to him. “We need Major Carter and his men if we’re going to navigate the legal system and come out ahead in all this, especially if we’re planning to contract with the government.”

  Hannah cleared her throat. They both turned to look at her. Titus raised a brow.

  “So am I working or not?” she asked.

  He might have laughed if she didn’t still seem so angry at him.

  “Yes,” Titus said.

  Lucius groaned.

  “And Lucius will be working with you on the security,” Titus finished.

  Lucius froze. That wasn’t part of the bargain. When he decided to fill in for Sol, so he could guard his family, this was not what he signed up for. This was supposed to be him implementing more safety, not making it less safe.

  Hannah nodded and looked to him. “Apollo gave me an idea. Maybe an outdoor dance might be a good.” She smiled brightly.

  He felt his stomach twist. This was a fucking nightmare.

  He whipped his head to Titus. “You can’t do this,” he hissed.

  Titus raised a brow, and for the first time, Lucius wanted to smash in his leader’s smug face.

  He glared at Hannah and Titus for a moment before scooting his chair back and storming out of the office. The only satisfaction was when the little secretary, Jenna, jumped about a mile as the door slammed shut.