She frowned at a few of the posters she’d hung up the previous day. Somehow, after talking to the boys, the posters seemed too childish. It was almost comical to think that of children, but that’s exactly what she thought.
Their life had been so different from any student she’d ever taught. In a sense, they were closer to child soldiers who’d been freed from some despotic army.
She furrowed her brow as she considered the possibilities. Maybe her cat poster telling them to hang in there might be a better choice. Still, she had the distinct feeling that the motivational posters wouldn’t exactly go over all that well with this crowd.
It was something she’d have to think about more. Maybe after she got to know them she could better find things to suit the boys.
A knock came from the front door, and she quickly glanced at the clock. Nine o’clock. Right on time.
Jasmine went over to the door, and when she opened it, she found a dozen pairs of beautiful amber eyes staring back at her.
She smiled brightly at them. “Come in, and let’s get started.”
* * *
“More mobility on the flanks would have been enough to reverse most losses at the Battle of Cannae,” one of the boys said.
Jasmine smiled and was glad she’d read about it a bit this morning. Everything was proceeding well.
History. The hybrid boys loved history. Their little eyes lit up over the mere mention of history, but especially when they talked about the great leaders.
She’d decided to touch on Ancient Rome and Greece since the hybrid names seemed to based on those cultures. Even the name of their creators, the Horatius Group, was.
It seemed like a good starting point, if anything, and boy had she been right.
One after one, they fired off questions, mostly pertaining to the strategic methods of the battles, but still very good questions. Many of the questions were so good that she could hardly keep up with them.
She’d always had a firm grounding in history, but at her previous school, the students seemed far less interested in the details of the ancient world. More than a few of her old students told her they didn’t see how it was relevant.
The hybrids seemed to think the smallest detail of the life and strategy of a great leader might help them. Two thousand years old or not, to them wisdom was wisdom.
Instead of spending hours trying to cover all their questions, Jasmine flipped the situation on them and asked that they pick a battle that fascinated them. They were to then find the flaws in the strategies used and explain how they would fix them.
It was a good way for her to see just how far their abilities went and what their thinking was like. So far she’d been stunned by just how much they knew.
In truth, she worried that they might go further than she was able to teach. Given what she’d already seen from them, many of them would soon need college material, and she would have to find a way for them to continue to learn.
Jasmine leaned over the older boy from yesterday as he wrote on his paper. She’d learned his name was Aries. Given its familiarity, it was one of the easier ones to learn.
His gaze whipped up to hers, and she gasped as his amber eyes turned bright yellow for a moment.
A deep blush spread across his face. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s your Vestal smell.”
“My what?”
She knew the word, but didn’t see why he’d say she smelled like a priestess from ancient Rome. Then again, these boys had so little contact with women overall that she could imagine their views on things were a bit off.
Another older boy frowned at him. “You’re not supposed to talk about it,” he said to Aries. His voice was practically a growl.
A low rumble filled the room. “Doesn’t matter if she’s one of us,” Aries shot back.
Jasmine blinked and glanced back and forth. She wasn’t exactly sure what the tension was about, but she knew she needed to clear the air quickly. She placed a hand on Aries’s shoulder.
“It’s fine,” she said and gave a warm smile. “Let’s all take a deep breath and relax.”
“Why did you pick flowers?” one of the younger boys said, helping to break the sour mood.
Jasmine glanced at the flowers from her spot. Warmth filled her.
“I didn’t,” she said and smiled at him. “They were given to me.”
He frowned. “By your boyfriend?”
Jasmine snorted. “No,” she said. “I helped someone, and they gave me flowers.”
Aries seemed to pick up on her discomfort and joined in on the fun. Boys were boys, hybrid or not.
“But it is a guy,” he said and grinned. “What’s his name?”
Jasmine shrugged. “He didn’t give me his name.”
Maybe now was a good chance to get some information about the man she’d helped without giving his secret away.
“He’s a hybrid, but all he signed was ‘K.’”
One of the boys let out a low growl and muttered, “Why would someone play a joke like that?”
“I bet it was one of the human soldiers,” another said.
Some of the hybrids looked angry, but most just looked sad.
The room grew silent, and she wondered if she’d said something she shouldn’t have. They had been doing so well, getting along and whatnot. Then she had to screw it up.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Did I say something wrong?”
“We don’t have anyone who has a name that starts with a K anymore,” Aries said. He looked down at the paper in front of him. She could hear the sadness in his voice as he spoke. “We did before. He was killed.”
Jasmine glanced around the room, not quite sure how to make things right with them. She still didn’t understand what was going on with the note, but the last thing she wanted to do was remind the boys of someone they’d lost.
She sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I must have misread it.”
“It’s okay,” Aries said quietly. “Kyros is gone, but you didn’t do it.”
She jumped at the sound of a man clearing his throat loudly at the door. She spun around, her heart kicking.
Titus stood in the doorway, watching them all closely, his expression not angry, but not warm, either. Neutral, carefully and obviously purposefully neutral.
“I thought the boys might want to go play soccer after school,” he said, surveying the classroom.
Jasmine glanced at the clock and saw that it was already time for them to go. She stood quickly.
“Don’t forget to finish your papers tonight,” she said and smiled at them. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Have a good night.”
The boys quietly packed up their things and started filing out. Titus met her at her desk.
“A bit somber there at the end,” he said.
“I’m really sorry,” she said quietly. “I—”
Titus held up a hand. Jasmine swallowed hard. He didn’t want to tell her off in front of the boys. She’d already fucked up. Her great opportunity to make a difference was going to be over on her first real day of work.
When the last boy had left the building, Titus smiled at her.
She stared at him, now more confused than anything else.
“We all have exceptional hearing,” he said. “They would only listen in given the chance.”
Jasmine raised her brows in surprise. She knew they had good hearing but had no idea it was that good. She’d have to keep that in mind for the future.
“I really am very sorry,” she said. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was upset them.”
Titus shook his head. “We’ve had loss,” he said. “The Horatius Group is ruthless. It’s been hard for the boys to come to terms with it since one of those lost was their age.”
She felt her throat close a little. To have that sort of thing happen to children was more than tragic.
“I really had no—”
Titus gave a sad smile and sh
ook his head again. “They know that,” he said. “They trust you and that means something. Our trust is our bond, especially for those not of our kind.”
Something warm tingled in her at his words. Knowing that the children trusted her was a great responsibility. She had to be worthy of that trust.
Titus turned and started to walk out of the room when he suddenly stopped.
“I’ve been told the military will visit you later tonight,” he said. “You may be asked to pick a side. Please remember the trust being offered.”
Jasmine frowned as he stepped out the door. She knew the military was a thorn in their side, but surely they didn’t see it as and us vs. them situation.
She shook her head. Maybe she didn’t understand all the politics, but she understood herself. All she could do is what she’d done her entire life: what felt right.
Chapter Seven
Kyros turned over in his bed and sighed loudly. All day long his thoughts had been plagued by Jasmine.
He tried to think about the mission, the past, even the damn Horatius Group, but the same image kept sneaking back in: a pretty school teacher with long black hair and rosy lips.
Even though she wasn’t there, when he inhaled deeply, it was as if her sweet scent still lingered in his nose.
He closed his eyes and saw Jasmine there in front of him. She wore the same look of surprise she had in her office when she’d looked up and found him there.
The surprise wasn’t mutual. He’d known she was there. He’d considered just waiting in the classroom until after the soldiers moved on, but he had to see her, be near her. Or maybe he had to make sure she saw him. Kyros wasn’t quite sure anymore.
He’d heard the bonded men speak of the draw of their Vestals, and how much they called to the hybrid’s soul, but he’d never quite understood. He’d assumed it was just a slightly enhanced version of the pleasantness a hybrid encountered whenever they smelled any Vestal.
Already, though, he’d barely dealt with her, barely spoken with her, and yet her pull couldn’t be denied.
The other night they had spent so much time just staring at one another. There were so many things he’d thought about saying, but all he could do was just stand there staring at her.
Her beauty was like nothing he’d ever seen, with even the smallest feature perfect.
Of course, he heard that happened. When the hormones kicked in, everything about that other person suddenly became everything ever wanted in a partner. If the legend was to be believed, they were destined for one another, maybe designed to be together, two halves of the same whole.
He shook his head. In his mind, there was no other word for it besides fate, which seemed a little silly and a bit contrived.
Fate. Where was fate when they were transformed into hybrids? Even though he knew Titus was perhaps holding some information back from the rest of them, that still didn’t change the fact they were the products of Horatius Group experimentation. Where was fate when their mothers chose to let their unborn be tested on?
But there was no other word than fate for the bond he already shared with Jasmine. And for the first time in his entire life, he felt like he’d lucked out.
The woman was far more than he could have ever expected or wanted.
Kyros groaned and cursed himself for leaving the flowers earlier. It had been a rushed decision, but he wanted to let her know that he appreciated what she did.
He snorted. That was a half truth. He wanted her to remember him. He wanted to impress her somehow with his pathetic plan to pick her flowers.
It was a stupid risk considering his job, and not only that, it was a piss-poor romantic gesture.
Still, a large part of him wished he had been there to see her face that morning.
In the few moments of sleep he had gotten, he dreamt of her. In his dreams, Jasmine smiled at his flowers, pressed them to her breast.
Kyros moaned at how hard he got just thinking about her. He’d not even touched her, and it was like torture.
Every inch of him yearned for her. He needed to not just be around, but with her. Fuck, in her.
He let out a quiet growl. Fucking bonded bullshit. Why did everything with the hybrids have to be so fucking complicated? Maybe fate brought them together, but fate was being real annoying about it.
No matter how convenient it might be, he couldn’t deny Jasmine was his Vestal. He also knew it wasn’t one-sided. Even the way she’d looked at him told him that she felt something with him around.
The real question was, what the hell was he going to do about it?
The military was breathing down their necks. He was technically dead, and outside the Lodge, and now had to worry about roving bands of townsfolk under the mind control of some mysterious government signal.
Even under the best of circumstances, he couldn’t let his guard down, and certainly not to try and date a woman.
Hell, the truth was, even if nothing were going on, he wouldn’t even know how he would go about connecting with the woman.
Kyros sighed and flipped back his covers. There was no point even pretending he was going to get any sleep. Besides, the sun was setting soon, and it wouldn’t be long before half the damn town “woke” up to the dark to stumble around like creepy zombies.
He’d been mapping their movements for the last month or so. At first it was just one or two people, but recently the activity had picked up. It was clear that something was going on. He wasn’t quite sure just what that was.
Considering their last major activity involved invading the Lodge with the intent of shooting hybrids, he could only assume their next attack would be even worse.
If hundreds of them attacked, it’d be hard to subdue them without anyone getting killed. That would be the beginning of the end of Luna Lodge.
The last slivers of light from outside strayed into the front room of the abandoned mining house. They had been lucky to find it.
It was a small hideout with several rooms deep in the hill. It wasn’t much, but it worked well enough for their needs. But best of all, no one had even thought to look there.
After all, everyone was focused on watching the hybrids in the walls, and not in the lands outside.
One bonus they hadn’t been expecting was the running water. He still didn’t trust it for drinking, but it was perfectly fine for a quick shower. It was cold as hell in the winter, but on a day like this, when his mind kept drifting back to his Vestal, he wasn’t exactly sure that was all bad.
Kyros moved into the bathroom and flipped on the shower. It wasn’t much of a room. Small broken mirror, sink, toilet and open stall shower with a drain in the middle of the whole thing. It was likely there so when the workers came home, they could just spray off the grime of the day.
He stripped off his clothes and hissed under the cold spray as he grabbed the soap. He hoped it’d do the trick. No more day dreaming of long black hair and rosy red lips. Let alone the rest of her body.
A vision of Jasmine passed through his mind as he lathered himself: her soft curves fully exposed under a spray of water.
The thought did little for his erection that bobbed in front of him. It begged for attention, any attention.
Kyros groaned and stroked himself. Closing his eyes, he kept his vision of Jasmine in mind. It was better to get it out now than suffer all night with a raging hard-on.
He pictured her large breasts coated with soap as his hand stroked over his thick cock, rubbing the palm over his head as he did so.
In his mind’s eye, she teased herself as well, slipping her fingers between her legs as she watched him. She gasped in just the same way as she had when she’d seen him in the office.
Christ, he was so turned on just thinking about her touching herself, how soft her skin was, and how wet her pussy was.
Kyros took in a ragged breath and placed a hand against the wall as his pace increased.
A few more strokes, and he came hard, panting against the cold tile wall. H
is body shook from the intensity.
“Jasmine,” he groaned.
Fuck, he couldn’t even stop himself now. He was so far gone that he wasn’t even picturing fucking her. All he needed was a little finger play, and he was a lost cause.
No. This was not going to work. If all he had to do was keep the hell away from her, then that’s just what he would do.
Kyros rinsed and flipped off the water, his decision now firm.
Jasmine was off limits. At least until they got shit figured out.
Chapter Eight
Jasmine had just settled onto the couch when three loud raps sounded from the door. She sighed and set down her tea to grab the door.
It had been such a long day. She’d enjoyed her first real day of teaching the hybrid children, but it’d been intense, both because of their sharp minds and the turn toward the tragic at the end.
Now, she just wanted to relax. The last thing she wanted was to deal with people.
She threw open the door and wasn’t all that surprised to see Colonel Hall and another woman in a uniform standing there.
They’d told her before they intended to talk to her. After the warning she’d gotten from Titus, she’d hoped they had decided to forgo the visit, but no such luck.
She forced a smile. She didn’t know much about these people, but she doubted this was going to be a simple, pleasant chat.
“I hope we’re not disturbing you,” the colonel said, a faint apologetic smile on her face.
It didn’t really seem like she cared either way, and Jasmine was fairly certain even if she said she was disturbing her, the meeting would happen anyway.
“Please come in,” Jasmine said, motioning inside.
She did her best to keep a pleasant demeanor, but she didn’t like this meeting. It felt like the time the principal had ‘happened’ to stop by only to ask her to change the grade of one of the more prominent students.
His parents were some of the school’s largest donors, and he was the star of the lacrosse team. Not that she gave a shit about sports.
Kyros: #12 (Luna Lodge) Page 4
