Luna Lodge: Sol

by Madison Stevens

  “You have super hearing, you can see in the dark, and have crazy strength. What else?” She turned in her seat.

  His jaw clenched, and she wondered if she crossed the line.

  “We can run fast.” He sighed. “Other than that, we all have different strengths.”

  “Like what?” she asked.

  Sol sighed and seemed very tired. Erica wondered if he had gotten any sleep the night before with everything that had happened.

  “For us, it’s a very personal thing,” he said.

  Erica blushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  Sol waved a hand. “It’s fine, and nothing we haven’t been asked before. When we first started to work with Major Carter’s men, they had all sorts of questions.” He glanced over. “I’m a tracker. That’s my specialty.”

  Erica fell silent as she thought about this. Did it mean something, him telling her this? She had a hard time believing that it didn’t. Asking him more seemed out of the question, so she settled in for the rest of the ride.

  It was surprising how comfortable it was, sitting in silence with him. In many ways he seemed menacing and scary, but here, with her, he offered a feeling of safety that she had been missing the last few days.

  She smiled and looked out the window.

  * * *

  After some time, she recognized the path to the lodge. In the distance, Erica could see people gathering at the front gate.

  “Are those all reporters?” she asked.

  “Some,” Sol replied and turned down a road to the left. “Some are protesters, and some just want to see the freaks.”

  Erica gasped. “You aren’t freaks!”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” he replied. “We had to go through a number of tests before we could even get to the point where we are. If we were normal, we would have never had to go through all this. They would have rescued us, and we would have been able to lead a normal life outside of these walls.”

  “That’s a reflection on society, not you,” Erica said softly.

  She wanted to badly to soothe the aches the hybrids’ continued rejection had caused. These men had been the subject of so much and treated so poorly.

  “What about the protesters? How could they have some sort of problem with you? It’s not like you all asked to be altered.” She could feel the irritation rising.

  Sol shrugged. “Who knows? Some think we are an abomination to God. Some think we go against nature, and some just hate anything that might be threatening to them.”

  She snorted. “Threat. These people are idiots and bigots.”

  Sol nodded. “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a danger. If enough people get it in their head that they want us gone, the government could decide to pull our funding. Titus is trying to prevent this from even being an option, but it’s still there.”

  “That’s terrible,” she shouted.

  “That’s life,” he said.

  Erica glanced out the window at the wilderness around them. They had been driving away from the front of the lodge, but there was still no sign of the back.

  She frowned. “Where are we going?”

  Sol chuckled at her question. “Near the lodge we have the offices and training facilities. This is also where we keep guests and live. We’ve tried to keep the lodge and the community as separate as we can.” He looked over at her, and her heart picked up at his lopsided smile. “This is where most of us live, and we didn’t want anyone finding us out. Now it’s more a worry they might sneak in and take pictures of us naked.”

  “They’d get a lot for those,” she mumbled and then blushed at his chuckle. This super hearing was going to be hard to get used to.

  Gates camouflaged by vines swung open, and she was surprised to find a whole new area. Sol nodded at the guards, mostly hybrids judging by their size and eyes, and drove through. A decent-sized building that looked like some sort of hospital stood to the right. A creek ran to the left and veered off farther into the woods.

  She had wondered before how many men lived at the compound. Now, it was clear there were far more than she had anticipated. Not only that, but their ages astounded her. Most were fully grown, but there were several that were just barely teens. More boys than men.

  “They are so young,” she whispered to herself.

  “These were the ones at our facility,” Sol said quietly. “We know the Horatius Group have some sort of birthing center. Only a few of us can remember it, and even then it’s broken memories. Just something else they took from us.”

  His muscles tensed on the steering wheel. She could hear the cheap plastic groan with the pressure.

  “So there’s a place somewhere, with just mothers and young children like you?” She stared back at the young faces.

  “It’s the best guess we have,” Sol said. “We can’t be certain, but we think that the older ones from our facility are the first.” He paused, and she looked back at him from the window. “Or at least the first successful ones.”

  Erica stared at him in horror. “But that would mean…” She was too sickened to even say it out loud. It was understood though. It was clear, if they were altered in the womb, just who the unsuccessful would be. She closed her eyes to keep down the bile that rose up.

  When she opened her eyes, she found his steady gaze on her. “You said before that I put off a pheromone. What does that mean? Do I smell?”

  Sol shifted in his seat and stared out the front. He cleared his throat a few times. “It means that you put out a nice smell to some of my kind.”

  “Some? Why not all?” She turned to lean her back on the door, her leg propped up on the seat. She watched his gaze as it traveled up her bare leg to her exposed thigh. Shifting, she covered it more.

  Sol moved in his seat again. “We don’t really know why, but we think it’s more a matter of taste.”

  She leaned in toward him slightly, the fabric on her thigh slipping up again. “What does my pheromone smell like?” she whispered to him.

  His lips pressed together in a firm line. She rocked forward when they came to a stop and was surprised to see him looking directly at her, his eyes a bright amber.

  “You smell like honeysuckle and sex,” he growled. His eyes flared before he leapt out of the car.

  Her face flamed at this words. That hadn’t been what she had expected him to say at all, but it sent a zing down to her center.

  Erica watched him in the window as she pulled her suitcase from the trunk and looked around. They were surrounded mostly by trees. She could barely see the next cabin through the trees. She looked up at the cabin in front of her. Two stories high, it seemed larger than most cabins she’d ever seen.

  She stepped out and sucked in the crisp air.

  “So big,” she whispered.

  “We’ve built a number of homes out here for the men,” he said and moved past her with her suitcase.

  Erica cursed his super hearing.

  “We still have a number of homes to build. The younger ones stay at several buildings near the center.” He opened the door and went in.

  Erica followed close behind, shutting the door when she came in.

  Inside, the building was less cabin and more home. She wondered if the cabins were used to disguise their location from the air. The living room was warm and inviting. A large comfortable couch sat in front of a fireplace. The TV was wedged in the corner, so both could be enjoyed at the same time. A small table stood in the dining room, which opened up to the kitchen.

  After passing through, in what she assumed was the grand tour, Sol led her up the narrow stairs. The upstairs was only made up of three rooms, two bedrooms and a bathroom. She peeked into one as she passed and noticed the rich tones. The other room, slightly smaller, was clean and plain. It was a pale blue with little on the walls.

  “Will I have a roommate?” she asked, looking at the other bedroom.

  Sol set the suitcase on the bed and moved to the door. He paused be
fore leaving and glanced over his shoulder.

  “Yes,” he said. “This is my house.”

  Erica watched his retreating back as she dropped hard to the bed.

  “Don’t leave the house,” he called back. “Make yourself at home, and I’ll be back later.”

  She listened to his feet on the steps and the sound of the door closing.

  Erica sighed and lay back on the bed. This wasn’t going to be difficult at all.

  Chapter Eight

  Deep in thought, Sol drove to the main lodge, where the offices were located. He’d already radioed Titus that they should have a meeting about the incident at Erica’s apartment. Sol squeezed the wheel. He also wanted to have a talk with Apollo about leaving her open.

  His thoughts strayed to Erica. Her sweet scent lingered from their ride, and he sucked in a deep breath. There was more than something about her. She could spell trouble for him in more than one way. Seeing Titus lose it earlier still weighed heavy on him, and he wondered if they were all prone to that sort of behavior.

  It seemed as hard as they tried, their genetic roots would show regardless, and being out of control wasn’t an option for him. It wasn’t really an option for any of them now. The world was watching, probably just waiting for the freaks to mess up.

  He pulled into his spot around back and hopped out.

  Two guards opened the door for him, and he cursed the lack of security measures he’d been able to see to while dealing with everything else.

  He groaned as he passed more soldiers he didn’t recognize. Carter had doubled his staff at Luna Lodge. Though he didn’t have anything against the major, this was supposed to be their operation and home.

  Sol stormed into Titus’s office at the center of the L-shaped office building attached to the main lodge.

  “Take it easy,” Titus said from his seat. The room looked as if nothing had happened earlier. He leaned in a little closer.

  “Is that my desk?” Sol glared up at his leader.

  Titus shrugged at him and grinned. “Casualty of war.”

  “And just where am I supposed to do my work?”

  Titus snorted at the comment. “You are going to be far too busy to do any more desk work.” He stood and came around the desk. “We need you in the field more.”

  Sol raised an eyebrow at him. “You turning things over to Carter?”

  Titus narrowed his eyes at the snarky comment. “Carter has brought in more men to help train our men. We need the help.”

  Sol sighed. They did need the help. Their men might be stronger and faster, but when it came to some of the bureaucratic bullshit, they really didn’t know what they were doing. It’s not they weren’t smart enough. They had a very good education. After all, the point wasn’t to create gladiators, but men who could think both tactically and beat the shit out of you.

  He nodded to his leader. “I’m with you.”

  Titus smiled. “I knew you would be. We’re meeting all the team leaders in the conference room. I need you to brief them on what we’re up against, and then we can go over what to do about the press.”

  “They seem like they’ve gotten worse since this morning.” Sol said, following Titus through the door and to the room next door.

  “Worse than it seems,” Titus said and slipped into the room.

  Sol frowned. Titus sat at the head of the large, round table next to Carter. Sol followed behind and took the seat to the other side of him. Apollo was already in his seat beside Sol.

  He turned to glare at him before the meeting started. After this was over, he had a few choice words for Apollo.

  “Let’s get down to business,” Titus said to the room. “First things first. We have confirmation that it was explosives in the main lodge. Not a surprise but good to know. I don’t think I need to stress the kind of people we’re up against with this.” He glanced around the room.

  “We don’t know for certain it’s them,” Carter said from his side.

  “Either way, I think it best we assume the worst,” Titus said firmly. “Especially with the most recent incident.”

  Carter nodded his head.

  “Sol, will you enlighten the group?”

  Sol turned to the other men around the table. Some were from Carter’s team and some their own.

  “Mark Kincaid was seen at the home of Erica Scott this afternoon. Although he did not mention the name, it was heavily implied that he had been working with the Horatius Group.” His hands gripped the table hard, his anger bubbling to the surface. “Not only were they trying to get to her, but they were trying to get to us through her.”

  “How do we know he didn’t get to her?” Lucius said, his hunter skills in full force today. He was ready to take out anyone that might be trouble, the deep scars on his face contorted in rage.

  Sol shook his head. “I’ve observed her multiple times without her knowledge. She’s not with them. However, they do still want her. Mark had been trying to recruit her to rope us in, but it seems the group has other plans.”

  He paused and looked around the room at the various hybrids to express the gravity of the situation. “They mentioned Bona Dea. We have underestimated them. They were able to identify her as a Vestal somehow before we had even met.”

  “Vestal?” Carter chimed in.

  “The idea with the Bona Dea project was that the right women was needed in order to create a second-generation hybrid.” Sol’s eyes shifted to the other non-hybrids at the table. “The Vestal is such a woman. One that produces a certain pheromone that entices the male hybrid.”

  Carter looked between Titus and Sol. “And Ms. Scott is a Vestal.” He looked to Titus for a long moment. “I assume Kate Walker is as well.”

  Titus nodded his head slowly.

  “And why didn’t the others pick up on her?” Carter asked.

  “I have a theory,” Dr. Fisher said. The balding man was one of the few doctors they had allowed to inspect them over this past year. Despite his genetics background, the doctor only poked once and took enough for what he needed. He also treated them like equals, like humans.

  Sol also suspected that the man’s age played a factor. This man was not a threat.

  “Please,” Titus said.

  “You are an alpha,” he said to Titus. He held up a hand when Titus started to argue. “I realize that you don’t follow traditional wolf pack rules, but your genes might not care about that. The reaction you had to Ms. Walker was likely to a specific pheromone that particularly attracts alpha males.”

  Sol considered the idea. It very well could be. Although he could sense it in her, it wasn’t nearly as strong as what he was getting from Erica.

  “Could that be true for each of us?” he asked the doctor.

  Dr. Fisher considered the idea for a moment. “It’s a possibility. We would really need to call in an expert for this.”

  “No,” Titus said. “I’ll not have my men poked and prodded just to see what gets them hot and bothered. We’ll sort this on our own with what we have.”

  The doctor sighed. “I understand, but there might come a time when you want to change your mind. If anything, for the sake of your men. If they are only attracted to certain pheromones, it could make finding a woman difficult.”

  Sol turned to Titus, who seemed deep in thought. They might have to compromise at some point in order to make a life for themselves.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Titus said after a moment.

  “Another concern I’d like to mention is that Kincaid must be working with someone other than just the Horatius Group.” Some murmurs came from the table. “We know that some in Washington are not happy with our new freedom. I suspect they are the ones who helped him get in and might even be connected with the Group.”

  “Let’s not be rash here!” Carter jumped from his chair and shouted from the other side of the table.

  “Tell me I’m wrong!” Sol shouted back. “Someone had to have the pull to get him in here and direct h
im to my office. Lot of lobbying groups in DC. Maybe the Horatius Group is just another one with a few politicians in their pockets.” He breathed in deeply. “It’s not too easy to forget when someone calls you an abomination and pushes for you indefinite imprisonment.” He looked into Major Carter’s eyes. “Tell me again it’s not possible.”

  Carter nodded after some time. “We’ll keep all possibilities on the table. But the fewer that know this, the better. If they are working with people in DC, we’re going to need the element of surprise.”

  “Agreed,” Titus said. He looked around the group of men gathered at the table. “This does not leave this room.”

  The men around the room nodded, and Sol was glad to have Carter’s men on board. They were more likely to follow his orders than some douche in DC.

  “All right.” He clapped his hand once. “Before we continue to the security details, we need to talk about the growing crowd at the gate.”

  “Maybe I should just take care of them,” Lucius growled. Several men near him glanced away, almost afraid to meet his eye.

  “You’ll not do anything unless I give the order for it.” Titus stared down the table at him until Lucius broke eye contact.

  “It was just a suggestion,” Lucius mumbled.

  “Listen.” Titus sighed. “I know everyone is tired, but we’ve got to handle this the right way. It’s not just a matter of the media at this point.”

  “I still think hiring a PR person would be the best choice,” Carter said quietly.

  Titus shot him a brutal look that told Sol he would be hearing about this later.

  “Besides the media, we’ve now got two factions. Those that are fascinated by us, and those that want to eradicate us.”

  Sol cleared his throat. “What can we do about this?”

  Titus shook his head. “Nothing for now, but I want measures in place. Backed by Major Carter, we should be able to defuse nearly every situation.”

  “And the ones we can’t?” Sol looked between Carter and Titus.

  “Listen,” the major interjected. “Top priority is to prevent casualties on either side. We take them unharmed, it’s only going to be good for us.”