Nikon: #16 (Luna Lodge)

by Madison Stevens

  Rollo took the list and scanned over the contents then passed it over to Lucan.

  “Women?” Rollo asked.

  Tycho nodded. “Vestals,” he said. “They’ve started rounding them up now that Woods is soon to be behind bars. I’ve heard rumors that Dmitry is looking to wind down their work here in the States and move it offshore. They are apparently using some sort of mercenaries that are used to dealing with our kind.”

  The three Luna hybrids exchanged looks. They had heard of these men. When Servius had been at sea trying to bring home Maximus and his newly discovered group of hybrids, they had run into the mercenary group the Phoenix Corps.

  They were well organized and knew how to handle themselves. Two things that didn’t bode well for the hybrids.

  “I think you need to see this,” Lucan said, and placed the papers in front of Nikon.

  There, near the top of the page, was her name. Clear as day.

  Leah Perkins. Nikon let out a low growl.

  “I need to get home,” he said firmly, already starting to stand.

  Lucan placed a hand on his arm, and Nikon sat back down. He was already starting to draw the attention of the locals. That was the last thing they needed.

  “We need to know more,” Lucan said. “She’s safe with Jamie.”

  Tycho nodded to the sheet. “Your woman on the list?”

  Nikon opened his mouth, half-ready to tell him Leah was his woman but stopped. She wasn’t his woman and for a good reason. She needed to get clear the hell away from his sort of life, which was all the more reason for her to get away from the hybrids.

  “If she’s at the top, it means they are in the process of dealing with her,” Tycho said.

  A lump formed in Nikon’s throat as his mouth went dry. He’d wanted to protect her from having to deal with this sort of crap, but it was already too late.

  “You have a place to take all your people?” Tycho said to Rollo. The other hybrid nodded back. “You need to get your women and get as far away from this area as you can. This is going to start moving fast now.”

  Nikon’s hands curled into fists.

  “We’re in the process,” Rollo said. “And what about you and Mia?”

  It was clear Tycho wanted to say yes but instead shook his head. “She won’t leave without her sister, and I can’t leave without her.”

  Rollo nodded. “I understand. Let us know how we can help.”

  Tycho looked around at them. For the first time, Nikon could see the man staring back, the one trying to find a way to be both a hybrid and save his woman.

  Nikon nodded, and something in that seemed to please Tycho, judging by the expression on his face.

  “Save your woman,” Tycho said quietly. “No one deserves the life they have planned. I can guarantee that.”

  Nikon stood again and stretched his hand out to the other hybrid. “Thank you.”

  Tycho nodded with a grunt and shook his hand.

  Nikon turned to Lucan. “We need to go.”

  Chapter Seven

  Leah stepped into the car and placed the large bag of deliciousness down in the passenger seat. It was a little later than she had originally been expecting to eat, but when Jamie had sent a text saying the guys wouldn’t be home till late, it seemed only natural that she would share her dinner with her friend.

  The spicy kung pao chicken was already calling to her from inside the bag, the scent making her mouth water and her stomach rumble.

  Before starting the car, Leah pulled out her phone for about the millionth time.

  Still nothing from Nikon. Not that she was really expecting it, but it would have been nice. Just any sort of word from him, if only so she knew he was okay.

  Leah sighed and set the phone down on the seat next to her. This was silly. She obviously had feelings for Nikon that he didn’t share. In the end, it would likely be best for her to go for someone normal and reasonable like Matt.

  The teacher seemed interested enough in her and was pleasant to talk to. Plus, he wasn’t a bad-looking guy at all. Sure, he wasn’t the perfect specimen of manhood that Nikon was, but that was an unfair standard to hold him to. Leah was sure they would be perfectly happy together.

  Her heart twitched at the thought. Matt didn’t make her feel even a smidgen of what Nikon did. There was something about the hybrid that had always drawn her to him, even when she had been dating Alair.

  A pang of guilt struck Leah. She shouldn’t be thinking about this sort of thing, but she knew it was true. In the end, she had been surprised Alair had asked her out. She had been even more surprised when she’d met his twin brother Nikon.

  Alair was so nice and sweet. Plus, she did feel something for him, but it was nothing like the jolt of electricity she felt when she’d met Nikon.

  There was no way to explain something like that to anyone, let alone the hybrids, especially after they had all been so certain Alair was her one true love, what they called a Vestal. From what she’d been told, it was like an actual soulmate.

  Guilt and shame had been her only friends at that time. Now she wasn’t quite sure. She wanted to move on, but she also wanted Nikon to be a part of her life. Something she knew wouldn’t happen. It’s not like he could move in with her at the school.

  Leah started the car and ignored the tightness in her chest. She would just have to figure all that out another day. She still had two full weeks at the school before they decided whether to keep her there or not. For now, she was just going to focus on what was in front of her. There was no point in worrying about things she couldn’t control.

  She watched the traffic pass by and eased out onto the road. Another car a few lengths back also eased out at the same time.

  Leah frowned. Hadn’t she seen that car outside the school?

  It was hard to tell, but the slick black four-door sedan looked very familiar.

  Likely it was nothing. There was no reason she should be worried. The chances she was being followed were very slim, and there were likely millions of cars like that around.

  Leah drove along, glancing in the rear-review mirror at the car every now and again. It always stayed a few car lengths behind her, almost like they were trying not to draw her suspicion. Maybe she was being too paranoid.

  The turn for her apartment came up, but she decided to pass it and make a turn the opposite direction at the next stop light. It wouldn’t hurt to take a few precautions. After everything that happened at the Lodge, there was such a thing as not worrying enough.

  Leah pulled into the left turning lane with her signal on. The black car followed, except now it was right behind her.

  Her heart kicked up. She glanced in the mirror, trying to see if it was anyone she knew, but the bright lights from the car prevented seeing much other than it was a man.

  The light turned green, and she made the turn. The black car continued following her.

  Her heart hammered in her chest. Maybe it was the Horatius Group.

  Nikon never talked about his time with them, but she knew the stories from her time at the Lodge. The boys had talked about their time with the Group, and the cold isolated places they had been forced into, along with the horrible training. They’d also talked about how some of their people would just go missing, never to be heard from again.

  The younger hybrids had been so distant when they talked about these things. All she could do was hold them close and tell them how loved they were, how all of that was in the past.

  Leah made a quick turn right down a smaller side street, this time not signaling before she did so. She glanced at her mirror fully expecting the car to be there but watched as it passed right on by the turn.

  She let out a sigh of relief. Had it just been coincidence? It seemed like too many strange occurrences to be nothing, but still she hadn’t been followed. That had to have meant it was all a big nothing in the end.

  Leah picked up the phone on the seat next to her. Maybe she should call Nikon, just to be sure. />
  Her hand hovered over his name in her contact list. What was she going to tell him? That she thought a car had been following her, but it turned out to be nothing?

  Leah shook her head. He’d think she was being a paranoid idiot. There was no reason to think that anyone would be following her. Woods was being investigated, and she doubted any of the other people involved wanted to show their faces right now with the full power of the United States government trying to ferret out corruption.

  At the next turn, she got herself back on track toward the apartment, still glancing in the mirror every once in a while. Each time she was relieved it was clear. By the time she’d parked outside her apartment building, Leah felt much better.

  With a bit of balance and grace, she pulled the Chinese food from the car and made her way upstairs to her apartment.

  She’d just placed her key in the lock when Jamie swung open her door nearly scaring Leah to death.

  “Oh, thank God. I’m fucking starving,” Jamie said. Her friend grinned as she pulled out two bottles of wine. “Chinese and wine. Just like the old days.”

  Leah grinned back. It had been ages since they had done this. Had a girls’ night in.

  They made their way into her apartment, and her friend looked around.

  “So you aren’t living in boxes then,” Jamie said.

  A small frown slipped onto Leah’s face as she set down the food on the coffee table. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Jamie shrugged as she grabbed a couple glasses from the cabinet in the kitchen and came to sit on the couch. “You pretty much shut yourself in here and wouldn’t let anyone in besides Nikon,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on in here. You could have set up some sort of BDSM red room for all I knew.”

  Leah snorted as she opened the bag of food. “More like I was just huddled under the covers on the couch.” She reached in and pulled out the bag of egg rolls, making sure to set aside two, then she handed over the other four to Jamie.

  “Yes. You know me well.”

  Leah smiled again. She did know her friend well. Jamie loved egg rolls and could likely eat her weight in them. She had been a good friend throughout all they had experienced.

  “Thank you,” Leah said softly. “For being my friend and giving me the space I needed.”

  Jamie nodded. “It wasn’t easy. I was about to step in when Nikon came along. He’s been good for you in a way I could never be.”

  Leah nodded. Nikon had been good for her.

  Jamie sighed. “On that note… what are you two?”

  Leah shrugged and grabbed one of the egg rolls. She took a large bite and enjoyed the greasy goodness. “I don’t know.”

  Jamie frowned. “But you two have been hitting it, right?”

  Leah slowly shook her head. “It’s not like that,” she said slowly. “Nikon is just…”

  She didn’t even know how to finish that sentence.

  “I see,” her friend said softly.

  Leah turned to Jamie who had shoved the rest of the egg roll in her mouth. What did her friend see that she couldn’t?

  “You’re coming Saturday, right?” Jamie asked.

  Leah groaned. It was the night of the going-away party. She had been dreading it since Jamie started talking about it. One, she was never the party girl. That was all Jamie. And two, she didn’t want to admit that her friend would soon be going.

  “Come on,” Jamie said, and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Come for me.”

  Leah took the wine her friend had poured and drained the glass. “Okay.”

  Jamie hugged her neck. “I promise you’ll have fun.”

  She grunted as she leaned forward and poured another glass. She needed the kung pao chicken more than ever.

  * * *

  The two chatted about her day as they drank and ate. Jamie agreed with Matt about the children being little monsters. She even suggested taking a little revenge on them. Leah laughed so hard at her friend’s very detailed revenge plot that by the end of their discussion of the plan her cheeks ached.

  Eventually, the two wobbly friends stood and made their way to the door. The food had long since been put away and the two bottles of wine polished off.

  When they reached the door, Jamie wrapped Leah in a great hug.

  “You know, you don’t have to stay,” Jamie said next to her ear. “You could always come with us. You’re a Vestal as well.”

  Leah pulled back to stare at her friend. She’d thought about it. It had crossed her mind more than once, but she knew eventually Nikon would move on as well.

  Never once had he mentioned the idea to her. She took that as a sign that he didn’t want her there, and it didn’t matter that she was a Vestal, because apparently he didn’t feel the pull toward her that she felt toward him.

  “Just think about it, okay?” Jamie said. “And maybe try to be more than just friends with him. I know you. Sometimes you just have to take a risk.”

  Leah gave a small smile and nodded. She watched as her friend stepped into her own apartment before closing and locking the door. She leaned her spinning head against the cold surface.

  If she were being honest, she wanted to go. To be with her friends. To be with Nikon.

  Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked quickly to clear them away. There was no way in hell she was going to let herself be one of those sorts of drunks.

  It was time for a shower and then bed. All she needed was a good night’s sleep, and the whole situation would look different tomorrow.

  Chapter Eight

  It was late when Nikon finally stepped into the apartment. The scent of Chinese food lingered in the air. His stomach rumbled at the smell, but the rest of his body was too tired to even try to eat. Likely he would be starving in the morning, but he needed rest, and so the situation would just have to be what it was.

  They’d taken a circuitous route back to ensure they weren’t followed, which made the whole thing take even longer. By the time they’d arrived back at the apartment building, no one was behind them, so Nikon liked to believe it was effort well spent.

  As the hybrid made his way through the darkness, his night vision helping, Nikon shed his clothing until he was left in nothing but his underwear. He stopped at the end of the bed and watched as the lump under the covers lifted up and down. Leah was already deep asleep.

  A part of him was disappointed she hadn’t stayed up to talk with him. He supposed it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have been able to even keep his eyes open long enough to chat.

  Not only that, Nikon wasn’t so sure it even was a good idea to talk to her right now. She had enough stress without worrying about being targeted because she was a Vestal.

  The hybrid eased himself under the covers and settled there, his body instantly sinking into the warmth of the bed. He needed rest. He could think over everything else in the morning.

  Beside him, Leah breathed quietly. Nikon tried to settle in and let himself drift off to sleep.

  Despite his exhaustion and his eyes being closed, his head wouldn’t clear. Worry sapped at him. It was more effective than caffeine at keeping him awake.

  They were after her. Her name had been on that piece of paper. Whatever that meant, he wasn’t sure, but Tycho made it clear it wouldn’t be pleasant, and that meant Nikon couldn’t allow it.

  There was no way he was ever going to let any harm come to her. Leah deserved more than that. She deserved a life free from all this bullshit, especially since he suspected that she’d been targeted because she was already around the hybrids.

  Nikon made his muscles relax as he lay there. It didn’t matter what that paper said. For that night at least, she was safe there in bed with him.

  He listened to the sounds of the apartment, trying to let his mind drift away from his concerns. It was strange living outside of the Lodge. It had taken quite a bit of time for him to get use to the fact that there were noises at all times of night in normal cities.

&nbs
p; To his sensitive ears, it just became white noise after some time. The downside of this was that it was harder to tell what noise might mean trouble and what was just some random car or yelling person.

  Nikon didn’t worry. He knew his instincts would kick in if needed. Even without his senses, the man had been trained to quickly react to threats.

  That was the great irony. All the training the Horatius Group had put his people through had become their biggest advantage in the hybrids’ fight for their freedom.

  Leah sighed loudly and rolled over against him. Her warm body molded to his, and he smiled down at her. He loved this feeling.

  This was the best part of his day, the time with her next to him fast asleep. He felt at peace with her there in his arms, a peace he’d perhaps never known, even when his brother was still alive.

  Nikon lifted his arms to make room for Leah in the crook of his arm. Leah snuggled closer.

  He froze as her warm, bare breasts pressed firmly against his side. A low growl escaped his throat.

  Was she naked?

  Her eyes blinked open slowly, and she smiled at him, a sort of slow and lazy smile.

  “You’re back,” Leah murmured. The low, husky way she spoke the words, likely from having just woken up, made his cock jump and strain against his underwear.

  Leah wrapped her arm around him and pulled herself up a little closer to his face. “You know,” she said slowly. “Your eyes are very pretty when they glow like that.”

  Nikon gritted his teeth as she crawled closer to get a better look. Her breasts rubbed against his chest as she did so.

  “You’re naked,” he managed to get out.

  Another smile spread across Leah’s face. “I know.”

  This had gone well past what he should be allowing. Just because his body responded to her didn’t mean he had to act on it.

  Leah closed the distance between their mouths and pressed her lips to his.

  Wine and mint. The two things he tasted as she coaxed his lips.

  He should push her away. That’s what he told himself. But he didn’t.