She took a long moment to consider her response, but it was important that they were all on the same page.
“So you want me to spy on them?” she asked.
Both men turned to look at her as if she’d just sprouted wings.
Senator Woods nodded to the general.
“I suppose you could call it that,” the senator said. “Let’s not forget what that beast did on television. They can’t even stop themselves from killing when they know they’re being watched. I… no, a lot of us are concerned about what they might be up to when they don’t have the country’s direct attention.”
Beast? April frowned at his choice of words. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard the hybrids referred to in that way, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.
Besides, from what she’d read about the situation with Reverend John, the hybrid had no choice. As much as she disliked violence, she had a hard time believing that anyone thought the hybrids should just let the man kill a woman.
“That sort of raw power loose could cause a lot of damage on the streets,” the general said. “Think about it like a nuke treaty. ‘Trust, but verify.’ If they aren’t doing anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about. And we just want to make sure that no harm comes to our people.”
She twisted her hands in her lap. She’d never been much for confrontation, even if she didn’t like the direction of the conversation, and she really did need the job.
“But aren’t they our people?” April asked. “I mean they live in America now. Right?”
Senator Woods cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.
“Well, of course, but this is all about safety,” he huffed and raised a brow. “You could always pass on this opportunity. You come highly recommended, but I’m sure you’re not the only person who could do this.”
The world sort of shifted around her as she saw her dreams start to dissolve. She needed this job. She needed these connections.
Plus, she could at least be certain she wouldn’t make up details just to put the hybrids in a bad light. A replacement might not be so dedicated to truth.
“No,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry if I gave any indication otherwise. I’m here to do a job as an analyst and auditor.”
Woods gave a satisfied smile. “Good. You’re going to do a great service for the American people.”
Chapter Three
The collar on his shirt choked Cyrus as he pulled on the neck. He glared over at Titus who sat behind his desk in his own suit and tie.
Shit. The damn clothes alone were enough to make the assignment torture, and he hadn’t even really started.
“This is fucking stupid,” he grumbled. “I have better things I should be doing.”
Titus raised a brow and stood as voices drifted in from just outside the office door. “Doesn’t mean it you don’t need to do it,” he said, a hint of edge in his voice.
Cyrus huffed loudly and looked away. Titus was only doing what was best for the Lodge, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
Ava knocked softly on the office door and peeked inside. “Major General West and Miss April Piper are here to see you.”
Titus nodded. Ava stepped back as the two entered the room.
Cyrus bit back a growl as his nostrils flared. Torture. Now that he could smell the woman, he knew that the torture had just begun.
The woman’s soft floral scent drifted into the room and made the hairs on his arms stand on end. Alluring. Intoxicating. Unforgettable. He didn’t need to be told what the scent meant.
April Piper was a Vestal.
He clenched his fists and swallowed hard. She called to him, not with her voice, but her very soul.
All hybrids knew the Vestal stories. Only a fool would deny they were true. Hell, he’d seen the men around him pair off with their own Vestals.
The Vestals were women who had been blessed or cursed, depending on how you looked at it, with a link to the hybrids, destined to be joined together, destined to be the only true mate for a hybrid.
The truth was undeniable. April Piper wasn’t just a Vestal. She was his Vestal.
Cyrus watched as the small woman stepped fully into the room, her skirt hugging her thighs just the right way. Her long, slender legs led to dainty little black shoes.
For the first time in his life, he thought about feet. He wondered if her tiny little feet would have painted toes.
He felt himself grow at the thought and shifted to hide his growing erection. About the last thing this job needed was his obvious attraction.
A thought struck him. Everything he’d ever heard or been told about Vestals suggested the pull was both ways. April must have felt drawn to him. The idea only excited him more.
Cyrus followed her small frame until he reached her face. Soft freckles started at her nose and cheeks, and only accentuated the auburn hair that framed her face.
For a moment, their gazes collided, and a feeling of familiarity passed between them, as if they’d known each other all their lives. But as soon as it came, it left the instant her partner spoke.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Major General West said.
Cyrus barely noticed the military man standing beside her until he spoke. The man scanned over both Titus and him, assessing them as if sizing them up for a fight. He bit back a growl, despite every instinct telling him he should put this man in his place.
They needed to be careful. Titus had stressed it. If the military came and took over, then it was just a matter of time before the Horatius Group pulled some strings, and more hybrids ended up dead.
The men watched as the general leaned against the front of the desk. He nodded over to the woman, who hurried to take a seat in front of him. He then nodded to Cyrus and Titus as if it were his office that he was convening in.
Cyrus almost snorted. The man was a prick.
Titus cleared his throat and gave Cyrus a knowing look. The general was going to be a problem.
Maybe he was just too used to being in command. Cyrus didn’t know, and more importantly, he didn’t care. His only leader was Titus.
He didn’t take orders from West. He’d be diplomatic, or try too anyway, but he wouldn’t let the man push him around.
Cyrus made his way over to the side of the desk near the woman. Despite himself, he had to get closer to her. Titus sat at his chair behind the desk.
The general moved until he stood just beside April. Her body tensed at the nearness, and Cyrus could tell the man made her uncomfortable.
West placed his hands on the chair, his fingers brushing against the fabric of her blouse. Anger bubbled just under the surface, but Cyrus kept his expression impassive. Kicking the ass of a general five minutes into their meeting wouldn’t help out the Lodge.
“I’m so glad we could do this sit-down before we get down to business,” West said, his voice just a tad too controlled. “While April is gathering data over the next few weeks, I hope we can get to know one another. I’m sure we’ll learn to greatly respect each other, as men, and, soldiers, really.”
His ridiculously and blazingly white smile was nearly blinding. For a moment, Cyrus nearly missed what the man had just said.
“Few weeks?” The words were out before he could even think if he should say them. That wasn’t the impression he’d gotten from Titus.
West turned his eyes toward him and narrowed them just slightly.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” West said.
Titus responded first, likely trying to assert some of his authority there. “This is Cyrus, my training chief. He’ll be your guide for the duration of your stay.”
West kept his eyes on Cyrus, puffing his chest out just a little, trying to fill in the bulk that he so obviously lacked.
Cyrus resisted snorting. Even a fit special forces soldier would look small next to a hybrid. The general’s attempt to make himself look better came off silly.
“You never mentioned it would be so lon
g,” the woman said, finally breaking her silence. She had turned in her seat to looked back at West.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled. “We all have jobs to do, right, April?”
A small frowned turned at the corner of her mouth.
The whole thing pissed Cyrus off. The prick dared to place his hands on her like that. A rage, unlike he’d ever felt before, filled him. In any other situation, he would have laid the man out, but instead he placed his hands behind him, tightening them into fists, and, he hoped, keeping his face from betraying his feelings. The anger continued to bubble.
April tried to hide the frown that wanted to fill her face. It was bad enough that she was having to spend time with the general, but now he felt like he could just touch her when and whenever he wanted. There had to be a limit.
She was here to do a job, not get manhandled.
A low rumble filled the room, and it vibrated through her. Something warm filled her chest and made her center ache from the sound. Pure hot lust washed over her, and instantly she found her gaze on the hybrid called Cyrus.
She bit her lip. From the minute she’d walked in, his presence called to her, but she just chalked it up to having not gotten any in a while. Whatever else one could say about the hybrids, it was hard to ignore they were all huge, well-muscled men.
His large imposing form stood like a wall in front of her. Just looking at him made her desperate to be touched by him.
Something passed between them as she stared at him. His amber eyes caught the light and seemed to shine at her.
Titus cleared his throat, and the sound stopped.
April looked around and was surprised that no one else seemed as affected, or even to notice all that much.
She shook her shoulders, and the general gave her a small squeeze before letting go.
“I think we’ve got a lot to learn about one another, and the sooner we get started the better,” the general said to Titus. “I can understand how their might be some tension, considering some of the history.”
“You could say that,” Titus said.
“And that’s why this is so important. We need to re-establish our connections and bonds, for your protection.”
“Of course.”
She watched the leader of the hybrids. The large man looked like he was of Native American descent, but his appearance was the only part of him that resembled that. In every other way, he was hybrid. Something more than just human.
“Why don’t you help Miss Piper get settled in?” Titus said to Cyrus. She watched as something passed between the two men, some subtle look on the leader’s face, before Cyrus turned to her.
“Follow me.”
His voice was low and deep. The sound resonated right to her very center.
April stood, glad to be leaving the room and the sleazy military man. As she was leaving, the general caught her arm and held on until she looked back.
“I’ll be by to check in with you before I head out,” he said with hidden meaning.
April nodded, none of this really making any sense at all. She couldn’t understand why this hybrid she’d just met seemed to call to her so much.
When she turned, she was surprised to find Cyrus glaring at them both, his gaze fixed on where the other man had just held her.
“Let’s go,” he said and strolled out the door without another word.
Chapter Four
They walked in silence for some time, neither of them daring to say anything.
Cyrus knew she had heard him. He also knew she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He could smell her need as it wafted through the air, the sweet honey between her legs calling to him.
He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He needed to keep his focus.
She was the enemy. Letting his head be filled with lust was only going to cost his people everything. Major General West had all but said he was going to push the military back into Luna Lodge.
The humans hated the hybrids more than ever. Everyone knew that.
With the way things were going, soldiers might decide to go after the hybrids for their own reasons, even without the Horatius Group being involved.
Before that though, the government would have their little inspection, with April Piper at the front of the mission. Any small piece of evidence that April found could be used to strip the hybrids of Luna Lodge of their freedom.
Cyrus couldn’t let that happen. He’d just have to be vigilant about not getting too close to her and losing his objectivity. Just because his body responded to her, and hers his, didn’t mean she wouldn’t do the bidding of her government masters.
Destiny was cruel by providing him his Vestal as an enemy, but it didn’t matter. Sacrifices would have to be made for the safety of his people. If one of those sacrifices meant he’d never have a mate, so be it.
Just because a truth was bitter didn’t make it any less true.
“My things are all in the car,” she said softly after they made their way outside.
Silence descended again as he followed her to the nearby parking lot. She nodded to two soldiers waiting in the car. One of the men stepped out and opened the trunk. He pulled out a suitcase and a small handbag.
“Thanks, Kurt,” she said and smiled at him.
The younger man blushed and hurried away.
It shouldn’t have annoyed Cyrus, but it did. Seeing some other man being the recipient of her sweet smile. He managed to stop himself from glaring at the man or growling. The two soldiers stepped away, as if sensing the tension from Cyrus anyway.
He grabbed the heavy bag with ease. He went to grab the second one, but stopped when she picked it up.
“I’ve got it,” she said and pulled the bag close, faint tension in her face.
He eyed her with suspicion. Was she hiding something in there?
This woman was the enemy. Along with the general. He needed to never forget that truth. He hoped if he kept repeating it, the words might actually sink in.
Cyrus nodded for her to follow. Again, they walked in silence as they made their way through the heart of the growing community at Luna Lodge, past hybrids walking, training, and building.
They’d just been mere prisoners tasting freedom in the beginning, but as the months became years, they’d become a true community, a town, a nation really to themselves, and he would do whatever he could to keep that dream alive.
From the corner of his eye, he watched as she looked at the many hybrids around them, taking them in, probably thinking of negative things to report to her bosses. When they reached the field where he usually trained the men, she paused to watch.
Scrimmage. Not combat training. After all, it’d make the hybrids seem less threatening, more human, maybe even more American. He was no diplomat, but even he knew that a good first impression could help smooth things out.
He’d found football to be a great game for the men to practice and encouraged it. Not only was it high impact, it required thinking and strategy, all skills that easily transferred to real combat.
He watched the men and held back all the things he wanted to shout. Sloppy footwork, lack of situational awareness, not full effort, poor targeting.
He gritted his teeth. Training wasn’t his job for a few weeks, and he doubted that shouting down his men in front of her would help the situation.
Though, other than keeping an eye on her, he wasn’t quite sure what would. Even though Titus insisted Cyrus was the only man for the job, he still had his doubts, and the reality that his job involved dealing with his Vestal only fueled those doubts.
“Look out!” someone shouted.
April jerked her head up to see a young hybrid, his arm still extended in the distance. Then she noticed the ball coming at her, almost as if in slow motion. She tried to raise her hands, but was helpless to actually defend against the oncoming projectile. She awaited the pain.
Suddenly she was surrounded by soft white linen. Warm hands held her firmly, but not so ti
ghtly that she might get injured. The tension and fear left her, comfort filling the void left behind.
She tilted her face up and found herself just inches from a strong jaw and warm lips. A woodsy scent filled her nostrils, feeling her with comfort initially, and then more than a little lust.
“Are you okay?” Cyrus asked.
She could see the worry in his eyes, his hand pulling her body just a little closer to his own.
It might have just been a football, but her gratitude was real enough. She didn’t want to start her first real day on the job in tears with a broken nose.
Unable to find the words, she replied with a slow nod. She was supposed to be evaluating the hybrids, not getting saved by and a little hot for one.
She had a job to do. Her whole future was riding on it. Still, it was hard to concentrate standing there so close to Cyrus.
They stared at one another, frozen as the world slowed around them.
She’d thought he was handsome in the office. Somewhat scary, but handsome. No one could call him anything other than fit with his bulging muscles straining against the fabric of his buttoned shirt.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
For a moment, his gaze flicked to her mouth, and she had the crazy feeling that he wanted to kiss her. More than that, if he did, she wasn’t so sure she was planning on stopping him. Her mind wandered to something far more intimate than kissing.
It was ridiculous. She’d never felt this way about a man before. Some news stories claimed the hybrids had special powers over women. The idea seemed crazy before, but now she wasn’t so sure.
It didn’t matter. As long as she was aware of her attraction, she could account for it. It didn’t have to affect her critical eye.
“Sir!”
The shouts of men surrounded her, and they were both snapped back to the reality of the situation.
Cyrus: #11 (Luna Lodge) Page 2
