Frustrated, she worked on a few lingering details of the following week’s events. Things had been coming along nicely, but there was still a ton to do. Luckily, Hannah really was a whiz at this sort of thing.
She jumped when a rumble echoed down the hall.
Kate looked in that direction.
“Hello?” she called.
The rumble came a little louder this time. She rubbed her arms as the hairs stood on end. Something about that noise set her on edge.
Phone in hand, she rose and slowly made her way down the hall. She got to the corner and paused. Her stomach twisted as she prepared to look around.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. It was empty. The corridor led to an office at the end of the darkened hall but didn’t seem to be occupied at the moment.
She chuckled at how silly she was being but was cut off by the rumble again.
“Is anyone there?” she asked. Her voice quivered as she spoke.
She moved down the hall to door. She put her hand on the handle and turned. Locked.
Relief flooded her.
She started to move away when the rumble came again, just on the other side. Shaking, she placed her ear to the door. She could hear someone’s heavy breathing on the other side. Maybe something had happened, and they couldn’t ask for help.
“Is someone there?” she said to the door. “I can help you.”
The door vibrated with the rumble this time. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she backed away from the door. Something just didn’t feel right. The handle rattled, and she turned without thinking and ran.
The rumble from the other side of the door seemed to echo in her head, and she pushed harder. She glanced behind and swore she saw something move in the shadows.
Kate faced forward and turned the corner sharply. She nearly fell back when she ran into a warm wall. Two arms came out to stop her.
“Kate?” Titus rumbled in her ear.
She shook as she clung to him and looked behind her. Nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Titus held her close to him.
“There was something.” She shook her head. “I heard something.”
Titus pushed her back to look at her.
“What do you mean?” He looked suspiciously down the hall and wrinkled his nose.
She shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It was a sort of rumble. When I got closer, it got louder.”
She watched his face as he stared down the hall. He knew something he wasn’t telling her.
“Let’s go,” he said, his face fixed on the door.
“What about—” she started.
His eyes shifted to hers. “We need to go,” he said firmly. After a moment, he sighed. “Erica is waiting for you.”
Kate glanced back at the door. Whatever had been making the noise had stopped. Maybe it was just a dog or construction.
She nodded and let him lead her away.
They walked at a fast pace back to the door. Erica, Sol and Major Carter were waiting for them.
“Everything all right?” Erica asked.
“Fine,” Titus answered. Kate watched as he and Sol exchanged a look, but let it go. Whatever was going on, Erica didn’t need to worry in her condition.
“How did it go?” she asked Erica.
“It’s just the start,” Erica said. “Now they convene amongst themselves.”
Kate frowned. “I thought we’d know something today.”
The major shook his head. “This is the government. Nothing happens in a timely manner.”
She nodded. It made sense of course, but she had hoped Erica would be able to put this all behind her.
“How are you?” she asked her quietly.
Erica smiled. “Better than I thought. It was good to face my demons, and it didn’t hurt that he’s scared of Sol.”
Kate looked over to Sol and nearly laughed when he shrugged.
The doors to the room burst open and a portly man stepped out, his face red with anger.
“Carter, I expect to be kept abreast on the current situation,” he said and eyed Erica’s growing stomach. “I should have been informed sooner. I expect all records on my desk by the end of the day.”
Kate frowned.
“I can send you my reports, Congressman Woods, but there’s nothing about Kate in there,” Major Carter said.
She watched as the congressman’s face turned even redder than it had been.
“I’m on the committee for the hybrid division and your task force.” He stepped forward. “I will see all documentation pertaining to this.”
Kate felt Titus tense behind her.
“I don’t see why that would happen,” she said to Woods.
“And you would be?” He turned his beady eyes on her.
“Kate Walker. Public Relations,” she said firmly.
“Oh yes, Kate,” he said and gave a smug smile. “Well I don’t think this is something you need to get involved with.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe, or maybe I should make it known to the press that a member of congress is trying oppress the rights of an average citizen.”
He laughed at her statement. “Average? Now let’s be realistic. She’s pregnant by one of them.” He wrinkled his nose. “And they aren’t citizens.”
“I fail to see how that would affect her citizenship,” Kate pushed forward. “Unless of course you are saying that by marrying a hybrid, she gave up her citizenship. If that’s the case, I think it not only in Erica’s best interest to go public with this but the interest of anyone who might go the same path.”
She turned to look at a stunned Titus.
“Were you aware this might be a repercussion?” she asked.
Titus shook his head.
Kate turned back to the angry congressman. “I tell you what, we’ll consult with our lawyer and have them get back with you on that,” she said. “I imagine the Supreme Court would be very interested, given how that would bypass a lot of established citizenship law. I’m no lawyer though.”
Woods blanched at her words and took a step back. “That won’t be necessary,” he said. “But don’t think the rest of the country is going to look favorably on this.”
“You see, that’s where I come in.” She smiled sweetly. “I’m here to make sure the rest of the world sees the true side to these men and their families, despite the archaic views some might have.”
He stomped off down the hall.
“Thanks,” Erica said and tossed her arms around Kate.
She smiled and patted Erica on the back.
“He had it coming,” she whispered.
Titus nodded to Sol as the two women hugged. “Tell Apollo to bring the car around. We need to get out of here.”
“It’s him isn’t it?” Sol asked.
Titus nodded. “He’s here. I think he was trying to get to Kate earlier, but I came around. His scent is faint now, but there’s no telling where he could be.”
“Kate?” Sol frowned. “Why would he go after her?”
Titus shrugged. “Maybe just to mess with my head. If you remember, he wasn’t pleased with my progress.”
Sol nodded and pulled out the phone.
Titus went to stand beside Kate.
“It’s time,” he said in her ear. “We need to make the announcement before Woods gets the chance.”
Kate nodded and ushered her friend to the door.
“Now remember,” Kate said to the group. “You follow my lead. These are reporters. That means they are going to try and get a reaction out of you.”
She looked up to him, and he knew she was mainly talking to him. Part of him wanted to bristle at what she had said, but the other part knew that she was likely right.
“Okay,” she said at the door. He watched as she took a deep breath.
When they stepped out, lights flashed all around them, and people shouted their names.
“Please step back and allow some room,” Kate s
aid firmly to the reporters. “As you can see, Mrs. Scott is in a delicate way. We would be happy to answer any questions at the podium that has been set up as soon as she is safely inside the car.”
Titus saw Apollo pull up to the curb and nodded to Sol. To his amazement, the crowd shifted out of the way and allowed them to safely pass. Once they were in the car, the reporters turned back to Kate.
One by one he watched as she took on a number of questions. Sometimes answering outright, sometimes deflecting, but always with a smile. This was the first time he had seen her in action like this and was amazed by her talents.
He watched as she pointed to a man in the back.
“ ‘And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.’ Leviticus 18:23,” the man said with a clear voice, and a hush ran through the crowd. Titus watched as her smile fell. “You want to explain to my readers how this doesn’t apply?”
Titus glared at the man and stepped up next to Kate. He nearly jumped when her hand slipped into his behind the podium. She squeezed him before addressing the man.
“Gladly,” she said and put on the fakest smile he had ever seen out of her. “The hybrids are technically only genetically modified to take on certain characteristics. Of course we don’t know all the science behind it, but what you are suggesting isn’t just wrong, it’s near impossible. They are men. Not animals.”
“What about the children?” he countered. “What will they be?”
She didn’t respond immediately. Titus wasn’t sure she was going to answer.
“Blessings,” she said softly. “What all children are, blessings.”
She said it so tenderly that he something softened in him. He rubbed the inside of her wrist and felt her pulse quicken.
“Bastards,” the man said loudly. “Bastards in the eyes of the Lord.”
Anger surged through him.
Titus jumped when Kate slammed her free hand on the podium. “How dare you call yourself a man of God!” She shook as she spoke. “All children are a blessing, and if you can’t see that, then you missed the true message of the Bible.” She waved her hand. “No more questions,” she said to the crowd.
She turned and pulled Titus by the hand away from the shocked reporters. He could hear the clicks of their camera and shouts for more information as she led him around the corner.
Still holding his hand, she slipped into the waiting car. Carter climbed in the front next to one of his men.
“Move out,” Major Carter ordered.
Kate sat silently next to him, gripping his hand like it was the only thing keeping her together.
They drove like this for several minutes before Titus dared to even speak.
“Kate,” he said quietly.
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Titus unlocked their hand and wrapped an arm around her. She sighed against him when she pressed her to his chest.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said forcefully. “That guy was a dick.”
She chuckled against him. Her tears wet the side of his shirt.
“It wasn’t him. It was me.” She leaned back to look at him. “I ever knew that question was coming, but there was nothing that could have prepared me for the shock of it.”
“You knew?” Titus frowned.
She nodded against him. “Joseph Miller,” she said. “He’s got a blog filled with hateful things. I knew he was going to be here, and yet I still fell into his evil trap.”
Titus pulled back to look at her tear-stained face. “I think you did great. Much better than what I wanted, which was to rip his head off.”
“You meet him in a back alley, have at it,” she grumbled.
Titus grinned. “Got a blood-thirsty streak I see.”
“Only against asshats,” she said and laid her head back on his chest.
When he bent his head down to rest on hers, he could still smell the faintest hint of the feared enemy he had smelled in the building, the Pale Man. It burned his nose.
“Are you smelling me?” she whispered.
Titus froze. He had been, not just a little but full-on nose to skin smelling.
He sighed and leaned back.
“Yes,” he said bluntly.
“Do I smell good?” she asked shyly.
“Normally,” he said.
Kate frowned at him. “But I don’t today?”
Titus shook his head, uncertain on how much to tell her.
“Something has changed your scent,” he said and wrinkled his nose.
He looked at Carter who was watching them from the front.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “How is that possible?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He looked at Carter. “But I have a feeling we’re going to find out.”
Chapter Six
Kate sat with Hannah and Rachel, watching the news. Over and over, they played her epic scene.
“I can’t believe you lost it like that,” Rachel said to her after watching it for the millionth time.
“I can’t believe you were holding his hand,” Hannah said and sighed.
Kate buried her head in her hands. She had been holding his hand. At first to calm him down but then to calm herself down. She could still feel his thumb on her wrist.
“What’s the plan now?” Rachel asked.
She sighed. “Same as before. Calendar and field day.”
“But what about this?” Rachel waved to the TV.
She shrugged. “Nothing I can really do. If Titus wanted to fire me over it, he would have.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “You’d have to quit if you wanted out, and even then, I’m not so sure he’d let you.”
Hannah laughed. “He does seem pretty focused on you.”
Kate laughed, but it came out a bit more hollow than she expected.
“Maybe not so much after today,” she said and took a big swallow off of her glass of wine.
Rachel frowned at her. “Trouble in paradise?”
“I don’t know.” She ran a hand through her hair. “He said I smell different. Like bad different.”
Rachel moved in a little closer to her. “That’s odd,” she said. “Have you changed anything?”
Kate shook her head. “Not that I can tell, but it was obvious the smell bothered him.”
“Interesting,” Rachel mumbled. “Would you mind coming in for some blood work?”
“No,” she said. “Why? Is there something wrong?”
Rachel waved her hands. “It’s just to run a few tests. Their way of picking a spouse seems to be scent related, and it’s all about figuring out why that is.”
Kate nodded. She didn’t fully understand, and even if she didn’t plan on being with Titus, she certainly didn’t want to smell bad.
As it was he couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. She gulped back the rest of her wine and poured a large second glass. After today, she deserved it.
* * *
“Are you sure it was the Pale Man?” Lucius asked.
Titus nodded. “Sol can verify it tomorrow, but there’s no mistaking that stench.”
“I don’t understand how it could have gotten on Kate unless she was with him,” Apollo said.
He shrugged. It didn’t make sense to him either.
“All I know is what she said, and I have no reason to believe it’s not the truth,” Titus said and sat up in his chair.
He was glad they could all meet, but he never felt totally comfortable with so many people in his space. His house was his place of solitude. It was where he went to escape the outside world.
“I don’t know what he’s up to, but this is the second sighting.” He stood. “We need to be vigilant in everything we do. Spread the word to the men and tell them to be wary. Something is in the works, and it’s not going to be good.”
The men stood and
walked toward the door. He sighed as they left his space. When Apollo stopped, he knew what was coming before it even came out of his mouth.
“So,” Apollo said, grinning. “Holding hands?”
Titus gritted his teeth.
“She was angry.”
“You want to hold my hand when I get angry?” He laughed.
Titus stepped forward. “I’m getting angry. What do you think I’m going to hold?”
Apollo laughed and held up his hands. “You win. We’re going.”
Titus groaned as he slammed the door behind them.
The day just did not want to fucking end. He walked barefoot through the house and unbuttoned the dress shirt he’d had to wear. When he reached the bedroom, he tossed his shirt over the side and went back into the living room. After grabbing a beer from the fridge, he flipped off all the lights.
His favorite thing was to sit out on the deck and enjoy the night sounds. The quiet of the night was something that helped him get through the day and centered him.
Titus popped the top button on his pants and sat down in his favorite chair. The sweet breeze rustled through the trees. He sighed.
The crunch of gravel made him look back to the road. Kate walked quietly along, slightly swaying as she moved. A faint hint of her drifted through the air. The smell from earlier had mostly faded, and he was thankful not to have to smell that man on her. As it was, he wanted to wipe it off her. She wasn’t someone he wanted to ever smell like that.
He watched as she made her way inside and sighed. One less thing he had to worry about.
* * *
Kate walked unsteadily through the house. Another day. Another lonely fucking day. She padded into her bedroom and tore off the clothes.
“You probably stink too,” she said and kicked them into the corner.
She ripped off her bra and panties as well and slipped on a tank and shorts. Didn’t really matter tonight. She certainly wasn’t in any condition to go anywhere.
Kate giggled at the idea. What would Titus think if she tried to go swimming tonight? Maybe he would try and stop her this time. Or even join her. The idea of them wet and naked together made her body flush with heat.
She waved a hand at her fevered face as she made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed out the partial bottle of wine and poured a glass. One more wasn’t going to hurt at this point.
Titus: Luna Lodge #2 Page 4
