Titus: Luna Lodge #2

by Stevens, Madison

  * * *

  Kate watched his chest rise and fall from her chair at his bedside. It had been touch and go from the time they had come into the hospital. Luckily, the poison hadn’t had the chance to shut down his organs, but they were still watching him.

  Now, they just had to let the treatment take effect. The doctor had said it was amazing Titus had even survived as long as he did. Most normal men would have died after only a few hours.

  She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the chair. Never before had she known exhaustion like this. When he collapsed, she was certain that he wouldn’t make it. Her heart had dropped, and everything from the last few days fizzed up into nothingness. None of it mattered if he wasn’t there.

  “Any changes?” Lucius said from the door.

  They had been taking turns watching the front since he was admitted.

  “He’s breathing on his own.” She gave a weak smile.

  He nodded and stared at his friend.

  “You know he worries about you,” she said. She kept her eyes on Titus. “He feels responsible for what happened to you all when you were prisoners.”

  “He shouldn’t,” Lucius said gruffly.

  “I agree.” She turned and looked at him. “But then, you’re all sort of like family, and that’s what family does.”

  Lucius watched her for a moment, like he was analyzing just where she fit in to all this.

  “You love him,” he said.

  She looked back to Titus and smiled. “I do.”

  “You’re good for him,” he said quietly. “He always keeps things in. Makes it hard for people to get to know him. You bring him out of his shell.”

  Kate smiled. “I think we must be good for each other.”

  “Well,” Lucius said. “I should get back to my post. Carter will be here soon. The men have already gone through the facility, but it was already clean by the time they got there.”

  “Romulus is smart,” she said quietly. “This isn’t going to be the last we see of him.”

  Lucius nodded. “This is going to be much harder than we ever thought.” He gave a curt nod. “You take good care of him. He deserves it.” He turned to leave.

  “Lucius,” she called to him. He stopped at the door and looked back. “You know you deserve love as well. All of you do.”

  Lucius stared at her for a moment and then shook his head.

  “Maybe the other men, but I’ve seen too much,” he said darkly. His eyes flashed, and she knew it was a sore spot for him.

  “I don’t believe that,” she said quietly. “But I guess time will tell on that.”

  He nodded again and shut the door.

  Kate hated that he had such a low opinion of himself. It was sad when he worked so hard at just about everything. Love in his life might give him something to focus on.

  She looked over to Titus. His brow was knitted in worry. Kate placed a cool hand on his forehead and smiled when he turned to her palm.

  “Where am I?” he asked. His eyes were still closed, but she knew he using his super-hearing to listen to the sound around him.

  “A hospital not far from the cabins we were at,” she said quietly.

  His eyes shot open as he looked around.

  “We need to get out of here,” he said quickly and started to move but stopped when she pushed him back down.

  “You need to lie down and do as your told,” she said firmly. She kissed him lightly on the lips. “We’re safe,” she whispered. “We were really worried for you.”

  “I’m tough,” he said and gave her a lopsided smile.

  Tears pooled in her eyes. “I’m not,” she whispered.

  He pulled her down to him and wrapped her in his arms. She sighed at being held by him. They had been so close to losing him. She couldn’t hardly stand it.

  “You seemed pretty tough to me.” He pulled back to smile at her. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

  “Ex-boyfriend,” she shrugged.

  Kate laughed at his frown.

  “Don’t hate,” she said. “It came in handy.”

  His frown deepened as he stared at her. “What were you even thinking, coming out there like that?”

  Kate crossed her arms and stood to her full height.

  “I was thinking that the man I loved was going to be left for dead by a nut job, and a little bit of testosterone wasn’t about to stop me from saving you,” she said.

  “He could have hurt you,” he said quietly.

  “And he had already hurt you,” she said. “I win.”

  Titus looked out the window.

  “It’s still night,” he said. “How long was I out?”

  “Nearly a whole day,” she said.

  He sat up quickly, jerking off some of the plugs.

  “We’ve got to get home,” he said.

  Machines beeps and buzzed around him as he pulled things out. Kate stepped back when several nurses and Lucius swept into the room.

  “Sir,” a woman said. “You really need to put these back on.”

  Titus frowned at her. “I need to check out.”

  “Check out?” another nurse said. “Sir, you are still recovering from near death.”

  He looked over to her and then Lucius.

  Lucius stepped forward and stood over the nurses.

  “We really should leave,” he said. “We’ve got a great medical facility at the lodge.”

  The nurses looked to one another and then back to the Lucius.

  “We can fax over the documents,” one said. “But it’s really not advisable that he be moved, and you’ll have to sign some forms.”

  “I can take care of that,” Lucius said. He ushered the women out of the room.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kate said to him.

  Titus grinned. “Not at all.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The flight had been hard, but Titus was glad to be heading home.

  They drove quietly until the back gates came into view. Titus frowned as he watched the exchange at the gate. This was exactly the sort of thing that had gotten them into this mess.

  He turned to Kate. “When you left, there was a new guard on duty. Did he say anything to you?”

  Kate thought for a moment then spoke. “Just that Woods knew I was going to meet my parents.”

  “Woods,” Titus said and gritted his teeth. He knew that son of a bitch had a hand in all this. He was connected to Romulus. After all, Sol had seen Romulus get into a car with Woods around the time of the trouble with Erica.

  If Titus wanted to make sure they came out ahead, he was going to have to make some major changes. This wasn’t the end of Romulus, and as it stood, they weren’t prepared for anything.

  “We need to stop by the hospital,” he said as they passed into the grounds.

  “Good,” Kate said. “Maybe you can stay the night there and let them watch over you.”

  He looked directly at Lucius as she spoke.

  “Tell Sol to meet us there,” he said.

  Kate touched his arm, and he softened.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Titus shook his head. “Just a hunch.”

  Things hadn’t been adding up the whole time, but the picture was starting to become clear as he sorted through all the crap.

  They stopped outside and met Sol at the door of the hospital.

  “You look like hell.” He smiled at Titus.

  Titus laughed. “I feel like hell.”

  “What’s the deal, Titus?” Carter said as the gathered outside.

  “There have been a lot of holes, and I think we’re about to patch up a very big one,” he said and strolled inside. They followed him.

  A few minutes later, they came upon Rachel zipping back and forth in a small laboratory. It took several moments before she even noticed them.

  “Oh thank God,” she said. She rushed up to Kate. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  Kate hugged her frien
d hard. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  Rachel pulled back and stared at Titus. “I’m glad to see you too. I’ve been reading your charts. You’re lucky to be alive, let alone walking around.”

  “Have you seen Doctor Fisher?” he asked.

  Rachel stopped and stared at him. “I’ve been calling non-stop. He’s not at his house. Nothing.” She leaned closer. “Do you think he was kidnapped?”

  Titus shook his head. “No, I think he was a part of the Horatius Group.”

  The room went silent.

  “That son of a bitch,” Carter said, breaking the silence.

  “Are you sure?” Sol asked.

  Titus shrugged his shoulders. “It makes sense,” he said. “A box of paperwork is conveniently left for us to find and give to our trusty geneticist, who gets the benefit of seeing how our children grow in a more natural setting.”

  “But, why would he leave now?” Sol asked.

  Titus shrugged. “Maybe he just got all the data he needed. I don’t know.”

  Rachel sat hard in the chair near her.

  “How could he do this?” she whispered. “We shared ideas. He’s really a brilliant geneticist.”

  “That’s the problem with some,” Titus said as he stared at her. “We’ve seen it throughout history. Scientists who care more about the advancements of science than humanity.”

  Rachel stared at him for a moment and then turned away.

  Titus thought he knew what sort of scientist Rachel was, but they were still going to have to keep an eye on her.

  “We need to send some men over to go over his place, but tell them they are going to need to be careful,” he said to Sol. “We don’t know what kind of traps he might have put into play.”

  Sol nodded.

  He nodded to Lucius. “Also, assemble the heads. We need to have a meeting. There are big changes we’re going to need to make.”

  He could see Kate watching him out of the corner of his eye.

  She placed her hands on her hips. “And what about me? Do you have any orders for me?”

  Titus smiled at her and took her arm. They walked slowly to the car, where he stopped. They were trailed by the others.

  “I’ve got to do this. It’s the only way we’re ever going to win this war with Romulus.”

  Kate sighed. “How late?”

  Titus smiled, knowing that she understood. “Not more than a couple of hours. You can go back to my place and get some rest.”

  He brushed a thumb over the black circles.

  “You need it,” he said softly

  Kate wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him to her.

  “Okay,” she whispered. “But don’t forget you just got out of the hospital. If I have to come find you, it’s not going to be pretty.”

  “Deal,” he said and kissed her softly.

  He loaded her into the car and then turned to Carter.

  “When this all goes down, I want Woods on a platter,” he said. “There’s no way he’s not fully aware of what he’s involved in.” Hate and anger flared up in him. “I just need to know, are you with me on this?”

  “Woods is a piece of shit,” Carter said. “I’m with you.”

  Titus nodded. “Then let’s have our meeting.”

  * * *

  Titus was surprised as the men quietly listened to his story about what had happened with Romulus. The confirmation of the nature of their birth wasn’t that shocking though. Most had guessed that it was something along those lines.

  When he talked about the other facilities, their findings, as well as what Romulus had told him, he was surprised to find most receptive to the idea.

  “Are we going to find these other men?” Sol asked.

  “How can we possibly afford to do that?” Marius countered.

  Titus held up his hand as the murmurs crept in volume.

  “Finding the others is important, but first we have to think of our own safety. This needs to be a safe place, and at the moment, it’s not. Between outside orders and Romulus sneaking in, this place is entirely too easy to get in.” He pulled out the list he was working on.

  “I want wire at the top of the fences, as well as UV lights. Romulus was able to get in before anything ever went down, and we’ve got to be able to stop that,” he said.

  “How’d he get in when we sent out men to check the woods?” Lucius asked.

  Titus shook his head. “We have to assume that he was masking his smell. Actually, we should assume that anyone from the Group will do so. They know our strengths and weaknesses after all.”

  He turned to Major Carter and his men. “From now on I don’t want any orders coming from anyone to open the gate unless it’s you or me.”

  “We can manage that,” Carter said.

  “Lastly,” Titus sighed. This was going to be the most difficult. “Doctor Fisher worked for Horatius Group. At this point, we can really only trust a few.”

  He turned to Marius. “The computers at the hospital have been compromised. Get on it, and also keep an eye on Rachel. I don’t think she’s working for anyone besides us, but it can’t hurt to be cautious.”

  Marius wrinkled his nose but nodded.

  “Now we’ve got a lot of work to do in a short period of time,” he said clearly to the room. “But they are coming. Maybe not today or even tomorrow, but we need to be ready. They won’t catch us again with our pants down.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Kate sat nervously with Titus in Rachel’s office. It had been months since she had been taken, but it still seemed to be looming over her head. Ever since that day, she’d not been feeling all that great. Recently, she had been feeling worse.

  She worried about the drugs they had given her and all the lasting effects they could possibly be causing. Maybe that bastard Romulus was playing the long game and just waiting.

  She shook a little at the thought. For the most part, she had been able to move on, but there were times when she’d think about things, and it shook her to her very core.

  Kate looked over to Titus and took his hand. He squeezed it and smiled.

  “It will be fine,” he said.

  She shook her head, not feeling near as confident.

  “Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Rachel said with a smile. “I’m on standby for Erica. Any moment.”

  Kate smiled. They were all waiting anxiously for the new arrivals. Most of all Erica. The last trimester hadn’t been so fun for her or anyone around her really.

  “So,” Rachel said, sitting down. “You haven’t been feeling well for the last few month.”

  Kate nodded.

  “Well, we seem to be having a rash of this around here,” Rachel said. “Kate, you’re pregnant.”

  Kate blinked a few times and felt her face flush.

  “I’m what?” She took in a deep breath.

  “Pregnant,” Rachel said excitedly.

  “I can’t be pregnant.” She looked to a stunned Titus. “I can’t be pregnant.”

  She looked back to Rachel.

  “How the hell am I pregnant when I got the shot?”

  Rachel shook her head. “It’s something we haven’t even really considered. My only guess is that during the chemical change that occurs related to the pheromones, it somehow also changes what sort of birth control will work. I’d have to run more test to even begin to understand.”

  “Is the baby okay?” Titus asked.

  Kate was surprised he was so calm.

  When she looked back at Rachel, she was smiling.

  “Do you want to have a listen?”

  Kate froze. Listen? What exactly were they listening for?

  She jumped when someone shouted in the hall. The door swung open, and a very harried Sol charged in.

  “It’s time,” he said frantically. The all jumped up and followed him out the room. Erica leaned against the counter, heavily panting.

  “Three minutes,” Erica said.

  “Three?” Rachel frowned.
The newly hired clinic staff buzzed in preparation. “All right, let’s get you back,” she said to Erica. “Anyone who is not Dad or Mom needs to wait in the lobby area,” she shouted to the several people who had already started to come in the door.

  Rachel turned to Titus and Kate. “We’ll reschedule.” She winked.

  Kate’s stomach was a rock as they made their way to the front lobby. Titus steered her into an empty seat and she sat without a word. They sat in silence for quite some time before he spoke.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear.

  She turned to look into his concerned eyes. Kate sighed.

  “I’m just stunned,” she said. “It wasn’t even a thought. I mean, maybe later, but there were just certain things I thought would happen first before this.”

  Titus frowned. “What things?”

  He just didn’t get it.

  “Like going on a long vacation and then marriage to name a few,” she said before laughing.

  Titus frowned. “I thought getting married while pregnant was how most people did it.”

  “Well, it’s certainly done enough.”

  “Do you want to get married?” Titus asked.

  Kate blushed. She wasn’t trying to force him to marry her.

  “Let’s just deal with the issue at hand,” she said. “I don’t want you having to ask me under these conditions.”

  “I wasn’t…” he started to say.

  “What?” Kate asked.

  Titus smiled at her from ear to ear. “I can hear them,” he whispered. “I can hear the babies.”

  Kate joined him in his smile.

  “How do they sound?” she asked excitedly.

  “Angry.” He frowned.

  Kate laughed. “They were just taken from a nice warm place. They are a little angry.”

  Titus stood, and she followed. When she peeked around the corner, Sol wheeled two little babies down the hall.

  A few tears leaked out as the stared at their red, chubby little faces.

  “Beautiful,” she whispered to Sol.

  He beamed from ear to ear.

  “So what did you decide?” she whispered.

  “Atticus and Cassia,” he whispered.

  Kate smiled and sighed when Titus wrapped an arm around her stomach. They watched as Sol took the babies back to their mother.