Taylor glanced back through the window to where Courtney was watching her. She raised her hand and waved.
Her friends would gladly help, but she needed more than that. She needed a steady source of income. And as much as she disliked the idea of working with a crazy religious group, it was better than watching the place she loved be sold off.
Sometimes there were just no good options.
Chapter Fourteen
Lucas dusted off the dirt from his pants. It had been a hard day of building fences and fixing downed wires, but it had passed fairly quickly now that he knew he had someone to go to afterward.
For the first time in his memory, he felt complete. He’d heard some of the other bonded talk about what they felt like being with their Vestal, but mere words couldn’t convey the sense of completeness flowing through him.
He smiled to himself again. Being with Taylor was everything he hoped for and more.
“Would you give it a rest?” Marcus grumbled. “If I have to stare at your smug grinning any longer…”
The fact that the younger hybrid was annoyed only made Lucas smile more.
A noise caught his attention.
He frowned as he stared down the path to the main road. A car raced toward them. The vehicle seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.
He exchanged glances with Marcus, and they both positioned themselves on either side of the road, clutching the hammers they’d been using. No one had anticipated an attack during construction, so it wasn’t like he’d thought to bring along a gun.
He jumped back when the car skidded to a halt in front of him, raising his hammer. Even without a gun, he was still a hybrid. Marcus sprinted to his side.
“Thank God it’s you,” Courtney said as she stepped out of the car.
Lucas lowered the hammer, his concern disappearing.
Marcus, still unsure, paced around her, glaring as he did so.
Courtney watched him with fascination as he moved around her, not knowing the danger she was in. Lucas shot Marcus a glare. The other man ignored him and focused on Courtney.
“Is something wrong?” Lucas asked, trying to get her mind off the man that was now stalking her.
Courtney looked back to him. Worry was plastered over her face.
“I tried to get here as soon as I could, but there were people in the shop, and they took forever to get out,” she said quickly. “I tried calling Nyx to tell her to call me back, but it went to voicemail, and I didn’t have your number.”
Marcus moved closer to her, drawing her attention once again. She stared openly at him.
“You have the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen,” she said in unmasked fascination. “Like staring into sapphires.”
Marcus took a step back, obviously shaken by her.
Lucas frowned. “Was there a reason you needed to get people to leave so quickly?”
She looked back at Lucas. “It’s Taylor. She left before I could stop her.”
His heart started to hammer in his chest. If someone hurt her, he’d make them pay.
“She got a phone call. I’m not sure who it was, but I’m guessing the bank. There has been a lot of talk about the ranch,” she rambled. “After she got off the phone, she waved to me but had out the pamphlet from that Azilian group. I think she went to go talk to them by herself.”
Fear and anger flared in him. If she had gone to see them, there was no telling what they would do to her.
Even if they didn’t kill her, they might lock her up in their underground facility. Given what had happened with Nyx there, the Azilians might even be able to mind control Taylor.
“When did she leave?” he said, a growl escaping shortly after.
He stepped forward but stopped when Marcus put himself between them. The younger hybrid stared at him with suspicion, a frown on his face.
“It was about an hour ago,” Courtney said from behind Marcus. “And she’s not answering her phone.”
Lucas let out a yell of rage. There were too many things that could happen in an hour. Damn it. He shouldn’t have let her out of his sight. He knew the Azilians had been sniffing around. He’d failed to protect his Vestal.
When he looked back to Courtney, Marcus had pressed her against the car to use his body as a shield. He’d dropped the hammer but raised his arms and curled his fingers into fists.
Lucas took a deep breath. He needed to get his emotions in check if he had any hope of finding her.
“Your eyes are glowing,” Courtney whispered. She glanced between both Lucas and Marcus. “Both of your eyes. What… are you?”
Marcus grunted his reply, keeping his attention on Lucas.
“Everyone to the main house,” Rem said from just behind him.
Lucas turned to say he wanted to go after Taylor but was stopped by Rem’s stern look.
“We will devise a plan at the house,” he said firmly. “We can’t just rush into their compound without a plan. We both know that.”
Lucas sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. Rem was right. There was no point in rushing into something blind. He only hoped that she could hold out that long.
If not, the Azilians would pay, no matter what it took.
* * *
Taylor sat in the white robe she’d been given. The Azilians had eagerly welcomed her in, which only made her more suspicious of the group. Nobody in this area welcomed anyone they didn’t know. They were reserved and always held out on judgment.
Even more suspiciously, the Azilians had agreed to her terms for the meat and then again when she mentioned she wouldn’t mind hearing what they were all about for the night. Despite the insistence the other day that she needed to meet their leader, the mysterious Anassa, she hadn’t met the woman.
The creepy pamphlet woman had been the one who agreed to the terms and brought her the white robe. Though she’d also been the one who had taken all of her things, including Taylor’s phone.
She sucked in a breath. Everything seemed like a good idea on her way there, but now she was out of contact with anyone. The Azilians could do whatever they wanted to her.
She pushed the thought out of her head. They might be creepy, but it wasn’t like people mysteriously disappeared in their compound or whatever.
She was probably just going to be subjected to a bunch of mumbo-jumbo about their made-up religion. All she had to do was keep calm and not risk offending her new customers.
Still, she now sat in a room with a two-way mirror. Regret started creeping back in. Anything that required a two-way mirror didn’t seem like such a great idea. She didn’t like the idea of people watching her.
The older woman stepped in.
“Oh, it looks lovely on you,” she beamed.
Taylor sat quietly in the chair, for once not really sure what she should do. If she left, she would lose their money and the meat deal. No, she would make it through this.
“Now I have a few questions before I take you to the dorm,” the woman said.
Taylor nodded.
“Have you ever thought about a higher calling in life?”
A low hum echoed through the room, but the older woman seemed unfazed by the noise.
“Not really,” Taylor said and ignored the hum.
The woman glanced to the glass and then nodded.
The humming grew louder. Taylor frowned at her. Was this some sort of experiment? Like where they tried to get the response they wanted by making it uncomfortable for the person?
She shook her head. That was silly. They couldn’t bully her into accepting their religion.
“Do you believe in God?” the woman said.
“Yes.”
The woman leaned in. “What about more than one god?”
Taylor frowned. “No.”
She looked over to the glass, and the hum seemed to almost come from inside her it was so loud.
Taylor glared at the other woman. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I’ll answer honestly.” She looked to
ward the glass. “Turn off whatever is making that humming. It’s really annoying.”
It stopped instantly. The older woman’s face reddened. Her eyes grew wide, like she was shocked that she had actually been called out for her antics. She glanced to the glass and then huffed slightly.
Taylor fought off a smirk. These people must have been used to a lot more weak-willed women than her.
“I’ll show you to your bed,” the woman said.
Chapter Fifteen
“How did I never know this?” Courtney said for about the millionth time as she stared at Marcus. “I can’t believe this entire time we’ve had hybrids living near us.” She looked Marcus up and down. “Seems so obvious now that I think of it.”
The young hybrid still wouldn’t let anyone get close to her. It was like a wild animal guarding his prey. Not that she seemed to mind. Her eyes kept going to him, which only seemed to make him more agitated.
Lucas bit back a snort. They needed to move. Taylor was still in danger, but they were sitting around. His blood called for action.
He wasn’t the only one not happy with waiting. A number of the men lined the walls, not really sure what to do until their leader came back. Even if they didn’t know Taylor well, none of the hybrids liked the idea of a Vestal being taken by the Azilians.
They all understood the implications for a hybrid to lose his one chance at true bonding. An attack on a Vestal was an attack on their future.
“What made you decide to come here?” Nyx asked from her spot next to Courtney on the couch. Her face was filled with concern.
Courtney shook her head. “They creepy woman they send out has come in a number of times to my shop trying to convince me and a few others about the wonderful life we could have with the Azilians. The last thing I want to do is live alone with a bunch of women. Let alone with a bunch of women in some religious compound.”
Lucas sat in a chair across from her. His knee restlessly bumped up and down. He curled and uncurled his fingers into fists.
Rem had given them specific instructions to keep asking her questions and wait for him.
Lucas hated waiting. The whole time he kept thinking about what sort of danger she might be in. He bit back a growl.
He stood, and again, Marcus stepped between him and Courtney.
The other hybrid looked like he was willing to fight anyone who had any thought of getting close to her. It was a bad habit to get into, but there was no way Lucas was going to deal with that problem at the moment. The last thing he needed was a fight with Marcus.
“I know she’s been having money trouble,” Courtney said and shook her head. “She never wants to let anyone in on what’s going on. After Dave, she just had trouble trusting anyone now. I just didn’t think the situation had gotten this bad.”
He clenched his fists in irritation. She could have come to him. He would have helped Taylor and her father. He would have made sure the ranch was safe.
Lucas sighed and flopped back down into the chair.
This was all his fault. He had told her not to deal with the Azilians, but when she’d questioned him on it, he’d not been able to give her a real answer. She probably thought he was just being suspicious of a strange group.
When he had admitted his secret to her, the truth about the dangerous cult should have been the first thing he told her, but all he’d had on his mind was his own lust. If anything happened to her…
The thought just kept echoing in his head. He didn’t know what he would do. She was his bonded. That was the one thing that he was absolutely sure about. She was the anchor that gave his life meaning.
If she’d been hurt, he’d tear that entire compound apart with his bare hands, whether it cost him his life or not.
The door burst open, and Rem and Magnus walked in, closely followed by Sergius. Both wore tight expressions on their faces.
“Sergius is the one man that can get you in safely without alerting the whole damn compound,” Rem said and stepped into the room. “Now you need a plan of action. We’re not going in there half-cocked and bringing the whole damn world down on us.”
Lucas stood, his hands in fists. Part of him wanted to tell Rem to fuck off and that he’d go in there immediately, but he pushed back the beast. If they charged in there, it wouldn’t just be their lives at risk but also Taylor’s. As usual, his leader was right.
He gave Rem a tight nod.
Sergius laid out the map he had been working on. Apparently he hadn’t just been mapping the wilderness around them but also the Azilian compound.
“It’s easy enough to get in,” he said quietly. “It’s the not getting caught part that’s harder. Even if the cult doesn’t have Horatius Group-level security, they aren’t totally blind and defenseless. We’ll need a diversion.”
He pointed to a spot on the side of the compound.
“That’s a water main right there,” he said. “All we need is a small charge to blow that spot but not enough to cause suspicion. The last thing I want is for the government to come sniffing around here. If they show up, the Group won’t be far behind.” He nodded to Lucas. “Magnus will lead the charge team while Lucas and Sergius get into position.”
Lucas frowned. Rem was usually one to go out with his men instead of waiting behind. He epitomized leading from the front.
“What are you going to do?” Lucas asked.
Rem looked up at him, a slight smile on his face. His deep green eyes flickered.
“We need a diversion, so I’m going to create a diversion. I think it’s time I had a little chat with Mother Anassa.”
* * *
Courtney looked around the strange room. Row after row of beds lined it, with, judging by the linen, only about a dozen filled of the forty or so beds.
Several of the white-robed women smiled at her, but it was a strange sort of smile, unnerving and unnatural, like the kind you might see on a mannequin.
A few of the women whispered behind their hands, and she knew from experience that they were as fake as they seemed.
She wanted to snort. Everyone in town disliked her and talked behind her back, and now these women seemed to as well. She doubted they cared about Dave, so she wondered what their problem was.
The woman in the bed next to her stared shyly, and Taylor offered a small smile in return.
She was a small woman with short black hair and pale skin. Her red cupid bow lips stood out against her pale skin along with her pale green eyes.
“Hi. I’m Taylor,” she said to the woman as she sat down on the bed. She had to be there for the entire night anyway. Maybe if she could at least make a single friendly acquaintance, the time would go faster.
The small woman gave another smile. “Jade,” she said shyly.
“So what’s the deal around here?”
The women from before were having a hard time hiding their contempt for her.
Jade’s gaze followed where she Taylor was looking.
“Don’t mind them,” she whispered. “They’re just mad because you don’t seem to be affected by the room. I think they are kind of jealous. It may mean you’re special.”
Taylor frowned. The room?
“You mean where there was that humming thing?”
Jade nodded and stared at her with admiration.
“It didn’t make you feel funny? Like you could just forget where you were?”
Taylor frowned. She hadn’t felt that way at all. Instead she’d found it annoying. She thought that was the whole point.
She opened her mouth to say so, but the older woman, who she’d learned was named Kay, stepped into the room. She openly eyed Taylor.
“It’s time for your nap and then devotionals,” the woman said.
Taylor choked on the laugh that threatened to bubble up. Nap? She hadn’t been told to take a nap since she was in preschool, and even then the teacher had a hell of a time getting her to do so.
She watched in shock as the other women laid down on their bed
s and made themselves ready for the nap.
“Ms. Mills,” Kay said and stepped over to where she sat. “I assume you’re happy with the money and the new delivery deal?”
She gave Taylor a hard stare as if to dare her to even try anything.
Taylor sighed. She had signed up for this, and the money would be enough to keep the ranch. One night. That’s all she had to make it. All she needed to do was to think of the whole thing as if she were at camp. Sometimes you just had to buckle down and take a damn nap.
Chapter Sixteen
Lucas crawled through the narrow space behind Sergius. The air ducts had been the easiest way to get in, but he knew it wouldn’t do them any good if she had already been moved to the little shed that connected to the Azilians’ more secure underground facility.
Sergius assured him that she wouldn’t have been moved yet. They had been tracking the movements of the Azilians carefully.
Once a day they moved the women over to the underground compound and then brought them back exactly an hour later like clockwork.
Every action the cult performed at the compound seemed to be on a tight and predictable schedule. Also, not once had they actually seen one of the women hurt.
Those women, though, all seemed to be full members of the cult. Considering the cult’s leader had already demonstrated the willingness to kill, they had no assurances that Taylor wouldn’t be harmed.
Several of the hybrids had witnessed what the cult’s nasty little blue stone was capable of, and there was no way Lucas was trusting some crazy lady with some God stone not to liquefy the one person in the world who meant the most to him.
They arrived at a larger open spot, and Sergius halted. Large even for a hybrid, it was a wonder he had been able to sneak around like this without being caught.
“They keep the women not far from here,” he said quietly.
Lucas looked at him in the dim light of the duct. “Have you been there?”
Sergius shook his head. “They seem to sense us. I think all the women may be Vestals. They’re collecting them.”
Lucas: #3 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 8
