She nodded and stood on shaky feet but stopped when two of the women stepped in front of her.
“She stays with us,” they said in unison. “She has been chosen.”
“Stop being so fucking creepy, and move out of my way,” Taylor said. She swayed a little as she spoke.
One turned and gripped her arm hard.
“You stay with us.” She hissed.
Lucas glanced among the gathered women. Taking down a gun-toting man was one thing. About the last thing he wanted to do was attack a bunch of mind-controlled women.
He gritted his teeth, trying to think of the best way to rescue Taylor without hurting the women.
“Let her go,” someone shouted.
The women turned to look at a small woman who was now standing over by the box with the stone.
“The stone.” The man on the floor managed to say as he tried to slide himself further toward it.
“Let her go, or I smash it,” the small woman said.
She picked up the stone, and bright blue light pulsed through the air.
Lucas squinted and averted his gaze.
The small woman held it over her head, and the woman holding Taylor let go and backed away. The rest all stepped away from her as well.
“Jade,” Taylor whispered as the two made their way to the door. “That stone is evil. You shouldn’t hold it. You’ve seen what it does.”
The other women slowly backed away farther.
Lucas locked his hand around Taylor’s wrist. He still didn’t understand all the creepy crap that was going on, but that wasn’t his concern, saving his woman was.
“We need to go,” he said, glancing between Taylor and Jade.
They nodded, and the group hurried into the hall, the stone still in Jade’s hands.
Sergius looked at him with questions in his expression, but Lucas really had no answers about the woman. For now, all he knew was that she helped protect Taylor, and that was good enough for him.
The doors down the hall burst open, and five men stepped in, all holding guns.
“Freeze!” one of them shouted.
Jade shook as she held up the stone.
“Catch,” she said and tossed it into the air.
The men yelled and dropped their guns. They rushed toward the stone.
Once it left Jade’s hand, she crumpled into Sergius’s arms.
With that one move, she gave them the chance they needed.
Lucas grabbed Taylor, and the women-toting hybrids raced down the hall. Shouts echoed around them, followed by footfalls, but it was too late. There was no way a normal human could keep up with hybrids.
The hybrids sprinted with the women in their arms until they arrived at the grate to the tunnel. The quickly hurried inside. The man from earlier still lay on the ground, and the shouts and footsteps of other filled the hallways around and above them.
Taylor clutched Lucas tightly. He could smell her fear, hear her pounding heart. He’d save her. They were so damn close now.
“This way,” Sergius said from in front.
They ran through the tunnels until he could smell the fresh air ahead.
With one kick, Lucas removed the water grate, and they were out in the darkness of the forest.
“You came for me,” Taylor whispered.
“There’s no way I couldn’t.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lucas watched as Nyx closed the door to the bedroom where they had placed Jade. She still hadn’t woken up after fainting. They all worried. She’d handled that dangerous stone.
Something about the mysterious blue stone caused that reaction, and for all they knew, she’d suffer some sort of permanent damage from exposure, let alone from the bizarre mind-control effects it seemed to have.
Still, not that any of them really knew what she was like before. She’d aided a Vestal of one of their hybrids, and she’d earned their respect and protection for now.
Nyx frowned at Lucas, but it was Sergius who she spoke to first.
“She’ll be fine,” she said quietly. “We’ll let her rest. Take it from someone who had to deal with that kind of shit.”
Sergius nodded. “I’ll wait here.” He sat on the couch.
Lucas watched as his friend made himself comfortable. One second was all it took sometimes, and apparently Sergius had some sort of moment or connection with this woman.
Nyx nodded to the door, and Lucas followed.
“Where’s Taylor?” she asked.
Lucas nodded to his cabin not far away.
“She’s at my place,” he said. “I thought she should have a moment to rest without people bombarding her with questions. Seeing that woman turned to liquid has shaken her more than she lets on. Fuck. It’s messing with me.”
Nyx nodded. They had all seen what the stone could do. Some things you just couldn’t unsee.
The door creaked, and he turned. Rem stepped inside.
“Courtney is staying with us tonight,” he said. “She knows the truth now. The more people outside our group that know, the more likely our secret is to get out.”
“Yeah, Courtney isn’t going anywhere anytime soon,” Nyx said with a snort. “I don’t think you have to worry about that with the way Marcus is acting.”
Rem frowned. “That almost worries me more. His knowledge of women is primitive to say the least.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Nyx mumbled.
“And what about the Azilians?” Lucas asked.
Rem shook his head. “I don’t think they are an immediate threat. They have their own reasons to keep their mouth shut and not draw attention, and I don’t think they want to gear up for war.”
“Even though we just raided their compound?”
Rem grinned. “You did manage not to kill anyone.”
Lucas shrugged.
Rem’s grin vanished. “I think we’ll be fine, at least not judging by their leader. She doesn’t want war either, not with us. Not yet.” He frowned and ran a hand over his dark hair. “She’s smart. There’s something that she’s waiting on. I think she wants to use that stone to pass judgment somehow on everyone but can’t seem to get it to do that just yet. She’s got some sort of long play that goes well beyond skirmishing with us.” He shook his head. “Not all that long ago, I would have thought it was all just religious ranting, but we’ve all seen that this goes beyond mere belief or schemes. Whatever we want to believe, we have to accept there is definitely dangerous power involved here.”
Unease soaked Lucas. “And when she gets her chance to judge everyone?”
The question hung heavy in the air between them.
Rem sighed loudly. “If that happens, I think we’ll have a war we can’t ignore.”
They each nodded, not really wanting to think about where things might be headed or their role in the whole matter. At least when the Horatius Group attacked the Luna hybrids, they didn’t use mystical stones that turned people into liquid.
Rem clapped him on the shoulder.
“Go home to your woman,” he said. “Enjoy every day of freedom you can. We’ve struggled for our freedom, earned it with blood. We’ll fight against anyone who’d try and take it away.”
Lucas nodded and turned toward the cabin.
“Oh, and Lucas,” Rem said.
“Yes?”
“Let her know we’ll get her the money and help she needs for her ranch. She’s family now.”
* * *
Taylor rested on a couch in Lucas’s cabin. She’d been quiet for most of the trek to the cabin, content with the comfort felt in the hybrid’s arms.
The horror she witnessed now replayed itself in her mind, which found the memory still difficult to process.
She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to process it. Kay was a bitch, but she didn’t deserve to die for it, let alone in such an awful way.
Tired of sitting on the couch where Lucas placed her, she moved around the small cabin. There wasn’t a ton of stuff on
the walls. Everything was simple and straight-forward. Just like Lucas.
“You could fix it up how you like it,” Lucas said from the door.
She had been so engrossed in checking out the room she hadn’t even heard him come in.
“Jade?”
He shook his head. “She’s still out, but she likely just needs some rest. Who knows how long she was there and subject to all their evil crap.”
Taylor nodded, although she was just sure the evil stone had more to do with it.
“Wait, did you say decorate?” she said.
Lucas walked over to where she stood and pulled her against him for a soft kiss. When she pulled back to look at him, he smiled down at her with warm blue eyes.
“This place is for us. We can do what we need to,” he said.
Her heart beat hard against her chest. It was all happening so fast, but it felt so right to be with him. More so than she’d ever felt in her whole life.
The smile fell from her face. No. She still had responsibilities. Those same responsibilities were what sent her to the awful Azilians to begin with.
“The ranch,” she said softly and stepped away from him. She turned to face the window, unable to meet his face, as she might change her mind. “My father needs me. I can’t just leave him like that.”
Lucas was quiet for a moment then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her back against his chest.
“Not a problem,” he said. “It’s far enough out that we might be able to stay there fairly easily, anyway. Rem’s already said he’ll get you the money you need. He also said we’d get you the help you need. I think me being there would be the help you need.”
She turned in his arms. “And if not? Even if he gives me the money I need, what if he doesn’t want you to stay there?”
He shrugged and gave a half-smile. “Then I’ll do it anyways.”
Taylor laughed at his smile. It was all she needed after such a hard day.
“You’re my Vestal,” he said. “I’ll do anything for you.”
“Vestal?”
“The true mate for a hybrid.”
Her heart fluttered. “Like a soulmate?”
“All I know is that I’ve needed to be with you ever since we met, body and soul.”
“You’re saying…” She worried her lip. “You love me?”
“Yes, I do. More than love you. I’m meant for you.”
“I love you, too.” It seemed so crazy, but as the words escaped her lips, she could feel their truth.
With them out, warmth diffused through her. She placed her head against his chest and listened to the thumping of his heart.
“Now I think we’ve talked quite enough,” he rumbled.
When she looked up, his eyes glowed brightly.
In one quick movement, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom in the back.
He placed her on the floor and ripped off the stupid white robe she hadn’t bothered to remove. Underneath, she only wore her bra and panties.
Lucas made quick work of the clothing and set her back on the soft sheets. She sighed when he parted her legs, her center already slick with need.
She could see his grin in the light from the living room and frowned.
“Quit teasing,” she murmured.
Lucas raised a brow. He always did love a challenge. She squealed as he flipped her onto her knees. Her beautiful round ass pointed directly at him.
He leaned down and let his breath hit her inner thigh. Her breath hitched in her throat. He loved the sounds she made when they had sex.
Unable to hold off, Lucas slipped his tongue between her sweet folds, making sure to hit the sensitive nub buried there.
Taylor let her head drop to the bed and moaned softly.
He brought his tongue back and worked around her opening, pushing in a little like he was fucking her with his tongue. Deeper and deeper he went, pushing into her depths. It wasn’t quite enough to bring her to climax, but enough she moaned with each thrust.
He pulled away, and she watched him as he moved in behind her. Something about it only excited him more, knowing she wanted him as much had he wanted her.
“So wet,” he whispered as his cock slipped inside her.
He pushed in all the way, and her insides squeezed him.
“Every time is like the first with you,” he said.
His hands roamed over her naked body until he found her hard nipples as she scraped along the bed with each thrust.
Lucas cupped her nipples, rolling them between his fingers as he slammed into her.
She worked back against him, pushing her body hard against him, willing him deeper inside with each glorious thrust.
The pressure built in him.
Gripping her breasts hard, Lucas used them to help pull her back. Lucas and Taylor bucked wildly against one another, each of them grunting with the force of their passion.
With one final thrust, he came deep inside her. He could feel her walls as her own climax took over and gripped him. They collapsed on the bed.
He smiled when Taylor placed her head on his chest and wrapped an arm and a leg around him. She placed a tired kiss just above his heart.
“Love is a funny thing,” she said quietly.
Lucas looked down at her, the smile on his face so wide it nearly hurt.
“It really is,” he said.
She sighed loudly and snuggled deeper into his embrace. She traced the lines on his chest, stopping every once in a while to sigh.
“You know…” she said after some time.
Lucas grunted, half-asleep.
“If you’re going to be working at the ranch, I have some suggestions.”
“Oh?”
“I really think you might work better shirtless.”
Lucas cracked one eye open and grinned.
“Sure thing, boss.”
She giggled loudly as he rolled her over, ready to show her exactly the kind of work he did best.
A Note from Madison
Thank you for reading Lucas. If you enjoyed this book, please consider reviewing it. We authors live and die by reviews.
Please keep an eye out for the next book in the series, Sergius.
You can join my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/OX9r5
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Author Bio
Madison currently lives with her husband and two children in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona. After leaving the frozen tundra of the north, she was more surprised than anyone with how much she has enjoyed living in the desert. Seeing as she stated on
more than one occasion before moving to Arizona how much she hated heat, it was an odd move, but it seems her hatred for sub-zero temperatures and ice has won out in the end.
When she’s not writing, she’s enjoying time with her family. Madison and her family frequent festivals in the area, as well as local cultural events, and spend time with family in the area. In the summer, she is most likely to be found in the pool with the family and in the winter by the fireplace. Since both her children are autistic, days can be a little chaotic, but with her husband beside her, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
Her webpage is http://madisonstevensauthor.com/
She can be contacted at [email protected]
Lucas: #3 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 10
