Apollo (9 page)

“So…” the leggy blonde named Kate started. Her large pregnant stomach pushed at the table, and she repositioned the pillow behind her back for more comfort. The pregnancy was a surprise to her. “I hear you’re a Vestal.”

“Kate!” The pretty brunette, Erica, next to her said.

Kate scowled at the woman. “Don’t give me that, Erica,” she huffed and repositioned. “You wanted to know just as much as the rest of us.”

Erica blushed and gave an awkward smile to Val, who only frowned.

“Vestal?” Val asked, clearly confused.

“Wait, what?” Hannah, the cute blond woman beside her said.

“I had my suspicions,” Rachel said with a smirk.

“Someone mind filling me in?” Val scowled. “What the hell is a Vestal?”

The table grew quiet as the woman seemed to pick that moment to take a large bite of cake. Unease overtook them, and she wondered how terrible it must be if they didn’t even know where to start.

Rachel sighed loudly and looked at her from across the table. “Guess I’ll take that one. So this is a bit complicated, but basically, you are someone that would be a good match for a hybrid.”

Val’s mouth ran dry as the words sank in. “Match? I don’t—”

“You smell good, honey,” Kate said and shoved a large bite of cake into her mouth. “Like a nice big hunk of lady cake.”

Val leaned down to her shirt and smelled. She guessed she smelled nice.

“You wouldn’t notice,” Hannah smiled. “It’s something they smell.”

“They put out a pheromone that reacts to the pheromone you put out, creating an intoxicating smell made just for them,” Rachel said. “It’s how they decide who would best match them for bonding.”

“Bonding?” Val nearly whispered. Her heart kicked up into her throat as she spoke the word.

“It’s exactly what you think it is, honey,” Kate said and rubbed her large stomach.

The act seemed like a threat even though Val knew she was likely just doing it subconsciously.

“But I haven’t…” She let the words trail off, not really sure where to go with this bizarre line of questioning.

“Apollo,” Jenna said quietly.

Everyone turned to look at the sweet little mousy woman. She shrugged.

“It’s a bit hard not to notice,” she said.

“But I haven’t…” she stuttered. “We haven’t.”

She stopped. But they had. Not sex, but they had kissed. And it had been like fireworks had gone off in every part of her. She could still feel the hum of it, and it had been several days now. Her face went hot.

“Oh, that’s real convincing,” Rachel said with a laugh. “Look, you wouldn’t be the only one to fall victim. Although…” She scrunched her forehead. “Apollo is a bit of a surprise.”

Despite herself, Val bristled at the comment.

“And why is that?” she snapped and almost immediately wanted to take it back. It wasn’t like they were an item.

Erica grinned widely at her. “You really might be good for him if you’re willing to stick up for his grumpy butt.”

It wasn’t the first time she heard that, and it was starting to irritate her.

“Why do people keep saying that? What did this guy do?”

She stared at the women one by one and stopped on Hannah, who squirmed in her seat.

“He didn’t do anything really,” she said quietly. Her eyes were large and honest. Like she was wise beyond her years. “He just changed. Things have been rough on the men, but Apollo ended up bearing the brunt of things. And unlike the rest,” she looked around the table to the other women, “he didn’t have someone to lean on.”

Val knew that ache, understood how he must have felt. Everyone around him finding happiness but him. She sighed.

“Well, I don’t think I’m the right person for this,” she said and stood. “In the end, maybe people like us just aren’t meant for that.”

Not bothering to excuse herself, Val trudged to her room. As she shut the door, she could hear the women calling for her to stay, but she couldn’t. Being with them was just a distraction, and now more than ever, she needed to stay focused on her real reason for being at Luna Lodge.

Chapter Ten

The moon sat deeply rooted behind clouds, and Apollo was glad for the overcast night. He waited quietly in the brush with just enough distance from the cabin that he shouldn’t be noticed. The intruder would be back. He could feel it deep in his gut. Whoever this was, they weren’t going to just settle. And when they did, he’d be there to catch the bastard.

For hours he sat there, just thinking about the day, about the young hybrids mostly. It was so easy for him to forget that they weren’t the only ones dealing with the mess the Horatius Group had put them in.

The boys had issues, and they were all just trying to deal with them as best they could manage. More than that, they weren’t going to be boys forever. They needed to figure out how they were going to handle the situation. He was just glad the new teacher would be there soon. They needed someone that could handle all of them on an emotional level.

Movement up ahead caught his eye. He breathed in deeply and scowled when the wind shifted. It seemed like everything was against him.

The shadowy figure moved closer to the window of the babies’ room. His heart kicked up at the threat. The Horatius Group would stop at nothing to get at the children, and he would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen. With the speed only hybrids had, he rushed the intruder.

They had just climbed up to the window when Apollo yanked them down and tossed them away from the house.

The bastard landed hard but rolled back into a standing position. Faster than he’d ever seen a human move, they darted away. He followed close behind. They weren’t getting away. As long as he had eyes on the bastard, they were going down.

Through the dark trees, they ran. Apollo would get just close enough to grab him, and then the bastard would change direction.

Sweat started to bead his brow, and he sucked in the cool air. This couldn’t go on. The longer they were out there, the more likely he was to be jumped by some of the prick’s friends. It was now or never.

With a deep guttural yell, he launched himself at the man. This time it was full contact as they flew toward the ground.

“What the—”

At the last second he turned, taking the force of the ground with his shoulder. Apollo grunted in pain but held on to the warm body in his arm.

Apollo only held the intruder closer, despite their attempt to wriggle free. With his other hand, he pulled the black mask off.

“Val?”

He breathed in deeply. This was about the worst situation possible. She struggled to get away, and his anger only grew.

“What the fuck?” Apollo growled, and she stilled in his arms.

He flipped their position and pinned her to the ground. Her pale blue eyes nearly glowed in the darkness.

“Is this about Sol?” he asked. The anger in his body simmered just below the surface.

The scent in the air around them changed when he mentioned Sol, and he wanted to beat the ground.

He leaned closer to her face and whispered, “He’s bonded.”

The smell was driving him crazy. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Vestals weren’t supposed to go after others that were bonded. She wasn’t supposed to feel that way for Sol.

She shifted under him, and he groaned. Everything in him ached for her. His eyes glowed so brightly that he could see her face.

She licked her lips, and he stared at the wet path her tongue had made. The air shifted again. This time he could feel her desire as it filled the air.

His eyes went to hers just briefly before his mouth covered hers in a brutal kiss.

This time he wasn’t holding back. He would just make her see she needed him.

He pulled back as pain shot through his lip. A bit of his blood was on the corner of her mouth.

“You don’t get to do this,” she whispered.

“What do you want?” he shouted, anger fueling him now. “Do you think he’s just going to leave his woman for you?”

“I don’t want Sol,” she shouted back at him. Her arms strained as she tried to lean up to yell at him. “I came because of my niece.”

The air grew quiet around them. And although he heard footfalls near, all he saw was her piercing eyes.

“The children? You’re working with them?” Sol said from the side. It was more a statement than a question.

She turned and stared at the other hybrid.

“It’s not like that,” she whispered.

“Then what is it like?” Apollo yelled. His hands tightened on her, willing her to look back at him, to look away from Sol, but she ignored him.

“I’m your sister,” she said and looked back to Apollo. “Sol is my brother.”

His hands went slack, and the words slipped through his mind.

“Take her in,” Titus shouted from somewhere nearby.

Apollo stood and turned as they pulled her from the ground. Her eyes stayed pinned on him as they pulled her away.

Whatever he had thought she’d reveal, that was not it.

* * *

She sat in the chair and stared at Apollo from across the room. His face was hard and showed little emotion. Even the air around him was shrouded in a veil that she couldn’t quite break through. Apollo had built a wall around him, and she had helped put it there. His feelings were his alone, and she doubted he would ever express them to her again.

“Why are we even listening to this?” Sol said and paced around Titus’s office. The air around him was just as muddled but with clear lines. Anger. Worry. “We know this can’t be true. Right?”

Uncertainty.

He looked to Rachel, who stood near the door. She’s been called at the start of the interrogation and, despite the late hour, didn’t seem a bit frazzled.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“It could be the truth.” She stepped closer and stopped in front of Val. “You need to tell us exactly what’s going on here. Why were you trying to see Sol?”

Val shook her head. “Not Sol. I was trying to see my niece.”

“See?” Sol growled and charged at her. Rachel stepped in front, and Val was grateful someone was willing to step in. Things weren’t looking so great for her. The men looked like they wanted to tear her apart.

Movement behind Sol drew her eye, and she found Apollo had positioned himself behind the hulking man.

Maybe she still had some chance here.

Titus held up a hand to Sol and looked down at her. His face was hard.

“What makes you so certain you have a niece?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

“She called to me,” she said simply.

There wasn’t an easy way to explain, and no matter what she did, it sounded crazy.

“What did she say?” Rachel asked. Her tone was more clinical and detached than anything.

She glanced over to Apollo, who was still just as unreadable.

“She didn’t say anything.” She grappled for the right words. It was so hard to explain the feelings she was getting. “It’s more like a pull. Over and over. I can feel her now, searching. Sad.”

The room grew quiet, and she wondered if they could understand.

A baby cried from out in the hall, and she turned her head toward the sound.

“She’s here,” she said.

Sol tore across the room and ripped open the door.

“I told you it’s not safe,” he said and tried to step into the hall.

“If she’s your sister, then maybe she knows why Cassia won’t stop crying,” Erica nearly shouted.

She pushed through her husband and into the room.

Upon the sight of Val, Cassia stopped crying.

Her heart filled with all the things she’d felt for the last few months.

Erica stood in front of her with the chubby little child. Her eyes were fixed on her, and, for a moment, Val thought she might hit her. When she placed Cassia in her arms, Val gave a sigh of relief.

“She’s got your eyes,” Erica said quietly.

Val looked down at her sweet little niece. Ringlets of pale blond hair curled around her face and made her ice blue eyes stand out. She leaned down and placed her forehead against Cassia. It was as if a weight had been lifted.

Cassia cooed in her arm, and she smiled.

“What did she say?” Sol asked gruffly.

She looked over to her brother, who held another baby in his arms. This one slightly larger and very much like the other hybrids in the room, male.

“She didn’t say anything.” Val smiled. “She’s just happy.”

“So why don’t you fill us in on how this all happened?” Titus said quietly.

Hope and doubt filled the air. It was an odd mix, but for the situation, she’d take what she could.

She looked around the room and stopped when her eyes landed on Apollo. He still hadn’t said anything and, from the look on his face, Val had a feeling she might not like what he had to say.

It was too much to deal with right now, so she closed herself off from him. Her emotions were too high, and for now, she was just going to focus on the task at hand.

She took in a deep breath and found Sol. He might be angry with her, but she could tell he wanted to know how it happened.

“I don’t know all the details of our birth,” she started.

“Our?” he stuttered.

Titus held up his hand for her to continue, and she was glad for it. Starting and stopping was going to take too much.

“You have to understand,” she sighed, not really sure where to start. “I didn’t even know I had a brother until I turned eighteen.” She frowned. “I started to feel things.”

“What sorts of things?” Rachel asked.

It was now or never. If she wasn’t honest, they’d know and suspect she was a traitor. They had every reason to given her behavior and their own experience.

“It was minor stuff at first,” she looked away, unable to tell her story with their eyes on her. “Things like if someone was mad or sad.”

Rachel stepped forward, and when Val looked up, she nodded her encouragement.

“But then it became more.” She grasped for the right words. “The feelings became more complex. Took their own nature. Almost like a stench in the air.”

“An empath?” Rachel asked.

Val shook her head, not really certain what that meant. “I don’t know.”