Lucius (Luna Lodge #3) (7 page)

“He’s trouble,” Apollo said as they pulled onto the pavement.

She looked over to his hard outline. It was the first time she’d ever heard any of the hybrids say anything negative about the others. She knew they had their spats like any other group, but she had never seen any of them openly dislike one another.

“What makes you think he’s trouble?” she asked.

He pressed his lips firmly together and stared out at the road. She was starting to think that she would never make any headway with these men.

“That scar that he has,” Apollo said. “It’s not the only one he carries.”

Hannah noticed the cagey way he talked about the scars.

“Don’t you all have scars?” She leaned closer to him. His hands gripped the wheel just a little tighter, and she felt the tension rise in the car.

“Not like that.” He shook his brown hair, and it slipped over his eyes. She wondered if he did that on purpose to hide his feelings. “Lucius spent a lot of time… We all had our tasks.”

Hannah frowned. What did that mean? He hadn’t made anything clearer than they had been before.

“And what was his task?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Apollo glanced over at her and then back at the road.

“To hunt and destroy,” he said fiercely. “Among other things,” he mumbled.

Hannah’s stomach churned. “Such as?”

Apollo shook his head. “Only hearsay,” he said. “You’d have to ask him for the rest.”

Her head spun. Really, the hunt and destroy should be enough to do her for now. She couldn’t even fathom what to do with this sort of information.

They pulled up outside her place, and she was glad to see that the lights were on, meaning Rachel beat her home.

She turned to Apollo and smiled.

“Thanks,” she said. “I’m sure he can be dangerous to his enemies, but Lucius wouldn’t be allowed to roam free if he were a danger to anyone here.”

She opened the car and stepped out, feeling much better than before. Hannah stopped when a strong hand landed on her arm. She turned. Apollo’s face had twisted into vague panic.

“Just promise me you won’t be alone with him,” he said quickly.

“What’s gotten into you?” she asked and leaned back into the car. “What do you know about him that you aren’t telling me?”

Apollo sighed and for the first time, Hannah saw how concerned he was for her. This wasn’t just a petty fight between two men. “The kind of abuse he took a man doesn’t just walk away from without emotional scars.”

He looked to the side as he spoke, and she knew it made him uncomfortable talking about Lucius like that.

Hannah soaked in what she had been told. They had all suffered abuse, but somehow Lucius had been different.

“He’s always so contained,” he said quietly. “One of these days, he’s going to snap.”

She shivered at the deadly way he said it.

“I’ll…” she began.

What the hell was she going to say to that? She didn’t plan on keeping away. If anything, she wanted to know more. She looked down to Apollo. He wanted to keep her safe, was funny, nice and tried so hard. Yet she felt nothing for him. She sighed.

“I’ll be careful,” she whispered.

He nodded. His eyes were sad, as if he understood she couldn’t help but be near Lucius.

Hannah shut the door and climbed the steps to the dorms. When she got inside, she found Rachel lounging on the couch with a glass of wine. Hannah toed off her shoes and padded into the kitchen without a word. Screw wine. Beer was on her mind.

“Bad night?” Rachel followed after her.

Hannah grabbed out the beer, pulled off the top and took a long draw before setting it down.

“Bad doesn’t begin to describe it,” she said and walked back into the living room and sat hard on the couch.

Rachel sat next to her. Her slight frame leaned into Hannah.

“What, did lover boy have a headache?” Rachel asked and smirked.

Hannah sighed and set her beer on the table. Her pretty light pink shirt bunched up in the middle, and she frowned. Being slightly thick in the middle hadn’t helped today. Although she thought she had looked pretty in the low-dipped pink shirt and deep gray skirt, she wasn’t rail thin and that always seemed to count against her. At least her boobs gave her a few extra points.

“He gave me the brush off,” she said and leaned her head against the back of the couch.

“What?” Rachel nearly yelled next to her.

“It’s fine,” she said wearily. “He’s just not interested.”

Her thoughts drifted to their moment in the car and wondered if that was really the case. So many conflicting thoughts about one man. Although she liked Apollo, she tended to agree with Titus that Lucius was a man to be trusted. She knew that when she had been scared, she had no problem placing her life in his hands.

“I’m pretty sure I can come up with something to give him constant blue balls,” Rachel mumbled.

Hannah barked out a laugh.

“Thanks for the support, but I don’t think we have to go that far.” She glanced over at her friend. She loved Rachel, but sometimes she wondered where the line was for her. These days it seemed to be getting more and more blurred.

“How about I make it?” Rachel said and raised a hand. “Not saying we use it, but you know, it would be a good threat.”

Hannah snorted and reached for her beer.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re going to do it either way?”

She took another long drink and enjoyed the numbing effect.

“Why do men suck?” she asked after some time.

Rachel patted her leg, and she lulled her head to the side to look at her.

“They don’t all suck.” Rachel smiled. “He’s not a bad guy.”

Hannah raised a brow, and Rachel laughed.

“What? Because I argue with your boy I can’t like him? He’s honest. Always tells it like it is.” She frowned. “Some of these asshats think they can talk all slick. Tell you they are giving you funding for something, and then when it’s time, they can’t seem to find the time to call you back.”

“Marius giving you the run around still?” Hannah finished off her beer and set the bottle on the table.

“If that guy had the stick any further up his ass, it would snap off. I get my hands on him, I can’t be held accountable for what I do.”

Hannah noticed the pink that spread to Rachel’s cheeks but said nothing. The two of them had been going back and forth for some time. They would either figure things out or take each other out in the process.

Hannah yawned and looked at the clock on the wall. Nearly ten. She sighed for about the millionth time. Not what she wanted to be doing at ten tonight, but bed sounded better than nothing. She picked up her empty bottle from the table and took it to the kitchen to throw away.

“Saw Kate today,” Rachel said from the kitchen door.

Hannah turned from the trash and smiled at her. It had been a rough pregnancy for Kate. Not only had she been very sick for most of the first trimester, but she had been less than thrilled to find out about the triplets.

“How is she feeling? Is Titus still doting on her?” She grinned.

“Looking much better,” Rachel said and sat at the table. Hannah sat across from her. “She’s gaining weight, and yes, he’s up her ass. Her words, not mine.”

Hannah laughed. She could see that. Kate wasn’t one to hold back.

“I wanted to talk to you about that,” Rachel said. “She’s down. None of us get together often, and Erica is busy with the babies. How would you feel about having a little baby shower for her this Friday?”

Hannah opened her mouth and then shut it as Rachel hurried on.

“I know you’re really busy with the fall stuff, but I think it would really mean a lot to her,” she said. “Of course, I haven’t talked to anyone about this, so I don’t even know if they will go for it, but they can’t keep them locked up forever. This isn’t any way to live.”

Hannah agreed. It wasn’t. It had actually been weighing on her mind recently.

She smiled at Rachel. “I’d love to plan the party,” she said. “Let me talk to Titus and see what we can work out.”

Rachel sighed, and not for the first time, Hannah wondered about her friend. So hard in so many ways, mysterious in others.

“Well, I guess we should get a couple sodas and head to my room to start planning.” She smiled.

Her stomach twisted a little. She only hoped she could convince the men that this event was worth having and that she could do it without Lucius.

Chapter Seven

Hannah yawned as she waited on the couch outside Titus’s office. Jenna tapped happily at her computer.

“So, Jenna, how are you liking it here?” Hannah asked.

Jenna looked up from her typing and blushed.

“It’s good,” she said quietly.

Hannah waited for her to go on, but realized she wasn’t going to.

“That’s good.” She smiled. “So your uncle is Major Carter. He’s such a nice guy.”

Jenna nodded.

Hannah smiled at the awkward silence. Jenna seemed really nice, but no one had really gotten all that close to her. Kate shared a house with her, and even she hadn’t been able to get close to her. She sighed and leaned back. This conversation was going nowhere.

The happy tapping started back up, and she listened to the steady rhythm until the door slammed open.

“Hannah?” Lucius said from the door.

She looked up at him and nearly groaned. Why did he have to look so damn good? A teal green shirt was tucked into his jeans and showed off the definition of his chest. A lump formed in her throat when she got to his swollen and bruised face, a reminder of her handiwork.

“Hannah,” Titus said from behind Lucius. “Did we have an appointment?”

Her mouth went dry for a moment as she stood and smoothed her skirt. She caught Lucius’s eyes dart down the front of her V blouse and frowned. Okay, so maybe she had picked out something to accentuate her boobs a little. She didn’t think Kate would mind her using her assets to get ahead a little. She looked back over to Titus.

“I have another party I’d like to talk with you about.” She smiled.

Titus stepped back into the room and waved an arm for her to come in. She slipped past Lucius, trying not to enjoy the feel of his hard body against her own. When her nipples tightened, she knew he felt it but brushed off her anxiety. This wasn’t the time to be worried about what he was thinking.

“Please,” Titus placed a hand at the small of her back, “have a seat.”

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she moved with Titus across the room. As she sat in the chair, her eyes collided with Lucius, who was glaring at them both.

Oblivious to the exchange, Titus took a seat across from her at his desk. She opened her mouth to start talking when Lucius sat loudly on the couch against the wall. She looked over to him and then back to Titus. He raised a brow and nodded for her to continue.

“Rachel was telling me that Kate stopped in to see her yesterday,” she said.

Titus frowned.

“She really shouldn’t be discussing her medical care,” he said firmly.

Hannah held up a hand.

“She wasn’t.” She sighed. This wasn’t going well already. “We miss seeing each other. None of us get to even visit in the evening. We’re constantly being watched. You know what this is like.”

She stared pointedly at him until he nodded. It wasn’t the same as their time in captivity, but it was the best way to drive her point home.

“Kate is down,” she said.

“She told you this?” Titus frowned.

Hannah shook her head. “She didn’t have to. We’re all feeling the same thing. Likely for her most of all since she’s been so sick.”

She paused for effect.

“We’d like to throw her a baby shower,” she said and hurried on before either of the men could speak. “Nothing big but this Friday.”

“And you don’t think the fall party will do?” he said.

Hannah shook her head. “It’s just not the same thing. We need a little quiet time. Something where there aren’t a bunch of men.” She glanced over at Lucius, who was staring at her. “Something pink and blue. With cute babies.”

Titus was looking over to Lucius, and she knew she was going to lose him if the two of them spent too much time giving each other looks.

“Rachel said this would be the best time,” she nearly shouted. “The fall party will be soon and then she will be mostly on bed rest. If you are going to give her any kind of normal pregnancy, now is the time.”

It was a low blow. She knew it was, but he made her go there.

“Do you think she would want this?” he asked. A look of worry flashed on his face.

“You can’t seriously be thinking about this,” Lucius said. He stood and stomped over to stand near her.

Titus held up his hand.

“Nothing has happened for months,” he said. “It should be fine for them to have a small party.”

“Except that this puts the babies and your pregnant woman all in the same room.” He leaned forward, and she could see the vein on his neck. “You would put them all at risk to be snatched up at once.”

Hannah jumped when Titus slammed his hands down on the desk.

“Could you please wait in the hall?” he ground out to her.

She nodded as the pair glared at each other from across the desk. She scooped up her things and scurried out the door.

Titus waited until the door clicked shut after Hannah before continuing their fight.

“Do you really think I would put my family at risk?” he bit out.

Lucius fumed. He didn’t know what to think. Ever since the women started to live with them, the men had been acting like idiots. Protocol that had always been in play was suddenly being tossed out the door for random reasons.

“We have security in place for a reason,” Lucius said and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. “How am I supposed to keep everyone safe if you keep breaking the protocol in order to meet the whims of other people?”

Titus dropped back into his seat and folded his hands neatly on his desk.

“First, you aren’t supposed to be working at all right now,” Titus said. “You’ve got two days off to get back into working order.”