Lucas: #3 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) (2 page)

He rubbed his chin and thought over the options to help Taylor. Maybe if Lucas reminded Rem of the risk of the Group, he’d be willing to find a solution for the ranch.

They had a trusted food supply after all. It’d be a shame for it to go to waste, even before considering Taylor.

Lucas had confidence in Rem. His leader had proven over and over again that he was more than qualified for the position.

“She’ll be fine,” Nyx said from the driver’s seat as they drove back to base.

Lucas turned and grinned at her. “You trying to be my wingman back there?”

Nyx gave a loud snort. “Whatever. Maybe I’m just sick of seeing the two of you eye fuck each other. Someone has to make a real move around here.”

His grin only spread. Nyx knew. There had been a shift today. Taylor’s body was responding to him. The Vestal side of her knew that she was his. Now all he needed to do was convince her head that he could make her happy.

It was going to be difficult, but he knew he could bring her around. Everything in her called to him and him to her.

Lucas had witnessed the pull of those bonds over and over with the men and their bonded. They were like the ends of the same string.

“Oh fuck me,” Nyx groaned. “If I have to deal with your sappy ass the whole time, I’m putting on my music.”

She hit the button on the radio, and loud metal music blasted through the speakers.

Didn’t matter. Lucas tuned out the sounds as he thought about his next move with Taylor. Nyx was right. If he didn’t make a real move with her, he was going to drive himself crazy with need.

It was time for action.

* * *

Meat.

It was the one thing they always seemed to have in abundance.

Normally Taylor didn’t care if they were having steak again, but tonight she just wasn’t feeling it. Maybe the weight of it all was too much, the reminder of her desperate situation.

Her mind drifted to Nyx’s earlier suggestion. Lucas would be a big help around the place. He was strong, fast and never once had she heard him complain about the back-breaking work involved in loading up the truck.

In fact, Lucas had one of the most pleasant dispositions she’d ever encountered. Whatever he was doing, he seemed to always enjoy it. He certainly had no problem flirting with her whenever he stopped by.

Taylor pushed her steak around on her plate.

She wished she could be like him. So carefree. He’d likely never had a bad day in his life. With all those friends and family surrounding him, Lucas lived a life filled with love and joy.

Her gaze rose to meet her father’s eyes, and she felt a pang of guilt over her jealousy. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been loved. Both her parents had been amazing through her childhood. And even when her mother passed, she always had her father.

Still, there was no other family near. Or none that cared enough to visit. Now all she had was her father and her few friends.

And soon her friends would all have families of their own. Where would she be then?

“That Lucas sure seems like a nice man,” her father said. “And very hardworking.”

Taylor eyed the old man from across the small farm table. He was up to something. She could smell his tricks from a mile away.

“I’m sure he is,” she said simply, ignoring the direction he was clearly trying to steer the conversation.

Her father wiped his gray mustache and dusted off the beard on his chin. He peered at her with his deep blue eyes, the same soulful eyes that she had been blessed with and made others slightly uncomfortable.

It was like they were staring right to the center of her being, so she could understand how it might be unsettling to some.

“Maybe next time we should invite him to dinner so we can get to know him better,” he said.

Taylor set down her fork to look directly back at her father. “And why would we do that?”

She cocked a brow at him and waited to see where he went with this.

He sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair.

“I want grandkids,” he said. “That’s not going to happen if you refuse to date any good man around you.” He furrowed his brow. “Not all men are like Dave. You know that, right?”

“Dad, I don’t have time for a boyfriend.” She stood with her plate and went to clear his as well. “We have other things to worry about right now.”

He reached out and held on to her wrist as she picked up his plate.

“Having a family is important,” he said. “I don’t want this ranch to be the reason you don’t find happiness.”

“Dad—” she started but stopped when he looked back up to her.

“Your happiness is the most important thing to me,” he said firmly. “I promised your mother it would be.”

Taylor sighed. She knew he felt guilty over Dave. That maybe, somehow, if her mother had been alive, she would have seen the signs of the kind of man he was.

She didn’t agree. Being headstrong was a trait she’d inherited from both her parents, so even if her mother had been able to spot the man her ex-husband truly was, she doubted it would have mattered.

At twenty, when she met Dave, she thought she knew everything. He was charming and would bring her little tokens from all the cities he played baseball at in college. To her, he had been perfect.

When he graduated and asked her to marry him, she said yes instantly. Her father had a small ranch hand house on the property that wasn’t getting used, and they had been so excited to have their own place.

The plan was to live there and help her father make something of the ranch again. To use Dave’s communications degree to get their name out to the public. Really go big with the business.

Then he had gotten the call that changed everything, a spot on the local minor league team. It would mean traveling for a good part of the year for very little pay, but being the loving wife, she supported his dream.

At first, things were great. He would call her at night, and they would talk about all the things they had done during the day. Every chance he got to come home, he would. Then the calls became less frequent, and traveling home was too much effort. Or so he said.

There was a point where Dave complained she wasn’t like all the other wives who tagged along to the games. They were there to cheer on their husbands like a good wife should.

Taylor saw red. She knew the truth on why those women followed their husbands around. It was to make sure that no one else sunk their claws into them. Because she trusted her husband, she was the bad guy.

In the end, though, all that trust had been for nothing.

Kimberly was her name. She called his cell one morning when Dave had just gotten back from a long stretch of away games. Taylor had decided to let him sleep in since he’d gotten in so late and answered.

The poor girl was a sobbing mess, and it took several tries to even understand what was going on. Well, until the word pregnant. Taylor’s ears started to buzz, and the room rocked under her feet.

Her husband, the man she trusted without a thought, had gotten some nineteen- year-old girl pregnant.

He denied it at first, tried to tell her it was a scam some women tried, but he couldn’t explain away how she had gotten his cell number.

Caught in a lie, Dave became furious at her. He tossed all his things into his shiny red convertible and drove out of her life.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t good enough. He and his mother had to make sure they ruined any chance of her happiness by spreading lies and rumors around town. It didn’t take long for customers to come up with excuses why they needed to go with another meat supplier.

That hurt the most of all. Her mistakes shouldn’t have haunted her father.

All the while, her father had stood by and watched her go from happy and in love to a hollow shell.

The phone rang from the office, shaking her from the memories.

“You clear, and I’ll get that,” her father said.

He made his way to the office.

She moved quietly, hoping to pick up on what was being said. It seemed her father was fielding more and more calls behind closed doors.

Taylor didn’t like it. They were in trouble. It was more than clear to her they were, and the longer he tried to hide that fact, the harder it made it on both of them.

The dishes slipped into the sudsy, hot water she’d started while making dinner. She listened as she placed all the leftovers into the fridge.

“Things are starting to pick up for us,” her father said. His voice was strained, and she knew that even with the increase from Nyx and her people, it still wasn’t enough.

Taylor cursed Dave in her head. Not only had her shitty ex been a terrible husband, but he and his mother had single handedly ruined them.

No one wanted to go against the town superstar. So, in the end, they lost business because she didn’t want to be with a man who cheated.

“Bastard,” she grunted as she scrubbed the griddle, trying to focus her anger on the pan.

“You’ve got to give us a little more time.” Her father raised his voice a little, and she held her breath. How long before they took it all away from them? “You know I’m good for the payments.”

The water from the faucet dripped into the sink. The house was so quiet she could hear the droplets of water as they hit the surface.

“You won’t regret this,” her father said, his relief evident in his voice.

Taylor let out the breath she had been holding. For now, they still had a ranch, and every day they did was just another day for things to turn around for them.

Chapter Three

The truck bumped along the beaten road as Lucas, Nyx and Marcus drove into town. The morning air was still cool, and Lucas had rolled down the window to let the fresh cut grass smell fill his nose. He’d made a decision about Taylor, and his plans were now in action.

“You are not fucking going to the girls’ night,” Nyx said, glaring at Lucas from the other side of Marcus.

He turned to her and gave a grin. Lucas knew she’d say something like that. They all likely would, but he’d already talked to Rem, and it was clear he was the best choice to go.

“Fine then. Marcus can go.”

Marcus turned and glared at him. “Fuck off. I’m not going to babysit a bunch of weak women.”

Nyx, without blinking, slammed her fist into Marcus’s ribs. He grunted in pain.

She turned and raised a brow behind her sunglasses. Despite the new contacts they had all been issued to conceal the noticeably striking color of their eyes, most still chose to wear the sunglasses just in case their eyes started glowing.

“What were you saying?” Nyx said.

Marcus grunted but chose to stare straight ahead rather than totally piss her off.

His adjustment to life outside of the Horatius Group had been a little bumpier than most. They assumed he had been in cryo longer than some of the others despite being one of the younger hybrids. His age, coupled with his confusion about life, made the transition harder.

Which was exactly why Rem made him go on extra runs. The more they forced him into society, the more likely he was to learn by example.

So far as Lucas could tell, Marcus hadn’t learned a whole lot besides how much he hated non-hybrids, and that was bound to bring trouble down on all of them at some point.

“Look,” Lucas said and sighed. “It’s the only option. Rem isn’t going to let Jenna go in her state, and Magnus keeps threatening to follow anyways.”

Nyx snorted. “I’m sure Lara is thrilled with that.”

Lucas raised a brow. “He and Nero are the ringleaders behind this plan.”

Her face paled a little. Although the defector hybrid had more than proven himself to be a vital part of their team and that he’d do anything for Nyx, he still posed a risk.

Nero was still adjusting to his new life as a normal hybrid, instead of a bestial monster, and because of that, they had kept him mostly at home. He hadn’t been frozen like Marcus, but the man still didn’t fully understand normal society.

“Fuck,” Nyx grunted. “Fine, but stay out of sight. This is a girls’ night.”

Lucas grinned to himself. “Sure thing.”

“You know there are easier ways to get her,” Marcus said. “Instead of this ridiculous bullshit you’re trying.”

Lucas turned to look at the younger man. He wanted to laugh but kept only a faint smile on his face. Since when had Marcus become a master of women? Let alone women raised in the outside world?

“Oh?” he said, curious what kind of insight Marcus might offer.

Marcus turned to him. “Just tell her she’s yours, and you were designed for each other by the gods. She’ll understand she has to be yours then.”

Nyx laughed hard from her seat as Lucas sat in stunned silence, not really sure what to say back. He’d expected something less than useful, but the complete cluelessness of Marcus still took him by surprise.

“Yeah,” Nyx said, snorting between a laugh, “and then tell her you’re a thief, there to steal her heart!” She only laughed harder at her joke.

Lucas watched as embarrassment washed over Marcus. The other hybrid turned to stare at the window, his face red.

“I think your approach might be a little too direct,” Lucas said quietly. “And I doubt she even believes in the ancient gods.”

Marcus frowned deeply. “Women seem like more trouble than they’re worth,” he huffed and tried to ignore Nyx as her giggles subsided.

They drove just a bit longer before entering the small town. When they stopped outside the hardware store, Lucas immediately zeroed in on Taylor walking to the coffee shop.

He hopped out of the car and gave a wave when she looked over to them.

Red spots bloomed on her cheeks, and he took it as a good sign that he could get a reaction out of her. Destiny or gods, he still had to work the charm.

Lucas breathed in deeply. The soft, sweet smell of her drifted over to him. Cherries. Maybe her soft reddish hair made him think of it first, but it was always what came to mind when he was near her. It made him want to bury his head into the crook of her neck and kiss the tender spots behind her ears and along her neck.