Sol: Luna Lodge #1 (3 page)

“Even if she’s trying to escape?” She leaned her back against the rail and tried to make out Sol’s face. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get much more than an outline.

He moved closer, still keeping to the shadows. The outline of his powerful frame blocked out the light from the door as he came near her. She could feel the heat from his body and shuddered.

“You’re cold,” he said gruffly.

She gasped as he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The woodsy scent of his soap surrounded her. Erica gripped the edges around her, grateful for the warmth.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

He grunted. “You didn’t say what you were trying to escape.”

Erica sighed and stared off to the side.

“Just not my crowd.” She frowned, thinking of the strange man at the bar. “Running into the occasional creep doesn’t help. I’m just not cut out for this sort of thing.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” His rough whisper made her clench with desire.

She looked up and stared at the exposed skin near where the collar should be buttoned. Erica licked her lips and tried to focus on the something other than the intense urge to suck on that exposed section.

A low rumble drew her eyes up until she was staring at his face. Slight stubble coated his face, and she longed to rub her face against it in a passionate embrace, to feel the rough texture against her skin as she nipped and tasted his way. Her heart raced at the thought. She could feel excitement pool between her legs and took a step closer.

She gasped.

“Your eyes,” she whispered.

“Shit.” He stepped back into the shadows.

“Why are they glowing?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sol looked up. The deep amber pools held her own and pleaded.

Again, she felt the magnetic pull between them.

“You can’t tell any— ” A loud explosion rocked them where they stood.

She felt herself being pushed to the floor, covered completely by Sol’s large frame.

Chapter Three

Sol stood and breathed a sigh of relief that the balcony had held. Looking through the door, he could see people fleeing across the great room to the hall to the entrance. He turned back to the scared woman behind him.

“We’ve got to get out of here.” He reached his hand down to her and was silently grateful she put her hand in his.

Keeping her behind him, he rushed through the door. The room was thick with smoke and fires raged in different parts of the room. Off to one hallway, he could hear the cry of a woman.

“Just crawl out from under him,” a man said.

“I can’t. We need to try to wake him.” Her painful words cut through the smoke.

He followed their conversation as the moved through the haze. The small woman behind him coughed, and he held his jacket over her face to help. The closer they moved, the more heat he felt.

“Mark,” the previous woman called. “Where are you going? You can’t just leave me here!”

Sol’s pulse sped up in anger as they neared the group. The smoke cleared slightly, and for a brief moment, he saw that prick Mark Kincaid. He’d been giving them trouble for months now and wanted nothing more than to shut them down, claiming all sorts of financial irregularities. Sol glared at the retreating figure. Not only was he a prick, he was a gutless bastard.

“Kate!” The woman behind him raced out to grasp her friend’s hand.

As Sol got closer, he could see why Kate had trouble moving. Titus was sprawled across her, a large chunk of wood pushed off to the side.

“Titus.” He raced to his leader and rolled him over.

Titus groaned and coughed loudly.

“Oh thank God,” Kate said and gently placed her hands on Titus’s cheeks. “How do you feel?”

“Like shit,” Titus moaned.

“No time for that.” Sol reached down and pulled Titus to his feet. “This place could come down at any moment.”

He looped his leader’s arm around his neck and made a path to the door. Fires raged all around them. When he glanced back, he could see the small woman helping her friend in much the same fashion. Her watchful eyes constantly scanned the area.

“I’m good,” Titus said after some time and began to walk more freely on his own.

They all reached the hall. Fire lined all sides, creating a narrow path.

“You go first,” he said to Titus. When it looked like he might argue, Sol pushed on. “She’s injured, and you need to clear the path for her. We’ll follow behind.”

Titus paused and then nodded.

Sol watched as Titus made his way through the narrow opening and then reached a hand out to help Kate.

A loud groan filled the room, and the earth seemed to shudder from the sound. He shoved back the small woman. Just in time, Titus yanked Kate forward as the roof fell, blocking their only path out. He could see the pair was safe on the other side.

“Get out,” Sol shouted. “We’ll go another way.”

He turned, scooped up the small woman and charged through the smoke. They needed to get out of there quick, and his options were closing left and right. Without thinking, he raced back to the balcony door they had originally come in from. Fire had yet to reach that side. After he kicked open the door, the pair breathed in gulps of fresh air. He set her down.

Below, people milled about and shouted up at the sound of the door. Sol leaned over to look at them. Some were trying to find something to catch them with, but he knew that by the time they did, the fire would have already reached them. The sound of glass breaking hit his ears, and he looked over to the woman.

“You’re going to have to put a lot of trust in me,” he said to her. Silently, she nodded. “Put your hands around my neck and try not to scream.”

“Why would I—” He lifted her up and held her tightly to his body. Without further warning, he leapt over the railing.

With grace and years of practice, he landed softly on his feet. The woman in his arms leaned back. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she spoke.

“What are you?” she whispered and fainted in his arms. Her limp body draped over him as he looked up at the forming crowd. A mixture of awe and fear reflected in their faces as they stared at his glowing eyes.

He knew at that moment that things would never be the same, and it was all his doing.

* * *

Erica woke up groggy, but cozy and warm, in a bed. As her eyes flickered open, the events from earlier came pouring back. She sat up quickly and ignored the throbbing behind her eyes.

“Oh I’m so glad you’re awake,” Kate said from the other bed.

She looked around and frowned. “Where are we?”

Kate turned down the volume on the news. “Your guest room at the lodge.”

Her frown deepened. “How did I get here?”

“Sol brought you,” Kate said quietly.

His glowing amber eyes floated in Erica’s head, but things still weren’t adding up.

“He brought us here afterward.” Her gaze shifted to the door. “We’ve even got a couple military guards keeping an eye on us.” She returned her attention to Erica. “You do remember what happened. Don’t you?”

She remembered the fire and Sol’s eyes. Erica thought for a moment. Movement on the TV caught her attention, and she looked up to see Titus. His eyes were glowing. Sol stood just off to the side.

The jump. He saved her by jumping. Something he shouldn’t have been able to do, not do and survive anyway.

Her heart raced as she pulled in everything. When she looked back up, Kate was turning up the volume, eyes fixed on Titus.

“We’re called hybrids,” Titus said into the set-up microphones. “Or at least, that’s what the military is saying. We were found about a year ago off the coast of Italy, just south of Rome.” He took a deep breath, like the story he was telling was not one he wanted to share. “The US and Italian governments tracked down the organization that made us, the Horatius Group, in connection with drug smuggling and human trafficking.” Titus gave a hollow chuckle. “I think we were the last thing they expected to find.”

He fell quiet for a moment, and the room erupted in a flurry of questions. Titus held up a hand, and the room went silent once again.

“I don’t know if I can answer all your questions, since we don’t know all the answers ourselves. I do know that we are genetically engineered hybrids. This was done in utero and, from the records that were found, by mostly willing women for money.” His face hardened with those words.

“Oh God,” Kate said and sat hard on the other bed. She put a hand over her mouth.

Erica’s stomached churned. The thought of a mother being so calculating made her chest hurt.

“What do you mean by ‘hybrid’?” a reporter shouted out.

Titus looked over to Major Carter, who nodded. “I’ll let Major Carter take over for that.”

As the major took the podium, Titus conferred with Sol on the side. Her heart sped up as she watched him. He was wearing the same clothes from earlier, although soot and grime made the white shirt look dingy.

“We’re still not quite sure about all the scientific details,” the major said. “The methods they used are a mystery as well as all the specifics. What we are able to tell is that their genetic makeup is more man than anything. In some areas, they have simply been enhanced, whereas others were completely altered.” He gestured over to the two men. “I think the most obvious is their eyesight. Like a wolf, they see well at night and can perceive movement more quickly than our eyes.”

“So are they part wolf?” a reporter asked.

“It’s not quite that simple, but yes, we believe there are elements of that expressed in certain characteristics.” The major nodded to another reporter.

“Has the Horatius Group been apprehended?”

Major Carter scrubbed a hand over his face, and unease settled over Erica.

“They have been able to evade us thus far.” His mouth was a hard line as he spoke. “When we found the men at the facility, they had been without food or water for several days. Somehow they knew we were coming. However,” his hand slammed the podium so hard the microphones buzzed from the feedback, “they will be caught. We’re working with authorities in several countries to deal with this. The Italian facility is definitely closed down, and the Italian government has requested the US take the lead on this investigation. Further investigations found that the Horatius Group have been known to work with and supply terrorist groups. They pose a danger to the United States and the rest of the world.”

“Are the hybrids dangerous?” a reporter near back asked. “After all, there are soldiers here watching them.”

Anger coursed through Erica as a hush fell over the TV.

“No,” the major said without hesitation. “My men are really more for their protection. The hybrids have been through numerous psych evals and testing. They pose no danger and, in light of today’s events, are heroes by all rights.”

Erica blushed. They were heroes. Without them, she and Kate would have been killed.

“These are men who were forced into something they never wanted.” The major stared earnestly at the crowd. “For now we need to let them adjust to their new life and freedom.”

The major nodded and walked off the stage, Sol and Titus not far behind.

Kate clicked off the TV, and they sat in silence for a moment, absorbing what had been said.

“So,” Kate said after some time. “Mark’s an asshole.”

Erica went over and sat with Kate on the bed. “What happened?”

Kate sighed. Her breath was shaky. “He was chatting with some official when I came up.” She turned to look at Erica. “I was just waiting for the right moment, but they kept going on and on.”

Erica rolled her eyes. Mark could go on if the moment struck him.

“When I was finally able to interject, he acted like a total jerk. I turned and started to walk away when the explosion happened.” Her hands shook as she talked, and Erica took them in her own. “People were screaming, and there was smoke everywhere. It took me a moment to realize I wasn’t standing but pinned.”

Her eyes were wide when she continued. “It was amazing. Titus must have been moving so fast to knock the beam out of the way,” she said. “Anyways, Mark tried to move Titus, but he really weighs a ton. When I couldn’t get out, he ran. Like it was nothing. Like I was nothing.”

Erica took Kate in a hard hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” she said.

Kate’s body shook, and it took Erica a moment to realize that she was sobbing, something she had never seen her friend do in all the years they had known one another. Erica ran a hand in circles on her back until the crying subsided.

After a while the shaking stopped, and Kate took in shuddered breaths. When she leaned back, her makeup had slid down her face.

“I think I’ll just go take a shower,” she said.

Erica nodded. “I think I’ll get some fresh air. My lungs are still pretty rough from all the smoke before.”

She watched as her friend disappeared behind the door and cursed Mark. He had always been a douche, but this was an all-new low for him. Next time she saw him, she’d be sure to give him an earful. Maybe even a kneefull. Heaven knew he certainly deserved it.

Erica put Sol’s jacket back on. She somehow felt safer being wrapped in his smell. She opened the door to two armed men in military fatigues.

“We can’t let you go, ma’am,” one man said.

Erica smiled nicely. “I’d just like to sit on the deck, if you don’t mind. My chest is hurting a little, and some fresh air might do some good.”

The soldiers looked to one another, confusion on their faes.

“I don’t see what it could hurt,” the other said.

The first one looked her up and down. “Okay, but don’t get too far away.”

With a nod, Erica smiled and walked around the corner where she spotted several seats. Quietly, she shrank into the shadows when she found the right chair.

The moon was high in the sky. She sat and wondered if it had any effect on the hybrids. Of course, it made little sense, but then, none of this did really. The major had already talked about the keen eyesight. She assumed it was the same for smells and sounds. Her face flamed when she realized Sol must have heard them earlier at the party.