Chapter Ten
Cato stormed past Ava’s desk, throwing open the office door. He stomped into Titus’s office.
The leader of Luna Lodge looked up from his computer, quirking a dark eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I can’t do this,” Cato said.
Ava trailed behind him. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed a deep frown on her now red face.
Titus nodded to her, and Cato watched as she shot him one last dirty look before closing the door.
“You can’t do what exactly?” Titus asked. He remained behind his desk, calm and undisturbed by the sudden outburst. If anything, the faint smirk on his face suggested he was amused.
Cato paced back and forth in the office, his heart thumping. He’d not been this worked up outside of battle. He ran a hand through his hair.
He’d kissed Wendy. No excuses. It had been all him, and there was no changing what he’d done.
He shook his head. She just looked so perfect there. Her cheeks still pink from the arousal he’d smelled on her. It had been hard enough waiting until that decorator was looking the other way. If the man weren’t there, Cato might have not wanted to stop at kissing.
He could still taste her. The sweet honey taste from her mouth mixed with the rich cinnamon of her arousal intoxicated him. He wasn’t sure how he’d lasted so many years without her.
There was no way he’d be able to keep himself from her after this. Given the way she kissed him back, it didn’t seem like she was displeased with the idea.
“I can’t work with that woman,” Cato said, practically shouting.
Titus raised a brow and folded his hands in front of him. “Is there something wrong with her?”
Cato shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with her. There’s something wrong with me. I can’t concentrate when she’s near. How am I supposed to follow the mission when I’m constantly distracted?”
He looked over to Titus who seemed unsurprised by his words. Maybe he expected that he would react like this. After all, she really was the first woman he’d ever worked with before.
“I have faith in you,” Titus said. “I’m sure you’ll do what needs to be done.”
Cato had to let him know the severity of the situation. He’d assumed Titus had already figured things out, but that might have been assuming too much.
“You don’t understand. She’s my Vestal.”
He stopped pacing for a moment and looked down at his shoes. It was embarrassing having to admit that he couldn’t control himself because his urges were making him half crazy.
“I know. If anything, I may have known before you.”
Cato’s head shot up, and he stared directly at Titus who continued to sit comfortably behind the desk. “What?”
Titus sighed and leaned back in his chair. “We assigned you to Wendy because we knew there was compatibility and wanted to test it.”
Cato stood stunned. That hadn’t been at all what he was expecting. “So you knew that she was my Vestal and set this up?”
Titus sighed. “We suspected,” he said. “On a previous mission, we found a list of some Vestals that the Horatius Group knew of. Wendy just happened to be on the list. It was luck that she was here and could be our chance to gain some insight with what the military is planning and if this current unit has any direct connections to the Group.”
Cato’s pulse thundered in his ears. They had set him up. His own people had set him up for this, and now Titus was acting like it was no big deal.
Cato growled. “So this is how it is? You set me up and just treat me like I’m some sort of fucking science experiment?”
Titus shook his head and stood. “It’s not like that.”
Cato was done with this shit. Being included in on the plans only to be used like some sort of rat. He glared at his great leader.
He growled. “You’re no better than the Group.”
Titus’s face twitched, but he kept his calm expression. “Wait,” Titus said as Cato turned to the door. “You don’t understand.”
Cato stopped at the door. “I understand just fine.” He stormed out.
He could hear Titus calling for him but didn’t stop. The pain in his chest wouldn’t let him. It was a betrayal. They might not see it that way, but it was. Being moved around just to see how things played out.
So, in the end, it’d be the same. All the freedom didn’t matter if it just meant a new group of people pulling the strings.
It burned in him that they didn’t trust him enough to tell him the purpose of his job. He wouldn’t have been adverse. Sacrifice for the job was something he was willing to do.
He kicked open the door outside and took in several deep breaths. “Cato?”
Shit. This was the last thing he wanted.
He glanced over to where Wendy stood, her face shadowed by the setting sun. Even now he felt the pull to her. Maybe that’s what they had been hoping for. That the animal would pull him to her, and things would just happen.
It only made him angrier just thinking about it.
“I can’t,” he said, more to himself than to her.
He stomped away without looking back.