Chapter Thirteen
Joran lay there with Nicole nestled in his arms. Her warm naked body fit perfectly against his own. He sighed at the feeling. It was such a sense of belonging that he’d never been able to have before. She was his, his Vestal, the other half of his soul.
Even with the hybrids, it had always felt like there was something missing. Now he knew that something was Nicole. He’d seen the others who had found their Vestals, but seeing something and understanding it wasn’t the same thing as experiencing it.
She shifted and nestled down deeper into the crook of his arm, moving her injured hand slightly from where it had been along his stomach.
Nicole blinked open her eyes a little. “Hi,” she said shyly.
A smile spread across Joran’s face. It was the most perfect thing to say after everything they had just shared. He leaned down and placed his mouth over hers in a soft, sweet kiss. When he pulled back, he smiled again.
“Hi.”
Joran settled back against the pillow and enjoyed the moment. Nicole’s soft fingers trailed along his chest. It was so perfect. He almost should have known it wouldn’t last.
The instant she touched his tattoo, Joran knew he had waited too long. Sometimes explanation did need to come first.
Blinding blue light filled the room. A hum vibrated through the air.
“What the…?” Nicole began. She barely got out the word before Joran jerked away from her, breaking her connection.
He stared at her for a moment, not really quite sure what to even say or where to start. He’d hoped they might be able to talk in the morning, when he’d had some time to think it through and plan how he was going to tell her everything.
Nicole narrowed her eyes. “What the fuck is going on?”
She stared hard at him, her sharp eyes watching him in a way that cut to the bone.
Joran sighed. “I wanted to tell you.” He dragged a hand across his face.
Nicole pulled back further on the bed, as if she didn’t trust him. The idea stabbed at his heart.
“Then start talking.”
Joran sighed. It was best to start with something she might understand.
“I’m a hybrid,” Joran said as calmly and clearly as he could. “Or a type of hybrid. All of us are. We’re not from Luna Lodge, but we were created with a similar process.”
She didn’t gasp or frown. Instead she only stared at him, her eyes likely watching for any sign of deception.
“Just like the Luna hybrids, we escaped an organization called the Horatius Group. They are the people who created us.”
For now, it was best to stick with basics. It was hard enough telling her that he was a hybrid, and at least the news coverage of Luna Lodge would have helped prepare her to accept that much.
Getting into the ideas of Atlantean gods, let alone a chaos god like Erebus, just seemed like a bad idea. It was too farfetched for anyone to believe. He even had trouble with it himself.
Nicole blew out a breath. “So are you all the ones behind the killings?”
Joran frowned. “No. We’ve been trying to stop them.”
The anger on her face eased a little.
“There are creatures worse than us out there,” he continued. “Glycons. Mindless killers. All my people and I wanted was somewhere to live, but it seems like we’ll never be free.”
“What happened with these creatures?”
Joran shook his head and shrugged. “We’re still trying to figure that all out. I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you for so long, but the only way I even knew you was through the dreams. It just felt like it’d be too much otherwise.”
If he had slapped her, it almost would have been kinder judging by the look on her face. Suddenly it was all coming together in her mind, and she must have realized that their dreams might not have been real, but their conversations and encounters were. He’d thought she’d already made the connection earlier, but now he realized he’d been wrong.
“Did you manipulate me?” Nicole asked.
Joran shook his head and tried to take her hand, but she jerked away and moved off the bed.
“It’s not like that,” Joran said quickly. “I never meant to hurt you, but we hybrids have to be careful as to not risk the Horatius Group finding us, and you’ve seen how the government has treated the hybrids of Luna Lodge. We’re connected. I know you feel it. The draw we have to one another. We’re made to be together. You’re my Vestal.”
She scoffed as she pulled on her panties and bra. “Made for each other? Yeah, like I haven’t heard that line before.”
“Nicole.” Joran moved forward.
She lifted her hand to tell him to stop. “You spring all of this on me, and I just can’t…”
His heart hammered in his ears.
“I think you need to go,” she said softly.
Joran frowned. “Nicole, if you’ll just let me explain, everything will make sense.”
She stared at him and shook her head. “I can’t,” she choked out. “I just can’t. Go.”
His heart shattered into a million pieces. He knew she might be mad or doubt him, but this was almost worse. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. It was that she didn’t want to be involved.
Joran picked up his pants and pulled them on. He grabbed his shoes and shirt from the floor.
Nicole wrapped a blanket around her body and made her way to the front door. She opened it. He didn’t want to leave, but maybe space was the best idea for the moment.
He walked over to the door. “I’ll call you.”
She looked away and nodded.
He swallowed hard and made his way outside. Nicole closed the door behind him. The sound of it was so final he wondered if they would ever see one another again. He’d screwed everything up because he’d been thinking with the wrong head.
Not sure what else to do, Joran climbed into his car and pulled out into the darkness. Maybe in the light of a new day, things would look differently.