Chapter Two
“You really shouldn’t be out of bed,” Jenna said as she hovered over Nyx.
Pain shot through Nyx’s side as she sat back down on the couch. Not wanting any further comments, she forced a calm expression on her face. Everyone acted like she’d been shot fifty times, and she was about damn tired of it.
She hated all the attention she’d been getting recently with everyone popping by to just “check in” and see how she was doing. All she’d done was crack a couple ribs, it wasn’t like she’d never walk again. If one more person offered to cook her something, she’d scream. Well, one more person other than Jenna.
“I brought you chocolate cake,” Jenna said and smiled widely at her. Her soft curly brown hair hung in waves over her glasses. She looked like such a hopeful little chipmunk it was hard to be irritated. Besides, Jenna made the best chocolate cake. Nyx couldn’t risk losing her treat.
She watched greedily as Jenna popped the blue plastic lid off the container. The rich smell filled the air.
Nyx took in a deep breath and ignored the painful pressure on her side. She had more than enough painkillers, but she couldn’t risk her mind being cloudy. No. She could be a big girl and take a little pain. It wasn’t her first time dealing with injuries.
No hybrid survived working for the Horatius Group without getting hurt. Even if she had her freedom now, that didn’t change the past and what they’d put her through.
“Here you go,” Jenna said, holding out the fork and container full of cake.
For a moment, Nyx almost forgot all the shit that had been happening around them and her painful past. She didn’t have to be asked twice and took a large bite of the sweet, gooey cake.
“Oh my God,” Nyx moaned.
Jenna beamed at the reaction.
“Glad you like it.”
Nyx stared hard at the other woman.
“Like it doesn’t even come close.”
Jenna held a hand over her mouth as she chuckled at the comment.
The one thing Nyx had to admit was that she was glad to have some female companionship that didn’t make her feel like she was always on the spot. The other hybrid women were nice enough. Still, none could seem to remember their time prior to being frozen, and that difference always seemed to complicate things. She wasn’t sure how much of it was the cryo and how much of it was the Group.
Despite Nyx’s role as Chief Tactical Adviser, it always felt like she spent most of her time explaining everyday items to the newly released hybrids. Sometimes it came down to even the simplest of things like using the stove or the phones. They were going to have to do something about their gaps in skills. Most of them still seemed to have good fighting instincts, at least.
How could they defend themselves against the Group if cars still surprised them?
Someone needed to start teaching them all more formally, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be that someone.
Fortunately, Carter, Jenna’s uncle and the ex-liaison to the Luna Lodge hybrids had taken up the task. She’d been skeptical trusting a non-hybrid, but the man had proven his loyalty to both the Luna Lodge hybrids and Rem’s group. Besides, he actually seemed to be good at training, perhaps not that surprising given he was a retired U.S. Army major.
Nyx looked up to Jenna half way through the cake. The other woman had been quiet since she had started eating. She watched as Jenna looked around her living room and wondered what she thought.
She’d spent nearly five years living either in a lab or underground. The sun had been a rare thing and paintings even more so. As soon as she’d been given her furnishings allowance, she bought the brightest and most colorful paintings she could find.
Some were cityscapes, their bright colors reflecting the bustling area and then melding in with the sweet honey tones of the sky. Others depicted fields of flowers running into one another as if the painter had captured the scene on a run. She’d picked up several with animals but only one with people. A couple.
At the time she’d liked the way the sun silhouetted their bodies. It made her think of the eclipsing moon, blocked by the light but only shaded.
Today the painting bothered her. She almost wished she’d never bought it. It was far too romantic for her tastes, and any reminder of the idea just made her think of the man she’d been avoiding: Nero.
It was bad enough knowing she was drawn to a man like him. The attraction made her wonder what it really meant and if she might have a dark piece of herself that she’d tucked away. The calling had always been there, even before he changed, but she’d blown it off as fear or revulsion. Likely it was a little of both considering the man he had been.
No. The man he likely still was, new skin and all.
Rem had explained the change. An injection from a Horatius Group scientist had been able to convert Nero from beast to man. It still seemed so crazy, but then, most everything about them was crazy. As always with Rem, she was sure he was holding something back. Their leader never seemed to lay all his cards on the table, whether within the Group or outside.
Her heart throbbed, and she frowned. She had no time for that crap. Either way, Nero was trouble and could get them all killed. Her body wouldn’t trick her brain into forgetting that.
Nyx shook her head to try and clear out the thoughts.
“How is Lara settling in?” she asked and took a large bite out of the remaining cake.
“Well,” Jenna said, beaming, “she’s been so much help, particularly with doing a little digging on the area and the Azilians.”
Nyx had always assumed the Horatius Group would be the biggest enemy they would come across, but the Azilians had proven troublesome in a whole new way. The true motivations of the Atlantean-worshipping cult remained unclear.
The Group may have hidden itself from the world, but the hybrids understood their motivations. The Azilians remained a mystery, particularly after the last encounter with them, where a woman pulled out a glowing stone and melted several men. The very idea of it still boggled her mind.
In the end, Nyx had been lucky to escape. The Azilians had detected their presence during the ritual and chased them to the only exit. Nyx had been the last one out, and she knew they would never escape with the men closing in on them. She told her people to run and stayed to hold off the cultists.
She’d thought it was strange at the time that Rem would let her stay, especially as he was so particular about them staying together. Of course, now she realized he knew Nero would provide backup.
Why hadn’t she noticed him sooner? As she was forced further and further from her only chance at escape, she was certain she’d be the next one liquefied.
When a loud roar broke from the back of the men, and Nero came bursting through, she couldn’t hold back the relief that rolled off her.
Preoccupied by the sight of the other hybrid, Nyx was caught off-guard by one of the men. The heavy metal rod he carried cracked hard against her ribs. She grunted and slumped to the floor from the pain.
She looked up to defend herself, but it was too late. The guard’s knee jabbed sharply against her cheek and temple. Her head throbbed, and the world around her faded as she came crashing to the floor.
Her eyes found Nero’s from across the room, and she found something she never expected. Fear.
That was all she could remember. Nyx had passed out, much to her embarrassment, and Nero rescued her.
She shook herself a little, trying to remember the kind of man she was dealing with. Nyx wasn’t about to start trusting him. There was no way she could. He’d saved her, but that didn’t change who he was.
She stabbed her cake with her fork, bringing up another bite.
Jenna blinked at her forcefulness.
“It’s just really good,” Nyx said through gritted teeth.
The other woman nodded slowly.
Her eyes caught movement outside. Almost as if drawn, her eyes landed on Nero. He walked with Rem down the path to their meeting center. They stepped inside the building, and she frowned.
Nyx swallowed her cake. “What the hell is that about?”
She looked over to Jenna, who fidgeted nervously.
“Just a little meeting.”
Nyx narrowed her eyes at the other woman.
“What sort of meeting?”
Jenna shrank back.
“It’s about the Azilians.”
Nyx shot up off the couch and ignored the burn she felt from her ribs. She was too pissed to bother caring. She was the damned Chief Tactical Adviser. They couldn’t have a meeting about their enemies without her present. And why would Nero be there unless he wanted to make a place for himself at her expense?
Jenna stood as well and placed a hand on Nyx’s arm.
“You really should be resting,” she said quickly. “They can handle things for now.”
Nyx sneered at Jenna. “And lose my place? I don’t think so. If beast man wants to take my spot, he’s going to have to fight me for it.”