Chapter Six
Nyx watched from her chair as the men filtered out of the meeting room. She’d stayed quiet as everyone talked about the new information provided by the recon mission. Nero mostly spoke for them and discussed what they’d seen, though he left out their momentary lapse in judgment.
She frowned slightly as he rose and departed. Though he related the information about the van and the oddly happy women, he didn’t mention anything else after that. No. She’d seen the look on his face. There was more. The bastard was hiding something.
When the last man had left the room, Rem looked at her and raised a brow. Her face must have made her thoughts obvious.
“Problems?” he said.
She stood and moved to the chair next to him.
“I don’t trust him.”
“What makes you say that?”
Rem gave her a half smile, the kind that always seemed to be holding something back. She figured the only person that ever got the full truth from him was Jenna.
Nyx took in a deep breath. She’d been thinking about it ever since they’d come back, and she just knew he wasn’t telling everything.
“He saw something,” she said and shrugged, not quite sure how she should continue.
Rem leaned in a little. “He saw something that he didn’t report? Other than the van and the women?”
She nodded and then stopped. “Well, it seemed like that way.”
Rem frowned at her. She resisted a grunt. She needed to make him understand.
“When we were out there, it just felt like he knew something and didn’t want me to know. I know he saw something.”
“And you didn’t?”
“I tried. Maybe it’d moved by the time I looked. I don’t know. I just know that bastard is hiding something.”
Rem leaned back and seemed to consider her words.
“Did you ask him about it?” he said after a moment.
“No,” she said, more stunned than anything.
Nyx stared at him in surprise. It hadn’t really been the response she was expecting. Not that she thought like Marcus, but still, Nero was an outsider, and she didn’t really trust him and honestly didn’t understand why Rem seemed to trust him so much.
“What good would it have done to ask him?” she said. “He’d just have lied.”
“Maybe.” Rem rose and started toward the door. She followed.
“If Nero wanted to hurt us, he could have already done it,” Rem said quietly, pausing as they reached the door. He looked over to her. “We’re not as secure here as the hybrids of Luna Lodge. We have fewer numbers, less defenses.” He gestured with his hand. “A lot of hybrids here aren’t as well-trained as those at the Lodge. We both know a surprise attack by the Group could decimate us. Why do you think he didn’t call the Group?”
Heat assaulted her face as she remembered what Nero had said. He was there because of her. Nyx still wasn’t quite sure how to process that. Maybe it was bullshit. Maybe it was true. It also wasn’t like he couldn’t want her and still betray the rest of them.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled to Rem, still not willing to give voice to the bold declaration. The last thing she needed was to give more ammunition to assholes like Marcus.
Rem laughed. Somehow he knew. Always one freaking step ahead of all of them.
She huffed loudly, ready to stomp out of the place but stopped when his hand landed on her shoulder.
Nyx turned to stare directly at her leader. His face was as open and honest as she’d ever seen. No smirk, no jokes, no suspicion.
“I trust him,” he said firmly. “We aren’t what the Horatius Group says we are. We’re more. We can all be better. There is more to Nero than they gave him credit for, just like there’s more than they believed for any of us.” He grinned. “Offer your trust. You may be surprised by the man you get back.”
The words echoed in her head as she stepped outside.
Trust? There were very few people she trusted, and he wanted her to just blindly believe in Nero, an outsider?
“Think about it,” Rem said with a smile. “I think there’s a part of you that wants to.”
Nyx opened her mouth to protest but stopped when Rem opened the door.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got chocolate cake waiting for me.” He frowned at her. “If I don’t get my slice tonight, she might give it all away.”
She nearly laughed at his childish behavior but thought better of it. When it came to chocolate cake, Rem was nothing but serious.
Nyx stood there as he walked into the darkness and toward his home. She wrapped her arms around her middle and winced at the pain. More meds were in order. Maybe some pills with the rest of her cake would be just the thing to wipe the evening from her mind.
* * *
Nyx sat on her couch just thinking as the pills worked their magic. She hated the way the heavy drugs dulled her senses, but the pain was worse.
She looked at the wrap resting on the table. Nero had been right about the pressure. It had helped make movement not so bad. She’d had no issues in the woods. It wasn’t perfect, but it had been good enough to get around and let her still feel useful.
Nyx sighed and set the empty container on the table. She dusted off the few chocolate crumbs that had found their way to her shirt and chuckled. The men would laugh at her up and down for wearing such a frilly outfit.
The pale pink cotton tank and matching pants were everything she wasn’t. And yet she loved them. They made her feel like she could be dainty, reminded her for a brief while she was more than just some living tool to be used for recon and discarded.
Rem’s words surfaced in her mind. We aren’t what the Horatius Group says we are.
Was that really true?
Her hand stilled against her shirt. The stubby nails on her hand stood out against the fabric. They were anything but dainty.
Nyx shook her head. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she wanted any of that. Not really. It wouldn’t help them stay safe, and it wouldn’t help her keep the respect of her men.
No, being dainty was the last thing she needed. The fantasy was fun for a moment, but in the end, they’d have to be exactly what the Group thought and more if they wanted to keep their freedom.
She walked to her kitchen. After filling a glass with water, she stared out into the moonlight-bathed pale darkness outside. It was getting late and she’d be sorry if she stayed up any later. The meds only added to her fatigue.
Movement in the distance along the tree line caught her eye. She squinted into the night, trying to make out what it was. The possibilities flicked through her mind: Azilian scouts, Glycons, maybe just some deer.
The shadow slipped between two trees, and when it came out the other side, she could make out the large form. A combination of satisfaction and disappointment filled her.
“Nero,” she whispered.
As if he’d heard her, he stopped and looked toward her house. Nyx hunched over, hoping that he hadn’t seen her. She knew he’d been holding something back, and now his little night jog proved it.
Her heart hammered in her throat as she waited for him to leave.
Trust him? No way in hell. That man was up to something, and if Rem didn’t believe her before, she’d make sure he did after this. Evidence of Nemo’s traitorous nature would be all she needed. Waiting until he betrayed them was idiotic.
She raced over to the door, grabbed her jacket from the hook and slipped on her sneakers. Wincing slightly, she opened the door. A little pain was worth exposing a traitor.