Chapter Thirteen
Lena smiled at Varius as she sat next to him at the dining room table. She hadn’t gotten much more sleep, but that didn’t really matter since she was happy. It was actually hard for her to remember the last time she’d been so happy. Who knew a little creek sex was so effective at perking someone up?
She fought off a giggle. It wouldn’t be such torture if she spent the time at her parents sneaking out with Varius for a little nighttime fun. Though she wondered if her parents knew. Thus far, her mother had given no indication, but it was hard to be sure.
Her mother brought in a plate of pancakes and smiled at her. “Good morning.”
Lena beamed back at her mother. “Morning.”
The screen to the front door slammed as her father came in from outside. He always liked to get his plants watered before it grew too hot outside.
He wore a grim expression, which sucked the joy out of Lena.
“I think you’re going to want to come outside with me,” he said to Varius, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced over at Lena for a second before refocusing on the hybrid.
Varius stood and looked toward the window that faced the drive. He narrowed his eyes.
“Were you expecting company?” Varius asked.
Her father shook his head. “Nope. Just you.”
“Damn,” Varius said under his breath. He turned to her with worry in his eyes. “You and your mother stay inside. Call the police.”
“What’s going on?” Lena’s mother asked.
“Probably nothing, but doesn’t hurt to be prepared. I’ll take the blame if the police are mad.”
Lena nodded and watched as her mother walked to the phone to get the police. Her father hurried to the hall closet and pulled down the old hunting rifle he had there. A second later he pulled out a box of bullets. A lump formed in her throat as she watched him load the gun.
“Daddy? What’s going on?”
He came over and patted her on the hand.
“You do what Varius says,” her father said. “It’s probably nothing. Just someone who got lost. Happens sometimes.”
Though his expression was bland, his eyes crinkled with tension. Even without that, she knew he was more worried than he was willing to admit. He was not a man to load a gun for casual encounters.
Varius looked back at her and then stepped outside with her father. “Just stay in here. We’ll take care of it.”
* * *
“You think it’s trouble?” Jim asked quietly when they were a little farther from the house. He glanced back over his shoulder toward his home.
Varius shook his head, eyeing a van closing in the distance. He flexed his fingers.
“It doesn’t make good tactical sense to hit during the day,” he said. “They’d lose the element of surprise.” He motioned toward the rifle. “We already know they’re coming, and we’re armed.”
Still, he couldn’t help shake the worry. They were too far away to get the help they needed quickly. If something did happen, they would be on their own for the time being.
He only hoped that despite Jim’s poor eyesight, he could still hit something. Maybe just the fact he had a weapon ready would dissuade whoever had shown up from starting trouble.
Assuming they weren’t Glycons, they’d fear taking casualties. And he doubted the Horatius Group would strike at a single hybrid in the middle of nowhere.
He bit back a laugh. Why did the hybrids have so many damned enemies? They’d done their best to just live their lives, but so many people were determined to destroy them.
It didn’t matter. He didn’t care. He would defend his woman until someone killed him.
Varius frowned when the van turned as it closed on the house. Large letters decorated the side, but more than that, he recognized the huge face painted on the side.
“Shit,” he grimaced.
He grunted. Tension still suffused his muscles, but he doubted a gun battle was going to start anytime soon.
“You know these people?” Jim asked.
Varius nodded. That damned reporter Jill Hope. He’d been so focused on staying under the radar from the Reverend’s men, he hadn’t even thought about her. The obsessed woman probably knew the minute he’d departed Luna Lodge. He bit back a growl.
The van skidded to a halt just outside the house. The door slid open, and Jill Hope stepped out, microphone already in hand, her camera man close behind.
“Jill Hope here at the shoddy little homestead of Lena Parker.” She glanced around. “Looking around here, you can understand why she felt the need to flee her poverty-stricken upbringing and why she might fall in with dangerous but glamorous-seeming sorts like the hybrids of Luna Lodge.”
“Shoddy?” Jim said. “Poverty-stricken? Now, you listen here.” He stepped forward in irritation, rifle still in hand.
Varius held up a hand to stop him before he really laid into her. They could control this situation as long as they kept their tempers in check. Jill Hope, if anything, probably wanted them to explode at her.
Jim stepped past, anger still etched into his face.
“This is private property,” he said to her. “And you’re trespassing.”
Jill ignored Jim, pushing forward toward Varius. She stuck her microphone in his face.
“Is Lena inside? Have you been brought to meet the family? Are they aware of your dangerous hybrid nature?”
Despite the irritation flowing through him, Varius kept his expression calm. He’d not give the pushy reporter any satisfaction today.
When Varius didn’t answer, she aimed the mic at Jim. “Mr. Parker, how do you feel about the fact your daughter is dating a hybrid? Aren’t you worried about her safety? Have you even considered what might happen if they decide to have children? Do you really want a half-breed grandchild?”
Jim frowned at the woman, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. “I don’t see what the hell business that is of yours.”
She looked taken aback for a moment. It must have been some time since someone dared speak to her that way. Her face reddened, and she glared at Jim.
“Excuse me?” she snapped. “You should understand, Mr. Parker, that this interview will be going out on national news.”
Jim stepped forward again. “You heard me,” he said clearly. “My daughter can date whoever the hell she wants, and we’ll support her.”
Varius raised a brow at the older man. Glad to know he had his support.
Jill huffed loudly. “I think you might not know the whole story with the hybrids.”
Jim shook his finger at her. “I think you’re the one who doesn’t know the whole story.”
“Maybe you haven’t been watching the news or my national award-winning broadcasts.”
“I don’t need to watch garbage. It rots the brain.”
She gritted her teeth.
Varius resisted laughing.
“The public has a right to know the truth,” Jill insisted.
“The public and no reporters have the right to trespass on my land,” Jim said, patting his rifle. “Get the hell off of my property. The sheriff’s is on the way, so if you don’t hurry, then maybe you can broadcast getting arrested all over the country.”
“The public has—”
Varius stepped forward. “I think it’s time you leave. You’re not getting a story today.”
Jill scrunched up her face and looked like she might argue a little more. Flashing red and blue lights caught their attention. They all turned to see a police car driving down the gravel road.
It screeched to a halt, and a sheriff stepped outside, a frown on his face.
“You okay, Jim?” the sheriff asked.
Jim nodded toward Jill Hope. “This woman’s some big-city reporter or something. Apparently, they don’t teach ‘em about private property.”
“I’m Jill Hope,” she said to the sheriff. “You may have seen me on—”
“All right, ma’am,” the sheriff interrupted. “Mr. Parker is right. This is private property. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I don’t think you understand. This man is a hybrid, as in Luna Lodge.” She nodded knowingly, her eyes wide.
Varius resisted the urge to scoff aloud. The only one causing any trouble was the damn reporter.
The sheriff seemed unfazed. “And Mr. Parker doesn’t seem to have a problem with him being on his land, but he does have a problem with you being here. Now, you need to leave. I wouldn’t want to have to arrest you for disorderly conduct.”
Varius kept his silence, hoping Jill would annoy the sheriff enough to get hauled off. It’d at least keep her out of his hair for a while.
Jill wrinkled her nose, her face now completely red. “The truth will get out, no matter how much you try to cover it up.” She nodded to her cameraman, and they slinked back to their van.
Varius watched anxiously as they grumbled their way back into the van. A wave of relief and a long sigh followed.
The sheriff took off his hat and wiped the sweat off his brow. He was just past middle age if his hairline was any indication and pretty much looked like most small-town law enforcement Varius had seen.
“Look,” the sheriff said, looking him up and down, his hand on his gun in the holster. “I’m not about to let some arrogant reporter come in and here and push my people around, but that doesn’t mean I want any of that hybrid bullshit being brought here. This is a quiet county, and we like that way. Do you understand me, son?”
Varius, unsure what to say, just stared at uniformed man after a quick nod. He wondered what sort of lies the sheriff believed about hybrids. For all he knew, the man normally eagerly watched Jill Hope’s broadcasts.
The fact the man was ready to pull out his gun didn’t fill him with confidence, but he wasn’t going to give him any reason to be further upset.
Hell, this sort of thing wasn’t even his area. Sol or Titus mostly dealt with the local authorities. He was the guy they sent out on covert missions, when they needed things done outside of the public eye.
“Now, Sam, don’t you start threatening my guest,” Jim said and stepped between the two of them. “If I was having trouble with him, I would have kicked his ass to the curb myself.”
Sam eyed Varius with suspicion. “You sure? What’s he even doing here?”
“Came out with my daughter for a little vacation.”
Sam sighed. His shoulders slumped a little with what seemed like relief. He dropped his hand away from his gun.
“Fine, you just make you keep him out of trouble,” the sheriff said. He eyed Varius again and stepped back into his car. He rolled down the window and pointed to the rifle. “And put that thing away, Jim. We both know you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with your eyesight.”
The sheriff backed up and then rolled down the drive.
“I’ll show you just what the hell I can hit,” Jim mumbled. “Little prick.”
Varius forced down the laugh that threatened to bubble up, still surprised. He’d expected Jim to help him defend Lena. He never expected the man would defend him against both the reporter and the local sheriff.
“Thanks for that, Jim,” Varius said when he turned to look at him.
Jim gave a sharp nod. Not much for words. Varius appreciated that.
They turned to head back for the house.
“After breakfast, why don’t you let me help with chores? I’m strong and fast, I’m sure there’s something I can help you with,” Varius said.
Jim stopped as they reached the porch and looked at him. He gave another nod.
“Was going to have to hire some men to put in a few fence posts, but I bet you could do it pretty easy.” He chuckled. “All that hybrid nonsense has to be useful for something.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lena helped her mother shell the peas for dinner. The chore allowed an almost Zen-like meditation, and after a bit, she had let the crap from the morning drift away. It helped to remind herself that it wasn’t anything more dangerous than an annoying reporter and that, for once, the local law enforcement seemed to be on their side.
She glanced out the window, but Varius was now too far away to see. He had been so fast with those posts that she wouldn’t have been surprised if he managed to finish the entire job in a couple of hours.
Lena smiled. It was nice to see her parents making such an effort with him. She’d worried, especially about her father, but they weren’t just tolerating him, they were genuinely trying to make a connection.
Her mother sat down at the table with two large bowls, one filled with uncut strawberries. She started slicing off the green tops and cutting the berries into half.
Lena knew what strawberries meant. Strawberry shortcake. One of her absolute favorites. It was yet another reason she was glad she decided to make the trip.
Her mother cleared her throat. “That was something else how he just ran out there to protect you,” her mother said softly. “Didn’t even think about it, didn’t even care who might be out there.”
Lena stopped shelling the peas to look at her mother. She wasn’t looking at her, but it was clear that what happened this morning had shaken her. Her parents had lived a long and quiet life in the country. Even the indirect threat of violence was foreign to them.
A bit of guilt washed through Lena, quickly replaced by anger, not at her parents, but at bastards like Reverend John.
“That’s just who he is,” Lena said. “Varius is such a kind person. He leaps into danger and saves people. That’s what most of the men at Luna Lodge are like, despite what the news wants us to believe.”
Her mother stared at her for a moment. “I take it this wasn’t the first time he’s saved you?”
Lena thought for a moment about lying, but it wouldn’t do any good. She had never been very good at it, and her mother always seemed to see right through her. Maybe if her parents understood the complete truth, they’d understand what a good man Varius was.
She sighed and shook her head. “Before,” she said and looked down at the pea pods in the bowl in front of her. “Like I said, there were some men that were after Paige. They weren’t just men, but bad men who didn’t care about hurting innocent people. I helped her, and they didn’t like that. They came after us both. They were going to burn us alive. We were surrounded by fire, and then there he was. He jumped right through the flames to get to me, fought of the men. I’ve never seen someone so brave.” She let out a shuddering breath. “I would have been killed if it wasn’t for Varius.”