Cyrus: #11 (Luna Lodge) Read online

  “I’ll tell her when she’s ready to hear,” Cyrus said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

  Still, he turned to glare at Titus in the living room as he stirred eggs.

  Titus stood there holding April’s lacy black bra by the strap. A faint smirk decorated his face. Cyrus stomped over and snatched the bra from his hands.

  “That’s not yours,” he said with a growl.

  Titus raised a brow at the challenge but didn’t say anything. Cyrus knew he was testing his leader’s limits, but then so was Titus.

  Messing with anything to do with the man’s Vestal wasn’t the best choice. And Titus of all people knew this. After all, he’d completely lost control shortly after encountering his Vestal.

  Cyrus didn’t want a fight with the man. He just wanted him to show some fucking respect to both him and his Vestal.

  “You can’t keep this a secret from her,” Titus said. “She’s going to find out sooner or later. It’s better if she knows sooner. You don’t want her to think you’ve purposefully kept anything from her.”

  Cyrus turned off the stove and turned to say something but stopped at the sound of movement in the bedroom.

  He furrowed his brow. He’d been so annoyed by Titus showing up he’d missed the sound of the water turning off. He glanced over at the slightly open door and wondered if April had heard any of their conversation. The situation might have already grown more complicated thanks to Titus.

  Maybe April would learn about Vestals sooner than later.

  Titus cleared his throat loudly. “I guess I’ll get out of your hair,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Cyrus rolled his eyes and followed his leader to the door. “Yeah, thanks for that. You’ve been such a great help this morning.”

  Titus stopped the door and turned to look at him. “It’s worth it,” he said quietly. “For both, even though they never expect it. Everyone feels that way in the end.” He stared at Cyrus for a second and then nodded. “Don’t worry.”

  Cyrus gave a short nod back. He wasn’t about to talk about his feelings about the whole thing but knew Titus was right. As nervous as he was talking to her about their connection, he was even more nervous about the fact she might leave him. For all the talk and feelings of connection, she still had a job, a mind, and an independent existence. Even if they were meant to be together, there was no magic force that would force it if she chose to push him away for whatever reason.

  He closed the front door, sighed, and made his way back to the bedroom. He was surprised to see April was quickly putting on her dress from the day before. He was also a bit disappointed.

  He’d hoped since he pushed Titus out that they could spend some more time together. Not necessarily sex, just more time in bed.

  Instead, April turned to face him, her eyes filled with fury, her wet red hair slapping around her face as she did so.

  She struggled with the zipper on the back of her dress. Her soft breasts moved freely inside the material. Despite the anger in her face, he couldn’t help but harden at the thought of touching or tasting them.

  He pushed the thoughts out, refocusing on how angry she’d been, now worried she’d overheard the conversation and misunderstood.

  He held out the bra he had taken from Titus before. April stepped forward and snatched the bra out of his hands, still glaring.

  “Have I done some—” he began.

  “Was this all just a game to you?” she snarled.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m not an idiot.” She let out a harsh laugh. “What, since I’m a government contractor, do you get extra-special brownie points? Or was this just more a big joke? Bang a little chick on the side since she’s around?”

  “You don’t understand.” Cyrus frowned. “That’s not what—”

  April glared at him and threw up her hand, palm-out. “Don’t. Just don’t.” She continued to struggle with the zipper behind her back. “I heard the two of you. There is no denying that this is all just some sort of sick game for you.” She shook her head. “No. Even worse. I don’t think this is just a game. I wonder if you’re just trying to manipulate me during the assessment.”

  His stomach bottomed, and his heart pounded. Worse possible scenario. She had misunderstood them. He hadn’t been completely honest with her, and she thought it was for the wrong reasons.

  Fuck. If he didn’t fix this quickly, he’d lose his only chance at happiness. He had to make her understand.

  Cyrus stepped forward. “No, you really don’t understand,” he said quickly. “It’s not about that.”

  April stopped her struggle against her dress. Tears pooled in her eyes. The sight stabbed at his heart. He’d hurt his Vestal. He was a bastard.

  “It felt so real,” she said softly. “I can’t believe I let you convince me you actually cared about me.” She rubbed her eyes with her wrist. “I’ve been so stupid.”

  Unable to handle the pain that he had caused her, Cyrus pulled her tightly against his body. She mumbled something against his chest and struggled for a moment to get away until she ceased and fell silent.

  “Please, it is real,” he said against her ear. “My feelings for you are the more real thing in my life. If you don’t believe anything else, you have to believe that.”

  April looked up at him. Her eyes were rimmed red from her tears.

  “I don’t understand,” she said. “I heard your conversation. If this isn’t some sort of game, then what did it mean?”

  Cyrus led her over to the bed. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, her soft body leaning into his.

  “I haven’t been honest with you,” he said.

  April tensed in his arms. Lovingly, he made soft circles against the skin on her arm.

  “So you did lie to me?”

  “It’s not what you’re thinking,” he said quickly. “My people are different. More different than most even know. Not just with our special abilities, but also with the people that become our partners.”

  Cyrus looked down at her and wasn’t surprised that April seemed confused by his words. Even as a hybrid, he’d not really understood the pull until running into her.

  “Among my people, our mate situation is different than it is with normal humans. You date, do things like that, to find the person you’re meant to be with. We’re different. We have one person we are destined to be with. It’s not something we choose, but something that is ingrained in us. Someone made for us, and us for them.”

  She winced. “So you already have… a girlfriend? A wife?”

  Cyrus shook his head. He still wasn’t being clear enough. He pulled her face closer to his own and placed a soft kiss against her lips.

  “There’s no one else,” he said. “No one else but you. You are my other half. You are my perfect match. I knew it from the moment I first met you. You are my Vestal.”

  “Vestal?” she echoed. “Rachel mentioned that word.” April shook her head and stood. Quickly she stepped away from him and started pacing the room. “No, this is ridiculous,” she said quickly. “You’re talking about one true loves and love at first sight. That is fairy-tale stuff.” She shook her head again. “I don’t end up with a guy like you, I end up with a guy like General West.”

  At the mention of the man’s name, Cyrus immediately became irritated. He stood in front of her.

  “Never,” he said with a growl. “That man will never deserve you.”

  April stopped to stare at him. “I’m not interested in—”

  Cyrus stepped forward and placed his mouth against hers. He knew they were perfect together. All he needed to do was convince her of that as well.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cyrus pressing his mouth against April surprised her. She had been so angry with him, and then he’d confessed his devotion right then and there. More than just devotion, special hybrid fairy-tale stuff. If anything, she felt even more blindsided than she had when she overheard
his conversation earlier.

  She struggled to process what he said while his tongue invaded her mouth. He could still be lying. It’s not like everyone knew everything about hybrids.

  Despite the conflict raging inside her mind, April felt her body respond to him. Her nipples tightened as she pressed against him, and she was already growing wet.

  The growing desire pushed the uncertainty out of her mind. She didn’t care about anything at that moment but being with him. She was truly insatiable.

  Now Cyrus consumed her, his demeanor aggressive. This was no sweet kiss. This was pure lust.

  His plundering mouth punished her own, which only managed to turn her on more. Their tongues wrestled. His day-old stubble scraped against her cheeks and lips, making the skin there sensitive and raw. When he pulled back to nibble the skin, warmth shot through her, and she gasped against his mouth.

  April brought her hands around to the back of his neck and kissed him with even more fervor now. All her concerns from earlier had been blasted from her mind. Whatever all this was, she would sort through that later. For now, all she could feel or care about was the need that pulsed through her.

  His hands moved roughly over the dress she had been trying to put back on. With one movement, Cyrus yanked and pulled it down her body. The dress pooled on the floor.

  His eyes glowed brightly, drawing her in.

  She gasped when he backed her up to the wall and spun her around with his strong arms. His calloused hands moved in quickly, roving over her before stopping at her aching nipples. His fingers tweaked the hard buds as his mouth moved along her neck.

  She tilted her head to allow him greater access. Quiet moans of pleasure escaped her as his mouth explored the sensitive skin of her neck.

  “I want to taste you,” he rumbled against her ear. “Down there.”

  April’s insides fluttered, and her panties grew even more soaked.

  Not sure what to say, she spread her legs slightly. Her heart pounded as Cyrus took hold of her hands and placed them against the wall.

  “Stay here,” he growled in her ear.

  She started to close her eyes when Cyrus placed a hot-mouthed open kiss against her back. Her eyes snapped open. A shuddered breath followed when his hot breath caressed her thighs.

  He nibbled her rear before giving her a nip. April yelped in surprise and turned to look at him.

  Cyrus raised a brow in challenge, and despite herself, she turned back against the wall. As much as she liked to be in charge, there was something exciting about turning herself over to a powerful man like him, not to mention how much he seemed both interested in pleasing her and not just himself.

  He slowly looped his fingers through her panties at her hip and slid them down her legs. April stepped out. Cyrus tossed them over his shoulder across the room. So eager, apparently.

  “That’s better,” he mumbled against her.

  Cyrus moved his hands over her thighs, getting close but never touching where she wanted to be touched the most. Still, the warmth in her center built with anticipation.

  His blazing mouth created a path circling around her center. Again teasing. Sometimes she would feel him blow against her center. Her breath caught, and she prayed he’d offer her some relief.

  After several moments, April realized more than a few quiet moans were escaping her lips. As if she was trying to will him to give her what she needed. More teasing followed.

  “Cyrus,” she moaned after he’d gotten very close but once again backed off.

  April turned to stare at him, his chest bare to her and his thick muscles rippling as he crouched on the ground.

  “Yes?” he said, his eyes bright, but his expression impassive. Maybe he was toying with her on purpose.

  April frowned. “Please.”

  Cyrus arched a brow. “Please what?”

  He leaned in to place hot kisses on her once again. April turned back around. This time she was so aroused it was almost painful.

  “I need you,” she whimpered. “I need you in me, please.”

  His mouth closed over her aching center. She half-closed her eyes and let out a loud moan. His hot tongue swept between her dripping folds as his mouth sucked on her tender bud.

  She shifted her legs farther apart, willing him to invade her, to make her come like he had last night. She hoped her moans would be enough to convince him to bring her to ecstasy.

  Cyrus moved his tongue over her clit with careful purpose, giving just enough pressure to push her to the edge but never enough to satisfy her. His mouth proved he wasn’t just a wild man controlled by his lust, but a caring lover applying careful thought to her pleasure.

  Suddenly, he thrust his tongue deep inside her.

  A shockwave of pleasure blasted through April. Stars danced in her eyes. She groaned as the waves of her orgasm crested and her insides clenched. She shivered hard as she came and struggled to keep herself upright.

  Her knees buckled, and a strong arm wrapped around her waist as Cyrus held her up. She could feel his hot kisses up her back as the final waves of her orgasm washed over her.

  They stood there like that for several long moments, the only real sound her ragged breathing.

  “I could do that all day,” Cyrus mumbled in her ear. She shivered again, this time lost in her own heat.

  He’d given her such pleasure. She needed to show him she could do the same. If what he’d said was true, they were made for each other, and they both could have a lot of fun proving that every day.

  April spun in his arms and dropped to her knees before Cyrus could do anything. She stared up at him as she popped the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down.

  Cyrus licked his lips, and she spotted her juices still coating him there. She smiled up at him, and he looked down with his eyes glowing bright yellow. His powerful body towered over her. He was beautiful.

  Cyrus watched her. The taste of her was still on his lips as she slipped his pants down his legs and freed his painfully hard cock.

  The entire time he wanted to plant himself in her, but he relied on his self-control to make sure she was pleased first. After making her so upset, it was the least he could do. Now that she was going to work on him, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could restrain himself.

  He hissed as her hand clamped over him and stroked the smooth flesh.

  She stared up at him as she did so, watching his face. April brought her face to the tip of his cock and licked the slit.

  Cyrus closed his eyes and groaned loudly. Christ, he never thought it would feel like this, never thought he’d ever feel so much pleasure.

  Her mouth closed over the head, and he opened his eyes again to watch as his cock disappeared into her mouth. April moved over him. With each move, she pushed him farther and farther into her wanting mouth.

  Cyrus brought his hand to the back of her head and guided her mouth over him, helping her to move at the pace he liked. The way things were going, he might not be able to hold back.

  He groaned loudly when her tiny fingers came up to stroke him as she continued to move over him. So much for control. It wouldn’t be long now.

  The pull started low in his body, the first signs that he was close to coming.

  Cyrus cursed himself. She’d just started sucking him, and he was all ready to come in her mouth. This isn’t how he wanted things to go, no matter how good it felt.

  He pulled himself back from her and stared down into her questioning eyes.

  “I need to be inside you,” he grunted.

  She nodded quickly.

  Cyrus stepped out of his pants and turned April around again. He placed her hands against the wall and intertwined their fingers there. His eager cock continued to throb.

  “You’re going to want to hold on for this,” he said.

  “I trust you.”

  In one thrust, he buried himself deep inside her.

  April moaned loudly at the intrusion, but he could feel her muscles workin
g around him. An orgasm was as close for her as it was for him.

  Cyrus thrust into her as he kissed and nipped at her neck. The pressure continued to build in his cock. She’d just been too damn good with her mouth and tongue.

  April turned her head to kiss him back. His hands moved away from hers and down to her breasts. Her hard nipples rubbed against the palms of his hands.

  “More,” she moaned.

  Unable to stop himself, Cyrus grabbed her hips roughly and slammed into her. Their bodies slapped together as he increased his speed.

  Suddenly her fingers circled him as he slipped inside her. He could feel as she rubbed her clit and then went to rub him.

  Fuck, she turned him on with just about everything she did.

  Cyrus hammered hard into her now, fully rooting himself in her as he did so and pressing as deep as he could go. His entire body was on fire.

  With a final thrust and a loud moan, Cyrus came deep inside her. April cried out, and he could feel her muscles as they rhythmically squeezed him.

  There was no question in his mind. They were made for one another. She just needed to see that.

  Chapter Eighteen

  April couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a day off work. Usually, she was so swamped with things to do that even when she was home enjoying some TV, she was still working on something.

  The truth was she was going to have to work twice as hard the next few days. She’d already rescheduled her appointments for the day with the help a little white lie. Fortunately, Richard had some sort of appointment with the local mayor, so he wasn’t around to harass or question her.

  She knew it’d come up eventually, but figured as long as she kept doing her job, she could avoid too much negative attention. After all, no reason not to enjoy her first real day off in a long time.

  There she sat. All toasty warm on the couch with Cyrus, wearing her favorite pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt they had picked up earlier in the day after a few more rounds in the bedroom that had left her satisfied, even if a little sore.