Justus by Madison Stevens

roll her eyes. It wasn’t the first government conspiracy she’d
heard, and the idea that the government would even care about their
little town seemed about at far-fetched as it got.
    The music came back on, and
she watched as the teen continued checking as if nothing had
happened.
    It might not be the
government, but something was happening. She furrowed her brow. The
little, sleepy town might not be of interest, but they had
something very unusual in the world: a nearby group of hybrids.
    Rachel’s warning flashed back
in her mind. Maybe Mr. Cobb was on to something. For now, there was
nothing she could do about it, and obviously, the hybrids of Luna
Lodge had some clue that it was going on if Rachel thought to warn
her.
    The woman ahead of her paid
and pushed out of the line.
    The girl looked over to
her.
    “You ready to checkout?” she
asked. Her perky pony tail bounced as she spoke.
    Paige nodded and absently
stacked the rest of her things on the belt.
    Behind her she could hear the
bickering between the two older people but tuned it out as she
watched the cashier.
    She seemed totally
normal.
    Paige ran her card and took
her receipt. Before rushing out the door, she looked back and waved
to Ms. Martin and Mr. Cobb.
    “Let me know if you hear
anything,” she said and gave a smile, hoping the two of them could
read between the lines. Between Reverend John and the weird
spectacle she’d just witnessed, her town had gone from quiet place
to frightening weirdness.
    They both nodded slowly.
    She turned and made her way
out to her car. The truck from earlier was parked off a ways. It
seemed they didn’t plan on kidnapping her today. Well, that was
good at least.
    Paige loaded the car and
hopped in. She needed to get back to Justus.

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    On the drive home, Paige
thought over everything that had happened: John, Justus and the
strange music. Maybe this had been what Rachel and Lena had been
trying to warn her about. It was hard to say without talking to
them, and with the way things were going, she didn’t really trust
that someone wasn’t recording her phone conversations. Whatever the
truth was, things were even weirder than the already bizarre
reality of her shacking up with a hybrid.
    She’d have to talk to Justus
about the lodge. It was really the only option that made sense. He
only felt an attraction to her because of her Vestal status, and
she had saved him. His time with her proved he wasn’t working for
the Horatius Group, so there was no reason for the Luna Lodge
hybrids to imprison him again. She was sure if Titus apologized and
guaranteed his protection, Justus would feel safe at the lodge.
    Slowly she eased into her
drive and pulled in slightly. Behind her in the mirror, she watched
as the truck slowed.
    Paige gasped as two men
hopped into the back of the truck and sped off down the road.
    Her heart pounded as she
stepped on the gas. It never occurred to her they might send men to
snoop. It made perfect sense in retrospect.
    She slammed on the brakes as
she arrived in the front of the house and jumped out, not caring
how or where the car was parked.
    The front lock had been
popped, and her face flamed with anger over the nerve of those men.
They’d violated her privacy and her property. The thought of
calling the sheriff disappeared as quickly as it had arisen. He was
on their side, after all.
    “Justus,” she shouted.
    Before she could even take
three steps in, his arms were around her pulling her body tightly
against his own.
    “Paige,” he whispered. His
mouth came hot and hard against her lips, crushing them in a brutal
kiss.
    “I worried that they…”
    “I’m safe,” he said and swept
the hair around her face back. “I will always protect you.”
    She shook her head.
    “That’s just because I’m a
Vestal,” she said.
    He held her head between his
hands, and she looked up to his blazing amber eyes, the light both
eerie and beautiful at the same time.
    “You are