Varius: #9 (Luna Lodge) (7 page)

Lena pointed to another house on the right. “That’s it.”

Varius nodded and turned when the drive came into sight.

It was a pretty little two-story farm house with a nice-sized front porch, even if the paint was chipped and faded in more than a few spots. The orange-yellow setting sun in the background framed the house nicely. Two older people waited there, and he guessed they had to be Lena’s parents.

Her parents’ age surprised Varius. He’d expected them to be younger. Lena couldn’t have been much more than twenty-five, but by the look of them, they could have easily had her in their forties.

She looked like the two of them. Her mother’s hair was more salt and pepper than the rich brown of Lena’s, but they had the same large brown eyes and small frame. She’d inherited her tan skin from her father, with his even darker from working outside.

Varius stopped the car close to the house and watched as Lena jumped out and ran to meet her parents.

She gave them both a long hard hug, and he knew that coming had been the right choice. She needed this. It made her happy, and what made her happy made him happy.

He stepped out of the car and grabbed their bags from the back. Her parents watched him with apprehension as he approached.

He’d expected their reaction. Even if he were just a normal man, they would be worried, but knowing that he was a hybrid only would worry them more. How could it not, with the constant news stories portraying them as women-snatching dangers?

He took a deep breath and walked over to stand beside Lena.

“Daddy, Mom, this is my boyfriend Varius,” she said nervously. He placed a hand on the small of her back and rubbed gently for assurance. “Varius, these are my parents, Sue and Jim.”

He stuck out his hand, and her father shook it. The man was weathered but still seemed fairly solid for his age.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Varius said.

Her father stared hard at him, as if trying to assess his character at a glance.

“I’m glad we can get to know our Lena’s boyfriend,” he said.

Varius resisted a wince. The response was not really a sign her father was happy about their meeting.

“Let’s get you both inside and to your rooms,” Jim said.

Varius glanced at Lena, who mouthed her apologies once her parents had turned to go inside.

He shrugged. An overprotective father might be annoying, but he wasn’t exactly a serious challenge. It wasn’t like they’d screamed he was an abomination of the Devil or threatened him. Yet, at least.

A prickle of annoyance over the sleeping arrangements crept in. Not that he was planning to do anything in her parents’ house over the weekend, but he was looking forward to sleeping next to her again and just holding her close.

He followed them inside, and unsurprisingly, the interior proved as simple and cute inside as the exterior.

Lena’s father went over to a well-loved chair and sat in it as the rest of them made their way up the creaky stairs.

“I hope the drive was good for you all,” her mother said, wringing her hands. Now he knew where Lena got it from.

“Very nice, thank you,” Varius said.

Her shoulders stiffened as he spoke.

She was nervous about him. He assumed she’d heard all the bad things about hybrids that the news liked to toss out. It was going to be hard to convince them he wasn’t a tool of the Devil the media made him out to be. He could only hope that Lena’s opinion held some sway.

“This will be your room,” Sue said. She opened the door just off the stairs and stepped inside.

Varius followed, and the small room only seemed to get much smaller with him in it. He could see Sue inch toward the door as if she just realized how small the room really was and he might come after her any second.

Varius set his suitcase on the bed, Lena’s still in hand.

He watched as Sue opened the door across the way from his.

“You’ll be in your old room sweetie,” she said and smiled warmly at Lena.

He waited in the hall as the two women stepped inside. He could see the soft pink wall paper and smiled a little. It was so very Lena.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” her mother said and gave her a hug.

Lena grinned, and Varius nodded himself, again convinced it had been the right decision to come, regardless of her parents’ misgivings about him. Aside from their time last night, he hadn’t really seen Lena smile like that. It made him glad that he could be a part of that.

Varius stepped into Lena’s room and placed her bag on the bed.

“Okay, well,” Sue began, “I’ll let you two freshen up. Dinner will be in an hour.”

She stepped over to the door and closed it part way but not completely. It was clear they weren’t to be in the same room with the door shut.

The creak of her steps signaled her trip down the stairs.

Lena sighed loudly and walked over to close the door. When she turned around, her cheeks were red.

“Sorry, they are sort of old-fashioned.”

Varius shrugged. “It’s just for a few days.”

In truth, her explanation was a relief, as it implied they would have acted the same way around a non-hybrid man.

She smiled and walked over to him. He loved that this smile was all for him.

Lena wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes. Varius met her the rest of the way for a soft kiss. This one was brief but still seemed to carry all the emotions from last night.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I know the sleeping arrangement isn’t ideal, but I’m glad to see them.”

Varius smiled down at her. “They seem glad to see you, too.”

She sighed and placed her head against his chest. “They’ll be glad to know you too once they get to know you better.”

Varius ran a hand through her hair, not near as certain as she was about that but unwilling to voice his concerns.

“I better call Titus,” he said and stepped away. Varius made his way to the door and looked back at her. “You might want to get a nap in. I want you well rested for when we get home.”

He chuckled as a blush spread across her face and hurried back to his room before he got himself into trouble.

Chapter Eleven

“Your people eat their steaks cooked, right?” Lena’s mother asked, a slight frown on her face.

Lena could feel her eyelid start to twitch again. She loved her parents, but so help her God, she was about five seconds away from laying into them both.

“Mom,” Lena said and ground her teeth. Her mother frowned at her.

“What? How am I supposed to know? They say a lot of things on the news. It’s hard to know.” She waved. “It’s not exactly like I’ve known a lot of these hybrids types.”

Varius placed his hand on Lena’s in her lap, likely trying to stop her from squeezing them so hard they popped.

“Yes, cooked is preferable, Sue,” he said.

Relief spread across her mother’s face. Apparently she was happy their house guest wasn’t some raw meat-consuming monster.

The tension in the room thinned a bit. Although now that Varius had his sunglasses off, Lena caught them staring at his unusual eyes. Not that Lena could blame them for that. They were amazing, and she sometimes found herself getting a bit lost in them.

Her mother passed the food around and took one of the smaller steaks from the plate. They had always been a steak and potatoes sort of family. Nothing about that was ever going to change, and tonight was no different. Steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. Simple but still good.

And she was just sure her mom had pulled out all the stops by making her pineapple upside down cake. One blue ribbon at the county fair, and it suddenly became the only cake she wanted to make.

“So, Varius, that’s an unusual name,” her mother said as she dished out some green beans for herself.

Lena glanced over at the large man next to her.

“It was the name I was assigned,” he said simply.

She could see the looks her parents gave each other. Assigned wasn’t really something someone attributed to their name in her world.

She was sure Varius wasn’t eager to discuss the evil Horatius Group. Although she was still learning about the hybrids’ past, the little she knew was horrific: children taken from or given by their mothers, trained to be soldiers, with nothing approaching a normal life until the last few years. It was miracle they could normally function at all.

Her father cleared his throat. Apparently it was his turn to start grilling Varius.

“And, um, want sort of job do you do? Do you have a job?”

Varius looked over to her father as Lena pushed around the food on her plate.

“I’m a part of the security forces. Usually I’m assigned to recon or scout missions, since I’ve good eyesight, even for one of our kind, but right now I’ve been assigned to keep your daughter safe.”

Her mother gasped loudly. She shot a panicked look over at Lena’s father.

“Is she in some sort of danger?” she asked Varius and then turned to Lena. “Are you in danger?”

Lena sighed. She had been hoping to avoid creating unnecessary worry for her parents. Her eyes found Varius, who looked a little surprised that they were unaware.

“I’m totally safe,” she said. “There were just some issues with some men bothering Paige, and since we’re friends, I was at risk.”

Her mother opened her mouth to say something, but Lena hurried on and said, “But we’ve not heard anything from them in several months, so it’s really just a precaution.”

Varius nodded his agreement. “We’re not worried at all.”

They ate in silence for a bit, her parents just trying to sort out what she’d just said. Lena knew they would worry. It was what parents did, but Varius added a whole new element to all this.

She hoped she could make them see that he not only would keep her safe, but that he made her happy.

Once dinner finished, she helped her mother clear the table while Varius and her father went in the living room to watch a little football. She had no idea if Varius knew the first thing about football, but he seemed content to go in the other room with her father. All things considered, the visit was going pretty well.

When they had everything in the kitchen, her mother started filling the sink. There was no dishwasher in their house. As her mother had told her a million times, hands did a better job of scrubbing.

“Is this some sort of rebellion?” her mother asked as she poured in a little soap.

Lena frowned, her stomach clenching. Apparently things weren’t going as well as she thought. “What?”

Her mother turned to look at her from the sink. “This relationship, are you rebelling against us?”

Lena rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-five and haven’t lived at home in years, it’s a little late for that I think.”

Her mother scrubbed the plates hard and set them in the sink next to her. “Then why him? This just doesn’t make sense. Why not someone more normal?”

“That’s why.” Lena walked over and rinsed off the dishes and set them in the rack. “He’s different, just like you said,” she said quietly. “He listens when I talk and cares about what I think. I’ve never met a man like him.”

“He’s a hybrid.” Her mother paused to look at her. “He’s not really a man, is he?”

Lena pressed her lips in a hard line. “No,” she said as she stared hard at her mother. “He’s more than that. What’s more, I think I’m falling in love with him.”

The words came out before she really knew she had said it.

Love? It had maybe crossed her mind before, but it just seemed so soon. How much time did a person need before they knew it was more than just dating?

Her mother’s shoulders sagged a little, and she slowed down her scrubbing. She gave a little laugh. “Did I ever tell you how I met your father?”

Lena smiled. “Grandpa hired him for some summer work moving bales of hay.”

Her mother nodded. “I knew the moment I saw him that he was special.” Her voice was soft like she was remembering the day. She shook her head a little. “Although it wasn’t hurt by the fact he had his shirt off and was lifting bales of hay into the truck.”

“Mom! Too much information.”

Her mom chuckled at the outburst. “I might be your mom, but I wasn’t blind,” she said and turned to Lena. “And because of him I have you.”

Lena placed the plate she had been holding on the drying rack.

“We just want to see you happy,” her mom said. “I don’t understand all of this, and I don’t understand his kind at all, but if he makes you happy then that’s all we can ask.”

Lena dried her hands and wrapped them around her mother. “Thanks, Mom.”

* * *

Varius watched the men on the screen slam into each other. Football wasn’t a sport he’d gotten into, but he understood the general principles. Some even said it was a kind of simulated battle.

Things were simple for the fan though: pick a team and cheer when they scored. It seemed that they were cheering for the ones in the green and yellow uniforms.

Jim hadn’t said anything to him since they came into the room, and despite trying to give Lena and her mother privacy, it was hard to tune them out when they were talking about him, the blessing and the curse of superior hearing.

Lena said she was falling in love with him. The words echoed in his head and made him want to stand up and shout his love for her. He’d worried for so long that he’d never be able to convince her.

Varius allowed himself small smile. Her mother seemed to be accepting Lena’s admission, but her father might prove tougher to convince.

“You don’t talk much do you?” Jim said.

Varius turned to look at Jim. “No, sir.”

Jim nodded. “Good,” he said. “I hate men who feel they have to jabber on about nothing just to hear themselves talk. World would be a better place if more people shut their traps.”

He chuckled. It wasn’t exactly the sort of conversation he was expecting, but at least he’d curried some favor with her father by just being the quiet person he was.

There was no point in admitting that he’s learned that being quiet often let him know when his enemy was near, and it allowed him to collect intelligence.