Free Zeno: #8 (Luna Lodge) by Madison Stevens Page A

she was holding out a piece. He shook his head. It was clear she needed it more than him.
    She popped the piece into her mouth and sucked. Her eyes closed, and she let out a low satisfied moan.
    He gritted his teeth at the sound. It was already bad enough his hybrid genes were calling out for him to bond with her. The added sounds weren’t helping matters, especially given the fit of the front of his pants.
    He shifted a little and went back to the work at hand. He unwrapped the bandage and checked the wound.
    It seemed to be fine, but he had concerns. Given what they’d run into, who knew what the hell was on that floor? Cleaning the wound again was the best idea.
    With a bit of cotton, he applied the alcohol over the swab.
    His thumb stroked her ankle as he lifted it. Ava stilled and looked down at him.
    “This is going to hurt,” he said.
    Her face scrunched up in pain as he pressed the swab to the cut. He carefully wiped along it, making sure to be thorough.
    “Shit,” she hissed.
    Zeno stroked her soft skin with this thumb, trying to ease the pain.
    He set the cotton on top of the used gauze and applied a little antibiotic ointment.
    Ava took a big bite of her chocolate and shivered a little.
    He’d hardly even noticed the cold but knew she was feeling it more than he was. After this he’d insist she go back inside.
    “One of those Glycons scratched you,” she said and leaned forward.
    He paused as she ran her hand lightly over his jacket.
    “Do you want me to clean it?” she asked.
    His heart hammered in his chest. At that moment, he would have liked nothing more than to have her hands brushing against his skin.
    Zeno grunted. “It’s fine,” he said gruffly.
    His hand went for the gauze.
    “How do you become a Vestal?” she asked.
    He nearly fell over at the question. “What?”
    “I mean, it’s like a wife right?”
    He kept his eyes on her foot, trying to hurry as he wrapped it. He shrugged, hoping that might be enough.
    “Is there some special ritual?” she said.
    He looked up to her and placed her shoe back on her foot.
    He stood.
    “Does it have something to do with…biting?”
    He frowned. Was that even a real question? How was he supposed to talk to someone who didn’t even take things seriously?
    He stepped toward the door but stopped when her small hand held on to his arm. He looked down at her. Her soft light brown hair hung around her face with her eyes like two emerald jewels peering up at him.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “Val made me think—”
    She stopped and shook her head.
    “I just want to know more,” she said quietly. “Know more about the people who have been protecting my sister.”
    He sighed. How was he supposed to fight that? She did have a right to know.
    She moved over on the couch and patted the seat next to her.
    “We can keep each other warm,” she said innocently.
    His lower half responded in a not-so-innocent manner.
    This was a bad fucking idea. Still he moved until he was sitting next to her. His large body took up far more room than the half the seat was designed for. Her slight frame pushed against him, creating a pleasant warmth. He placed an arm on the back of the couch and was surprised when she moved in a little closer.
    “See,” she whispered. “Nice and warm.”
    He groaned as his dick pressed painfully against his pants and shifted slightly away from her. Ava moved into the pocket of warmth he’d created for her. They sat quietly for a bit, the cool night air blowing against them.
    He relaxed and checked the streets below. He didn’t think Antonio would bother sending anyone after them tonight. With the death of the old man, he’d be dealing with getting rid of the body. Rushing out into the city would play to his weaknesses and not his strengths. And Antonio struck Zeno as a man who liked to plan his vengeance.
    “I really do want to know more about your people,” Ava said quietly.
    He turned to look at her. She was mostly buried