CULLEN- The Secretary and the Soldier (Project Zeus-Olympia Book 2)

Alexia St. James stood and looked out over the waters of the island of Nunavut as her mind raced. Her long, cinnamon red hair hung loose down her back, as the breeze tugged at it gently. There was still so much that needed to be done before her family could be completely safe. First she would need to locate the rest of her siblings before the overzealous scientists that created them, did. She had already found two of them with the help of her long time friend Vladimir Brimkov and her fiancé, Mikhail “Dodger” Hudson. “There you are.” Alex looked up at the deep male voice and into the melted chocolate brown eyes of her brother, Ethan Foxx. Sweat glistened on his lean, muscular body as he stopped long enough from his run to look at her. “What are you doing out here?” “Plotting the fall of Olympia.” She shot her brother a charming grin, watching as he threw back his head and laughed. Olympia was the name of the government compound where they were created by a bunch of money hungry thugs that called themselves scientists. Project Zeus, as they fondly called their program, should have never been started. The smile slid off her face as her thoughts took a darker turn. “Don’t worry, Allie. We’ll find a way to get in touch with Cullen.” Ethan leaned in, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a comforting hug. She pulled back slightly, and sighed, as she glanced up into her brother’s eyes. Ethan had grown into quite a handsome young man. Deep chocolate, brown eyes set in a gorgeous face that looked as if it had been sculpted by an angel. His wavy hair, dark brown with a blood-red rinse throughout, fell to his shoulders, offering an unruly and ruggedly handsome devils-may-care attitude. It was amazing how their roles reversed. When they had been growing up, it had always been up to her and Cullen to look after the family, to be the protectors and the comforters of the group. “When did you become the protector of the family?” She asked, teasingly. “Hey, someone have to look after the womenfolk.” He tossed her an infuriating grin as he quickly stepped out of reach, dodging the hand that was aimed for his nose. “I’ll show you who needs to be protected.” She growled out, springing at him in a lightning fast move. He sidestepped her, laughing out loud. As she continued to attack, and he continued to counteract her moves, her bad mood eased. “What’s going on?” Ethan glanced around at the sound of his sister’s voice and took a foot to his stomach that sent him skidding through the sand. When he looked up, he saw matching sets of wicked grins. Christy Montez’s midnight blue eyes glistened down at him in pure devilment. “He was just showing me how he protect the womenfolk.” Alex responded with a smirk. “What? From on his ass?” Chris asked with a hearty laugh, making him scowl at her. “I was doing fine until you showed up.” He informed her, his tone biting. “I’m sure you were, Darlin’.” She offered him a placating smile that had him springing to his feet in a quick attack that she easily thwarted. “We have got to do something about that temper of yours, baby brother.” She tsked at him as he frowned at her, once again from the ground. Alex looked between her brother and her sister and felt some of the pressure she’d been feeling for the past few months, began to ease. “I feel better now. Thanks.” She replied as she leaned in and hugged her sister, before pulling Ethan to his feet. She placed a quick kiss on his scowling mouth and then turned to head back inside Siam’s safe haven and call her dear friend, Vladimir. She would see what kind of headway he made with finding their baby sister, Ava Sparrow. After reading through the scientists’ notes from the computer they procured from Donovan Tal, she learned that Ava was the key. She also learned that Donovan Tal, who used to work for Olympia as one of their teachers in the deadly arts, now had his own agenda. If he were to capture them and return them to Olympia, he would become rich beyond his wildest dreams. The only problem was, his wildest dreams would be their living nightmare, and Tal was heartless enough not to care. “Please tell me something good.” She said into the phone by way of greeting. “Ptichka, I’ve barely scratched the surface.” His response to her comment had her sighing as she plopped down on the couch in the beautiful sitting room. “What about the other thing? Are you going to contact Cullen for us?” She knew that if any human could get close to Cullen, it would be Vladimir. “It’s taken care of.” He responded easily. Well, at least that’s something, she thought, a frown on her face, as she wondered how Vlad would take care of it. She wanted to ask questions, but she knew that if Vlad said that it was handled, then it was. She trusted him implicitly. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it, then.” With a sigh of defeat, she disconnected the call and headed up to her bedroom. She hated feeling like she had no control, but in this situation she didn’t have much of a choice. She tossed a quick glance out the window, squinting into the morning sun. Since Dodger was in the village with Siam, she decided to take a nap. With Cullen still on her mind, Alex fell into a troubled sleep.