He looked from her to the delicate hand and then back.
She frowned, and he could see that she did it often enough to cause fine little lines on her face.
"Are you?" She gave him a funny look before turning back to the man still at the door. With an exasperated sigh, she addressed the soldier. "Is this they guy or what?"
The man looked between the woman and Apollo. Not quite sure what to do next. "Sir?"
His words cut into Apollo's partially numb brain, and he shook himself the rest of the way awake.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked, more confused than angry.
She frowned again.
"I'm Val. Who the hell are you?"
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him.
It wasn't really the response he was used to getting.
"I'm Apollo," he said slowly.
She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Well, aren't you the guy I'm supposed to meet with?"
He glanced over to the soldier but found he'd already left the room.
"Yes. I mean no. I mean … " He stopped when she smiled at him. She was just messing with him now. "You are Val Hart," he said finally.
She rolled her eyes, and it only proved to piss him off further.
"Yes," she said simply.
"Valentine Hart," he said.
The steely stare she gave him could have cut through stone. "I go by Val."
"But Valentine is a man's name," he said again and moved to the other side of the table. He was pretty sure of it, at least. They had their gaps in knowledge, but everyone, including the non-hybrids, seemed to be expecting a man. Something about the woman was already rubbing him the wrong way.
"Talk to the person who gave it to me," she said more firmly than before. "It's Val."
"This can't be right," he said and picked up the phone. "You're supposed to be a man."
Faster than he expected, she turned and headed for the door.
"Wait," he said as she opened the door.
Val stopped at the door and turned to look at him.
He scrubbed a hand on his face and sighed. It would be hell for him if the leading tech person left under these circumstances. This would be the nail in his coffin that he was indeed hard to work with.
Apollo looked at the tiny little woman. She was small. Smaller than any other woman he'd ever met. At least she was pretty in an odd sort of way. Her hair was short and fair, so much so that at first glance, it appeared white, a bit unsettling to him, as it reminded him of Romulus, but it was her eyes that captivated him.
She stared hard at him, and he shifted uncomfortably. Something about the way she stared nagged at him. Like she wasn't waiting but searching. He could feel it somehow. Val breathed in deeply, and for a split second, he could have sworn she smelled his confusion.
He nearly laughed at the thought but stopped. A warm rich smell clouded the room and filled his nostrils. It was sweet with deep notes that only seemed to take hold the more he breathed.
Apollo stared in surprise. A Vestal? No. It was impossible.
As soon as the word entered his head, the smell vanished, leaving him aching for it once again. He opened his mouth to say something but not quite sure where to start. Had he imagined it?
Val closed the door and stepped closer.
He breathed in deeply and frowned. Nothing. He almost wanted to laugh. Was he so desperate for a mate that his brain was playing tricks on him?
"I'm Val Hart," she said. Her piercing eyes pinned him as she stood before him just feet away. "Do you have anything else to say on that subject?"
Apollo shook his head.
"Good," she said and stepped back.
He shifted slightly to hide the bulge that had formed in his pants. The last thing he needed was to be accused of harassment, especially after making a big deal about her not being a man.
"Maybe you want to show me what I'll be working with," she said and stared at him expectantly. For someone so small, she sure knew how to throw her weight around.
Apollo nearly choked as he stepped back a little more. She might not have meant it that way, but in his current state, it was the only thing that came to mind.
She rolled her eyes at his discomfort.
"You men are all the same," she muttered. "The camera." She sighed. "I want to see the camera."
Apollo frowned.
"I'm not a man," he said and walked to the door. This woman was going to be a pain in his ass.
* * *
"Stupid piece of shit," Val cursed at the damned camera that just refused to come unscrewed.
The bolt gave way, and she twisted the wrench furiously.