Marius (7 page)

Given such powerful enemies, it was obvious that soon they were going to be totally on their own. His stomach twisted. They didn’t know about the world outside of the Horatius Group, and playing catch-up was much more difficult than he ever could have imagined.

“We’ll figure it out,” Titus said quietly. “Just do what you can.”

Carter nodded and walked toward the door. He stopped when Titus called out for him.

“Thanks,” Titus said. “You are an asset to the team.”

Carter glanced over to Apollo, whose frown only deepened, and gave a nod before walking out.

Apollo whirled around. “What the fuck was that about?”

Titus sighed, and Marius could feel his building irritation.

“Why the fuck would you thank that guy? He’s done nothing but put us in danger.”

“Or kept us out of it,” Marius mumbled.

Apollo turned and pointed a finger at him. “You stay the fuck out of this, computer boy, or I’ll show you what a real man does.”

Marius stood and moved closer. “And what’s that? Whips out his dick and pisses everywhere when things don’t go his way?”

“Apollo, let’s not get carried away,” Titus said from behind the other hybrid.

Something sparked in Marius. This whole time he’d been here, and not once did anyone really need him for consultation. They weren’t looking to him for his sage advice. They just wanted him for the money reports. He might as well have sent them a print out.

He leaned in a little closer toward Apollo. Their noses were mere inches from touching, and he could see the sweat on the man’s brow.

“Everyone seems to keep forgetting this, but I’m just as skilled as the rest of you. When we were being trained by the Group, it's not like they had me sitting in front of a computer all day.” He glanced over at Titus over Apollo’s shoulder. “I think some people need to remember that around here.”

Not bothering with anything else, Marius turned on his heels and walked to the door. It slammed with a bang, and Titus’s secretary Jenna jumped at the noise.

He stared at her for a bit. The short woman with curly brown hair and glasses just didn’t fit the picture he had as someone who could kill a woman like Vanessa, a woman so horrid that even Lucius seemed frightened to mention her name. But there she was. Jenna the secretary. Super-Glycon killer.

Marius shook his head. Just as he didn’t want people to judge him, he supposed he shouldn’t judge her. He nodded. Major Carter was all right in his book, and so was his badass niece.

Chapter Six

Rachel eyed the two men guarding the door from her spot across the hall. She knew they were aware of her, but as long as she seemed busy reading a chart, she thought her actions wouldn’t give too much reason for alarm. She pulled in a breath and tried to keep her heart steady. Knowing how keenly the hybrids could hear, she wanted to make sure they didn’t suspect anything.

She closed her eyes and thought of Hannah. They needed answers, and Remus was the best bet. If Titus wasn’t going to take the opportunity, then she would.

Rachel opened her eyes with renewed purpose. One foot after another, she made her way across the hall to the large men. Zeno was first to notice her, and she almost wished he wasn’t. It was clear she had been crying earlier, and the number one thing she hated was letting them see her cry.

He frowned, and she lowered her eyes. She could do this. All she had to do was get past him.

“I need to do my exam,” she mumbled.

“Where’s your clearance?” Servius stood firm. She felt her resolve falter.

“I—”

“It’s fine,” Zeno cut in.

Shocked, she stared at him in disbelief.

Servius scrunched his face in irritation. “She needs papers,” he declared.

“She’s not going to be in long,” Zeno said and then turned his piercing eyes on her. “Right?”

She nodded.

“See,” he said to Servius. “Besides, what kind of pussy are you that you think a prisoner could escape the two of us?”

Servius stood a little taller.

“He wouldn’t escape me,” he said stiffly. “I’m too fast.”

Rachel stared at him. The hybrids had been very secretive about their special abilities. She knew that some could swim better than others, and others were better at tracking. It seemed that Servius had exceptional speed.

He caught her looking at him with interest and scowled. He wouldn’t be happy she knew, but there was no helping at this point, and it wasn’t like she had worked it out of him on purpose.

“Fine,” Servius said and moved out of the way. “But we’re locking you in.”

She gave a nod and moved forward between the two giant hybrids. When the door didn’t open, she glanced up. Zeno glowered at Servius over her head. They were having an exchange she wasn’t meant to be a part of. Zeno snorted and slammed the door open. She started to walk through but was stopped by a large hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t let them touch you,” Zeno said directly into her face. He was so close, she could see that his blond hair curled around his damp face. “They even lay one finger on you, and I’ll break it off.”

Rachel swallowed. His eyes flashed yellow, and she could see the seriousness behind them.

“But she smells so nice,” a smooth voice said behind her.

She slowly turned and faced the two prisoners. Rem smiled. The deep dimples and short black hair made him seem more dashing pirate than dangerous hybrid.

“Don’t you fucking talk to her like that,” Zeno said and swept into the room. Rachel hurried to get out of the hulking man's way.

“Oh?” Rem raised a well-groomed brow. “You planning on kicking my door as well?”

She watched with interest as Zeno’s face turned red with embarrassment. He likely didn’t much like that Rem seemed to know what was going on out in the halls. Zeno turned to her for help, and she couldn’t stop herself from raising a brow. She had dealt with days of this shit. She didn’t really know what he had expected, but apparently, that wasn’t it.

“What the fuck ever,” he mumbled and stomped to the door. Rachel watched the hulking man make his way back to the door. When he turned to look at her, she could have sworn he seemed a bit uncertain. It wasn’t often that she even saw something like that among the men. “Knock when you are done,” he said. “Ten minutes, and then I’m coming in.”

Panic rose in her. That wasn’t near enough time. She turned quickly.

“Even on my best day, I couldn’t get vitals done in five minutes each,” she said in her most stern doctor voice. “I’ll knock when I’m finished, and I’m not leaving before then.” She turned to look at Rem, who was watching the exchange with interest. “I’m sure everyone will behave themselves.”

Rem sobered his expression a bit, as if anyone would believe him after all the teasing.

Zeno snorted loudly, and she jumped when the door slammed shut behind her. It wasn’t doing her any favors to have him mad at her when she’d just gotten him on her side. Sort of. But what was she supposed to do? She needed to talk to Rem, and there wasn’t time to deal with Zeno’s petty issues. He was just going to have to deal.

Rachel pulled her stethoscope from around her neck and stared at Rem. He leaned casually against the wall. The men had given him a fresh set of clothes but not much else. Neither Rem or Justus looked like they had shaved in days. At least the room had the convenience of a bathroom connected to it.

“So beautiful,” Rem said before flashing a grin full of beautiful straight white teeth. “What can we do for you?”

She glanced over to the dark brooding man in the corner. His deep brown skin almost had him disappearing into the shadows of the room. Justus looked her way and frowned. He hadn’t talked much since he’d been brought in, not that she could blame him. Being imprisoned like they’d been, it was a wonder Rem talked at all. Which, of course, only made the Luna hybrids more suspicious of him.

Rachel turned her attention back to the strange hybrid.

“I need your vitals,” she said firmly and stepped forward.

When she plugged the instrument in her ears, she was surprised to hear him whisper softly.

“I’m sure you do,” he said and looked down.

She stared into his eyes and nearly jumped back when they flashed an odd green.

“What—” Her words were silenced by a finger over her mouth.

“Breathe it out,” he said softly.

It was then she realized the only way she was able to hear was because of the stethoscope. Even with Zeno and Servius in the other room, they'd likely overhear any normal conversation. In the end, Rem really was as crafty as Titus believed. She only hoped that he could help with their problem. She slowly breathed out her words.

“What are you?” she asked.

The inquiry seemed liked a simple question, but she knew it wasn’t. Rem smiled. The lines around his eyes crinkled into fine lines, and she wondered how often he did that. For someone who seemed so smart and connected to someone so evil, he appeared relatively happy. It just seemed wrong, or maybe it was all just a farce. A way to hide what was really going on. After all, Titus could be entirely right not to trust the man.

Rem shrugged and nodded at Justus. “I’m the next model,” Rem said. The smile lines deepened on his face, and Rachel found it hard not to return the smile.

She shook her head. “Another time then,” she said quietly.

He gave a slow nod, but the cold that sank in his eyes told her that wouldn’t be happening. Whatever horrors the Luna hybrids had seen, this man had suffered similar, if not worse. Even if he had not knowingly given himself to darkness, his experiences might have carved his soul in a way that darkness was an inevitable path.

She started to move away, almost afraid what he might do but froze when his hand fell on her forearm.

“Ask me your question,” he said.

Justus stilled against the wall. Rachel couldn’t tell if it was concern over her safety or something more general. She glanced to the door.

“We don’t have much time,” he whispered. “Ask before your boyfriend gets here.”

Rachel opened her mouth and then closed it and frowned. Boyfriend?

She could hear harsh words just outside the door and jumped when Rem swept his hand down. Not even thinking, she placed the cold metal to his chest and was glad to hear the steady thump of his heart.

The door swung wide and banged against the wall. Rachel spun around. Her dark hair whipped behind her. Marius stood, dark and brooding, in the doorway. His amber eyes sought hers, and under their weight, she shifted uncomfortably. He followed her hand to Rem’s chest and a loud rumble filled the room.

“What the fuck is going on?” he said slowly, as if she might not understand what he was saying.

Rachel stepped away from Rem, and the tension in the room seemed to ease a little.

“I was checking in on my patients,” she said with ease.

She’d never needed to lie before. Actually, before living with the hybrids, she’d never even thought she’d need to in order to treat a patient, but there she was. A ball of dread wadded in her stomach. She hated this.

“That’s right, Numbers,” Rem said from behind her. He stepped a little closer, and Marius moved into the room from the door. Rachel watched his strides into the room and remembered seeing him earlier in the day.

“Marius,” he replied. He now stood just in front of her. She could feel Rem step up to her back, and Rachel was starting to wonder if being in the middle of these two was really the place she wanted to be.

“Rachel is just going to finish up her very thorough examination,” Rem said. He pulled her back a little, and she gasped, more from surprise than fear.

Marius’s hand shot out and pulled her hard against his chest. She teetered for a moment as she tried to regain her balance.

“Like hell she is,” Marius said. “This examination is over.”

Not waiting for her to say one way or the other, he picked her up and moved to the door. She blinked several times, not even beginning to know what to say in the situation. Once in the doorframe, he turned to Rem.

“And it’s Doctor Miller to you, fucknut.”

The door slammed shut so hard the frame rattled around it.

“I can—” she began.

“No,” Marius said sharply.

Zeno and Servius watched them, their faces impassive.

Rachel held her tongue and let him carry her to her office. With ease he opened the door and walked in. Once inside, he placed her on the floor in front of him.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he shouted.

Rachel stared at him in shock. It hadn’t really been what she thought he was going to say.

“What?” she said, blinking.

Marius started to pace the office. “You know what I’m talking about,” he said and shot her a look.

Rachel’s heart kicked up.

“You go in there, and you let someone like him put his hands all over you,” Marius spit out and leaned against her desk. “You know how dangerous he is.”

Rachel let out a sigh. He hadn’t guessed her plan. “Wait, what?”

Marius turned. His hands clenched in irritation. He could smell that fuck on her from over here, and it pissed him off. That lousy bastard had done it on purpose. Rem was trying to mark what he wanted. Well, he couldn’t have her. No one could. Rachel wasn’t for any of them, but least of all someone like that freak Rem.

“You need to stay away from him,” he said.

Rachel twisted, and the animal in him roared in anger. She was going to pick the prick over him, and he wasn’t even going to put up a fight.

“I can’t,” she said finally.

A piece of him broke inside. She did want to see Rem.

“He’s bad news,” Marius said. He could hear the pleading in his voice but couldn’t stop himself.

“Marius.” She stepped forward, but he moved out of her reach. “It’s not like that. I’m just seeing after my patients.”

He snorted loudly. “Is that what they’re calling it?” She moved to him, but he was too fast. Before she could even speak, he was at the door. “Just don’t pull us down in your shit, Rachel, and do your fucking job.”