Remus (11 page)

“It’s fine,” Nyx said.

Jenna looked over to her, unsure if she was talking to the man or her.

The dark man frowned. His handsome features turned deadly, and she shook a little inside.

“It is not fine,” the man said, glaring at Nyx. “She can’t be here.”

Nyx stepped between them. “She’s here to save him, Magnus.”

He stared at her, his bright blue eyes fixed on her. For the first time, Jenna realized both Nyx and Magnus had blue eyes. She’d only seen the yellow and green before, and the green only with Rem.

“You are different,” she whispered.

Nyx glanced over her shoulder at Magnus.

“She’s his bonded.”

Magnus started to pace. She could tell he was torn on this.

“And how will she help?” he asked Nyx.

When she didn’t answer, he huffed in irritation.

“They want a Vestal,” Jenna said. Her voice was clear and ready for what came. “I am a Vestal.”

Magnus stopped and looked at her in horror.

“We can’t,” he said.

“Jenna,” Nyx said and took her by the shoulder. “You don’t know what they will do.”

She shook her head. “I do. We have their notes, and they can’t successfully conceive without a willing pair.”

“Rem will never consent,” Magnus said quietly.

Jenna gave a sad smile. “It won’t matter,” she said. “We won’t be in long enough.”

“And what’s your plan?” he asked.

Jenna gave a hard smile. “Same as his. We burn these bastards to the ground.”

Chapter Eleven

Jenna’s heart thumped in her chest as she stepped into the opening of the cave. She’d never gone further than the front.

“Sure you can handle this?” Nyx asked from behind her.

Jenna turned and nodded. She unclipped her bag and placed it in the other woman’s hands.

“Keep this,” she said. “Make sure you bring it to me when it’s time to make our move.”

Nyx turned to Magnus. “I’ll go the other way. It might be best if you bring her in.”

He nodded. Jenna and Magnus watched as Nyx sprinted out the opening.

Jenna bent down and picked up a little dirt. She put a few smudges on her face and knees. She picked up a rock and sliced through the knee of her pants.

“What are you doing?” Magnus asked. His voice was low.

She looked up to him. “They need to think I had a hard time finding him. The less they expect out of me, the better.”

He stared at her in disbelief, but she ignored him. If there was one thing she knew about people, the less they knew, the better it would be for her.

Jenna took a deep breath and swiped the rock over her exposed knee.

Magnus inhaled sharply.

“That’s one way to let them know you’re here,” he said. “Quickly. We need to move before the Glycons catch wind.”

She stood. The blood from her knee pooled on the front of her jeans. The cut had gone a little deeper than she intended. It started to throb with each step. Or maybe it was that her nerves had finally gotten to her. She wanted to be brave, but she was still marching into a facility filled with genetically modified men and things that barely even counted as men.

“I’m going to have to hold you like I would a prisoner,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry.”

Magnus gripped her hands behind her back hard and pushed her along quickly.

She knew he had to, but the feeling of helplessness still made her knees shake.

They moved from the rough cave entrance to halls, most carved out of the surrounding rock. She was surprised at how well lit most of the place was, complete with hanging wired light.

She shivered at the touch of cool air wafting through a hallway.

“Nearly there,” he whispered. “Be ready.”

She could see it ahead, an enormous room. The ceiling was so high, she wondered just how deep underground they had gone. Jenna took in deep breaths and tried not to think about the roof caving in.

“Sir,” Magnus said at the door to the room.

She watched as a pale-haired man turned from the group he was in. His red eyes fixed on her and narrowed.

“What’s the meaning of this?” the man said.

She knew who he was. Rem had spoken about his brother often enough. He’d also mentioned that he didn’t exactly seem mentally stable.

Romulus. The very thought of him had sent chills down her spine. Now, here she was with him.

“I found her outside, wandering the woods,” Magnus said.

Romulus stepped forward, an evil smile on his face.

“Are you lost, little girl?” he said with a snicker.

Jenna shook her head and bowed it. Maybe if she showed enough humility, it’d help push them off-guard. Rem had repeatedly mentioned how arrogant Romulus was.

“I know you,” someone growled.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she looked up.

The bestial man who had taken Rem at the lodge stood feet away, glaring at her. His name echoed in her head. Nero. Never had she seen one of them like this man. The hybrids might have animal like traits, but this man was barely human.

Behind the odd animal-like angles, she could see that he might have been a handsome man at some point. His hair was dark but had flecks of lighter colors, like the coat on a wolf. It was strangely entrancing.

“You’re one of them,” he snarled, his voice thick with anger.

Romulus looked back at her with new joy. It made her stomach churn.

“Is that true?” he asked and leaned in. He breathed in deeply and frowned.

She hated the way he stared at her, as if he was trying to undress her.

Jenna took a deep breath. “I’m here for Rem,” she said quietly.

Romulus glared at her as if she had tried to make him angry. “Rem?”

“She says she’s bonded to him,” Magnus said quickly.

Romulus stepped back as if burned.

“Bonded?” he repeated.

Jenna watched as an array of emotions passed over the hybrid’s face. She was surprised to see he seemed almost hurt by the news, but in the end, he settled on irritation.

A tall woman stepped forward and waved Romulus out of the way. Her eyes were red and her skin snow white. Her pale blonde hair flowed down her back. The look of the woman made Jenna’s skin crawl. There was something off about the way her face was shaped. Too sharp. Too many angles. Like a viper.

“How can he be bonded?” the woman asked. Jenna swallowed and just hoped they couldn’t tell she and Rem hadn’t done anything.

“If they are bonded, Coelia will want them both alive,” someone said.

Jenna didn’t dare take her eyes off the deadly woman in front of her. If she was going to be attacked, she wanted to see it coming head on.

The woman whirled to glare at Romulus. “If he’s bonded, he can still be of use.”

The pale hybrid blanched at her comments. Jenna could only hope that this would work in her favor.

“He never said anything about it,” Romulus said. He turned to her and glared. “Why didn’t he say anything?”

Jenna felt tears well in her eyes and didn’t try to hide them. “He didn’t want me to follow.”

“He kissed her,” Nero said. She had forgotten he had been privy to their first kiss.

Romulus turned to glare at him. “And you didn’t report this?”

Nero shrugged. “I didn’t think she was important.”

Nero looked back to her and narrowed his eyes. She was sure he didn’t believe her. Not totally. Or at least he thought she might be lying.

“The process is started,” the woman mumbled and paced the floor near her.

“Coelia wants a hybrid child,” a man said off to the side. “This could be good for you.”

Jenna had been so busy watching the hybrids that she’d missed the large group of people in cloaks contributing their part in the conversation. The odd sight unnerved her even more than being in a room with the hostile hybrids.

The woman turned and glared at the man. “Don’t tell me what Coelia wants.”

The man shrank back to the crowd.

It was clear that Romulus’s power had been usurped by this woman. When Jenna looked over to him, she again found his eyes hot on her. She shivered.

“Take her to him,” the woman said. “We’ll see what happens. In the end, we can always take both of them. Vestal reversal is usually far less successful, but if they are not successful, it’s an option.”

Nero stepped forward but was stopped by Romulus. A chill ran through her as he placed a hand on her arm, his fingers cold and bony.

“I’ll take her,” he said smoothly, a sickening smile appearing on his face.

She glanced back to Magnus as she was pulled from the great room. His eyes were filled with fear, and she knew just how dangerous the situation might be.

Romulus gripped her arm tightly and pulled her down the hall.

“So you came to find your lover?” he said and looked over his shoulder at her.

Jenna swallowed.

“Yes,” she said quietly.

He gave a bark of laughter. “Of course you did.”

When he looked back at her again, his red eyes glowed brightly.

“It’s always all about him,” he said. “I’m his superior, but it’s always about him.” His fingers bit into her arm.

She hissed at the feeling of his sharp nails against her flesh. Jenna knew what he was capable of. Romulus had taken down Titus with those nails. One swipe had exposed Titus to a lethal concoction of poison and bacteria. The Luna Lodge hybrids and Rachel suspected that it had to do with reptilian DNA spliced into Romulus, but it was hard to be sure when there were so many mysteries about the entire process.

Romulus stopped suddenly and pulled her to a door. She shook as he stuck in his key and opened it. The room was dark, and she had a feeling that Rem wasn’t inside.

“Do I scare you?” he asked when they were inside.

The light from the door cast shadows in the room. His glowing red eyes were the only clear thing she could see.

“Yes,” she said. The word shook as she said it, and it was only then she realized that her teeth were chattering.

The light flipped on and illuminated the small room. They’d put some effort into making this one look less like a room in a cave, with actual smooth walls covered with light paneling.

Romulus pulled her the rest of the way in and slammed the door.

Jenna backed up as he stepped toward her. She stumbled over a table and gasped when her back touched the wall.

She was trapped. There was nowhere to run, and with Romulus closing in, there was nowhere to hide.

Jenna closed her eyes and waited for the pain to start. He wouldn’t let her live. There was no way.

“Did my brother tell you about me?” he said, his voice low. His breath came hot as it wafted across her cheek.

Keeping her eyes closed, she nodded.

A soft finger slipped along her cheek.

“You know there’s a way for this all to work out for you,” he whispered. “He’s finished anyway, one way or another.”

Jenna opened her eyes. Romulus was just inches from her face, and she fought the urge to run from him.

“Be mine,” he said and leaned in a little closer. “He’s dying right now. They will get what they want from you, but he will die either way.”

She let out a strangled cry. Tears slipped down her face and blurred the world around her.

“You’ll have his child, but you’ll never see it,” he said quietly and wiped a tear from her cheek.

Jenna shook her head. It wasn’t true. He just wanted to make Rem suffer.

Romulus placed both hands on her cheeks to still her head.

“It’s true,” he barked out. His eyes glowed bright red again.

She choked on a sob as he pressed into her. Revulsion swept through her body as she felt his eagerness to be with her.

“I could protect you,” he whispered. “We could get sanction from the Great Mother. Have children.”

Jenna tried to shake her head, but Romulus only squeezed her cheeks harder.

“You will be mine,” he growled in her face.

She could feel his anger, the hatred that he kept burning inside. It made her shake, and the world spun slightly.

Romulus placed his face next to her ear and breathed in deeply.

"You aren't bonded," he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Remus is far too noble for that."

Jenna started to shake her head but stopped when he bumped her knee.

"I can smell you," he whispered. "Your blood pulls to me."

She gasped. The cut.

“I will take you by force if I have to,” he said.

Romulus released her cheeks and pressed into her harder. She could feel him through the layers of clothes. The little food she had eaten worked its way up her throat.

He crushed her breast in his hand. She winced and struggled to get away.

“Stop,” she cried out. “Please.”

Romulus pushed away from her hard as the door burst in.

“How dare you!” he screamed, spinning toward the door.

Nero stood in the broken frame.

“Agatha said she was to go to Rem’s room,” Nero responded, his eyes narrowing.

“I don’t give a fuck what Agatha said,” Romulus screamed. “The woman is mine now.”

Jenna watched the exchange in shock.

She was grateful to have Romulus off her, but she couldn’t really say that having Nero as her savior was something she expected. Still, she wasn’t about to stop him from helping her. Anywhere away from Romulus was good with her.

Nero stepped into the room, his beast-like face contorted in anger.

“You are so swept up in getting your revenge that you can’t even see that you’re no longer in charge,” Nero said.

Jenna watched as Romulus looked to her.

She shook and turned away.

Romulus stormed out, growling.

She stood there for a moment, still trying to process the situation.

“Follow me,” Nero said at her side.

Jenna turned and watched as he stepped into the hall.

She followed behind quietly, still shaken by her close encounter.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Nero said to her quietly.

She glanced up, surprised that he would even talk to her.

Jenna shook her head. “I had to be with him.”

He looked over at her and then down the hall again.

They grew quiet again, and she debated saying something. Maybe she would just make her situation worse by opening her mouth. She already knew what the Horatius Group was capable of. People were nothing but tools to them.