Remus (5 page)

“Hurry,” Titus said, and she slipped into the front seat of her truck.

Without waiting, she started her engine and pulled away from the curb, Titus close behind.

Instead of turning like it had the other times, the truck followed them to the outskirts of town. Her hand occasionally went to the butt of her gun as she drove. If they started something, she didn’t plan on going down easily.

When they came to an intersection, she debated what to do. It might be safer to just go to the lodge.

She watched as the truck stopped some ways down from them and turned sideways, blocking off the road. They sat and watched as Jenna turned right and Titus turned left.

Something was wrong with the people of Asheville. Over the past year, she’d never seen them act like that. Sure, they were a small town with, at times, small gossip, but this was different. It was almost like someone was poisoning their minds against the hybrids.

Jenna frowned.

There were certainly enough people out there trying. Reverend John and his people had been an issue before. Marius had been lucky to get back Rachel when she was captured by the radical religious zealots.

It didn’t help that the Reverend had never been found. Most at the lodge hoped he died from wounds at the fire, but Jenna didn’t think it would be that easy. Men like that seemed to live on while all around them died for their cause.

Then there was Jill Charity whipping up a frenzy of lies at the news station. The blond-headed reporter was no idiot and seemed to get that anything with the hybrids was big news, especially anything to do with speculation as to what went on behind the complex walls.

The most inventive story she’d heard was that the men might have used their super-genetic ways to entrap the women there, which they would, of course, pass around for sex. The lies were all tied up with a perfect, “We don’t know anything for certain. That’s just the rumor.”

It was amazing what a person could get away with saying when they never admitted to knowing anything from the start. But worst of all was that people watched that drivel believing it to be true or even partially true.

Jenna shook her head and cleared her mind of all of that nonsense. It wasn’t her problem right now, and in the grand scheme of things, she hoped that Jill would never really be much an issue. They had enough real enemies. The Horatius Group was interested in far more than sensationalism, after all.

She glanced in the rear-view mirror. All clear. At least those nuts had contained themselves to their town. Maybe they would be able to avoid an incident if everyone just stayed away from one another.

When she had some distance between herself and the townsfolk, Jenna let out a sigh. One thing was perfectly clear, she was going to have to find another spot for coffee. Like hell she’d ever go back there on purpose.

* * *

Jenna lay in the darkness of her room, listening to the sounds of the country around her.

She had been able to slip past her uncle before he saw that she was carrying men’s clothes. Without thinking, she ran her hands along the smooth shirt she was wearing to bed. She could feel her cheeks heat over it.

Despite the eventful morning, the rest of the day had been very laid back, which was good for her. She didn’t want to think anymore.

She cursed herself as thoughts of Rem slipped through her mind. He’d told her to surround herself with his smell, and she was certain now that it was some great plot to get under her skin, which was working entirely too well.

Jenna took in a deep breath and sucked in his woodsy scent.

It comforted her and made her feel at ease.

She rolled over and rested her face on his pillow. When she closed her eyes, she could see his playful face right in front of her, his dark hair dipping onto his forehead and in the path of his bright green eyes. They were always so striking. None of the other hybrids she’d seen had eyes quite like his.

Her mind drifted easily to his hard chest. The solid muscles that rippled as he moved and made her ache to be in his arms.

Jenna had to admit that though she might have seen a number of the men around the lodge with their shirts off, it was the first time she’d ever wanted to touch one.

She pictured running her hands along those muscles. Her fingers twitched at the memory of how they felt through the thin t-shirt.

What would he do if she ran her mouth along the ridges of his stomach? Licking and kissing the contours? She shivered at the idea and tried to picture what his response would be.

Jenna snorted, just on the verge of sleep.

“Chocolate cake my ass,” she mumbled and tossed herself onto her side.

He didn’t care in the end. It was all just a game to him, and there was no way she’d get caught up in it all.

Chapter Five

Jenna grumbled to herself as she made her way up the cliff to the lair once again. The pack on her back was heavy at this point, and she wished she’d just left it at home. As it was, her uncle was more than a little suspicious. She didn’t know how much longer she could pull the wool over his eyes.

She glanced over her shoulder at the heavy weight and tried to remember why she even bothered. Maybe it was spending the last three days surrounded by Rem’s smell that made her want to. Maybe some super hybrid pheromone had entranced her somehow. Maybe Jill Charity was on to something after all.

Jenna snorted at the thought. Hell would freeze over before she agreed with Jill.

Still, better the pheromone idea than that she had just decided to do it on her own. All sorts of complicated feelings came with that, and she wasn’t so ready to go down that path.

“At least it’s not chocolate cake,” she mumbled.

Jenna reached out to find the next hold. Her hand slipped as she reached for the next nook. The rock grated her fingers as she slipped. A strong hand grasped her wrist, and she yelped.

“I got you,” Rem said quietly.

She looked up and found his bright green eyes staring back at her. Without a second thought, she reached out with her other hand to his outstretched hand.

For a second time, Rem pulled her the rest of the way up the cliff. She noticed his arms shook a little as he set her down. She blinked, confused. There was no way her weight would have been too much for a man as strong as Rem.

Jenna sucked in a breath. Having him there in front of her was only proof that the real thing was far better than the substitution she had been sleeping with.

His eyes flared, and for a moment, she thought he might kiss her again. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she wanted that to happen. Being near him after all those days of thinking about him kept her on edge.

Her hands squeezed his muscular arms as he leaned in.

She closed her eyes, expecting to feel his warm mouth pressed against her. After a moment, she opened them again.

Rem had leaned over her shoulder to unzip her pack.

He grinned at her.

“Did you bring me fried chicken?” He beamed.

Her face reddened at his excitement.

“No,” she said and stormed off to the mouth of the cave.

She could hear the crunch of the ground behind her and knew he did it on purpose, so she wouldn’t be startled.

“Oh, now, don’t be that way,” he said and stepped close when she had turned around.

“I…”

What could she say? Of course she had brought the chicken for him. Embarrassment burned in her that she didn’t have a better defense.

She glanced down, trying to think of something else. His hands came into view, and she gasped. Just as quickly, he had them around his back.

When she looked up to him, Rem avoided making eye contact with her.

Jenna reached out and pulled his hand back in front. He resisted for a moment but gave in with a loud sigh.

“It’s nothing,” he mumbled.

The dark thick bruising around his wrists was not nothing. She turned his hand over and found the purple band wrapped all the way around his wrist. Jenna frowned. She knew this bruising all too well. When she turned his hand back over and found round bruises in the crook of his arm, there was no hiding what was going on.

“Are they hurting you?” she asked quietly. “Putting things into you?”

Rem pulled back his hand and scrubbed it on the back of his neck.

“I’m fine,” he said.

She frowned at him. This didn’t seem fine to her. If anything, this seemed like torture.

“You need to leave here,” she said and looked around. “Come back with me. You can stay at my house. We’ll protect you.”

Rem stared at her for a moment and then offered a sad smile. “I can’t.”

“Why?” she whispered.

The thought of them hurting him made her stomach churn.

“I can’t just leave the others,” he said quietly.

Jenna shook her head. They had talked about the fact that there might be others that needed freeing, but she couldn’t see how him being treated like this would help anything.

She pressed her lips together to keep from begging him. It wouldn’t do any good. Rem had made up his mind, and who was she to try and stop him?

“Sit down,” she said firmly and knelt on the ground with her pack.

She heard him chuckle as she rummaged through the bag’s contents.

“I always did like a woman who wasn’t afraid to say what she wants,” he said and sat next to her.

Jenna ignored his flirting. He wanted to make light of being tortured, and she wasn’t having it.

She pulled out the small medical kit she’d brought and set it on the ground. Next, she pulled out three cold containers and set them on the ground.

“Eat,” she said and picked up the medical kit.

They fell into silence as he ate the chicken she’d brought. She didn’t look at him, couldn’t look at him. Seeing him this way hurt more than she could have ever guessed, and so it was easier to just stare at his hands and wait for him to finish eating.

When he had devoured the last of the chicken and finished off the few berries she had brought, Jenna set to work.

She swiped down the bruises and holes in his upper arm. She winced when she wiped over a more tender area, and his muscle twitched.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

His hand gripped her own, and she stared at him. Two bright green eyes burned back at her. Her insides tightened.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. His thumb rubbed across her knuckles. Her pulse sped up.

Rem leaned in a little closer.

“You smell good,” he said. His words were simple but seemed to carry more meaning behind them.

She blushed and turned away. “I’ve been sleeping with your things.”

A low rumble filled the cave, and she looked back at him in surprise. His eyes burned so brightly it was hard to even look at them for too long.

“Jenna,” Rem said. His voice was low and hummed through her body. She could feel her nipples tighten at his nearness.

“Yes?”

Rem groaned. This was the worst time for this shit, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from closing the distance. He needed to be near her, to feel her. Every instinct in him was calling for him to make the claim that was his to make.

Jenna gasped in his mouth as he pressed it against her own. Soft. Just like he remembered it from before. The woman who kept herself hardened to life was as soft and warm as he expected.

He rose to his knees and leaned in further, his hand twisting her thick, curly brown hair between his fingers to deepen the kiss. She turned her head and kissed him back with the passion he’d been missing all this time.

Her hands floundered for a moment before resting on his chest. Her fingernails scraped against his t-shirt and made him ache for her. He leaned in closer and groaned when her body was flush with his. She stilled, and for a moment, he thought she might push him away but was surprised when she wound her arms around his neck.

Rem delved into her mouth with his tongue, tasting her minty toothpaste. She was sweet, never pushing too hard and still driving him to the edge with small things.

Her fingers scraped at the back of his neck, and he nearly lost himself when her tongue darted out to meet his own. They moved together, sliding around one another, feeling the intimate act as it was meant to be, as a part of their very souls.

She pulled back, her breathing labored. He grunted when she peppered kisses along his mouth and nipped at his bottom lip. Never in his dreams did he picture her as being so open with her affections. It made him ache for her more than ever.

He took a deep breath and relished the scent of her in the air. She wanted him. His heart soared. All this time he’d never been sure, but there it was, the truth. Jenna wanted him, and she was meant to be his. His mate, his bond, his Vestal.

The realization struck him hard. He pushed against his instincts. This couldn’t happen, even if the Horatius Group didn’t exist. He wasn’t the man she needed. There were things she couldn’t know about him. Things that she should never know. He wouldn’t let her be tainted by the Group and would stop at nothing to keep her safe.

Rem pulled back, his heart ripping apart in his chest as he looked down at her now-foggy glasses. A sad smile came to his lips, and he reached down to run a gentle finger over her swollen mouth. Life had never played fair with him.

“We can’t,” he said quietly.

The moisture from her glasses cleared, and she stared up at him, still somewhat dazed.

“Can’t what?” she asked innocently.

Rem raised a brow and waited for the blush that swept over her face. She moved away from him.

“I wasn’t… We weren’t…” She stumbled over her own words, grasping for something.

Rem sighed and stood. The more distance he put between them, the better it would be. As it was, he wanted nothing more than to plant himself between her thighs and make her moan his name.

He gritted his teeth at the throbbing length in his pants and turned around quickly to cool his fevered body.

“They will know,” he said and glanced over his shoulder to see if she understood.

Her face was red as she shoved containers back in her pack. Rem sighed. She wasn’t going to understand. How could she? If anything, he hoped that she was never in the position to understand. And if it meant keeping himself from her so she was safe, then that’s just what he would do.