Remus: #6 Read online

  Rem had to agree. Without the ability to smell them, the enemy would always have the advantage of surprise.

  “So how did you know we’d come this way?” Rem said.

  They had been quiet and careful. In addition, they had the advantage of surprise on their side. He doubted in Romulus or Agatha’s wildest dreams did they think anyone would blow half the base up with dynamite.

  Romulus stepped into the light of the moon and grinned at him.

  “I’ve got a few friends who are willing to help out with that,” he said. “Too bad your friends aren’t more careful.”

  Rem frowned. The lodge had secured everything, and yet they still had a leak.

  “Your side has been delayed with technical difficulties,” Romulus said. “Face facts, brother. You are outmanned and alone. Give up. You can still provide some value to the Horatius Group, of sorts.”

  Rem shook his head. It wasn’t even an option.

  “You know I always win,” Romulus said and snickered to himself. “Give up now, and I’ll only take the woman.”

  Rem froze. Anger started clouding the rational part of his brain.

  “She’s mine,” Rem said quietly. Rage prickled down his spine.

  Romulus let his eyes flare bright red.

  “You don’t deserve her,” Romulus said. “It was my right to claim her first.”

  He stepped further out, his Glycons not far behind. Rem’s group was surrounded by the evil creatures.

  Several of the hybrids growled at the sight of the Glycons.

  “You can’t have her,” Rem snarled. He could feel the heat of the beast burning to get out and show Romulus who deserved Jenna.

  Rem jumped out of the way as his brother lunged at him. His deadly claws stretched toward Rem and sliced through the air by his face.

  Around him, Glycons jumped out from the woods. Bodies clashed around him but he sought one person in particular.

  Jenna stood in the center next to Nyx. She struggled to see the things around her, and he knew that at this rate, she’d be hurt in no time. His eyes met Nyx’s.

  “Get her out of here,” he yelled to Nyx.

  He watched as she pulled Jenna behind her, and they raced into the woods.

  “After them,” Romulus yelled, pointing to a group of Glycons and then Nyx and Jenna.

  Four Glycons took off after them. Romulus stepped as if he would follow, but this time it was Rem who had the upper hand. He grabbed the other man by his shirt and threw him hard against the tree.

  “We’re not finished,” Rem growled.

  * * *

  Jenna and Nyx raced through the forest, low-hanging branches slapping them in the face. Jenna had no idea where they were going, but getting away from the fight sounded like a good idea to her. As much as she wanted them all to be safe, there was no way she’d be able to help, being half-blind and not having a gun.

  She almost laughed at the absurdity. Rem hadn’t even bothered to shoot at Romulus. He might as well have let her have the gun he found.

  “Keep moving,” Nyx said behind her.

  A Glycon screamed somewhere behind her. Jenna’s heart pounded in her chest.

  “We’ll never outrun them,” Nyx said as they continued to run.

  Jenna could see that. Her legs were already starting to burn, and it wouldn’t be long before they gave out all-together.

  “There,” Nyx said and pointed ahead.

  She couldn’t make it out, but it looked like there was a clearing of sorts.

  “We’ll make a stand,” she said.

  Jenna shook her head. There was no way she would be able to do much of anything, but she would try.

  Nyx thrust a knife in her hand. “If one gets close, cut its throat.”

  She wanted to gag at the thought of cutting someone like that.

  They passed through the last of the trees and stood by the light of the moon in a clearing.

  Her heart thundered.

  “Here they come,” Nyx said.

  Her mouth ran dry, and three blurry dots came into view. One of them let out a screech.

  Jenna watched as Nyx took off in front of her.

  She couldn’t make out what was happening, but the pained cry of one let her know that Nyx had killed it and was moving on.

  Something screeched to her left. She whirled around to find one of the bestial man creatures leaping at her.

  Jenna dropped to a crouch, awaiting impact.

  Something dark shot out of the woods and knocked the Glycon to the ground.

  “Run,” a familiar voice said.

  Jenna sucked in a breath. “Nero?”

  “No time,” he said quickly. “Just run. More are coming.”

  Her heart continued to hammer in her chest. She turned to find Nyx, but could only see the blur of two figures as they tried to take her down.

  “Go!”

  She didn’t think; she ran. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been running when she stopped.

  When she did, there was something oddly familiar about the place. Despite not being able to see, Jenna knew the way.

  “The truck,” she whispered.

  * * *

  They weren’t going to win. Rem could hear it in the cries around him. There were just too many Glycons and not enough of them to defend.

  “Looks like you’ll die here, brother,” Romulus said. “All that power and you can’t even take down your lessers.” He sneered. “Pathetic. I’m surprised you were even able to claim her like this.”

  Anger built in Rem every time the bastard talked about Jenna.

  “My Glycons will catch her and bring her back to me,” Romulus said with a wicked smile. “I’ll use my body to wash away the stench you’ve left with her.”

  “No!” Rem screamed.

  His blood turned hot, and he felt himself turn into the man they would need for the battle. For so long he’d kept the beast in check, but this once, he was going to need it to win.

  The two raced at one another and clashed in the air. Their bodies hit hard, and Rem grunted at the impact.

  Romulus worked his nails in the air, trying to scratch Rem.

  One little prick, and it would be all over.

  Rem grabbed his brother by the wrists, and they rolled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand.

  It was Romulus that found himself on top. He pressed down hard against Rem and tried to shake his hands out of his grasp. Rem held firm.

  Romulus grinned when his nails got dangerously close to Rem and pressed down hard. It would only be moments before they pressed into him.

  “I wonder,” Romulus said quietly. “How does she taste? I look forward to running my mouth all along her sweet body.”

  “No,” Rem growled. His vision went red for a moment.

  The wrists in his hands snapped as he pushed them away. Romulus grunted.

  “I will have her,” Romulus said. “You can’t stop me.”

  Something clicked inside Rem. He turned the wicked claws inward and rolled hard. His body landed on the other man.

  Romulus screamed in pain.

  Rem stood and looked down at the man.

  Romulus’s claws were stuck deep into his chest. Judging by the blood, he had pierced his heart.

  Romulus struggled to speak but couldn’t seem to get the words out.

  Rem leaned in toward the man.

  “Mother is coming,” Romulus whispered. “You haven’t won anything.”

  Rem’s eyes widened with shock.

  Gunfire echoed in the night. He spun around. Several Glycons jerked and tumbled to the ground.

  “Looks like you could use the help,” Titus said from behind him.

  Rem stood and nodded.

  “Took you long enough,” he said with a grin.

  Val stepped out and grinned. “Damn satellite wentcrazy for a bit, but when it came back on, we saw that shit was hitting the fan.”

  The Glycons backed away for a moment, growling and snarling
. A moment later, they charged again. Several more Luna Lodge hybrids emerged from the woods and opened fire. Titus snapped up a pistol and downed a Glycon with two quick shots to the chest.

  The remaining Glycons backed away again, snarling, but it was obvious they weren’t done, and there were still a lot of them.

  “You get this under control,” Rem said. “I’ve got to find Jenna.”

  * * *

  The path was far clearer now. She could almost see the way despite her poor eyesight.

  When the truck came into view, she nearly cried. So close.

  Jenna went to the stump near the car.

  “Oh, now, this is some good luck,” a bored-sounding female voice said.

  She whirled around at the sound of the voice.

  “Agatha,” she whispered.

  The woman laughed and stepped into the light.

  “I’m surprised that he would let you out of his sight,” she said.

  Jenna glanced down at the stump. All she had to do was reach in and grab the stuff.

  “He had other things to do,” Jenna said.

  Agatha chuckled to herself. “I’ll bet he did.” She stepped forward. “You are the key to fixing all of this. All I need to do is bring you with me and show her what I can do.”

  Jenna frowned. She had no idea what this woman was talking about, but it didn’t sound like it was going to work in her favor.

  “Stop,” Jenna said. She held up her hand, as if she had some sort of power.

  Agatha laughed loudly. “And what are you going to do, little girl? Cry?”

  Jenna frowned. If only she had her glasses.

  Agatha took another step, and Jenna was running out of time. There was no one else to save her.

  Jenna reached into the stump and pulled out the flare gun and keys.

  She could see Agatha stop in her tracks.

  “You’re going to shoot me with that?”

  Jenna shook as she leveled the gun. She wouldn’t be able to see to aim, but it might distract Agatha for a moment.

  Agatha snarled and raced toward her. Jenna pulled the trigger and watched as the ball of light smacked the woman in her face. She screamed and turned away.

  Jenna pulled out the keys and bolted for the truck.

  She slammed the key into the lock and yanked the door open.

  “I’ll kill you,” Agatha screamed.

  Jenna jumped in and slammed the door shut. She stuck the key into the ignition and cursed as the engine choked.

  She jumped when Agatha slammed into the glass. This close Jenna could see the destruction of the flare. Her left eye was matted shut, the burned skin melted.

  Agatha stopped and looked over her shoulder and then back to Jenna.

  “I will find you,” she hissed. “You can hide, but I will find you, and you’ll pay for this. I’ll make you suffer before you die.”

  Agatha sprinted away, disappearing into the woods.

  Jenna jumped when something came out of the other side of the trees.

  “Jenna!”

  Tears streamed down her cheek as his voice came to her.

  “Rem,” she whispered.

  She threw open the door and ran to him, stumbling over the forest floor. Not stopping, she threw herself into his arms and let him hold her like she needed.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “We got them all.”

  Jenna cried against his chest and held him close. They hadn’t gotten them all. Agatha had meant what she said, and Jenna knew it wasn’t over. She would stop at nothing to hunt them down.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rem walked into the briefing room, trailed by Magnus, Nyx, Jenna and a couple of Magnus’s people. He’d had time to think over what he wanted to explain and what he wanted to keep to himself. Titus, Major Carter and several of the other lodge hybrids sat around the main conference table, waiting patiently.

  Gods and demi-gods. That’s what Harold had claimed, but Rem still wasn’t sure what the truth was himself. It felt right, when he was being honest with himself, but feeling wasn’t the same thing as knowing. He was certain if he related the gods story to Titus, the Luna Lodge alpha would laugh in his face and accuse him of playing games.

  Rem felt the truth. He’d felt the stone with the essence of Atlas. Hell, it was part of him now, it seemed like. No, the Luna Lodge hybrids weren’t ready for the truth, at least not from him. They had the book now, and they could slowly decode the truth from that with time.

  He’d gone back to the Horatius Group to get the book. Titus may have been an ally, but Rem still needed to be careful, and being careful meant making sure he had advantages over the other man.

  He suppressed a grin. He’d give Luna Lodge what they needed to know to help defend themselves, and he’d give them the book. The rest he’d keep to himself for the moment. For now, they mainly needed to know about Agatha and the Inner Circle.

  As all the new arrivals took seats, Titus nodded.

  “Let’s get started,” he said.

  * * *

  Jenna leaned back on a couch in the corner of the room. It was the first time she’d been there since the gates came down, and the whole experience felt strange. It was like she’d never really been a part of the place to begin with. Things had carried on just like normal whether she was there or not.

  It was nice having some glasses. She glanced over to her uncle, who had not only thought to bring them, but had been raising hell since she left him. Jenna smiled. He always had her back, even when she didn’t know it.

  Her gaze wandered around the room. Magnus looked nervous, despite the small number of hybrids in the room. For now it was just a few of the Luna hybrid leaders—Titus, Sol and Lucius—asking the questions.

  Jenna continued her sweep of the room, her attention landing on Nyx. Since they had split in the clearing, the other hybrid had been quiet and reserved.

  She still couldn’t quite figure out why Nero had decided to show, and, even more so, that he had fought alongside them. Neither of the women had spoken about it, and Jenna just assumed that his assistance hadn’t meant as much as she thought since he clearly didn’t decide to go back with them. She couldn’t see much during the fight without her glasses, but he’d obviously saved her.

  “And what about this Nero?” Titus said, as if reading Jenna’s thoughts.

  Nyx looked over to her and shook her head lightly. Jenna frowned. She didn’t like keeping things from the others.

  “He escaped,” Rem said from beside her.

  She looked over at him and smiled. He had to have seen their exchange. She couldn’t really say why Rem did the things he did, but in this case, she was just going to be glad that it wouldn’t ruin the friendship she had started.

  Besides, maybe Titus and the others couldn’t pick up on it, but during the questioning, she was sure Rem had held back a few times. Maybe it was her Vestal connection to him, or maybe she just knew him well enough.

  Among other things, she noticed that he failed to mention his new tattoos. She didn’t quite understand the full significance herself.

  Rem had explained to Titus that Magnus and his people were from a different project, but was otherwise short on details.

  Titus nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “What about Agatha?” he said.

  “She escaped as well,” Rem said calmly.

  Jenna trembled as she thought about the evil and calculating woman.

  “She’ll be back,” Jenna said quietly and looked around the room. “She’ll be out for vengeance, and it’s all my fault.”

  A tall, muscular man with long black hair looked over at her. His bright blue tattoos glowed a little as he spoke.

  “If she seeks vengeance on you, she does it against us all,” he said. “We will protect you.”

  Jenna blushed and looked away.

  Titus pulled the thick book from the table and looked at the dark blue cover. They watched silently as he flipped through.

&nbs
p; “Do you have any clue what it means?” he asked.

  No one said anything. Jenna thought about history shows and the experts they interviewed.

  “We need a linguist or something,” she said. “It’s all about breaking the code.”

  Titus shook his head. “They would have to be someone we trusted,” he said. “Who knows what this books says about us? If someone translated it and then published it, well, we might not see next year.”

  She sighed. He was right, but she had hoped to contribute somehow.

  “Well,” Titus said and placed the book back on his desk. “I guess we should get to the important matters. I have secured the land and cabins you requested.”

  Rem nodded, his eyes refusing to meet hers.

  “Good,” he said and shifted forward. “It’s imperative that we leave as quickly as possible, especially now that Agatha and the Inner Circle are involved.”

  “Now that we understand a little more about how the Horatius Group works,” Titus said, “that’s an advantage. We’ve taken the fight to them and seriously hurt them for once and killed at least some of their leadership, even if it wasn’t the top levels.”

  Titus’s voice seem to grow distant as Jenna shifted in her seat, and her thoughts went back to Rem’s words. Leave? Leave to where? Why hadn’t he talked to her about this? She stared hard at the man she thought she knew well.

  “All the more reason for me to leave,” he said. “If we’re less concentrated together, they’ll concentrate fewer resources on us individually.”

  “You know you don’t have to leave,” Titus said and stared hard at him.

  Her heart thumped in her chest as she waited for him to answer. She thought they were just starting to build something.

  “And you know we can’t stay,” Rem said.

  She felt the tears well in her eyes. Her throat clogged, and for a moment, she just couldn’t breathe.

  “I…” she said. She stood. Rem tried to take her hand, but she shook him off. “I need to go.”

  Jenna fled from the room and outside to her truck. She placed her head in her hands and let the tears fall.

  All of these feelings, and he was just going to leave her? She just couldn’t understand.