Marius (Luna Lodge, #4)

by Madison Stevens

  She stared open mouthed at him for a moment.

  “How did you feel when you were locked up?” she asked quietly.

  He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Just humor me,” she said. “How did you feel?”

  “Like I was never going to get out. Like there was no end.”

  “I imagine that if anyone locked you up, you’d feel much the same way. No matter their intentions.”

  He thought for a moment and looked at the two men. She was right. They weren’t making any decisions about Rem and Justus, and they were holding them prisoners. How were they different? What, because they weren’t experimenting on the men? That wasn’t enough to feel good about, and he needed to speak with Titus about this. He didn’t have to like Rem or even trust him to know that this wasn’t right. They were either going to be the good guys or the bad guys, and if this was how it was going to be, maybe he wasn’t sure which side they were on either.

  “Point taken,” he said in front of the big box. “Now, let’s get some work done. If we don’t find out what’s going on, we’re likely all in trouble, and it won’t matter who we work for in the end.”

  His eyes shifted to Rachel, who already had her nose buried in another book. This wasn’t some big to-do for her, she really just wanted him to see it from their perspective. When he turned, Marius was surprised to find Rem sitting somewhat close to him.

  “She gets it,” Rem said.

  Marius frowned and looked back at the papers he held in his hand.

  “Gets what?” he said and immediately wanted to kick himself. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a conversation with the man.

  “Us,” he said simply.

  Marius set his papers down and stared in disbelief. “What?”

  “Look,” Rem said, nodding toward Rachel. “She sees past our bullshit. Why do you think most of the men are so off-put by her? It’s unsettling and a bit of a turn on.”

  Marius turned toward her and stared. He’d never really thought of her like that before. She’d always just been the woman he avoided because she ignited something he couldn’t let out. Rachel called to the beast in him, and he wanted to stalk her like prey.

  He shook himself, trying not to remember last night or what he wanted to do with her.

  When he glanced back over to her, he found her staring at him. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she quickly looked away. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smile. He liked that she was shy sometimes. It was nice to know that he could get that response from her.

  Something stirred next to him, and he looked over his shoulder. Rem grinned at him, and Marius frowned. Was it Rem or him? He never seemed to know.

  Rem winked at him. Marius was really starting to hate the guy and his stupid winks.

  “She’s really something,” Rem said and returned to reading.

  Marius watched Rem, and his frown only deepened. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on quick or else he might miss out on something. Or someone.

  * * *

  They had been sitting there in silence for hours before Rachel decided to call it quits. The guards had been nice enough to order lunch for them, and despite not having left the room, they still weren’t making much headway. She was just about to flip closed the last med book she’d brought when something caught her eye.

  Poison was a strong possibility. When Titus had been scratched by Romulus, the latter's venom had produced similar symptoms. Of course, there had also been a secondary infection related to bacteria that also played a role. There was no infection, whether viral, bacterial or parasitic. She was all but certain of that. But what if instead of being poisoned from being scratched, they had been poisoned some other way?

  Rachel turned with the book and set it down in front of Marius and Rem. They leaned over and scanned the pages. Rem leaned back first.

  “Poison?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Maybe,” she said.

  Marius frowned at her, and she hated that he seemed to disapprove.

  “How?” he asked.

  Rachel shrugged and looked between the two men. Neither seemed fully sold.

  “No telling, but it’s the only one that makes any sense,” she said. “There are lots of poisons that are virtually untraceable, difficult to pinpoint and can do a lot of damage quickly.”

  The truth of her words started to sink in. The men gave concerned looks to one another.

  “So where do we go from here?” Marius asked.

  Rachel swallowed. No one was going to like this. Actually, she was fairly certain her next words were going to make her the least liked person in the compound.

  “We cut off water and food,” she said.

  Marius stared at her as if she had just suggested they saw off their own arms.

  “How are we even remotely going to do that?” he said. He waited for an answer, as if she would even have one.

  Rachel shook her head. She wasn’t sure, but there weren’t a whole lot of options so far.

  “Look,” Rem interjected. “Food and water are prime targets for wiping out the enemy.”

  Marius narrowed his eyes. “Something you’d know a lot about?” he asked.

  Rem sighed and folded his arms. “Yes,” he said, much to Rachel's surprise. “And you would as well if you pulled your head out of your ass long enough to think about it.”

  Rachel turned her head to the side to hide the laugh trying to work its way up. She was glad she wasn’t the only one frustrated with the thick-headed nature of the local hybrids.

  “Campaigns throughout history have demonstrated that our greatest weaknesses are that we need food and water to survive,” Rem said. “This leaves us vulnerable to attacks, whether we want to admit it or not.”

  Marius grew quiet for a moment as he stared down Rem, and she wondered if they would fight. Instead, Marius turned to Rachel.

  “What needs to be done?” he asked.

  She sat in silence for a moment.

  “You need to talk to Titus,” she said.

  He nodded. He knew what he needed to do, but he really wasn’t looking forward to it.

  * * *

  “So only prepackaged and prebottled water?” Sol asked from the couch near Titus’s desk.

  Marius pinched the bridge of his nose and answered for about the millionth time. For a group of men with super-hearing, they seemed to be having trouble hearing him.

  “Yes,” he sighed.

  Given the news, Titus had called for a meeting. Major Carter and all the top hybrids except Lucius were able to attend, and Marius felt like he was answering the same question posed five different ways. He could understand some of Rachel’s irritation with the men if this was what she had to go through.

  “Do you trust her?” Titus asked. He’d remained fairly quiet during this time, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have an opinion. It just meant that whatever it was, he was still forming it.

  Marius looked at him without wavering and nodded. “Yes.”

  “And Remus?” he raised a brow.

  Marius frowned. “I don’t like him.”

  “And trust?” he said.

  Marius thought for a moment before answering. “He’s still earning that.”

  Titus gave a short nod. “Understood. We’ll do what she asks on the food and water and wait for labs to come back. Better safe than sorry. I still want our people to keep an eye on this.” He looked between Apollo and Sol. “Let’s get some men looking around for how they might be getting in to poison these things, if they are. Take samples of the water at different points and anywhere we grow or hunt. Most of our food is still sourced from outside the compound, and that would be really easy to trace. I’ll put a few men on that as well.”

  “While we’re all here,” Major Carter said. “I’ve emailed everyone a list of new possible doctors to vet. Please take a look at it over the next week, and we can begin the process.”

  His stomach dro
pped. He’d been so busy there hadn’t been time to check email.

  As the men started to filter out of the room, Titus pulled him aside.

  “You still okay with this?” he asked.

  Worry ate at him. He wasn’t okay with this. Or maybe he was. What the hell was happening? He wasn’t supposed to feel like a piece of him was being pulled apart.

  When he didn’t answer right away, Titus placed a strong hand on his shoulder.

  “None of the men like her,” he said.

  Marius shook off his hand. “None of the men like anyone in a white coat.”

  “She’s rude,” Titus countered.

  Marius shrugged. “So are we.”

  Titus pressed his lips together, and Marius could see he was pushing his patience. “She just doesn’t fit in.”

  “And we do?” They stared at one another for a long moment before he spoke. “Look, I’m not saying she’s not a pain in the ass, but she did save Hannah and is working to save both her and Lucius now. I’m finding it hard to see anyone else in here. If she was really the evil doctor you all think she is, wouldn’t it just be best to let this ride out?”

  Titus opened his mouth and closed it.

  Marius had to guess this wasn’t exactly how he thought the conversation would go.

  “She’s leaving when we get a new doctor,” Titus said firmly.

  Marius stared at him. “And what will you do with her?”

  Titus narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, she knows too much,” he said. “Will you make her a room like the others?”

  Titus stilled, and his eyes flashed yellow.

  “Only if she needs one,” he said.

  Anger coursed through Marius.

  “Well, maybe you can explain to the men why it’s a room for two,” he said and pushed out of the room.

  Lately, tempers seemed to be increasingly flaring up around the compound. They all seemed to be thinking less and reacting more. He hated to say it, but Rem was right, and if they didn’t get their shit in order, they really would be no better than the Horatius Group.

  Chapter Nine

  Rachel slurped up her Dr. Pepper and rubbed a hand over her forehead. It had been another long day going through stacks of medical books and papers. Marius hadn’t been able to work with them, so she and Rem had pounded through the pile themselves, looking for information. It wasn't good enough to just diagnose poisoning. She needed to identify the agent if she had any hope of formulating a treatment.

  In the last two days, her patients had displayed few changes in condition, positive or negative. Luckily, she was able to keep Hannah and Lucius stable, but that was about all she was able to do. The two seemed to waver just on the line, and she worried that at any moment, things could tip toward a fatal path. For now, she’d take stable. It was better than nothing and certainly better than death.

  By the end of the day, she’d only had just enough time to check in on her patients before making a quick mail and email check. It wasn’t until she’d sat down to wait for Marius and opened up her laptop that the lab reports from the food, inside and outside water stared her in the face. The tox screening wasn’t what she had expected. Everything inside was fine, but some of the outside numbers were a little off.

  She stared at the numbers and thought about every factor in the area. There was a lot of construction going on, which could play a role, but it still wasn’t what she had been expecting.

  A knock at the door made her jump.

  “Come in,” she said.

  Marius stepped in, and she had to pause for a second as her brain processed just how fantastic he looked in the light. There was something about him as he made his way inside.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked and moved further into the room.

  Rachel shook her head, mainly to clear out all the very naughty thoughts that kept popping in.

  Marius frowned.

  “It’s time to go,” he said.

  She set the sheet on the desk and leaned back. “Well, sometimes shit happens, and it’s called a lab report.”

  Marius moved around her chair to the back and peered over her shoulder. He bent over and looked at the paper.

  “What does all this mean?” he asked and pointed to some of the numbers.

  His arms brushed hers. She breathed in deeply and could smell his woodsy soap scent. The rich notes filled her nose, and when she turned her face to talk to him, her nose seemed to follow along the hot line of his neck.

  “I…” She swallowed and brought her eyes to his. Oblivious to her problems, Marius waited for her answer, his amber eyes showing curiosity. She fumbled as he continued to stare, and the longer he waited, the more she wanted to just spit it out.

  He took in a deep breath and stilled.

  “What’s that smell?” he said quietly.

  Rachel frowned and turned her head to the side. She sniffed. There was nothing but the slightly floral hints from her earlier shower.

  “I don’t—”

  Marius leaned forward and dropped to his knees. His eyes flashed a bright yellow before he spun her in her chair and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

  “What are you doing?” she said and pushed him back.

  Marius set his head up and moved his face just inches from her. She stared at his bright yellow eyes.

  “Why is his smell on you?” He narrowed his eyes.

  Rachel frowned. “What?”

  Marius moved in closer, pressing her into the seat, his gaze intense and fixed on her own. “You smell like Rem.”

  “I just…” she said and tried to back away, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. Marius only pressed in closer, with his body firmly wedged between her legs and arms on either side of her body. “We were working together.”

  He sucked in some air.

  “It was just work. I just sat on his bed today because it was more comfortable,” she said.

  She could feel the chair shake as she spoke and wondered if maybe it would have been best if she had lied.

  Marius's arms snaked up further on the chair, and he stopped when their lips touched. Afraid to breathe, she sat as still as she could. His breath came out hard, ragged. His hot breath fanned out across her face and cascaded down her neck. Chills broke out along her arms, and she wasn’t quite sure if she was scared or excited, but she was leaning more toward excited.

  “Don’t go near him,” he growled softly. She could feel the rumble against her lips.

  “We’re working together,” she whispered.

  Marius huffed loudly and pulled his face to her neck. She jumped when his lips found the fevered skin there. Rachel leaned her head to the side and moaned loudly.

  “He can’t have you,” he mumbled against her neck. He brushed the hair there aside, sliding his fingers deep into her dark brown roots.

  His soft words stirred something in her. She hadn’t really known how she felt about Marius. It was clear that he was amazing to look at, but there was more. Something that maybe he wasn’t letting out and maybe even hid. The idea that she made him feel something he didn’t feel with others sparked something in her.

  Rachel moved her hands and laid them on his strong arms. The muscles beneath his thin white shirt rippled as he shifted. Still exploring, she slipped her hands further up until she’d wound her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her again.

  “He wants me?” she asked, curious why he’d even care about Rem.

  “Fuck him,” Marius growled before his lips came crashing down on her own.

  His arms fell from the chair to her back as he pulled her hard against him. She gasped when her hot center pressed firmly against his rigid length. She wrapped her legs around his back and held on. Marius growled against her lips, and she could feel her heart pick up in her chest.

  He slanted his head over hers for a deeper kiss. Without question, she opened her mouth and let him in. Their tongues twined, and her body flushed a
t the erotic way he moved his mouth.

  Rachel ground against him for some relief, but her pants were in the way. Never before had she wanted to rip off her clothes before until now. She pulled her head back and huffed in frustration.

  Not stopping, Marius slid his mouth along her neck to the sensitive spot behind her ear. She slipped her hands into his hair as he sucked there.

  “More,” she whispered.

  He slid down slightly and frowned. Normally, she liked to wear button-up shirts, but today, she had picked out a thicker blue pullover shirt. In one, move he whipped the shirt over her head and flung it over her shoulder.

  Marius stared at her now lace-covered breasts. She knew they weren’t as large as others and started to cover herself. His bright glowing eyes found hers and frowned. He pulled her hands away and reached for the front clasp.

  “I want to see,” he said.

  Her hands fell limply to her sides, and she watched as his large hands unsnapped the bra. The scraps of fabric slipped to the side, and her breasts sprang out, the pointed peaks begging to be touched.

  Marius stared at them and then at her. He leaned forward with his eyes still fixed on her and brought his mouth to one rosy bud. Rachel bucked as he placed it in his mouth and swirled with his tongue. Her hands slipped into his hair, if anything, just to keep her in place.

  She moaned loudly.

  Marius pulled back with a loud pop and moved his mouth to the other side. His hand came up to massage the breast he had just left.

  The ache began to build. It felt good, but she wanted more. She lifted her lower half and rubbed it against his now throbbing cock. She could feel him grow, and she wanted nothing more than to feel it deep inside her. Rachel slipped a hand between them and ran it along his length. Marius moaned so loudly she was nearly startled.

  Suddenly, she was cold and half balancing herself on an empty chair, nearly naked.

  “As soon as you know about those numbers, you should tell Titus,” Marius said, moving away. He busied himself across the room, looking anywhere but at her.

  Rachel felt heat flame her face. She snapped her bra closed and stomped over to him.