“Are you saying they have been experimenting on your kind for centuries?” Rachel asked.
Rem nodded. “From what I’ve been able to tell, they have always done some manipulation, but the last fifty years have involved the highest level of manipulation. The technology caught up to their vision of sculpting us.”
A shudder ran through her. Then, for a brief second, the scientist in her considered what Rem had related. The hybrids could even represent a different lineage of mankind previously unknown to evolutionary history. She blinked. The truth of the hybrid’s origins could potentially revolutionize mankind’s understanding of the nature of humanity.
“So what does that mean for us?” Marius asked.
Rem clapped his hands together and grinned. “Good questions.” He smiled at the crowd. “I think we need to push to explore this further. There are libraries that the Horatius Group doesn’t want us to see.” He carefully surveyed the room with his gaze. “We need to see these. No longer can we be the people that live in the dark and let their past be shrouded in mystery. We deserve better. We deserve the truth.”
Titus stepped back up to the front and clapped Rem on the back. “We are working together on this, and the more the better. Jenna will take names after the meeting is over.”
Jenna waved a hand from the corner.
“If no one has any further questions, the meeting is dismissed,” Titus said. He nodded at Marius.
Rachel smiled when he stood. “I want details later.”
She watched as he left and hoped for good news.
* * *
Marius followed the men into the room and took a seat at the table. Titus took his seat at the head. As everyone settled in, he noticed Sol and Lucius had been able to make it and was glad to have the backbone of their force available.
“Okay, let’s get this over quickly,” Titus said. “Have we finished dealing with the police on the dead nurse?”
Major Carter nodded. “I don’t think they like it, but she was crazy and everyone in town pretty much knew it. Even the hospital had some issues with her,” he said. “They don’t seem to want the trouble of getting involved with us, especially with so many witnesses on our side.”
Marius frowned. “So they sent her out anyway? What the hell is the matter with these people?”
Major Carter shrugged a single shoulder. “People weren’t exactly lining up to come here from the hospital. I think they were desperate, and she volunteered.”
“How did Reverend John’s group know we’d hire her?” Lucius asked.
Titus shook his head. “We don’t think they did. From the way this has all played out, it seemed like more luck than anything.”
Marius frowned. “How was this luck?”
“They likely were on the crew when we first started building this place. The wolf’s bane flowers take a bit of time to grow. It gave them enough time to poison this place and to get their nurse into position at the hospital,” Titus said. “They probably knew we’d want help from the hospital eventually.”
Sol frowned. “That seemed like they might have overdone it.”
Titus nodded. “I wouldn’t actually expect any less in this case,” he said. “They were preparing for end time, the apocalypse.”
“Didn’t seem to help them much in the end,” Apollo said with a smirk.
Marius nodded. “Reverend John lost most of his men either to us or the fire.”
“Not to mention his own life,” Apollo said.
Titus shook his head. “I doubt that. We never found the body.”
Apollo grimaced.
“And the police?” Sol asked.
Titus shook his head. “We’re keeping this local. Too much damage for this to get out. Major Carter is pulling some strings, but we can’t be known as going off our land to engage in battles.”
They all nodded in agreement.
Marius watched as Jenna came in and whispered between Rem and Major Carter before shooting them both a funny look.
She stood and waited for Titus.
“Yes?”
“There’s a call on line two,” she said and hurried to the door.
“Jenna?” he called, and she stopped. “Who’s on the line?”
She glanced to Major Carter, who nodded. “Senator Woods.”
Titus frowned. “I don’t—”
“You want to take this one,” the major said with a smile.
Titus hit the appropriate button on the meeting room phone.
“Senator Woods, to what do I owe the honor?”
“Don’t you fucking play games with me, Titus,” Woods yelled loud and clear over the speaker.
Titus leaned back. “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Listen here, asshole,” he said loudly. “I don’t know where you got this money, but it better be on the up and up, or I’ll have your hybrid asses. I know that little mercenary shit you’ve been doing with Carter isn’t enough to generate that kind of cash that quickly.”
Titus let out a bark of laughter.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “Well, if that’s all, we’ve got to make plans on how to spend it.”
“This isn’t over, you mother fu—”
The phone cut out before they were forced to listen any more.
Marius stared at Titus, stunned.
“We have money?” he asked.
Titus nodded and turned to Rem.
“And you made this happen?” Marius asked.
Rem shrugged. “Technically it’s the Horatius Group’s money, so it’s all of ours,” he said.
Marius sat back in his chair. This was it. It was the piece that would help them make their place in the world. They’d no longer have to scratch by, fighting for mere survival. They had children and resources. They had a future.
A Note from Madison
Thank you for reading Marius. If you enjoyed this book, please consider reviewing it. We authors live and die by reviews.
Please keep an eye out for the next book in the series, Apollo.
You can join my release mailing list at http://eepurl.com/OX9r5
ALSO BY MADISON STEVENS
Allen Securities (Romantic Suspense)
Reed (Allen Securities #1)
Kace (Allen Securities #2)
Liam (Allen Securities #3)
Ryder (Allen Securities #4)
Kelly Clan (Romantic Suspense)
Finn (Kelly Clan #1)
Conor (Kelly Clan #2)
Luna Lodge (Paranormal Romance)
Sol (Luna Lodge #1)
Titus (Luna Lodge #2)
Lucius (Luna Lodge #3)
Road House (Contemporary Short Stories)
Letting Go (Road House #1)
Holding On (Road House #2)
Standing By (Road House #3)
Privileged (New Adult Romance)
Privileged (Privileged #1)
Elite (Privileged #2)
Author Bio
Madison currently lives with her husband and two children in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona. After leaving the frozen tundra of the north, she was more surprised than anyone with how much she has enjoyed living in the desert. Seeing as she stated on more than one occasion before moving to Arizona how much she hated heat, it was an odd move, but it seems her hatred for sub-zero temperatures and ice has won out in the end.
When she’s not writing, she’s enjoying time with her family. Madison and her family frequent festivals in the area, as well as local cultural events, and spend time with family in the area. In the summer, she is most likely to be found in the pool with the family and in the winter by the fireplace. Since both her children are autistic, days can be a little chaotic, but with her husband beside her, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
Madison has a full schedule of releases planned for 2014 listed and updated on her blog: http://madisonstevensauthor.com/
She can be contacted at [email protected]
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Marius (Luna Lodge, #4) Page 17