“I thought you wanted my cake?” she said.
Rem smiled. “Let’s just stay like this for a bit.”
She placed a hand on his chest and traced little patterns with her nails. It felt good, and he let the moment just seep in. One day. He wanted one day with the woman he could never have.
“You aren’t acting like yourself today,” she said quietly.
Rem frowned and looked down to her.
“What do you mean?” he said.
She shrugged and glanced up at his face. “I mean, normally you’re making jokes or trying to get me upset.”
He chuckled. It was true. He’d spent the better part of his time just trying to drive her crazy. Better she was mad at him than tempting him to act on something that shouldn’t happen.
“Today I just want to pretend like we’re normal,” he said and wrapped both arms around her. “Just the two of us having a picnic on a beautiful day.” He nuzzled her head. “I just want to relax with my beautiful Jenna.”
She grew quiet, and he knew she was thinking about what he had said. Her face had gone hot against his chest.
“I yelled at Titus,” she said abruptly.
This time he let out a real laugh, and it felt good to do so. “I bet that was a sight.”
He could see her mouth quirk up a little.
“He won’t make you leave,” she said, looking up at him. Irritation lit behind her eyes.
Rem snorted. “I’d like to see him try.”
Jenna sat up a little more. Her face was solemn as she stared at him. “Could I?”
He started to respond but stopped. She could, and he knew it.
It wouldn’t be right though. Things had changed. Before it had just been about a little research. Maybe stealing a book. Now things were so much more complicated. Above all he needed to wound the group and ensure that Magnus and his people were free of this hell.
“Yes,” he said finally and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I hope you don’t. This is bigger than we thought. Much bigger.”
Jenna watched him for a moment and then placed her head back on his chest.
They lay like that for some time. Several times he thought about getting up, but the idea of leaving her made him ache more than he had the words to say. It was only when he could hear the Glycons stirring from the morning meal that he sat up.
Jenna stood without a word and packed her bag.
“You didn’t eat your cake,” she said quietly and sealed it back up.
Rem didn’t answer. There really was no answer. It went along with the chance he would never have. A taste and nothing more.
Without warning, Jenna wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her face into his chest. He felt the two wet patches as she wept against him.
“Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye?” she whispered. Her voice choked with emotion.
A lump formed in his throat. That was exactly what he was doing.
Rem pulled her away from him and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
“You still owe me one chocolate cake,” he whispered and grinned.
Jenna stared back at him, and it was as if she saw through his game.
“When you come home, I’ll make you as much damn cake as you want,” Jenna said and pressed against him again. “Just come home,” she whispered.
Rem took a breath, trying to keep his composure. This was far more difficult than he thought. The flirting game was fun, effortless. Actual emotion made everything far less fun.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out another note. It was more for his peace of mind than anything, but once tomorrow came, Titus would have all the information he needed, regardless of what happened to Rem.
“Give this to Titus,” Rem said and placed it in her hand when she pulled back.
Jenna huffed, and he placed a gentle hand under her chin.
“Go easy on him,” Rem said and rubbed the smooth skin there. “He really does care about us all. I’m the one changing the plan.”
She frowned but placed the note in her pocket.
“Meet back here tomorrow morning,” he said and looked away.
“I don’t like this,” she said quietly.
Rem looked down and smiled at her. “I know.”
“And whatever stupid plan you have is crap.” She twisted out of his arms.
Rem stepped forward and wrapped his arms back around her.
“I know,” he whispered into her hair and breathed in her sweet smell. He wanted to remember as much about her as he could.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“I think I love you,” she said.
Rem kissed the side of her head and stepped away.
“I know,” he said and glanced away. His voice was clouded with emotion.
Without looking back, he made his way into the entrance. It was time to end this and move on to the war.
Chapter Nine
The air was hard to breathe the entire walk back. Jenna sucked in big breaths and tried not to let out all the tears she’d been holding. When she reached her truck, she nearly fell into the seat.
That was it. He was walking off to die, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. She should have made him come with her. He would be safe in her truck, and they could just drive off into the sunset.
Jenna leaned her head forward and let the tears fall freely now. She’d finally accepted her feelings, and now he was being taken from her. Everyone she loved was destroyed at some point.
The note to Titus burned a hole in her pocket.
She should read it. What did it matter at this point?
Jenna pulled the note out and stared at the folded square. She couldn’t. It wasn’t right, and Rem hadn’t meant for her to see it. Still, after the way he acted, she couldn’t leave it alone. She needed to know.
Slowly, she unfolded it and stared at the words on the page.
She tossed it onto the seat next to her.
It didn’t matter if she called Titus. None of it mattered now.
Numb to the world, Jenna started the truck and pulled away, leaving a piece of her heart behind.
* * *
Rem stalked the halls slowly. He couldn’t think about her now. She would be well on her way home, and that was exactly where she needed to be: safe and far away from this hellish place.
He shoved thoughts of her out of his mind. If he was going to pull this off, he’d need total focus. Even if he wasn’t weakened from their procedures, it’d be near impossible. Now, he didn’t know. Still, waiting around would just end up with him as a Glycon.
Footsteps drew closer, and he made a sharp right to avoid them.
He let out a sigh when they stopped nearby.
“I’ve found him,” Nyx said quietly.
Rem stepped out into the hall.
“And the stone?” Rem said. He could only hope this would be simple.
Nyx shook her head. “That bitch must be keeping it on her.”
He groaned a little. Of course nothing would be simple.
“Tell me we’ve at least got the firepower lined up,” he said.
Nyx nodded. Her long black hair bobbed behind her. “Magnus is on it. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow when you are.”
“And the book?”
Nyx sighed. “Do we really have to do this to her?”
He frowned. They had been over this a number of times now. He was tired of the same fight.
“She can’t be here,” he said firmly. “We don’t know what they will do, and she’s human.”
“No, she’s a Vestal. Your Vestal.”
He started walking. This was not the conversation he wanted to have.
“I just need to know you’ve got the damn book to give her,” he snapped.
Nyx sighed. “Whatever, I’m just trying to help. I’ve got the book.” She kept step with him as they made their way to the Council section. “I still don’t know why it matters. No one can
read it.”
“Yet,” Rem said firmly. “No one can read it yet.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nyx said and waved a hand in the air.
“Run over the plan one more time,” Rem said. They needed it drilled so firmly that there wasn’t a chance things could get screwed up.
“You light up the place while helping awaken those asleep,” she said and glanced around the corner. “We make a break for the river and meet up on the other side.”
Rem nodded.
“Do you really think the stone will wake them?” she asked.
Rem shrugged. It was a guess at best, but they needed hope.
“Harold said that it was the stone that your essence came from.” He rolled his eyes.
Rem wasn’t going to fully commit to the whole god thing, but at the moment, it was the best he had. And even if it wasn’t the truth, Harold still seemed to think the rock and Magnus’s people were connected.
“What do you think we do when we have it?” she asked.
Another thing he still wasn’t sure of.
“Let’s worry about getting it first,” he grumbled. “Then we can figure out the rest.”
“How long do we wait at the river when we’re out?” Nyx said.
“No more than half an hour,” he said and glanced over to him. “But that won’t be a problem, right? We’re all going to get there together.”
Rem looked over at her. Nyx wasn’t an idiot. She knew that something was wrong.
“It’s a precaution,” he said and offered a stiff smile. “If we all do our jobs, things will turn out fine.”
Nyx halted outside a door and stared at him skeptically.
“Here,” she said and waved to the door.
He nodded for her to make her way around the corner. Once she was out of sight, he knocked on the door.
Harold answered, surprised to see him there.
“Are you trying to get us both killed?” the man whispered loudly.
He tried to yank Rem into the room, but failed to move the huge man. Rem suppressed a snicker and stepped inside.
Unlike his own room, this was an actual living quarters. A small living room with a half size kitchen were all in one spot. There was even a small room off the main area that led to a bedroom. It had all the modern conveniences. Rem had never been offered half as much. Granted, it was obvious now that was because they only needed him to survive for a while, not to be satisfied.
Harold waved for him to take a seat at a small table.
“You know it won’t do any good to try and negotiate with me,” he said and took a seat across the table. “They have stripped me of most of my duties. I’m now a figurehead.”
Harold gave a bitter laugh, and Rem had to refrain from rolling his eyes at the sorrows of the man who had just doomed him to the life of a Glycon.
“I’ve come to learn from you,” Rem said quietly.
He watched as the little man perked up at the chance to show off his knowledge.
“By all means,” Harold said and smiled brightly at him. “I so little get the chance to educate. No one appreciates what we’ve been doing anymore. They’re all so short-sighted. I’ve devoted myself to this glorious area.”
Rem had been counting on the man’s eagerness to show off. The pompous man was made for this.
Rem took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure how much he still believed about all of this, but something was always better than nothing. “If my kind are from gods, then what about the Vestals? How do they factor into all of this?”
“Ah,” Harold said, giving a wide grin. “Very good. This is something that has been much debated. It’s still not clear why, but we do know the Vestals carry a few special genes. Normally, their products don’t seem to do much of anything nor have any particular effects. That changes when the Vestal meets her mate. The two call to each other. Then, a number of downstream biological chances occur.”
Rem nodded. It made sense. Well, as much sense as it could make, considering.
“Can a Vestal choose more than one hybrid?”
He hated to admit it to himself, but the idea of Jenna with another of the men made his blood boil.
Harold shook his head eagerly.
“We’ve never seen that happen,” he said and leaned in a little. “It is believed by some that the Vestals are made to temper the gods. That they are destined for their one true mate.”
His heart skipped a little at the thought that Jenna was always meant to be his.
“The stone has the essence of Atlas,” Rem said, changing the subject. It wouldn’t be good if Harold got suspicious that he had already met his mate. “Why were you using it on me?”
Harold frowned. Rem knew it had pissed him off when Agatha took the stone.
“It eases the reversal serum. We’ve found that if we let the two bond, the reversal goes much more smoothly,” he said. “Prior to this, we were losing far too many, especially with how painful the process was.” He stopped and grinned. “But I guess I don’t have to tell you that.”
Rem gave a curt nod. The sooner he got away from this nut job the better. “What do they do once the reversal is finished?”
Harold’s hands clenched at his sides.
“They draw out the essence and place it into the next person,” Harold. “It’s potent.” He crossed his arms and stared at Rem. “They say yours will be as close to a god as we get.”
Rem frowned. He didn’t really like the idea that these bastards were talking about him. He especially didn’t like the idea they might get more powerful after taking something from him.
“Is that what you want?” Rem said. “Some of my essence to be a god?”
Harold frowned back at him. “Taking the essence isn’t worth it. By this point, it’s bonded with your soul. This isn’t even supposed to be happening. We were never meant to be a part of the process. It’s not… right.”
Rem raised a brow. It was the first time he’d heard someone from the Horatius Group criticizing how things were run.
“Seems like others disagree with you,” he said.
Harold sneered. “It’s that Agatha. She pressed the Inner Circle to become something else. We weren’t meant for this,” he said hurriedly. “There is a whole selection process with this. Coelia should be deciding this, but there are too many around her who have poisoned her against the true ways. ”
“Coelia?” Rem said.
Harold shook his head. “There are some things we must never talk of.”
It was strange the he would tell him of their plans but not about some woman.
“Before you said I was different,” Rem said and swallowed. “That I was the only one who survived.”
Harold considered that for a moment. “Successfully, yes.”
Rem frowned. “And what about Romulus? I was told we were created at the same time.”
Harold looked nervous. “Some were not considered so successful. We believe the essence you were created from must have been very powerful.” He pressed his lips together. “Some even believe that it was from the creator of the gods.”
The world spun for Rem a little as he thought about this.
“We had only been successful taking a small part of the essence and combining it with animal DNA. Primarily wolf,” Harold continued. “It provided unexpected stability, but when your group was created, those in charge thought for sure they would be creating super-gods. Most were left to die, but Romulus’s father held an active role at the time. Letting his unborn child die wasn’t an option, so he introduced new elements.”
Harold laughed, and the sound was almost hollow.
“Like we would have the right to tamper with the gods,” Harold mumbled.
This was the opening Rem needed.
“And what you’re doing now is better?”
Harold stood and paced the room.
“You think I don’t know?” he said and waved his hands furiously around as he spoke. “I was party to holding gods.” He let out a bi
g sigh. “I’m sure they will have their revenge in the end. I’ll be punished.” A barking laughter erupted from him.
“It’s not too late,” Rem said. He could hear the clack of footsteps in the hall and recognized that sound a mile away. Agatha.
Harold shook his head. “She would know.”
Rem stood and frowned. “Who are you more afraid of, the gods or some woman?”
The door crashed in, and Agatha stepped in.
“If he’s smart, he’ll be afraid of me,” she said, smiling at the two of them.
The gaze of her piercing red eyes landed on Rem.
“Not much longer,” she said and smelled the air.
Agatha unnerved Rem in a way Romulus had never been able. With his brother, he knew what to expect: irrational temper tantrums that might be followed by some destructive behavior.
Agatha wasn’t like that. She watched those around her with a keen eye and that alone was a threat.
She stared at Rem as Romulus and Nero entered the room.
“Well, brother,” Romulus said with an evil smile. “Making new friends?”
Rem leaned back in his chair and smiled.
“You know me, a man of the people.”
Romulus’s eyes flashed red as he continued to stare at him.
“Is that so?”
Nero stepped forward. “Maybe we should go make friends outside.”
“Enough!” Agatha shouted.
Nero stood where he was, glaring at Rem. He’d never had a beef with the hybrid, and yet his hatred toward Rem always seemed to burn deep.
“Escort him to his room,” she said to Nero.
With no hesitation, Nero yanked him to his feet. Rem glanced back to Harold, who watched in shock as Nero pulled him out the door.
From where they were in the hall, he could see Nyx slink into the shadows and was glad she had waited.
The entire entourage quickly made their way through the hall.
Romulus scowled at him when he turned around.
“I thought you were going to take his essence,” he said quietly to Agatha.
Her mouth twitched a little with what seemed like annoyance.
“He’s not ready,” she said and looked over to Romulus. “These things take time.”
Remus: #6 Page 7