Remus
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents depicted in this work are of the author’s imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locations, or events is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 Madison Stevens
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.
Cover designed by Najla Qamber Designs
Remus (Luna Lodge #6)
by
Madison Stevens
Jenna was supposed to only be a secretary at Luna Lodge, a simple enough job, even if it meant working alongside genetically engineered super-soldiers. Now, with her uncle down from a heart attack and the lodge reeling from a brutal attack, she’s needed for a special mission, a special mission that requires her to deal with Rem, a dangerous playboy hybrid and suspected traitor.
Rem has risked his life and freedom on a dangerous mission to help the other hybrids, but his thoughts are more occupied by Jenna. As much as he wants to deny it, the burning attraction threatens the careful self-control he’s built up over the years. A loss of control while surrounded by the dangerous minions and leaders of the Horatius Group would not only doom him, but countless others.
But time is running out for Rem. Both he and Jenna will be forced to make hard choices about who and what they’re willing to sacrifice in a final desperate mission against the Horatius Group.
Chapter One
Silence choked the house.
It wasn’t that Jenna wasn’t used to the quiet. She had lived in the country all of her life, and in the early morning hours, things were always still and quiet. No, it was more the reason for the silence that bothered her.
Jenna stood in the door of her uncle’s bedroom and watched as he slept, the rise and fall of his chest about the only indication he was still alive. She’d never given much thought how he slept before, but these days, it was about all she thought about.
She considered how he no longer got up in the middle of the night to rummage through the fridge or pace the halls, thinking over the things that his brain couldn’t shut out. All those sounds she had become used to and was annoyed with at the time now seemed more like missing parts of home.
She’d watched him fall at the lodge. He went down in slow motion, or at least that’s how her mind replayed it. His face had been filled with pain, and yet he was still trying to run things, as if there was some way to deal with the load of crap they had been dealt.
His skin was more ashen than she’d ever seen for a living person. When he’d gone to the clinic, Jenna wasn’t sure if that was the last time she’d see him alive, but she still let him go. There hadn’t been a choice. Someone had to help and make sure the men held their positions and rallied the troops.
All her life around military men had taught her one important lesson: sometimes you soldier on, even if you didn’t want to, especially during difficult times. It wasn’t her first time forcing herself into action when every part of her wanted time to stand still.
The first time had been with her father. She was six when she was told he wouldn’t be coming home. That’s the risk every soldier takes, or at least, that was what her uncle had said to her and her mother.
For weeks her mother was inconsolable. She’d taken to her bed. There wasn’t much Jenna could do to convince her to come out. So at six, she’d learned to deal with the crap life handed out.
At twenty she had to deal with that once again, but this time with her mother. At first it just seemed like an illness. When it went on for a few weeks, Jenna came home from college for the weekend and convinced her mother to see a doctor about it. A little blood work set the ball rolling from there.
The day they knew for sure her mother had the Big C, Jenna quit school. It didn’t make sense to be there when her heart wasn’t in it. She never really had much idea what she wanted to do with her life, so there wasn’t some burning desire to stay. She enrolled in online classes to get a degree in secretarial work because it was the most practical thing she could do. It would pay the bills well enough. Besides, she had to be there for her mother, and that’s what Jenna wanted most.
It was a tough three years, watching as cancer took the loving woman she knew. Every now and again, she had a hard time remembering the woman from before cancer, like the disease reached into her mind to take her memories of anything before and replaced them with death.
Jenna’s uncle stirred slightly in his sleep. He looked younger like that, and she was reminded of the day her mother passed. Not quite two years ago now. Time had passed so quickly, and yet that day was still as fresh as yesterday.
Her uncle had been there. They knew it was close. The hospice nurse had said all the signs were there. Jenna didn’t want her to go, didn’t want to think of life without her mother. It was unfair. She’d already lost her father. She shouldn’t be asked to lose her mother as well.
Uncle Dave had been the one to tell her that she needed to let her mother go, that she was suffering to stay with them.
It killed Jenna inside. Her mother was suffering because Jenna couldn’t say goodbye.
She’d gone to her side and took her thin, frail hand. It was cold to the touch. Jenna knew it was the end.
There was only one thing that would let her mother leave. No, one person.
“It’s time, Mom,” she had said. Tears filled her eyes as she spoke the words. She choked back the emotions. “It’s time to go see Dad.”
For the first time in months, her mother’s eyes lit up. A soft smile fell on her lips, and she drifted off peacefully. Her cold hand fell away, and Jenna felt her light flicker out.
Hard didn’t even come close to describing the burning ache left in her by her mother’s absence. Through it all, her uncle had been there and watched as his younger sister slowly wasted away. And in the end, he was there to help pick up the pieces.
He wasn’t an overtly loving man, and yet she knew his feelings for her. The hole in her heart hadn’t been filled by the stoic man, but it had been soothed.
Jenna stared at him as he slumbered and wondered what he had been thinking. The last few years had gone quickly for them. Their time at the lodge had done them both good. The hybrids had done them good. It was something else to focus on, and that’s just what they had needed, somewhere to focus their energy.
That is, until the attack on the lodge.
Her uncle was all she had left now, and there was no way in hell she was going to let anything happen to him.
After the attack on the lodge by the Glycons, he hadn’t been himself. Within a few days of the heart attack, he was looking much better, but his spirit was broken.
Having his men fire on them, knowing that they were responsible for the deaths there, it ate at him. Everything he’d ever known about life came from his service. Suddenly the good guys weren’t that much different from the bad guys, and Jenna just didn’t think he knew how to deal with that.
Of course, the government’s official stance was that the soldiers in question had gone rogue and traitor, but they knew the truth. Those men would have never made it that far if they didn’t have some sponsorship from someone higher up, someone like Senator Woods.
That rat bastard had been out to get the hybrids from day one and had gone out of his way to cause trouble for the group. They all knew he was behind some of the attacks, even if they wouldn’t be able to prove it.
Jenna knew all this too well, not because she was someone important, but because all sorts of things came across her desk as secretary for the leader of the lodge, Titus. He was the one that held all the cards, and because of that, she did as well.
She gave a small laugh. Maybe that was how she got pulled into all of this, why she now had a secret mission for Titus. She knew too much. It was like some sort of cliché mob flick. Maybe Titus had plans to off her at some point.
It was hard to hide the smirk. She’d like to see him try. There wasn’t much she was overly confident in, but her shooting was one.
Jenna knew she was good. Better than good. She could outshoot just about every person she’d ever met.
“Jenna? What time is it?”
Her uncle pulled her from her thoughts.
“Early,” she said and looked over to him.
He had risen to his elbows and was blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
She brought in the tray she was carrying and placed it on the table beside the bed. Uncle Dave sat up and rubbed his eyes.
He wasn’t up as early these days. She wouldn’t have even disturbed him at this hour normally but didn’t have much choice. She had things to do today.
His gaze hit the bowl of oatmeal, and he wrinkled his nose. He wasn’t a fan.
“Coffee?” he asked.
She sighed. “You know it’s best if you try and eat healthy.”
He frowned. All the lines on his face showed up. Only a few were hidden by the gray growth on his face. “I think I’d rather be back at the hospital.”
Jenna pressed her lips in a firm line as she stared him down.
“That’s because you were bribing the men to bring you snacks.” She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. “Don’t even try to deny it. I know what you’re up to, and it’s not going to work.”
He sighed and looked back to the tray. She knew she was being harsh, but he had to stick around. She needed him, especially right now.
“You can’t expect me to give up everything,” he grumbled.
Her stomach twisted. She knew he was right. She’d gone a tad too far, but it was hard to find the balance when all she wanted to do was keep him alive.
“Fine,” she snapped and stomped out of the room. “Coffee it is.”
Jenna barreled around the corner of the hall, through the sitting room and into the kitchen. The cheap little white cabinets slapped back as she pulled out a mug. She slammed it down on the counter and grimaced when the handle cracked.
Jenna looped a finger through the handle and tested the hold. It dropped to the floor with a loud crash. Large chunks flew everywhere.
“Damn,” she whispered. She was thankful to be wearing slippers.
Jenna turned to get a broom. She smacked her forehead against the cabinet she’d so carelessly not bothered to close.
“Ow!” she said and held her head. It stung, and she knew it must have left a cut. At least she’d managed not to scratch her glasses.
“What the hell—” Her uncle made his way to the door. “Jenna, you’re cut.”
He stepped in, and she held out a hand.
“Wait, you’ll cut yourself,” she said in a panic.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” he said and stepped in. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m not a damn child.”
He marched in and grabbed a towel from the counter. She sat down and waited until the towel was pressed firmly to her head. Jenna hissed a little. Maybe it was just a little deeper than a scratch.
“Head wounds bleed like a bitch,” he said quietly and sat next to her.
It dawned on her that maybe seeing her like that had scared him. Her heart picked up as she thought about what something like that could do to him.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. She rushed to get out the words before her voice started to shake. “I didn’t mean to scare—”
He shook his head, and she trailed off.
“I’ve seen worse,” he said. His eyes took on a far off look she’d seen a time or two from him.
She knew he’d been involved in more than a few conflicts in the Army and had been sent all over the world. Still, he didn’t talk about that much. Most everything she knew centered on his special ops team. They were his pride and joy. It’s why the betrayal cut so deeply.
“I’m going to be fine, Jenna,” he said quietly. She started to open her mouth but stopped when he held up a hand. “I know you’re worried, but I neglected the signs. It won’t happen again.”
“How can I be sure?” she asked quietly. The towel muffled her voice, but she was glad for it. Maybe he wouldn’t hear the wobble.
“There’s nothing in this world we can be sure of,” he said. “But we can trust that people will do what they need to.”
She pulled the towel off, and her uncle leaned in to look at the wound. He pushed back some of her curly brown hair and pinched the skin. She winced.