Free Marius by Madison Stevens

but stopped when movement caught her eye. Justus stood in front of her. His dark face was still shrouded in the constant frown she had become so used to seeing.
    “Take care of Hannah,” he said gruffly.
    Rachel raised her brows in surprise as she watched the large man settle back on his cot in the corner. Despite his moody ways, he still cared about her poor little friend.
    “I will,” she whispered.
    The door opened, and she busied herself with gathering her materials.
    “I think that about does it,” she said and smiled at Rem, who was giving her an odd look. “We’ll need another exam in a few days…” She trailed off as she turned and followed his line of vision.
    “Shit.”
    Titus glowered at her from the door, Marius not far behind.
    “I think you’ve got some explaining to do.”

Chapter Seven
     
     
    “Well, I thought you didn’t want to talk to me,” Rem said from the back of the room.
    Marius frowned at the prick. If it weren’t for him, Marius would be at home sleeping by now.
    Titus lifted his arm and pointed a finger at Rem. “That’s enough out of you.”
    Rachel crossed her arms, and Marius could see it from across the room, the storm that was brewing. The last thing Marius wanted to do was be anywhere near this when it hit. Yet here he was. The sound of the door closing behind him only reinforced how involved he now was.
    “Actually,” she said and punctuated the word by stepping forward. “We wouldn’t be in this mess if you’d actually done your job and talked to him from the start. Hell, even if you just had done your whole military interrogation thing.”
    The room went silent as they waited for what Titus would say. Marius couldn’t say he really disagreed with her, but Titus was his leader, and that did mean certain things.
    “What exactly are you saying?” Titus asked quietly.
    “I’m saying,” Rachel said, her voice a bit quieter and in more control than he would have expected in such a situation, “I’ve got a woman in a bed sick with God knows what, and it didn’t even occur to you that we might need to question the only person who would have key information on the Horatius Group and their attacks. Maybe instead of locking him away, you could be using him to make this place more secure.”
    Titus rushed forward, and, without thought, Marius raced to protect her. He stopped short when Rem wedged himself in front of Rachel, and something rolled inside him. This was wrong. Justus looked between Titus and Rem, a thin frown on his face. Marius realized he was in a ready stance. It was unclear whether the stance was preparation for an escape attempt or for protecting Rachel.
    “You going after Vestals now?” Rem said and stood tall.
    Titus frowned. “No,” he said firmly and glared at Rachel. “Unless they betray us.”
    “Doesn’t seem like that’s the case,” Rem said and held up his hands.
    “What are you doing here? Why did he send you?” Titus clenched his fists in rage, and Marius wondered if they were two alpha leaders competing for the same space.
    Rem backed up and shrugged. “I’m here to betray you,” he said and smiled.
    Titus let out a long laugh and cracked his knuckles. “You know I’d like to snap your neck, right?”
    Rem gave a broad smile. “I think I’d like it better if we went into Rachel’s office, and you let me explain.”
    Titus sighed, and Marius could see that the two were coming to some sort of resolution. Tension left Justus's body. Titus went to the door and rapped it to signal the guards to open the door. Marius watched as Rem and then Titus walked out of the room. He turned and found Rachel staring at the floor.
    He walked over and nudged her arm.
    “You coming?”
    She looked up at him, her eyes wide and face slightly pale.
    “I’m a Vestal,” she whispered.
    He swallowed and nodded. They hadn’t really tried to hide the fact, but it wasn’t really something you just told someone.
    “How am I a Vestal?” She