Remus by Madison Stevens Page B

showed enough humility, it’d help push them off-guard. Rem had repeatedly mentioned how arrogant Romulus was.
    “I know you,” someone growled.
    Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she looked up.
    The bestial man who had taken Rem at the lodge stood feet away, glaring at her. His name echoed in her head. Nero. Never had she seen one of them like this man. The hybrids might have animal like traits, but this man was barely human.
    Behind the odd animal-like angles, she could see that he might have been a handsome man at some point. His hair was dark but had flecks of lighter colors, like the coat on a wolf. It was strangely entrancing.
    “You’re one of them,” he snarled, his voice thick with anger.
    Romulus looked back at her with new joy. It made her stomach churn.
    “Is that true?” he asked and leaned in. He breathed in deeply and frowned.
    She hated the way he stared at her, as if he was trying to undress her.
    Jenna took a deep breath. “I’m here for Rem,” she said quietly.
    Romulus glared at her as if she had tried to make him angry. “Rem?”
    “She says she’s bonded to him,” Magnus said quickly.
    Romulus stepped back as if burned.
    “Bonded?” he repeated.
    Jenna watched as an array of emotions passed over the hybrid’s face. She was surprised to see he seemed almost hurt by the news, but in the end, he settled on irritation.
    A tall woman stepped forward and waved Romulus out of the way. Her eyes were red and her skin snow white. Her pale blonde hair flowed down her back. The look of the woman made Jenna’s skin crawl. There was something off about the way her face was shaped. Too sharp. Too many angles. Like a viper.
    “How can he be bonded?” the woman asked. Jenna swallowed and just hoped they couldn’t tell she and Rem hadn’t done anything.
    “If they are bonded, Coelia will want them both alive,” someone said.
    Jenna didn’t dare take her eyes off the deadly woman in front of her. If she was going to be attacked, she wanted to see it coming head on.
    The woman whirled to glare at Romulus. “If he’s bonded, he can still be of use.”
    The pale hybrid blanched at her comments. Jenna could only hope that this would work in her favor.
    “He never said anything about it,” Romulus said. He turned to her and glared. “Why didn’t he say anything?”
    Jenna felt tears well in her eyes and didn’t try to hide them. “He didn’t want me to follow.”
    “He kissed her,” Nero said. She had forgotten he had been privy to their first kiss.
    Romulus turned to glare at him. “And you didn’t report this?”
    Nero shrugged. “I didn’t think she was important.”
    Nero looked back to her and narrowed his eyes. She was sure he didn’t believe her. Not totally. Or at least he thought she might be lying.
    “The process is started,” the woman mumbled and paced the floor near her.
    “Coelia wants a hybrid child,” a man said off to the side. “This could be good for you.”
    Jenna had been so busy watching the hybrids that she’d missed the large group of people in cloaks contributing their part in the conversation. The odd sight unnerved her even more than being in a room with the hostile hybrids.
    The woman turned and glared at the man. “Don’t tell me what Coelia wants.”
    The man shrank back to the crowd.
    It was clear that Romulus’s power had been usurped by this woman. When Jenna looked over to him, she again found his eyes hot on her. She shivered.
    “Take her to him,” the woman said. “We’ll see what happens. In the end, we can always take both of them. Vestal reversal is usually far less successful, but if they are not successful, it’s an option.”
    Nero stepped forward but was stopped by Romulus. A chill ran through her as he placed a hand on her arm, his fingers cold and bony.
    “I’ll take her,” he said smoothly, a sickening smile appearing on his face.
    She glanced back to Magnus as she was pulled from the great room. His eyes were filled