Chapter Three
“I’m trying to treat my patient,” Rachel said calmly to the large hybrids and slipped the cap back on the needle. She hoped they had no idea what she had just done. Maybe the effects wouldn’t make Hannah smell any different. At least not initially.
“By having your boyfriend make a new patient?” Cato spat out.
Rachel frowned and turned to look at Marius and Lucius. Both were badly bloodied. She could see that Marius was going to have a bruise on his cheek bone under his eye and had blood running freely into his eye from a cut in his eyebrow. Lucius didn’t seem much better off. He sat panting on the floor, blood dripping from his nose. He kept rubbing his jaw, and she wondered if Marius had punched him there.
“You were just supposed to hold him back,” she said to Marius.
He gave a hollow laugh from the floor. “Yeah, and he seemed willing to stand to the side so easily.”
A blush crept onto her cheeks. He was right.
“It’s my fault,” Lucius said finally. He looked down at the ground and shook his head.
Cato and Varius looked at him with shock. She watched him stand, shame washing over his face.
“I’m sorry I stopped you, Rachel,” he said quietly to her. “Instincts just kicked in.” She closed her mouth and turned back to Hannah, not really certain what she should say.
“She’s fine, so it’s okay,” she said and pulled off her stethoscope.
Rachel listened to the steady beat of Hannah’s heart and her breathing. It wasn’t perfect, but it was already vastly improved, and that was the best she could hope for at the moment. As long as Rachel could keep it that way until she figured out what was going on, things would be just fine. She still had a chance to save Hannah.
A phone rang, and she glanced behind her at Marius, who was now standing quietly by the wall. His cut hadn’t stopped bleeding judging by the amount of blood on the towel he was holding, and his cheek was starting to swell. She winced at the damage. It was going to be very painful soon.
He locked eyes with her, and she quickly looked away.
“Yes, sir,” Varius said into his phone. “I’ll let them know.”
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned to Marius.
“Titus wants to see you,” he said and then turned to Rachel. “Both of you.”
She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. They hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Not until I treat Hannah and Marius,” she said firmly.
Marius’s head shot up, and he frowned. “I don’t need to be treated.”
She shook her head and went back to taking all of Hannah’s vitals. If he wanted to be an idiot, she’d just deal with him later.
* * *
Marius sat in Rachel’s office chair and picked at the dried blood on the front of his partially open white button-up shirt. There was no way he’d be able to get the stains out. At least he wasn’t the only one nursing some wounds. He had given as good as he got. Marius frowned. So why was he the one waiting in her office? He didn’t need anything, and he was more than a little annoyed she’d made him come into her office to wait while she finished. It smelled like her and was too intimate. It was bad enough they were having to live in the same house.
Something niggled at him deep inside that maybe she thought he was weak. That, in the end, he’d never compare to the rest of the men. The other men seemed to think it at times. They were always making sure to assign him the mental tasks but kept him away from anything that might be physically challenging. To say it didn’t piss him off would be a lie. He was good with numbers and got forced into his current position because of that. They seemed to have all forgotten that. The longer he worked his position, the more he felt his position and respect within the group shift, and he knew he would have to prove to them that he was just as much a warrior as they were.
The door opened, and she breezed in with an arm full of supplies.
“Sorry about that,” she said and sat the items on the desk. “I think Lucius might be overtired. I just wanted to make sure he was actually sleeping, so I had them move in another bed.”
Marius glared at her. “Are you saying I wouldn’t have had a chance otherwise?”
Rachel froze. Her long brown hair slipped over her shoulders. “Wait. What?” She raised a brow and pressed her lips together.
He hated when she did that. It made him feel like an idiot.
“Or maybe I just thought that he was tired?” Rachel stooped down to her knees in front of him.
“Whatever,” he mumbled. When she reached to pull the cloth off his eye, he leaned back. “I’m fine.”
She snorted. “All right, big man,” she said and placed her hands on his knees to get to her feet.
As much as he didn’t want to, his body hummed at her contact. Marius took in a deep breath and forced himself not to groan at her delicious floral scent drifting to him.
Faster than he even thought was possible for someone who wasn’t a hybrid, she had her hand on his face. Rachel pulled off the cloth he had taped there, and he hissed as she pulled it away.
“Uh huh,” she said, nearer to his face than he ever wanted her to be. “I can tell that it doesn’t hurt at all.”
He breathed heavily out his nose, trying not to suck in her exotic flavors again. If they stayed in this position for too long, he wasn’t sure if he could keep himself from brushing his nose along her long creamy neck.
She pinched his brow.
“What the fuck?” he said and glanced up at her face.
Her eyes were firmly fixed on his wound and, despite the pain she was causing him, she seemed worried over it. She chewed her bottom lip lightly, and Marius gripped the seat in desperation.
He froze when she glanced down.
“It’s going to need stitches,” she said.
He frowned. That hadn’t been what he was expecting at all.
“I’m fine,” he said.
She shook her head and turned to grab her supplies. “You’re really not. It’s still bleeding. You only need two, but this is deep.”
Marius opened his mouth to speak but stopped when she continued.
“Thanks,” she said softly. When she turned around, he could see the pink that had spread across her cheeks and was surprised.
She kept her eyes on his brow, and he scarcely breathed as she stepped between his legs. Her pert breasts were even with his face, and he watched as they drew closer. Just an inch further, and he didn’t know if he’d care what she did to his brow. A part of his brain wondered if this was part of her plan to make him forget. If that was the case, it wasn’t a bad plan.
“You were amazing with Lucius,” she said and swabbed the nasty gash. It wasn’t the worst she had seen, but maybe because she had been involved in its delivery, she felt the pain of it more keenly.
He grunted, and she knew the alcohol had to hurt, but there was really nothing she could do. It had to be cleaned.
“He’s such a big guy,” she said quietly and placed the bloodied gauze on the desk. His hot breath brushed her breast and she paused. Rachel hadn’t realized how close she was to him. Her nipples peaked under her shirt, and she only hoped that he wouldn’t notice.
She grabbed the local anesthetic and rubbed it on the wound.
“That should feel good now,” she said and glanced down.
His eyes glowed brightly as he stared at her chest. Rachel felt the warmth of a blush as it crept up her neck. When she moved to place the Q-tip on the desk, his rumble filled the room. She turned back to him with the glue in hand, not quite sure where to go from there.
“This won’t take long,” she said quietly and brushed her gloved finger just over the spot.
Marius gave a short nod as he looked up to her. She couldn’t really say why she was having these feelings, but something stirred in her as she continued to stare at him. The pulse in her neck thumped so hard she was certain he would be able to see it from his position.
Without waiting, she quickly applied the glue to the wound and pressed the edges together. There wasn’t time for her to stand around making eyes at a man that had spent most of the last few months blocking her at every turn.
Rachel moved her hand away as if she had been burned and glanced down at Marius. His dark brown hair stood out on the top of his head. Without even meaning, her gaze followed the line from his neck down his chest. She licked her lips and blushed when she glanced up and found his eyes on her.
“Rachel,” he said.
She turned and blocked him out. This place was wearing on her, and if she wasn’t careful, she was at risk of getting more involved with the people here than she already was. This was a job. A job to make her career. That was it.
“Titus is waiting on us,” she said.
He was quiet for a moment, but she didn’t bother to turn around. Rachel busied herself with putting away her tools.
“Thank you for taking care of my cut,” Marius murmured. Rachel paused in her work. It wasn’t often that she heard those words. Something melted inside of her. She opened her mouth to respond but was stopped. “I’m not going to lie if he asks about the serum,” Marius said and her heart fell. “I’ll be in the hall when you’re finished.”
She looked up and watched as he walked out the door and sighed.
Rachel expected as much. It wasn’t really like she could expect secrecy from him. They weren’t friends. No, her one true friend was in a bed on the verge of death, and if that wasn’t worth the risk of getting in trouble, she didn’t know what was. She’d made a lot of mistakes and bad calls since coming to the compound, but she did not regret her gamble to help Hannah.
Steeling herself, Rachel stood and took a deep breath. She could do this.
* * *
Marius was surprised to find Sol and Major Carter in the office when he arrived. Although he wasn’t included in all the tactical meetings, generally there was some push to try and include him. It was obvious this was not the case this time. He sat on the couch to the side of the desk. He stared at Sol and Carter across the room. Neither would look at him.
He turned to watch as Rachel walked to the only chair in front of the desk with her head held high and took a seat. It was clear they were planning on ganging up on her, and something soured in his stomach. A fight like this was just as dirty as trying to jump her from behind. He glared at Titus as the man shut the door and made his way to the desk.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” Titus said to Rachel as he sat down.
She snorted loudly. “I didn’t realize I had a choice.”
Titus paused and narrowed his eyes. There was one thing Marius knew his leader didn’t like, and that was being talked back to.
“There is always a choice, Ms. Miller,” he said and leaned back.
“Doctor,” she corrected.
Titus frowned. “Doctor.” The irritation was evident on his face. “Let’s cut the posturing and get down to it. We’ve had a number of complaints, and I think we need to address this.”
Rachel tossed her head back and laughed loudly. Her brown hair shook as she laughed. “You know,” she said. “I would love to cut the posturing, but I think I’ll let you all go first.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t see what’s so funny,” Sol asked gruffly.
She turned and pinned him with her stare. Marius watched as Sol squirmed uncomfortably. “It means that I’ve been met with nothing but posturing and hostility since the moment I got here. So you’ll excuse me if I find my many complaints just a bit funny.”
“I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration, Ms. Miller,” Titus said.
“Doctor,” she corrected. Marius could see her brow twitch in irritation and was surprised she hadn’t gone off. “For all your complaints, I’ve been filing my own. Surely you’ve seen the reports that go to Major Carter.”
Titus sighed and folded his hands on his desk. “So you’ve had a few incidents with the men,” he said. “Many are still adjusting.”
Marius could see her squeeze her hands in her lap to try and regain control. “Look, I can deal with trouble adjusting, but this goes beyond that.”
Titus stood, cutting off whatever else she had to say.
“Look, the truth is Ms. Miller, you just aren’t fitting in, and we’ve begun to look for another doctor. When they are hired, your services will no longer be required. We offer a nice severance package through Major Carter, but—”
Titus came to an abrupt halt as the crack of a palm on the desk split the air.
“It’s Doctor Miller,” Rachel said. She was up out of her seat, leaning in toward Titus. “I’m a fucking medical doctor. Not only that, I’ve also got a fucking PhD. You place the blame on me while in the same breath you disrespect me. Well, let me tell you a little something. You aren’t going to find someone better than me. I’m not the best doctor out there, but you can bet your ass I’m the best geneticist next to Fisher. And considering he’s gone, that makes me the best. I didn’t just graduate at the top of my class, I graduated top one percent in the country.” She moved away from the desk and back behind the chair. Marius could see that as she held the chair, her knees shook slightly.
“I’m sure there are others,” Titus fired back.
Rachel shrugged. “Maybe. But there’s only one me. You’re so quick to fire me, but did you even think about how hard it’d be able to find someone else with my credentials?”
Titus glanced over to Major Carter, who seemed just as surprised. Marius wondered how far they dug.
“We have your file,” Major Carter said. “We did check you out, but it was the recommendation of Doctor Fisher that got you here.”
She shook her head.
“This still doesn’t negate the issues with the men,” Titus said. His voice was tight, and Marius could tell he was irritated with the lack of information.
She stared at him for a moment before raising her hand. “I’ve been bit over a dozen times and had stitches three times,” she said quietly. “The men refuse to come for treatments and when they do, I have to always keep my guard up. Most don’t talk to me, and the ones who do are rude.” She glanced over to him. “There are a few exceptions.”
“Those are isolated incidents, and I am always willing to talk to the men about behavior that doesn’t reflect well on us,” Titus said and sat back down in the chair. “This still doesn’t excuse some of your behavior.”
Rachel looked sad, and for the first time that evening, Marius thought she might cry.
“You moved Hannah out of her housing for her protection,” she said quietly. “It was supposed to be a ruse that I was under suspicion, and yet somehow it has become a reality.”
Titus shrugged. “Plus, you haven’t even followed-up on that chip we found in Lucius.”
She blinked. “Are you kidding me? Hannah is dying. I’m understaffed. I’m also not a goddamn electronics expert, so how the hell am I supposed to tell you anything useful about that chip other than it affected Lucius’s senses? This entire situation is bullshit.”
Titus opened his mouth but stopped when she held up a hand.
“I’ve had my room tossed. The women I spent time with won’t even bring their children to me. I’m under constant supervision both at home and at work,” she said. Her voice shook as she spoke, and Marius felt a lump forming in his throat. “You guys have been even more asses lately. So you tell me, which of us has no excuse for our behavior?”
The room fell silent as the weight of her words settled over them.
“Find another doctor,” she said quietly. “But I’m not leaving here until the one person to show me kindness and who actually gave a damn about me as a person and not as a tool is back up and well.”
“You’ll need to turn over your formula for the Vestal serum,” Titus said quietly.
Rachel looked up from her hands,
her face pale, all emotion from before washed away.
“I’ll die with that formula,” she said firmly. “It is not something that can be used lightly, and I neither trust your judgment or your word anymore.”
Titus growled menacingly at her, and Marius stepped forward.
“This meeting is over,” he said firmly.
All eyes fell on him, but he kept his eyes on his leader. It wasn’t a power struggle. It was defusing a bomb, and despite his loyalty, all instinct said he had to protect her.
They faced each other for a long moment until Titus gave a tight nod.
Marius turned to Rachel.
“Let’s go home,” he said.
Without another word she walked to the door and stepped outside. Marius turned to the men, making sure to look at each one. “She’s right,” he said. “We’ve used her, relied on her, and it’s like we’re going to toss her away now that we got what we need from her. We’ve not given her reason to trust any of us.”
“How can we?” Sol said from the couch. “She was with Fisher.”
“And we were with Romulus,” he said and glanced to Major Carter. “Yet some saw fit to see past that.”
Titus sighed. “I’ll talk to the men,” he said. “I didn’t know it was that bad.” He looked up to Marius. “But that doesn’t mean my opinion has changed. She still doesn’t fit here, and I’ll be looking for a replacement.”
Marius shrugged despite the sting in his heart. “Do what you need to.”
Titus nodded. “Keep me posted.”
Marius followed Rachel out the door.
Chapter Four
Rachel stomped around outside, letting the cold air sting her face and dry her burning eyes. There was no way in hell she was going to cry over this bullshit. She had seen the writing on the wall for some time and knew it was only a matter of time before Titus called her in to dispose of her. Expecting the rejection hadn't steeled her heart against hearing the actual words as much as she had hoped.
Marius (Luna Lodge, #4) Page 3
