Marius by Madison Stevens

to Rem, who gave him a smug smile. His hands flexed as he stared at the outsider hybrid, and he wondered if he could get away with knocking him one.
    “Great!” Rachel clapped her hands together and moved away from the beds. “I’ll bring all the material into the office, and we can get started right away on this. There is so much to go over, and I’m sure with three people—”
    “Not the office,” Titus cut in. His mouth was in a firm line, and it was clear that he meant business with this. “In the locked room. It’s the only way this is going to work.”
    Rachel froze, and he felt dread bubble up as Titus and Rem stared at one another. “But he’s helping.”
    “And I still don’t trust him,” Titus said firmly and walked to the door. It was clear that in his eyes, this discussion was over. He eyed Rem for a moment. “We'll continue to discuss the other matter at a more appropriate time.”
    Rachel opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Marius spoke up.
    “I’m in on this?” he said to Titus.
    He looked over to Rem and Rachel and then back to him. “Keep things in order and report back to me,” Titus said. “You’re the only one I can trust.”
    That was it. The words he didn’t want to hear. Marius sighed and nodded. There was nothing else to be done but work on this problem and try and help keep the situation from spiraling out of control.
    Titus called for the guards, and they all watched as Rem was marched down the hall.
    He turned to Rachel.
    “Should we start tonight?” he asked.
    She frowned and sniffed. “Not that you care, but I’d like to get a good night's sleep before we spend the day reading. That is if my warden doesn’t mind.”
    Marius opened his mouth to respond but closed it when she stomped out of the room. He followed behind her.
    “I don’t understand,” he said once he’d caught up. She was nearly to her office and shut the door behind her when they walked in. “You want me to work with you but not if I have to report back to Titus?”
    Rachel had been facing the other direction and turned to look at him.
    “Why does it always have to be that way?” she said. Her voice shook as she spoke, and he could hear the emotion just under the surface, waiting to come out. “Why do I need to be watched when I just want to help my friend? If I really wanted to betray all of you, I've had so many chances. I just don't want Hannah to die.”
    Marius stepped forward, compelled by the desperation in her voice. A lone tear trailed down her face, and he swept it away with the pad of his thumb. Her cheek was cool and smooth beneath his finger, and he was surprised at how soft it was. Gently, he cupped her cheek and threaded his fingers into her dark brown hair.
    “Maybe Titus just wants to know what’s going on,” he said and moved a little closer. He could feel the warmth of her body and wanted nothing more than to feel it pressed against him. “He’s worried.” Rem's claim that the Group went back much farther than a few decades left more than a little worry in Marius, but they had more pressing concerns at the moment, even if the claim was true.
    “I think we both know he’s not doing this because he’s worried,” she said. Rachel lifted her head. They stared at one another for a long moment before she glanced back down.
    She looked so sad and lost. Without thought, he gripped her shoulders hard. Rachel gasped in surprise. Marius took his chance and pressed forward, pressing his body into her and sealing his mouth over hers. She stiffened in his arms, and for a moment, he thought he’d made a very big mistake but groaned when her arms made their way around his neck.
    He savored the sweetness he found in her mouth. For all her biting and brass remarks, Rachel was timid when it came to anything intimate. This only served to turn him on more than he already was.
    Never in his life did he think he would meet someone so mind-blowingly frustrating, who’d send