“King?” Nokita asks from the end of the hall. My growl happens simultaneously when I launch myself through the air. Nokita takes the hit and goes to the floor. He’s unhurt and smart enough to stay down. I turn and stomp into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me, just daring him to follow. He doesn’t. My body melds to human, and I take a long, deep breath as my human side takes over.
The first year of mating is volatile. If all was right in our world, Marinah and I would be closed off from everyone for a year while our hormones adjusted. As things stand now, we’re in the middle of a war and don’t have that luxury.
After removing my filthy clothes, I shower then order food from the kitchen. Marinah will be hungry when she returns. I’m tapping my foot an hour later when she enters the room looking as exhausted as I expected. We’ve been burning the candle at both ends, and the wear shows. I stand and wrap her in my arms. “I’m guessing the hel… Ruth is still in one piece?”
“Go ahead, call her Hellspawn. That’s what she is. She’s also my new student, and I’ll be putting her through her paces much like you did with me.” A soft growl helps form her words toward the end of her speech.
I breathe into her hair, feeling my body and psyche align now that Marinah is in my arms. “I doubt her mother will like that,” I whisper. Ruth might be the Hellspawn, but Missy is the mother of the Hellspawn, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Marinah’s head stays against my chest, and her shoulders shrug slightly. “Ruth’s first assignment is gaining her mother’s permission. The poor woman doesn’t stand a chance. Ruth manipulated me until she got exactly what she wanted. I’m sure Che was in on it too.”
“You don’t have time to train her.”
Her body goes rigid at the authority in my tone, but I don’t loosen my hold. Sparks are probably shooting from her eyes. “I don’t have time to chase her around the island. And she endangers Che which I can’t allow. She’ll be too tired to move much less chase hellhounds when I’m through with her. The entire island will thank me.”
I still don’t see how this will work. I lean back and meet her gaze, knowing this isn’t the time to solve all our problems. “Dinner is on the way, and you need to shower. Che is in his room for the night. I’m having food sent to him, and it will be good for him to think about the trouble he’s caused.”
“I’ll deal with Che later,” she says as she heads to the shower, tossing her clothes on the floor as she walks. It shows how tired she is. I receive a quick glimpse of a very naked Marinah before the door shuts. I groan. Beast groans. When it comes to mating, we’re on the same page. Working with the Hellspawn won’t help matters. Marinah has too much on her plate as it is, and training Ruth will finally take her over the edge.
A knock at my door has me calling, “Enter.”
The heavy wood slams against the wall when Beck barrels in. I don’t even need to take a guess as to why he’s here. “The last thing that child needs are lessons in killing hellhounds. She isn’t a Warrior and has no business being anywhere near those monsters. Why would your mate even suggest such a thing?”
I quash my sexual frustration and any plans I might have had at joining Marinah in the shower and give my full attention to Beck. “I take it Ruth talked Missy into allowing her to train with Marinah?”
Beck throws himself into a chair with a huff. “They’re having an all-out war about it now. It was too dangerous to hang around, so I came here to hide until the fireworks and nuclear explosions settle. I had no idea children were this difficult.”
I fight a smile. Beck’s instant family is something no one saw coming. Missy shot Beck from the sky when he was parachuting into U.S. Territory. After Beck survived the shot and the rough landing, Ruth fought with her mom to be the one to shoot him again. I’m thankful Missy has a backbone and refused her psychopath child.
Lips firm, I don’t even blink. “That child could single-handedly take out the hellhound population, and you know it. If the hellhounds hadn’t started leaving the island before Ruth arrived, I would swear they were running from her.”
Beck swipes his hand over his face and rests against the chair’s back with his eyes covered. “She has no idea she’s a child.”
“She stopped being a child the day her father died, the same as the rest of us. When this whole thing started, children were the largest casualties. The ones who learned to fight are the lucky ones, and if they’re very lucky, they survived.” The next part of my statement is hard because I’m not entirely sold on the idea of Marinah training Ruth. “The Hellspawn needs constant supervision, rules she’ll follow, and something to do that will keep her out of trouble. This might be the perfect solution.”
Beck removes his hands from his eyes and stares at me in horror. Beast grumbles, but I calm him. A full minute later, he grunts and looks away.
I glance toward the bathroom door when the water turns off. “My mate will be leaving the shower shortly, and chances are good I’ll kill you if she’s naked.”
Beck jumps from the chair like it’s on fire. He too is going through the mating rage and dealing with it in public. He’s my second which makes both of us even more volatile than usual. “I think I’ll take a swim,” he mutters as he throws open the door and stalks out. I fight laughter. Beck detests the swimming pool and calls it a body of bacteria even though the bacteria, if there were any, wouldn’t harm him.
A few seconds later, Marinah walks in as naked as I claimed she would be. She grabs the clothes she divested herself of on the way into the shower and dumps them in the clothes bin. “I heard voices and hoped someone delivered our food.”
I watch her body sway and meld as she lifts a leg and puts on a pair of underwear she grabs from her drawer. She stops and turns when I don’t answer. Instantly, the heat in her eyes matches mine. She tosses the shirt she just pulled from the drawer and walks toward me. My body responds instantaneously, and I’m up from my chair… just in time for the knock on the door announcing dinner.
“Oops, I better duck into the bathroom,” Marinah giggles. Giggling isn’t something she’s known for, and I’m guessing the frustrated look in my eyes is the cause.
“Run away, but I just might kill whoever is serving tonight.”
Her laughter floats from the bathroom. I open the door to one of the human women who works in the kitchen. She’s middle-aged and has a shaky smile on her face. After dealing with Marinah’s mating rage, the women in the kitchen decided sending older, more mature women, was safer. They’re correct. I step back and allow her to push the cart in. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly if I made her run out in tears, so I hold my ire back and force a smile.
“Gracias,” she says and sets the table, lays out our food, and pushes the cart back through the door. “Coast clear,” I call, uncovering my plate and inhaling deeply.
“Smells delicious.” She grabs the shirt and covers her bare chest. It probably won’t make eating any easier, but at this point, nothing but thirty days of uninterrupted sex could. Okay, ninety days, which won’t happen. To take my mind off sex, I turn my attention to food with the occasional glance at Marinah.
Watching her eat is a lesson in gluttony, and my eyes slide over when she starts devouring her dinner. She survived off MREs for years with no fresh fruit or vegetables, and she’s now a one-woman eating machine. Very little conversation takes place when she’s filling her stomach.
“You missed Beck by a minute,” I tell her.
She looks up from the second soft tortilla she just filled with a few vegetables and extra meat. “And?” she prompts.
“World War IV is going on between Missy and Ruth.” We never call the original war with the hellhounds, World War III, but technically it would be.
“Ruth will win.” Her mouth opens, and the end of her newly formed burrito pushes past her lips followed by a long sigh. “Good,” she says after swallowing and goes back to gulping more.
Her eyes have dark circles beneath them, an
d she’s been on edge worse than usual which makes her grouchy. “I’m worried about you,” I comment hoping it doesn’t set her off.
Her eye roll says exactly what she’s thinking. “How so?”
“You’re burning the candle at both ends.”
She decides to finish the burrito before answering. As she fills another, she gives her opinion. “Kettle meet pot. Pot meet kettle. If you’ve forgotten, we’re at war.” Her eyes burn when she adds, “Hellhounds are killing humans, the U.S. Federation is commandeering humans against their will, and the world could come to a complete end at any moment. If I’ve left something out, please correct me.” She waits a beat, but I remain quiet. “If humans have any chance at all, they need to be able to fight and kill hellhounds regardless of age. That child saw her father torn apart. If all she can think about is killing hellhounds, she should at least be good at it.” She starts eating her fourth burrito with the same intensity as the first.
When I’m sure she’s finished speaking, I go for the jugular. “Have you convinced yourself of this yet?”
She places the half-eaten food on her plate, scoots the entire plate to the side, and knocks her forehead against the table several times. Sheepishly, she looks up at me and groans. “What have I gotten myself into?”
“If anyone can take that heathen in hand, it’s you.”
“I hate kids.”
I place my hand on hers. “You love kids.”
Her moan is even louder this time. “All she wants is to be trained, and everyone ignores her. She has more fight than I ever had. It’s so unfair that she’s human, and I’m the one with the phenomenal strength and ability.”
With a shake of my head, I fill another burrito. “This conversation is turning into a pity party.”
She moves her plate back in front of her, picks up the half-eaten burrito, crams it into her mouth, points at her lips, then refuses to answer. We finish our meal in silence, both contemplating sleep. Okay, sleep isn’t first on my mind, but Marinah is exhausted, and her eyes are closing even as she fills another burrito. By the time she’s consumed it, she’s swaying in her chair.
“What are you doing?” she asks groggily when I lift her and carry her to the bed.
“Carrying my very tired mate to bed so she can save the world tomorrow.”
She snuggles into my arms. “You smell good,” she whispers, making it nearly impossible to let her go.
I sit down with her in my lap and hold her close. Her eyes close, and her hand, which found its way to my chest, relaxes. Soft snores let me know she’s out cold. I continue holding her, allowing her scent to assure me all is right with the world for now. Or at least it is until someone pounds on the door. Marinah doesn’t open her eyes when I place her on the bed and try to intercept and kill whoever is doing their best to wake her.
Beck’s hand is lifted to pound again when the door swings open. “The Federation attacked an outpost and killed everyone. Missy’s people are warning the other outposts. We need a large team there. Now.”
Marinah’s hand smooths across my back, and all thought of sleeping goes out the window. “Gather my guard and have them in the conference room in ten.” I nod and close the door turning to Marinah.
“Sleep is overrated,” she yawns while stretching her arms over her head.
“So is sex,” I all but curse with frustration in each syllable.
One of her soft, sleepy smiles appears. “That can never be overrated.”
I pull her in close, claiming her lips. It’s a very short, frustrating kiss.
Chapter Four
Marinah
The argument room, as I’ve dubbed it, is full of King’s personal guards. These men are his leaders for good reason. All are deadly fighting machines and have proved their loyalty. Cabel, who married an island woman a year ago, is back as one of King’s guards. It’s nice to see him at the table. He doesn’t smile or acknowledge me and even knowing why, it frustrates me. At least it does until a woman looks in King’s direction. Then I understand completely. That doesn’t mean I need to like it. Cabel has his mating rage under control and just in time. We need him.
“Update,” King barks into the room as soon as he takes his seat at the head of the table.
Beck gives us what he has. “Two survivors. They managed to hide and watch what happened. It started a few days earlier with a message from the Federation ordering all able-bodied men and women to report to the Federation immediately as red stripes.” His voice drops, and I hear the fury in each word. Red stripes are the Federation’s death fodder. Beck goes on. “There was no second warning. They sent a herd of hellhounds first, and they caused much of the destruction and killed half the Shadow Warriors protecting the community. The witnesses said the Federation soldiers herded the hellhounds out of the village once the dust settled, entered the outpost, killed the remaining Shadow Warriors, then lined up all citizens and murdered them.”
“The babies?” I whisper in horror. I trusted the Federation for years, and now all I want is to find them and kill every last one.
Beck’s eyes practically glow, his jaw set in granite. “Missy insists on returning immediately to fight with her people.” His gaze turns to King. “I agree.”
A pulse throbs at King’s throat, and his voice is tight. “How many men will they need for around the clock protection?”
The wheels turn in Beck’s head before he answers. “I’d say a hundred for each outpost, making it three seventy with the Warriors we have there now.”
King nods. “Do you want to be in charge of our men at the outposts, or do you want to hunt down the soldiers who did this?”
Bloodlust enters Beck’s fiery eyes. “Hunt.”
King knew what the answer would be and barks out his next order. “Nokita, you and Cabel are in charge of the Warriors headed to the outposts. Marinah, Beck, and Labyrinth will hunt with me. We leave at first light.” His gaze lands on Beck. “Have two planes prepared for departure with enough provisions for thirty days. We’ll drop our Warriors at the outposts and start our hunt from the one destroyed. Alden will be in charge here.”
Alden is Beck’s right hand, and I don’t know him well, but if Beck and King trust him to handle things here, so do I. Alden prefers to stay out of sight and speaks in single syllables when we run into each other. I’m glad it’s him staying behind and not me. King and I would have words if that were the case. From beneath the table, King takes my hand and gives it a slight squeeze along with a questioning look. He’s asking if there’s anything he’s missed. This is something he’s been doing more and more of lately and a warm flush of blood runs through me at his trust. I look to Beck keeping my eyes in his direction without actually meeting his gaze. I hate that I’m getting good at it. “Is Missy returning to the outposts?”
He doesn’t like the answer he gives me. “Yes.”
“And Ruth will be with her?”
He jerks his chin this time. I turn to King. “We need Maylin here for Che. Axel should probably be here until our return too.”
“We’ll locate them tonight, and they’ll be back before we leave in the morning,” King assures me.
I shouldn’t be so thrilled that he immediately took my advice. My Warrior form is more than I could ever imagine, but my brain still has trouble accepting what and who I am. As for speaking my mind, I only ever knew the language of sarcasm. It hid my insecurities and made the people around me laugh. Now I have muscles, teeth, and claws to give me confidence, and I still find myself reverting to the insecure Federation robot doing worthless work and thinking each day was her last on earth. I really need to concentrate on my mental badass.
The adrenaline after hearing about the attack is wearing off, and exhaustion becomes the foe again. Unfortunately, sleep isn’t on my horizon for quite some time. I need to go through our gear and check if we have everything we need and then handle a few million other details. The meeting breaks up, and King’s warm hand on my thigh pulls me from the th
oughts of what lies ahead.
He leans in close. “I’ll see you before takeoff. I’m going after Axel myself and will bring him back along with Maylin. Hold down the fort while I’m gone.” His lips briefly hit mine before he’s up and striding away. I’m the last Shadow Warrior to leave.
And I’m alone.
No, not alone, I mentally shake myself. I have a family now. People who love me and care about me. For so long, it was me and my father. After his death, it was only me, all by myself. I rise from the chair, feeling human muscles where none existed before. Even my balance is that of a killer; it’s what I’m designed for. A thrill shoots through me, and I feel the raw power of who and what I am even without shifting. I am a Shadow Warrior. I have hellhounds to kill, the Federation to handle, and a new world to rebuild.
Piece of cake.
***
I check on Che before heading to my room to straighten gear. I shouldn’t be surprised to find Ruth curled up on the floor beside him, but I am. I wonder how long this has been going on. She has a pillow from Che’s bed beneath her head and one of his blankets too. It takes me a moment to understand why she doesn’t just climb into Che’s bed and sleep there. They’re young enough no one would think twice. Then I see the slight flash of silver and realize Ruth is sleeping with a knife held fiercely in her hands. It’s to protect Che. I quietly close the door behind me.
My training with Ruth will be delayed which won’t go over well. I internally shrug because there’s no time for small worries. I drag out our military packs and go through them. I’m well familiar with these packs. Every man, woman, and child on the island now has a bugout bag that provides seventy-two hours of supplies and weapons.
We’ve added alarms to our major housing areas around the island to alert us to hellhounds. All adult humans, willing to fight, are trained in self-protection and warfare. We’ve come a long way since our return from the U.S.
Beast Page 3
