Beast

by Holly S. Roberts

  “We burned the bodies, including your Shadow Warriors,” Garret says a few minutes later when the smell hits his nostrils too. He’s not too winded and has matched our pace. If we need to move at full speed, he might be in trouble but so far so good.

  He’s also had practice at making little noise when running. That disgruntles me because I’ve been working at it for months, and I’m not quite where he’s at.

  King remains silent, his back rigid. I stare at his tight muscles, knowing the loss of Shadow Warriors hits him hard. He hasn’t said anything to me, but I sense the fury he’s holding inside. There will be time to mourn after we kill those responsible.

  The babies, Ms. Beast laments.

  Our revenge will be for the babies and Shadow Warriors, I tell her internally.

  Kill, she whispers through me, sending added K-5 into my system. It’s nice to be on the same page even though now is not the time.

  An eerie feeling starts at my toes and runs through my body when we enter the outpost. An old magazine, partially covered in mud, ruffles with the wind, and a few papers blow here and there. It takes nothing away from the absolute silence death brings.

  We were told the attack took place early morning. Three Shadow Warriors on patrol were taken out first. Garret said their bodies were discovered late yesterday, and they were also burned. Ten Shadow Warriors died in all. When the hellhounds entered, there was no alarm given. The two adult witnesses, sister and brother, went fishing early, and it’s the only reason they’re alive. The sister could barely speak due to tears when King questioned her. Her brother filled us in on the brutality of the attack.

  We walk to the mass grave and stand with our heads bowed for several minutes. We aren’t praying. We’re contemplating revenge. The Warriors now have their Beasts under control, and the true hunt begins.

  If I get my wish, General Smythe will be leading them. I owe him a set of teeth around his throat.

  Chapter Nine

  King

  The death of my brother warriors is hard. They gave their lives fighting for humans. Marinah changed me when it came to my hatred for humans, and now it’s strictly centered on the ones who need killing. Missy with Beck has helped too. After the Federation betrayed the Shadow Warriors and killed my uncle, who was our leader at the time, my hatred ate me alive. All humans are not the same, and I tell myself that again.

  I look at the freshly tilled earth holding almost one hundred people, and I seethe. Marinah wipes away tears, and I’m even angrier. How could they kill the children in cold blood? When I find them, it’s not something I’ll be asking. Spilling blood takes priority.

  We leave the outpost in the early evening, following the trail left by the hellhounds and soldiers. They are two days ahead of us, but it won’t help them escape.

  I call a halt at midnight. Garret is struggling though he won’t say anything. I was serious when I said we’d leave him, and he knows it. The sleep Marinah got on the plane helped her, but she’s also dragging. We’ll stop, eat, and rest for a few hours.

  We don’t shift to human. We need to be ready for anything, including an attack by hellhounds or Federation soldiers. Labyrinth takes first watch. I unroll my sleeping bag next to Marinah’s. She never complained when she ate her MRE, and I’m proud of her.

  She adjusts her sleeping bag closer and lays down in my arms. “Dinner was horrible. If this is what courting is about, you learned from the wrong person.”

  That’s the Marinah I know and love. “I missed the courting memo.” I move my hand across her hip and give her a small pinch. “If we were alone, I’d go straight for your pants.”

  Her giggle calms my blood rage momentarily, and I pull her closer, the scent of her filling my lungs. She buries her cheek in my arm and closes her eyes. I follow her into sleep minutes later.

  “Time to rise and shine,” Beck says sometime later. It’s still dark, but the moon has moved, and I know several hours have passed.

  “Please kill Beck; I’m too tired,” groans Marinah.

  I rub my jaw against hers, and we gently clang teeth. It’s the best we can do in this form. It’s also something other Warriors have never experienced. I’ve been told for the most part that human women don’t care for our Beast form when thinking any kind of courtship. I’m the lucky one who mated a Warrior.

  We eat, pack, and are on the trail within twenty minutes. An hour after the sun comes up, the human Federation trail splits from the hellhounds which leaves us completely perplexed.

  “Over here,” calls Labyrinth. “There are several soldiers staying on the outskirts of the hellhound trail and following them. The other soldiers went north.”

  “Are we splitting up?” Marinah asks.

  “No.” I bend down and examine the tracks. I spot three distinctive sets of human prints. They are on top of the hellhound tracks and shows they are following the herd. How the heck are they keeping the hounds from attacking them? “We’re following the main unit of soldiers. That’s where their leader is, and that’s who I ultimately want. Be on alert. We’re gaining.”

  We pick up speed and Garret stays with us, though his breathing is heavier. I’m guessing he was military, most likely trained in special forces. He carries himself like a soldier. Marinah tucks in behind me, and we run single file for hours. The landscape changes, and we encounter burned structures once we are farther north.

  We take a water break at one of the structures that provides a bit of shade. The dilapidated sign tells us it was once a national park’s building before bombs took this entire area out. This was long before the Federation took over. Colorado was demolished in the first years of the war against hellhounds.

  “Leave me,” Garret gasps after a few minutes of trying to catch his breath. Marinah looks between us but holds her opinion.

  “We’ll break for an hour and see where you’re at then.”

  He collapses where he stands. Once he’s sitting, he pulls out his sleeping bag and simply lays on top of it. After a quick gulp of water, he’s out cold. The rest of us eat our MREs. Labyrinth, who stayed on guard duty even when he should have let me take over on our last rest, nods off. Beck takes perimeter guard.

  “Are you holding up?” I ask Marinah after we’ve eaten.

  “As long as exhaustion doesn’t count, yes. And don’t go all he-man. You’re exhausted too.”

  She has quite the way with words. “He-man?”

  Her massive jaws twitch to stop laughter which can’t be easy. “Your he-man or human side says you need to be tough. Your Warrior side wants death for your enemies. Your mate disregards both sides because she knows when her man is tired.”

  I don’t think she has any idea how beautiful her Warrior side is. I’ve lived with mine for so long and after accepting my Beast, I never gave thought to how my Warrior form actually looked besides flat out scary. Marinah makes me appreciate the beauty in a form made for war and destruction. Each line, each muscle, each deadly claw, and every sharp tooth has the symmetry of a killing machine. “Since my mate is calling the shots, I’ll rest my eyes.” And think about Marinah.

  She pats my colossal head and circles her hairy arms around me.

  The next thing I know, Beck wakes us, and it’s time to move.

  “I can keep going,” Garret says after assessing his legs with a few stretches.

  The terrain grows rougher as the elevation changes. The Rocky Mountains slow our progress. That’s okay because it also slows the Federation. They haven’t even tried to cover their tracks, and from the looks of it, they’ve used this trail repeatedly. Or someone has. It’s strange that we haven’t seen any small groups of hellhounds or even a single one in the area, for that matter.

  As soon as the thought goes through my head, Labyrinth spots six hounds in the distance. “Stay back,” I tell Garret. “We’re protected and you are not. I won’t wait for you to die before leaving if you’re scratched or bitten.”

  For the first time, Garret objects. “I�
�ve killed my fair share of hounds, and nothing you say will keep me from fighting.”

  “Your death is on you.” As a team, we charge up the trail to the hounds. Marinah stays a few feet behind me until she spots the one she wants. With a low growl, she attacks. When it comes to hellhounds, she can take care of herself, and I’m taking out the big guy in front of me along with his friend.

  Chapter Ten

  Marinah

  Finally, something to kill. It makes Ms. Beast very happy. With the Mortuary sword held high, I go after a hellhound larger than the ones we see on the island. And fresher. I don’t stop to think about what this creature really is. It wants me dead, and that’s enough for me to end its existence. Toxic saliva drips from razor teeth. Creepy, intelligent eyes don’t blink when it charges. Sword held in my massive claws as I’ve been trained, I swing. A large spray of blood covers me, and the hound’s head sails through the air until it hits a tree with a loud, wet smack.

  “Yes,” I cheer at the same time spinning to see what else needs to die.

  Kill, Ms. Beast yells into my head when the first person I spot is Garret. I lift my sword higher, and I’m almost on him when Axel’s clawed hand grabs my arm. “Marinah!” he shouts.

  It startles me, and it’s enough to clear my head. This has never happened before. I didn’t recognize Garret as friend, and I’m not sure why. “Thanks,” I mumble to Axel, glad he stopped me. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “It’s the mating rage combined with the hunt,” he says. “Your hormones are still wacky. Remember that. Also try remembering we don’t eat our friends.”

  Haha. Not funny at all. “I’ll try my best.” After a quick look at Garret, who thankfully missed the fact I almost killed him, I take a closer look at Axel. He’s covered in gore, his massive chest straining against the leather harness, and he looks as deadly as the rest of us. It’s something I won’t forget. “Me thinks your passivism has taken a backslide.”

  He blinks slowly and his eyes clear a little. “I only have problems killing for the sake of killing or causing harm to innocents. I can deal with killing hellhounds or anyone else who’s a danger to us.” A strange expression takes over. “I’ll have no trouble annihilating the soldiers who wiped out the village. My passivism days might just be over.”

  And that would be sad. Axel is a great healer because he cares so deeply. Killing humans will be hard on him no matter what he says.

  “Are you two going to chat all day, or can we get moving?” King asks from behind me.

  Axel takes a quick step away and lowers his eyes. King might tolerate him to a point, but Axel knows not to push it too far. “Ready, master,” the doctor quips without fear. Crazy man.

  King rolls his eyes then winks at me. I need to figure out what it is about Axel that allows King to throw off the mating rage. Maybe I can bottle it and spray down all the females who look at him.

  We keep marching. Within an hour, the blood covering me is itchy, and it doesn’t help that when I try to scratch, my claws slice through skin. After another hour, King notices and calls a short halt. “Do you have fleas?” he asks with a straight face.

  If I didn’t itch so bad, I would punch him in the nose. “Big ones and I fear they’re jumping on you.” I rub the palm of my clawed hand across my leg which does nothing to alleviate the itch.

  King blows an imaginary flea off his arm or at least I hope it’s imaginary. Do hellhounds carry fleas? I never thought about it before. “Is there a solution to my itch problem?”

  “Lake ahead.”

  “Have I mentioned I love you lately?”

  He smiles. “Not nearly enough.”

  “Get this darn dried blood off me and your wish is my command.” I follow it up by shoving my shoulder against the closest tree and bending up and down to rub against it.

  “You’re an embarrassment to Shadow Warriors.” King laughs.

  “You can’t possibly not itch.” I turn around and look at the men. Beck, of course, remains stoic and even if his crotch was infested with lice wouldn’t dare make a move to scratch. Axel gives me a half-smile, and I’m just about to turn away when Labyrinth takes a swipe at his arm and cuts a nice furrow deep enough to draw blood.

  Garret, looking down at the ground, says, “I itch like crazy, and I’m man enough to admit it.”

  I would hug him if King wouldn’t kill him for it. I turn to his highness. “You had better find that lake fast. The fleas infested us all.”

  He growls at Garret for daring to speak to me, but that’s it and I’m grateful. King leads us to the lake. If itching wasn’t my number one priority when we stopped earlier, I would have smelled the water. The scent thing with Shadow Warriors is pretty cool. I just need to remember to use it. Or more correctly, pay attention to it.

  “Last one in is a rotten hellhound,” I call out as I run for the water. King catches up, lifts me with an arm around my midsection, and keeps running to the shore. I’m huge in Warrior form, but that doesn’t slow him. “Hey. I need to get my Doc Martens and leather straps off before getting wet.”

  “You need to completely strip. We’ve had this happen before when the hellhounds are fresh. I’ll block the men’s view while you wash the blood off.”

  I still don’t want to think about what “fresh” means. Better to keep the picture of hellhounds in my head and not the genetically modified dead humans they actually are. Nope, the sound of hellhounds is better, and the creatures look more like a form of large dog than human. It wasn’t until King showed me one suspended from the ceiling that I could identify it as human. A shiver passes through me and I stop thinking about the dead.

  I check behind us. The men wait in a close group, facing away from the water. I don’t mention my lack of breasts in this form to King or the total unattractiveness of gaping jaws and deep-set eyes. King is King and I can’t change him. I also can’t take this itch another second. I lay my rifle aside, unbuckle my pack, and drop it. The amazing boots from Maylin come off next and then my sword and other assorted weapons. Unbuckling the chest straps with Warrior hands takes the longest. The straps hold everything from water to knives to ammo. The added plus is they look really cool. If I must go around with muscles up to my ears and teeth that rival a great white shark, I deserve cool. My clothes are last. The blood is completely covering them so I decide they can join me for a wash, and I’ll put on my spares afterward.

  “You aren’t coming in?” I ask when King just stands there watching me.

  “This is a quick break, and I’ll bathe with the men.” His eyes burn even with me in this form. I’d give a sexy sway to my hips if they weren’t deformed at the moment.

  I enter the water; it’s cold and I don’t like it. Eight more steps and I sink down so the entire top half of me is covered. I grab a handful of sand and begin scrubbing my skin. I’m about halfway through when I catch movement from the corner of my eye. I freeze. My bloodcurdling scream is next.

  King, fully clothed, is instantly in the water, sword drawn. He grabs me, lifting me to him while looking everywhere for the threat. The other Warriors enter the water with swords drawn too.

  “There, there,” I cry shrilly and point, afraid to close my eyes and afraid to leave them open. My darned jaw, too big for anything but housing large teeth, is disguising the high-pitched effect of my voice, and it’s not coming off nearly as terrified as I’m trying to convey.

  King’s massive body turns, his arm raised. “Is there a hound below the surface?”

  “No,” I scream again and try to back away from King who hasn’t released me. “It’s on top of the water, you dunderhead. How can you not see it?” I climb his frame, my foot finding purchase on his shoulder, and then I’m up so my entire body is out of the water, crouching to keep my balance.

  Without moving and possibly dislodging me, King barks, “A snake?”

  I don’t like his tone. “Yes, a snake! Don’t just stand there, kill the darn thing.”

  The se
rpent in question decides his life is safer if he changes direction. His slithery body glides atop the water, barely making a ripple until he’s out of sight. I finally breathe and also realize it’s entirely too quiet. I take my eyes off where the snake disappeared. Beck, Labyrinth, and Axel are staring at me slack-jawed. I turn further and see Garret on shore, unable to hide a grin.

  I’m still standing on King’s shoulders, and last thing I want to do is get back in the water.

  “Do you plan on coming down any time soon, or do I just need to walk to shore?” he asks. I can hear laughter in his tone.

  Without finesse, I ease myself down with his small assist and a few grunts to ease myself back into the water, carefully eyeing a ten-foot space around me.

  “You’ve seen enough, go back to shore,” King tells the men with a growl.

  There’s a snicker from one of them. It’s followed by Beck’s recognized laughter. I’ve only learned what it sounds like since Missy’s entered his life. “I’m glad we now have someone to climb trees,” he says. “Since the last Warrior died climbing one, we’ve needed the position filled.”

  Axel, Labyrinth, and even Garret start laughing in earnest. It continues after I get the hellhound crud off me and stops only momentarily when I finally stomp out of the water, my feet making wet mush noises in the dirt, and grab my pack. King is with the men, and they’re facing away. I stick my tongue out at their backs which is ridiculous, but I don’t care. It’s difficult to dress when I’m wet and have three-inch claws. It does give me some satisfaction to know the men itch like crazy while I’m taking my time. When the laughter dies, one of the men says something I don’t hear, and they start up again.

  Once I’m dressed, I collect my soggy clothes and hang them over some low shrubs, then I tell them to hit the lake. The sound of weapons and buckles meets my ears. Their splashes give them away once they enter the water. I stand guard with my back turned and nurse my wounded pride.