Warrior

by Holly S. Roberts

  That’s exactly how it should work even though I’ve begun to wonder if President Barnes won using other means. I can’t help wheedling beneath his skin a little more. “I don’t know why we kept those stupid rules. At least they gave President Barnes ten years to organize the country. In the next election we need to change to rules of succession. It worked for Europe for thousands of years. With our country in such turmoil, we need stability more than anything else.”

  “Hmm,” he says. I can tell he’s thinking about what I’ve said and how he can use it to his advantage. Maybe he’s thinking I’m not the idiot he believed me to be. And, I need to step very carefully. Officer Daniels is a daddy’s boy. He’s in a low-level military position and feels he should have more clout because of his father. He’s mentally lacking what he needs to climb the hierarchy ladder. Foremost is his attitude. He’s spoiled. Running errands for the president probably keeps him out of trouble and that’s why he was assigned the job to begin with. He’s nothing more than a flunky just like I was before my father died.

  We’re about two hundred yards from the entrance to my quarters when Ms. Beast decides to get feisty. Run, she demands. It’s a physical pain that zaps through my entire body. A nice punch to the ribs would have been better.

  No, I say inside my head. It may be silent, but I pack a lot of threat in the word.

  Run.

  Cold sweat breaks out on my face and I have trouble concentrating. I stumble when Ms. Beast decides to go ahead and give me that kick in the ribs. Officer Daniels takes my arm and rights me.

  “Are you okay?” he asks without a hint of concern in the words.

  “I think I just need air. Is there any way I can go outside?”

  “Too dangerous,” he snips in his whiny voice that grates on my nerves and my sensitive ears.

  I’m losing it with Ms. Beast and know I need to push this issue. “I only need to stick my head out a door or window. What could it hurt?” I whine back.

  His heavy sigh lets me know I’ve won before he speaks, “There’s a courtyard through that door,” he says and points to the door we passed about twenty-five yards behind us. “If you want to risk your life, be my guest. Just do it after I drop you at your room so no one blames me.” The aggravation in his voice grew stronger with each clipped word.

  “Thank you,” I say while fighting the pain growing inside me. Ms. Beast is being unreasonable and I have a feeling I won’t be the winner during her tantrum.

  Daniels leaves me at my room a few minutes later. I lean back against my closed door after I’m inside trying to catch my breath. I give Daniels a few minutes to clear the hallway while fighting with Ms. Beast the entire time. She’s burning me up from the inside with blinding pain that won’t lessen. It occurs to me that something is terribly wrong. King told me to listen to her at these times and that’s what I’m planning. I leave the room minus shoes wearing only pants and a tee so I can shift quickly.

  The door leading to the courtyard is barred from the inside with a heavy metal bar. Sane people do not go outside after dark where hellhounds do the majority of their attacks. Good thing I’m no longer sane. The door leads to a narrow stairway with steep stairs leading upward. I run the stairs and lift the final bar from the last door before I step outside.

  The courtyard is small and protected by a large, eight feet tall concrete wall. I scale it easily in human form thanks to my added strength. On the other side, I remove my clothes, hide them in some bushes, and allow Ms. Beast to take over. With muscles that need to run, I head for the darkened, demolished streets of Washington and leave civilization behind. My plan is to stay inside the outer protection wall that surrounds the city. If I’m lucky, I’ll discover what the heck has upset Ms. Beast so much. If I kill a few hellhounds in the interim, maybe I’ll be able to sleep soundly tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  King

  I MOURN THE loss of my friend while the absence of Marinah destroys me. I can only take the nagging sense of danger for so long before I’m at the breaking point and act. Getting away undetected by Nokita isn’t easy. He was taught by the best tracker we have and I never had much luck escaping Beck. I bide my time and while the men are eating dinner, I sneak off quickly.

  Once I’m clear of our perimeter guards, I shift, giving Beast the lead and kick it into high gear, running at top speed. Beast loves it because he knows exactly where we’re headed.

  Mate, he whispers into my soul.

  I travel more than seventy miles in three hours, avoiding hellhounds and humans, and arrive in the Federation’s territory a little after eleven. I feel Marinah in every cell. I know she’s close, pulling on Beast even if she isn’t aware it’s happening. She’ll feel it and I’m counting on her to listen to her beast. I have no idea where she is within the underground compounds, so it could take another hour to zero in on her location.

  I trot beside the large concrete wall that surrounds the capital. Beast’s nose detects no metal in the construction, only cement. This wall won’t stop hellhounds and I know for a fact Greystone advised the Federation to use metal.

  “Find her,” I tell Beast.

  We travel another mile before we’re leaping over the wall at Beast’s urging and entering the actual city. Beast picks up an unpleasant odor—sickness and death. It’s one of the encampments holding humans that the government set up. We widen our circle and avoid the area.

  Ten minutes later, movement in the shadows draws my attention.

  Mate.

  Patrols could hear, so I can’t call out to her. Marinah’s running in beast form and unfortunately heading in the opposite direction. She may sense my beast but I’m betting she has no idea what it means. She clomps along like a racehorse, which is something we’ll need to improve. Silently, I gain speed and catch her at the waist, swinging her around and avoiding her claws when she tries to rip my head off.

  Mate.

  She switches to a tactical move I taught her and jerks me in close to her body to use her teeth. She may be a little slow in figuring out who has her, but her beast suddenly stops fighting, her body goes lax, and she leans back into me. Her smell fills my lungs and the missing part of my soul hums with need. Slowly, she turns. Her long snout quivers and I realize she’s crying. This is not something any respecting Shadow Warrior would do.

  “Shift, Marinah,” I groan into her ear.

  Our bodies transform and I pull her flush against me. Her mouth is waiting and I grind my lips harshly against hers. Her fingers sink into my braids and mine into her nape keeping her in place. Her taste, her scent, her everything. I slide my hands over her bare skin, feeling it shiver beneath my touch.

  “Are you okay?” she breathes into my mouth once I let her up for air.

  “Beck didn’t make it.” I place my forehead against hers allowing my grief to briefly sink in. She wraps her arms around me and holds on, comforting me as only a mate can. There are truly no words for the loss of a friend after so many have died and Marinah doesn’t offer any. Holding her for these few minutes will give me the strength to leave her again. We don’t have long and even though I need my mate physically, there are more important things to accomplish.

  Pulling her tightly against me, I lean back against the wall and continue holding her. “Tell me everything,” I say while running my hands up and down her back reaffirming her presence.

  She fills me in on her life within the Federation, her voice husky with tears. Beast growls when she talks about her old co-workers and sharing our secrets. We knew she needed people she could trust inside the government and she found them. She also knows how dangerous this is if they betray her.

  Quiet, I slam into Beast with more force than I probably needed. “How are you communicating with them?” I question once Beast settles.

  She hesitates and a strange look changes her expression. “Love notes,” she squeaks.

  “Come again?” I ask.

  “We’re using acrostic code,” she huffs
out. My confusion must show because she explains what she means. “It’s writing sentences where the first letter of each word in the sentence spells a word and those words form sentences. It’s a child’s code really. Landan and I are writing love notes to each other to hide the code.”

  “Love notes?” I repeat as I try to wrap my head around her meaning. As it sinks in, red fills the space in front of me and my arm plows through the cement wall a foot from Marinah’s head, sending gray dust over us both.

  “King!” She has hold of my arm and she’s trying to tell me something. The red haze doesn’t recede.

  “King!” she tries again, this time slamming her fist into my jaw. I finally see into her eyes when she rests her warm palms against my cheeks. “They’re notes and only to hide the code. He doesn’t touch me. He’s a friend.” I rub my jaw, her words at last making their way through my thick skull.

  “Marinah,” I sigh and draw her back in for another kiss. She’s naked and in my arms, something I can no longer resist. Lifting her, until her legs circle my hips and her body presses into mine, I deepen the kiss.

  “I need you,” she whispers against my lips. Her fingers travel to my zipper, and she unfastens me and finds me ready. We aren’t gentle or even coordinated as our bodies meld. At one point, a noise on the other side of the wall makes me slam my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. She continues riding me, taking everything I give. Even in human form, our beasts merge, their energy swirling around us. Marinah’s body goes taut when she shudders her release and I hold back a growl a minute later as my body explodes into hers.

  I’ve had sex numerous times and made love to two women before Marinah. It took only minutes to realize the women weren’t meant for me. Marinah is. Our souls call to each other and exist in a world outside everything we know. I didn’t realize such a huge part of me was missing until she made me whole. I’ve waited my entire life for this special woman.

  Her chest rumbles against mine and I think she’s crying again. I lean back so I can look into her eyes only to find her attempting unsuccessfully to hold back laughter.

  “Am I too loud for you, your majesty?” she whispers into my thoughts.

  I admonish her with my eyes and a slight grin. “You’re too everything for me.” And she is. I never thought I would have this. Need it. Crave it. Marinah is mine and in only a short time, I’m leaving her again. Nokita will be bringing Shadow Warriors to find me, tracking my scent, and cussing me out the entire journey.

  “Your everything, huh?”

  She doesn’t quite get it. “My air, the blood that travels through my veins, my heart that skips beats when you’re away, my soul that’s split in half without you.” I pull her close and whisper, “You. Are. Everything.”

  I lick the tears from beneath her eyes and kiss her nose. “Show me where you jumped the wall and where the entrance to your sleeping quarters are. I also need to know where Labyrinth and his men are.”

  “You shouldn’t come inside the underground.”

  Her sad eyes distill the pinch to Beast’s pride. “I won’t be coming in, I just need to know the general location of your room in case of an emergency. We also need to find a place outside the wall for Warriors to hide for when we move closer to the city.”

  “I love you,” she whispers.

  I stare into her beautiful eyes and return the powerful words. “I love you, Marinah.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Marinah

  SEEING KING WAS exactly what I needed and still, I’m torn apart when he leaves. I lay awake for hours thinking about him—his scent, his taste, and how his body feels when he becomes part of me. Ms. Beast likes these thoughts and for the most part only purrs in contentment. When my sadness overflows over King leaving me, and I can no longer take it, I switch to making plans. Beginning tomorrow, things will change even if it means grabbing the president by the balls and discovering what the heck is going on. Sitting in my room like a good little Federation follower isn’t getting me anywhere.

  Foggy headed from lack of sleep, I need strong black coffee to clear my brain in the morning. Even the disgusting chicory stuff the Federation serves should help.

  The cafeteria isn’t crowded when I enter and take my usual table after putting today’s mush—an unidentifiable substance—on a tray and filling two cups with straight black coffee. After the first cup, I feel better and while no one pays attention, I slide a note beneath the table for Landan hoping the sticky stuff does its job.

  I’ve missed you so much. Too much time has passed without you in my life. Silly really. The two of us are meant to be together. I can’t stand being away from you. My heart. Every day is painful when we’re apart.

  Translation: It’s time

  I’m even proud of my rhyming ability. I want Landan, and the ladies to have a head’s up that we’re making a move soon.

  The second cup of coffee goes down as quickly as the first and even though it’s one of the most unappetizing things I’ve eaten, I finish the slop in my bowl. I remember to trip slightly when I leave the cafeteria in case anyone is watching. My goal is to get to Labyrinth’s barracks and have a third cup of coffee with him.

  I find Labyrinth pacing inside the main room, his soldiers practically climbing the walls. They’re doing push-ups, running in place, using the bunk beds for pull-ups and basically working out to soothe their beasts.

  “We need to run,” Labyrinth says straight off. “Our beasts are going crazy and the Federation knows it. They’re setting us up, I can feel it in my bones. We haven’t been permitted to leave the quarters in forty-eight hours.

  I have the same bad feeling as Labyrinth. The Federation made it sound urgent that I return to the U.S. and now that I’m back, it’s been a waiting game. “I’ll talk to the president and see what I can do,” I tell him. “I don’t understand why they don’t have you searching for hellhounds. Landan told me there have been attacks on people inside the walls and those outside the tunnels live in complete fear.”

  “They don’t actually want our help,” he huffs. “When we went out and checked their defenses, General Smyth refused to answer my questions and made it clear he was taking us out only on direct order. That load of crap he fed us before your interrogation was just that, crap.” Labyrinth looks around the eating area before pointing to the discarded trays on the far counter. “I think their goal is to kill us with their terrible food. I have no idea what to even call the mess they fed us this morning.” He shakes his head and his eyes go darker, pure frustration grinding into his voice. “My repeated requests to speak with you or the president have been ignored.”

  I lift my hands in a classic “what the heck” move. “I haven’t received requests.” I glance around by habit to be sure we aren’t overheard, which is unnecessary. “King came to see me last night. He’s as concerned as we are. I’ve also talked to my friends in analytics. Everything we’ve feared is happening. The Federation has us here for some other purpose than what we’ve been led to believe. Be ready to act. I see this entire thing blowing up soon and we want to be the ones holding the detonator.”

  ***

  I’ve been left to my own devices for three days now and completely ignored. One of the things the Federation frowns on is inactivity. Everyone carries their weight even if it’s only menial labor. As secretary of defense I’m fourth in charge to take over the Federation if something happened to the president, vice president, and secretary of state. I’m fully aware the title is only a rouse to keep the Warriors happy and nothing more. All my demands to see the president have gone unanswered. When I visited Labyrinth this morning, the deadly energy in the room had ramped up triple notches. The Warriors must have space to run. Their guards have been doubled and I was watched closely when I entered the Warrior’s quarters. I stayed just long enough to reassure Labyrinth I was doing what I could.

  I glance around the cafeteria and casually take a sip of my coffee while reaching beneath the table and retrieving La
ndan’s latest note. With the paper in my lap, I read it quickly.

  Since your return, the sun is brighter. Kindness follows me. Your light shines through. Lips of velvet await my kiss. And you tremble with need. Regardless of our separation. My thoughts are with you each second. I carry you in my heart. Simply put, I love you. Simply put, you’re mine. I need you. No one can replace you. Gone are my days of loneliness.

  Barff. I hide a smile at what King’s reaction would be. Ms. Beast growls and I almost laugh. Then I decipher the code and all thoughts of hilarity are cut off.

  Skylar Missing

  I almost explode from my skin when a jolt of K-5 is set off by my fear. The only thing that stops me from going monster is Officer Daniels, who pulls out the chair across from me. His face, surrounded by a red haze, looks good enough to rip off and shove into a meat grinder known as my Warrior teeth. I push off the K-5 as it pulses inside me. Inch by inch I take back my humanity and hold it together. When the danger is passed and my skin has a fine sheen of sweat covering it, I plaster a fake smile on my face and watch Daniels grit his teeth. He hasn’t liked me from day one and I can’t help but wonder if he coveted the defense secretary position and thinks I stole it from him. Maybe I did. I take advantage of my captive audience and start in on my demands. “I need to speak with the president within the hour.” I’m thoroughly sick of being ignored and it shows in each precise word.

  His jaw-crunching expression doesn’t change. “I will pass on your request to the president.” He looks me up and down, making it more than obvious that I disgust him.

  Ms. Beast growls at his close perusal and I’m only thankful he can’t hear it. I lean forward hoping Daniels gets a good strong whiff of my coffee breath. “It wasn’t a request. You have one hour to make it happen.”

  My breath doesn’t detour his sneer. “You don’t make demands. Your job is to be seen by the Shadow Warriors and not heard.” He practically spits out the next part. “If you weren’t here, I would be filling your shoes with something besides demands and whining. I would be leading our men into battle.”