It's late, or more precisely early morning, when we return, and Marinah's sleeping. We scoured the city for signs of Smythe without success. The current storm raging inside me isn't good. I want my hands around the man's throat, and until it happens, I won't rest easy. I slide in beside my mate and pull her close. She rolls in against me out of habit. She mumbles something in her sleep, and she's out again. I'm unsure if she woke at all.My brain is too restless to shut down right now."They come at night." It's said with the prisoner's gruff voice.I turn and look at him. Our attempts at retrieving information from his messed-up head has been a bust so far. His answers are crazy blabbering gibberish. I have no idea how he stayed alive this long. He's a danger to himself and others. Killing him will be merciful. He can't possibly survive here alone much longer, and I don't see a way to take him back to the outposts. He's too unstable."They come at night," he says again. He curls u
I refuse to think about King right now. His panties are in a twist, and the poor man is suffering. It can't be comfortable. I also know that nothing I say or do will make a difference. He needs time to ponder his idiot behavior. If he insists on Cosway's life and holds to his edict, we'll have another problem, and it won't be pretty.I do know King won't be killing the prisoner. Cosway is about as dangerous as a newborn infant. He needs care and good food before any decisions are made about his well-being.The biggest problem we're going to have over the next few days is boredom. I'm no good at sitting still. I sat and waited for death for far too many years, and I no longer think of myself as fodder.To kill time, I go through my pack and reassemble my treasures so they're at the bottom of the pack and the essentials are easier to get to. That kills all of ten minutes. I wipe my wide brow with the back of my hand. It's going to be warm today. It's sad when you can smell yourself, a
If I could be right just once, it might help in dealing with my mate. No, I'm not killing a woman.Beck and I don't bathe. We give the women time to enjoy the water. If Marinah doesn't like my smell, too bad. War is not the time for roses."We need to grab the kittens on the way out," Marinah tells me when they're finally ready to leave."We are not taking the kittens with us."Twenty minutes later, we collect them. Maybe we need a marriage counselor because this mating stuff is harder than it looks. Marinah helps Cosway carry the darn cats back to the roof. Their food is stuffed in her pack. I now have a human woman, an injured human, and five kittens. I don't think the situation could get worse. I bite that thought off. Of course it could with Marinah in the picture. I all but groan out loud.Beck and Labyrinth are doing everything they can not to laugh in my face, and I don't blame them. Point me in any direction and I'll find something to kill. Collecting people isn't my thing
King is still angry. I don't know how to open the door to let this go. I don't like things this way, and it makes me insecure. It bothers him that I don't obey his orders, and I promise myself I will do my best. I don't want someone to die because of me. I also don't know what I'll do if someone needs saving and it's "dangerous" for the little Shadow Warrior.I groan silently. I don't like this at all.We run at a much quicker pace than we took when we came here. It will still take three days to get to the outpost because we don't have an airplane picking us up. We sleep two hours the first night, and we start off again. The last thing I would do is complain. We speak little. I can't stop thinking about Ruth and Missy, and I know Beck is as worried as I am.Three days is a lifetime when those you love are in danger.***We enter the northern outpost at midnight. It's eerily quiet, and apprehension grips me. It's too quiet."Marinah," Ruth calls and before I know it, her spindly l
Cabel meets us outside the outpost walls and leads us to a large group of Warriors. The tension in the air is thick. Missy told us that more than a thousand soldiers have joined the Federation camp about two miles away. This morning, the soldiers began collecting their belongings. They are leaving or attacking, and the former doesn't seem likely.King speaks in hushed tones so our voices don't carry in the still night. There isn't a breeze, but it's chilly. I prefer warmth. It's times like this that I really miss our island. Pushing the thought aside, I listen to King. I need my head clear and thinking of home won't help.We have close to four hundred warriors versus a thousand Federation soldiers. If it weren't for the hellhounds, this would be a piece of cake. There's no way Smythe isn't leading this force. Is he unaware the Shadow Warriors have aligned with the outposts? Spying in the new world isn't as it once was. You need eyes now, not satellites. The Federation is building up
I lift my glasses again. Now I can see Beck and Cabel moving. I turn to the outpost and for the first time see General Smythe. I lick my lips. He won't be getting away this time. To hell with questioning him. If given the chance, I'll take his throat.Humans are stationed along the high wall on the inside of the outpost. The hellhounds will easily go up and over. Missy will have those unable to fight secured underground in one of their bunkers. Beck and his men will go against the hellhounds to stop them. Labyrinth's job is to take on the Federation soldiers.Knowing some Federation soldiers are here by force unsettles me.Kill, Ms. Beast whispers at my reticence. Yes, kill. If they are willing to kill civilians, including women and children, they won't be leaving here alive. My resolve is set, and I'm impatient to fight. Everyone is in place, and nothing is going on that I can see.The Federation waits ten more minutes, and then everything happens at once. The hellhounds are unl
I lose track of Marinah after she takes off for the vehicles holding the rotary guns. She figured out what Smythe had planned. My men are ready to enter the fight. We circle the area where Marinah is taking on the rotary guns and leave our position. We've flanked the enemy on all sides. Many begin running toward Marinah, trying to get away, but I don't have time to think about the danger she's in. Beck's men are inside the outpost now, holding back the hellhounds. There are a few stragglers, and my men draw their swords and cut them down.The Federation soldiers realize they aren't winning and begin laying down their weapons. A hellhound about twenty feet from me grabs one stupid man. His muffled screams stop when the hound chews his face off. I charge three hounds with my sword, cutting them down as I run. Half my men point their rifles at the surrendering soldiers who have decided being shot is a quicker way to die than being eaten by hounds. They are no longer placing their weapons
King places his arm around my shoulders, and we walk back to the outpost together. He tells me none of the humans in the outpost died, so I know Ruth and Missy are okay. But Ryan. He took my place and died because of it. Was he right? Should I have gone instead? I'll never know that answer, and it will haunt me forever.This is what King deals with. He takes every Shadow Warrior life personally. Now I know what it feels like. I lift my shoulders. It won't be easy, but I'll learn to live with it. We walk through the outpost gates, and Ruth spots me and starts running.Two feet away, she comes to a dead stop. "You're... huge. And bloody, cool."From beautiful to huge. This isn't looking good. "Yeah, I guess I am.""Are you meaner?"Oh, this child. "I hope not."Her lips curve downward and her eyes go stubborn. "Then it's not that cool.""She stabbed the general with her claws until there was nothing left of his face," Labyrinth tells the unimpressed child."You did?"I hope the
Marinah is working with Ruth, who's making incredible progress. There hasn't been a complaint about the child in weeks. She follows Marinah around like she's her personal guard. The sword Marinah gave her always on her hip and her hand on the pommel daring anyone to threaten her instructor."King," Beck calls. "We have urgent news from the northern outpost."Here we go. It's been too quiet. "I'll grab Marinah. Have the men join us in the conference room in five." I don't ask what the news is because it's Marinah's job. Beck should have gone to her first, but that's something she needs to deal with. Eventually things will fall into place. When I took over after my uncle's death, it was the same way. Shadow Warriors expect a leader and sometimes knocking heads is the best way to lead them.I enter the gym, and Ruth is holding her sword with trembling arms, sweat rolling down her brow, and a stubborn set to her jaw which reminds me of Marinah's determination when she first trained. The
They were laughing at me, and I don't blame them.I simply can't lead hundreds of men, scratch that, Shadow Warriors. I have no idea what I'm doing. I replay the entire meeting in my head. They're like children, and I can't believe I need to point them in a direction and tell them what to do.Stupid.And King's gone through this for years.Labyrinth mentioned Cosway, and it reminded me I need to check on her. I begin my search and eventually give up and ask one of the door guards. He points me to the outside courtyard. I find her there, playing with the kittens."Pretty butterfly," she says when she notices me.She's a rather pretty butterfly herself now. Soap, water, and good food make her look younger. Someone also took a chisel to her teeth. I'd place her in her mid-twenties. "Hi, Cosway. Do you mind if I join you and play with the kittens?"She pushes the calico in my direction, and I grab him before he scampers off. "He likes the pretty butterfly.""I like him," I say, cra
Marinah's avoidance doesn't bother me. She needs time to think this through. What she doesn't understand is, she's a leader and she's strong enough to lead the Shadow Warriors. I remember my doubts in the beginning. They ate me alive. The difference is Marinah has me at her side. I won't let her flounder.Axel begins testing the whistles after I give him Marinah's orders. I inform my guard that Marinah doesn't have meetings or training planned for today."You told her?" asks Beck."She took it as well as expected.""That bad?""It could have been worse." And the earthquake that took down San Francisco in 1906 could have been worse too."You want us twiddling our thumbs?" asks Labyrinth.The man's a lummox and I don't count dexterity as one of his pluses so I doubt he could. "Until we have our orders, go for it."He nods, lifts his hands, and twiddles those monstrous thumbs. That's when Marinah walks into the conference room. The men come to attention immediately, and it hits me
She handles it better than I expected. It's been three days, and she refuses to mention a word about it. Like I said, better than expected. Before coming here, Beck asked if she understood what's happened. He laughed when I asked if he was planning to tell her. His exact words were, "Throw me in a pit of hellhounds first."Wise man.It's four incredible days of bliss before she decides to voice her concerns. We're in bed in the early afternoon, after enjoying uninterrupted adult time. "I can't be a leader," she says with her head lying on my chest and her body half on mine. "I've just commanded my first unit. Leaders need experience.""They do.""How the heck do I gain experience? No, wait. I don't want that kind of experience. They're your men, King. Don't do this to me. You can't." Her fingers dig into my hip.Very softly, I tell her the truth, "They're your men now.""It won't work." She slams her fists on the bed beside me. I fight a smile. Now is not the time. "You can't pos
It took hours to get everything in place. I enter our room, and Marinah is sleeping. I quickly pack a bag for us both. She sleeps through it. I'm tired, but nothing will keep my alone time with Marinah from happening.Beck is attending the funerals in my absence. It's the only thing that made me hesitate with this mad scheme.Beck put me straight. "You take this time with your mate. You have more problems than simple mating rage. When you come back, you get the hellspawn, and I'm taking Missy away."I hope Marinah will forgive me when she misses Ryan's funeral. His loss hit her hard. I still remember the first Shadow Warrior who died under my command. It doesn't get easier.I collect everything we need and wake her. "Remember I told you I'm kidnapping you," I say when I'm sure she's awake."I think," she mumbles groggily.I scoop her into my arms. "It's happening."With the two bags tossed over my shoulder, and my mate in my arms, we leave the room. "I need clothes," she finally
King places his arm around my shoulders, and we walk back to the outpost together. He tells me none of the humans in the outpost died, so I know Ruth and Missy are okay. But Ryan. He took my place and died because of it. Was he right? Should I have gone instead? I'll never know that answer, and it will haunt me forever.This is what King deals with. He takes every Shadow Warrior life personally. Now I know what it feels like. I lift my shoulders. It won't be easy, but I'll learn to live with it. We walk through the outpost gates, and Ruth spots me and starts running.Two feet away, she comes to a dead stop. "You're... huge. And bloody, cool."From beautiful to huge. This isn't looking good. "Yeah, I guess I am.""Are you meaner?"Oh, this child. "I hope not."Her lips curve downward and her eyes go stubborn. "Then it's not that cool.""She stabbed the general with her claws until there was nothing left of his face," Labyrinth tells the unimpressed child."You did?"I hope the
I lose track of Marinah after she takes off for the vehicles holding the rotary guns. She figured out what Smythe had planned. My men are ready to enter the fight. We circle the area where Marinah is taking on the rotary guns and leave our position. We've flanked the enemy on all sides. Many begin running toward Marinah, trying to get away, but I don't have time to think about the danger she's in. Beck's men are inside the outpost now, holding back the hellhounds. There are a few stragglers, and my men draw their swords and cut them down.The Federation soldiers realize they aren't winning and begin laying down their weapons. A hellhound about twenty feet from me grabs one stupid man. His muffled screams stop when the hound chews his face off. I charge three hounds with my sword, cutting them down as I run. Half my men point their rifles at the surrendering soldiers who have decided being shot is a quicker way to die than being eaten by hounds. They are no longer placing their weapons
I lift my glasses again. Now I can see Beck and Cabel moving. I turn to the outpost and for the first time see General Smythe. I lick my lips. He won't be getting away this time. To hell with questioning him. If given the chance, I'll take his throat.Humans are stationed along the high wall on the inside of the outpost. The hellhounds will easily go up and over. Missy will have those unable to fight secured underground in one of their bunkers. Beck and his men will go against the hellhounds to stop them. Labyrinth's job is to take on the Federation soldiers.Knowing some Federation soldiers are here by force unsettles me.Kill, Ms. Beast whispers at my reticence. Yes, kill. If they are willing to kill civilians, including women and children, they won't be leaving here alive. My resolve is set, and I'm impatient to fight. Everyone is in place, and nothing is going on that I can see.The Federation waits ten more minutes, and then everything happens at once. The hellhounds are unl
Cabel meets us outside the outpost walls and leads us to a large group of Warriors. The tension in the air is thick. Missy told us that more than a thousand soldiers have joined the Federation camp about two miles away. This morning, the soldiers began collecting their belongings. They are leaving or attacking, and the former doesn't seem likely.King speaks in hushed tones so our voices don't carry in the still night. There isn't a breeze, but it's chilly. I prefer warmth. It's times like this that I really miss our island. Pushing the thought aside, I listen to King. I need my head clear and thinking of home won't help.We have close to four hundred warriors versus a thousand Federation soldiers. If it weren't for the hellhounds, this would be a piece of cake. There's no way Smythe isn't leading this force. Is he unaware the Shadow Warriors have aligned with the outposts? Spying in the new world isn't as it once was. You need eyes now, not satellites. The Federation is building up