Chapter 65: King

The frigid night air rolls over me, the small bite of wind unwelcomed by Beast. I'm sitting next to a small fire on a ledge in the hills, looking about thirty feet down from a cliff, with only one thought on my mind.

Marinah.

The separation has Beast boiling beneath the surface doing everything he can to force my hand. Claws rake my insides and squeeze my internal organs. I crave her like air and must remind myself that we're doing this for the greater good. That good has weighed on me since Greystone's death. I never felt I was good enough to take his place, I also knew I was the only one who could do it, so it became my sacrifice. A sacrifice I'm now regretting because of my separation from Marinah.

Movement in the distance draws my attention and I wait until they're closer before notifying the men that one of the other teams has arrived. It's Nokita and his men. They're tired and hungry having traveled a greater distance than we covered. It's an hour before the men are situated a