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 mu
Once we're clean, we pull out our sleeping bags and settle in for a few hours. I hadn't planned on this delay but changed my mind so Marinah can get some rest. She isn't speaking to anyone, and the men smile whenever she isn't looking. Eventually they'll let up, and Marinah never stays silent for long. I can't imagine what the sight of her on my shoulders looked like to the men. I'm so amused, it doesn't incite the mating rage. I look over at her, curled on her side, not touching me. She lets out a small huff, and I take a chance and circle her waist. When she doesn't pull away, I'm hoping her sulk is over, and I draw her closer. She sighs then falls into a deeper sleep. Axel has guard duty, and he's on the move, keeping watch in all directions. I'm tired, but my thoughts are reeling, and its driving me crazy not having answers. It all circles back to what the Federation is up to. And these thoughts won't get me anywhere. Eventually, I settle against Marinah and close my
It's unfair and not getting my way turns me peevish. I was a very spoiled child throughout my formative years. It taught me to use tears and plain old stubbornness to get what I wanted. Usually it worked. Unfortunately, I don't feel my sad, moping eyes popping from my Shadow Warrior head do the trick this time. I do need rest, and I have guard duty tonight. King assigned the duty to me to avoid another tantrum. Smart man. I'm almost asleep when I overhear Labyrinth whisper to Beck, "What, no temper tantrum because she isn't getting her way and luring the Federation out?" Beck's reply is priceless. "She's right, and our mighty leader is wrong. She knows she'll get her way." I smile against King's chest. "Don't get any ideas," he mumbles sleepily. I sleep until Labyrinth wakes me. King tightens his hold then releases me and rolls over. I would smooth my hand over his head, but I would probably take out one of his eyes. Even in sleep the man is imposing. Add in
My thoughts twist again to my father. He knew I was a Shadow Warrior, and I haven't quite forgiven him for never confessing the truth. After reading Nalista's history, I understand that females don't necessarily change to their Beast like the men do, and there was no way my father or mother could have known I was a shifting female. And more weight falls on my mother's shoulders for raising me vegan. She knew it could hold back the change. Even Nalista mentioned it in her books. It was a common practice on the home planet. The females did not want their daughters turning as volatile as the male Warriors. It still makes me wonder if she was ashamed of what we were. I shake my head and move along. Thinking about my mother depresses me, and I need thoughts that will keep me awake. President Barnes. The scientist. I know he's responsible for the creation of hellhounds; I just can't prove it. Why would a scientist become president? He was no one until his n
I watch Marinah like she's prey. She looks around, trying to figure out how to keep herself occupied, and sex is all I have on my mind when I look at her. Her eyes find mine, and I see the moment she realizes I'm going to pounce. She's quick, and even though I had every intention of catching her, she eludes me. She crouches low several feet away, her breathing heavier, her focus entirely on me. "Taking you here isn't happening," I say while slowly circling her like the predator I am. She turns with me. "What is happening?" "It's been two minutes, and you're already going stir-crazy. I thought some sparring was in order." She shakes her head. "That's not the look I see in your eyes." "I'm not surprise-" I attack before finishing the statement. She uses a leg block and twists her body to the right. I've seen her pull the move before, and I'm ready. I grab her low at the waist, my head at her hip, and drive my legs into the floor while bringing her legs
He's thought about our children. Knowing this makes it more real. But not now, especially not on U.S. soil. I want a child born on our island after the danger from hellhounds and the Federation is past and we're living in peace. It might only be a dream, but it's something that will keep me going when things are rough. What I'm not comfortable with is the burning need for my mate. It's more than sexual. It's about closeness, cuddling, sharing food, thoughts, and generally being one. I never understood the connection between two people in love. Maybe our Warrior side takes it to another level. The why really doesn't matter. I need King like he's air. I'm no good at killing time, and I'm very impatient. King understands me. It's why we had the short sparring match. When we return to the island, I'm kidnapping him for a month. The other Warriors can save mankind and take care of the problems that come from doing so. We need to be on our own for a while. We spend the r
Another flash to my left and I spot Garret going after the second guard. He's good and quietly assists the dead man to the ground. I almost think we're in the clear when a shot fires at King and the men when they reach the metal shipping containers. I don't spot the shooter until another muzzle flash. After a small inhale, I take him out. King drops the beam in place then runs for the edge of the makeshift barracks. I don't hesitate to take out two men running from the building. King reaches the door, staying against the thin aluminum siding. A bullet can go straight through the steel, and I'm not happy with King's choice of locations. Another set of doors is thrown open from a building to the right of the Warriors, and gunfire erupts. It's what the men in the building nearest King were waiting for, and they pile out together shooting at air. I take out two more before King and the Warriors attack. With my heart in my stomach, I turn and check the remainder of the camp again. Tw
I tear into the building where we left Marinah and race up the stairs. I smell blood the last two flights. She's leaning over Garret when I get to the roof. "He's been stabbed twice in the chest, and he's barely breathing," she says before I get to her. I literally lift her and move her away from the injured man even though Beast isn't causing trouble right now. Even if for only a second, I needed to feel her in my arms. "King," she snaps and struggles away. "He's injured, and we need Axel." "He's a minute behind me; they're coming up the stairs now." I bend down and loosen the strap holding the bloody material covering Garret's wounds. They're deep. Marinah hands me a shirt from her bag, and I stuff it beneath the strap when I tighten it again. Garret's face is going blue. Axel runs onto the roof followed by Labyrinth and Beck. He drops to his knees beside Garret and removes his medical bag from his pack. Tearing our handy bandaging away, he removes
I head to the training field and beat up on all comers for the next two hours. My men look at me in fear by the time I'm through. I'm going to be a father and I should be ecstatic. All I feel is fear, and it's not something I'm accustomed to. Strangling my mate might help. A baby. We could have lost our child before I knew about him or her. My thoughts return to strangulation. My men practically fall to the ground when I head back to my room to shower. Thankfully, Marinah found another place to be. I need time before I deal with her. I shower, dress in fresh clothes, and I leave the room. Labyrinth's body is in his quarters. His funeral will be tonight along with the Shadow Warriors lost in the Federation's attack. Beck, Nokita, Cabel, and Alden stand outside Labyrinth's door, their faces somber. "Marinah is with him," rebukes Beck. He's angry he didn't go with us and it's not his death. Marinah made the right decision on who she took on our mi
Marinah picks up Labyrinth and tosses him over her shoulder like he weighs forty pounds and not three hundred and forty. The black dress is in tatters, only covering parts of her massive form. Mrs. Barnes opens groggy eyes, and I set her on her feet. I give her one minute to find her balance. "Move," I order when her time's up. She cries and sniffs and squeals, and sniffs some more while she tries to run. Her bravado is gone. The pointed heels of her shoes become a problem. With a growl, I pick her up and flip her over my shoulder the same way Marinah holds Labyrinth. Her shriek is music to my ears, but we don't need the noise so I slam my hand down on the backs of her exposed thighs. She shrieks once before she decides silence is best. We run without stopping and make it to the rendezvous point in thirty minutes. Mrs. Barnes crumples to the ground when I try to place her on her feet. She can rest here and wallow in her bad fortune. Alden doesn't take his eyes from the presiden
The room turns my stomach. Starvation, death, and helplessness fill the world while these people hold parties, laugh, drink alcohol, and pretend they live in a different time. Several men smile at me inquisitively as I slowly stroll around the room. I give them assessing smiles, meeting their eyes. "You belong," I repeat internally. It's twenty minutes before President Barnes enters-his wife on his arm. I'd forgotten about her. She's a scientist as well as first lady. Her hair is perfectly manicured, her head held regally as if the world belongs to her. Diamonds drip from her throat and her wrists. She lives in a different world. I never liked her and for the most part, she stayed far away from the government's workings. For some reason whenever I saw her, I felt like a lab rat. I can now put my finger on my feelings. I respected them back then. I'm disgusted now and detest everything the Barneses stand for. No, I don't like the woman. A small ache goes through me
Six hours later, minus braids, and practically bald, we're settled on the plane. The look on Alden and Labyrinth's faces match mine. We are unrecognizable as Warrior with our shaved heads. I'd rather dress in pink. "You would think your power was in your hair the way you whiny babies are handling this," were Marinah's exact words. Personally, I was resigned to my fate and remained stoic, hoping one of the men would talk her out of it. Her alpha stare came into effect, and she chopped a section of her braids off with her sword. The men followed suit, giving me sad puppy dog eyes while we sheared our heads. Beck kept his mouth shut from that moment on. If Maylin hadn't saved the day and trimmed up the mess we made, the lot of us would have needed to go completely bald. I run my hand over the prickly stubble. Cutting our hair was necessary for Marinah's plan to work. Her hand lands on my opposite arm. I pull her close so she rests her head on my shoulder. "Sleep," I whispe
Seven Warriors lost their lives. We have several humans in uncertain condition but so far none have died. I locate the wives of two of the men. They know their mates are dead, but I want them to understand as the wife of a Shadow Warrior, they will be cared for. The looks on their faces say it all. There is nothing comforting about death. "Will it ever end?" I think to myself after leaving. I don't have answers. When we came to the island, our plan was to take over for a short time. The people put up little resistance. Starved and short on medical supplies, they needed us as much as we needed them. Once the world was settled, we would give the island back to its people. On days like today, I don't see it happening. Beck finds me as soon as I return to the citadel. "We have a problem at the shipyard, and Nokita is asking for you." Of course we have a problem at the shipyard. I change course. The sun blazes down on us as Nokita explains what parts he ne
I wake up in the warm cushion of King's arms. He's awake and staring at me. "How is the soldier?" I ask groggily. He knows who I mean. "She survived. Axel performed surgery on one wrist and put both in casts. What do you plan on doing with her?" My heart is heavy. "I'm not sure." I roll so I'm facing King. "I couldn't kill her. Even Ms. Beast couldn't do it." "Hmm." He almost has me smiling, but then I remember the pain of losing our men. "How many of our people died?" "Your people. Seven Warriors, no humans." I ache at the news. "Who?" King recites the names. It hurts. Two of them have families. One just became a new father. I sit up partially. "The men need us. What are we doing in here?" King locks his arms around me again and pulls me back into bed. "You can read your grandmother's journal, but you are not leaving this room until you're healed. It's not up for discussion." I want to argue. His hard, calculating e
I pace outside Axel's office while he treats Marinah. He kicked me out and blocked the door an hour ago. Mate, Beast rumbles. I glance at the door in anger, deciding if I should break it down or not. I'm sitting in the infirmary while medical teams work on Warriors and islanders. I should care but my focus is Marinah. Earlier, when the fighting stopped, Marinah held her Nova form and didn't revert to her Beast. I approached her slowly. It took a few minutes before she stopped ripping the soldiers apart. I saw when awareness entered her eyes. She had no idea what she'd done. A moment later, she toppled over. I thought she would change form, but it never happened. There was so much blood from the soldiers she killed, it took a few minutes to figure out she'd been shot. I rushed her to Axel's infirmary. Before throwing me from the room, he found two bullet wounds, one in her shoulder, one in her side, and an additional knife puncture in her other side. I came
A shadow falls over me, and I look into King's huge jaws. "You need to shift. I'll loosen your straps." His clawed hands are slightly clumsy when he unfastens the buckles. He runs a sharp claw along the bare skin on my back when finished. "One kiss and we'll take up where we leave off when this is over." He says it like we're going on an excursion through the park. I appreciate the light comment. I'm wound up so tight, I don't think I can breathe. Now he wants a kiss and I can't think of anything more delicious. I morph in his arms, growing in height, expanding in girth, and turning a flavor of ugly only a mate can appreciate. With my fangs in the way, I kiss him because he loves me in whatever form I take, and I love him. My radio spits, "The artillery on the ships is keeping our planes back, but they've got one crippled ship so I'm changing the plan if my alpha approves. I'm tracking the sub and want to take it out." "Go for it," I yell as another explosion rocks
Energy spikes through my blood as we travel the winding roads. I feel alive. There's nothing left of the frightened young woman who clung to King on the back of his bike, holding on to a man she didn't trust. That man, beside me now, is the reason I'm an entirely different person. My hands open and close on the motorbike's handlebars in anticipation of the coming fight. Hellhounds are one thing, but humans are the real enemy-thinking, plotting, murdering humans. Bloodlust fills me. I'll kill them all. We hit the city and weave through the winding side streets at breakneck speed. I love the powerful rumble between my thighs, the tilt of the bike when I take corners, and the feel of wind against my face. Who knew I would turn into a biker chick? We glide through the open metal gates, abandoning the bikes, and head to the roof of the citadel at a full run. I shift to human form while Shadow Warriors and humans scramble out of our way. We crash through the roof's door and cha