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  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 name popped up as the Federation’s first president. That’s when he became someone.

  The president.

  Science created hellhounds by using genetically modified formaldehyde. It seeped into buried humans and created misshapen monsters that kill everything in their path. Before this happened, the large companies who controlled most of our agriculture and food production ran things their way, and the Washington administration never stopped them no matter who was president. For years, corporate agriculture filled our heads with how safe GMOs were. They paid scientists to produce the modified products and also had enough money to bury anyone who tried to expose them. This included keeping others from doing their own research on their products. The people who tried to expose what was happening lost careers for speaking up.

  No one understood how devastating things were until it was too late. Even when hellhounds began killing us, we didn’t know they were man-made and a product of science created to save money. With the Shadow Warriors help, we managed to survive the first wave of hellhounds. Now the formaldehyde has attacked the older dead. They’re more intelligent and scarier all around, their misshapen bodies slightly more human. Who knows what will happen when the ancient dead awaken?

  A small squeak in the corner of my hideout draws my attention. I knew the mouse was there since entering. No, I will not lick my lips. With a pounce, I capture the creature in one hand. I can see and feel it panicking between my claws. I lift it up by the tail and open my jaws. It’s tiny dark eyes stare into mine—his with fright, mine with relish.

  Without thinking, I plop it on my tongue and close my jaws. I can’t crunch it even though I’m hungry. The thing wiggles, and its little feet scratch. I just need to swallow, and I try. No way.

  I tip my head forward and open my mouth. The mouse jumps out and scampers away. Thank goodness none of the men saw this. They would laugh their heads off. I’m not a very good predator when it comes to small cute animals. I need a boar or something to hunt. The only reason I could eat the mouse King gave me was because it was already dead. I’ll stick with the horrible MREs.

  Two hours later, I slide back into the bag beside King. Garret has the next three hours. I’m thankful to get solid rest before going after the Federation.

  “How was it out there?” King whispers.

  “Quiet.”

  “Come here.” He pulls me against him, and I find the spot where my head fits his chest and ignore the leather straps that keep me from being entirely comfortable. King’s unique scent is all I need to fade into sleep.

  ***

  The men find enough mice and rats to satisfy them the next morning. Garret and I eat cold MREs, giving each other squeamish looks. King misses the meeting of eyes. Besides a raised eyebrow when I refuse his offering, he doesn’t push me to eat his catch.

  King calls a meeting, and we gather around a dusty area. He draws a map of the soldiers’ camp so the layout is fresh in our heads. There are two ways in: north and south. We’re at the southern end of the city. King impresses me with his scaled-to-size drawing. I can’t draw a straight line.

  “The box cars are here,” he says, pointing at the outline with a small stick. “We don’t know Smythe’s location, and that bothers me.”

  My original thoughts on how to handle the soldiers has changed. “What if we could block the front of the shipping containers with something heavy and keep them from releasing the hellhounds?”

  King looks thoughtful for a moment. “The problem would be getting the blockades in place without being shot.”

  “One of the large construction beams,” I wave around us, “would work. There’s a tall building about a hundred yards from the railcars. I could stage on the roof and pick off anyone who tries to remove the beam. It will take several humans to lift them too.”

  King’s head shakes slightly. “It still doesn’t cover how to get the beam in place.”

  Beck interjects. “We take the beam in early tomorrow morning, a few hours before sunrise. It needs to be something heavy enough so the humans can’t lift it easily. If two of us manage it quietly, we should be able to drop it in place without being spotted.”

  I’m beginning to understand why King wants Beck at his back. “With me on the roof, whoever goes in will be safe.”

  “What about their snipers?” King asks.

  I give him my “duh” face which probably looks no different than my bored Warrior face. “If they had snipers, they would have spotted us when we went to their camp yesterday.” I don’t even add the eye roll that’s putting an ache in my eyeballs so I’ll let it out. King is being stubborn.

  “No, I’m being smart,” he snaps at my silent thoughts, drat the man. He knows me too well.

  “A third person could take out the perimeter guards,” I add.

  Finally, after running the plan through his head and silently deliberating its feasibility, King nods. “We need to know how often the guards change. If we attacked directly after blocking the metal containers, it could work.”

  “I’m on it,” says Labyrinth after standing. “I’ll watch the camp and get the timing.” He gives me a smile then immediately lowers his head at King’s grumble.

  Garret speaks up for the first time this morning. “I’d like to scavenge the city and see if there’s anything we can take back with us or hide for a return trip.”

  Axel stands too. “I’ll go with Garret. I need to check out what’s left of the hospital.” At King’s nod, he glances at Garret. “If we find medical supplies, you can have them. I’ll know what’s needed.”

  “Deal.” A look passes between the two men. Maybe I imagined it because they stare back at me in question when they notice my attention.

  “Be safe,” I say for lack of anything better.

  They empty their packs and set off, hoping to fill them. King and I are alone. I’m in need of a bath, but I don’t see that happening. We have too much time to kill before tomorrow, and I’m impatient.

  “Well?” I ask King. “We’re alone; what are we going to do to fill the time?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  King

  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 up so she lands solidly on her back with a huff of air. “Now what are you going to do?” I ask her.

  “What is this about?” she sputters.

  I roll off and settle by her side with both of us staring up at the ceiling. “I want uninterrupted time with you. Someplace where no one will find us. If I can’t make love to you, and now is not the time, sparring works.”

  She rolls in my direction, but I don’t look at her. “It’s a tough life when you’re king.”

  �
�That it is.”

  We have tons of sexual energy piled up in our systems, and if we can’t get rid of our needs one way, we’ll burn them off in another. I expect Marinah to make a move. She flies from her back to her feet, propelling herself from the floor. I use my legs to push backward and up, giving me space to see her next move.

  It’s quick.

  She grabs a hefty beam beside her and swings. I barely duck in time. “Close, baby,” I rebuke.

  “You’re getting slow, old man.”

  I launch an entire desk at her. She sees it coming, drops the beam, and flies in low, the desk sailing over her head. She goes for my legs, but I’m already moving. Using the wall beside me, I run up and flip over Marinah’s head.

  “Maybe you’re not that old after all,” she says, her breathing a little heavier.

  She has no clue why I’m actually doing this. I love watching her Warrior in action. She has a grace of movement missing from male Shadow Warriors. She’s worked hard on muscle memory, and her body reacts before her brain tells her to. She’s symmetry in motion, a beautiful, monstrous creature who’s discovering herself.

  Her roundhouse kick connects with my side, and I try grabbing her leg, but she’s already moving away. I pivot and jab with a front kick to keep her back.

  “Are you giving up?” she pants.

  “You wish.” I explode in her direction, dodging away from another kick aimed at my head and take her beneath her armpits, jerking my head back to avoid her snapping jaws. We land in a pile of arms and legs when she tries to twist from the fall. She’s nearly as strong as I am, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she surpasses all of us at some point. It just amazes me that Marinah doesn’t see it.

  She drives her elbow into my neck, and a loud grunt explodes from my chest. She lifts her waist and scissors my legs between her legs, bending her knees and pretzeling my lower body. I twist and bring one leg up high and push it into her crotch while pushing on her shoulder and grabbing her opposite arm.

  She’s trapped.

  “Good move, you need to teach me.”

  Again, I’ve seen her in action, and I’m not falling for her fake acceptance. “Tap out or see the next move.”

  “You’ve been working on these without me.” Her voice actually goes whiny which is another one of her tactics.

  “Beck is a good guinea pig.” Keeping her pinned, it’s me who’s breathing heavily now.

  “I’m not giving up,” she promises.

  “I know.”

  “Can we make love in our Beast forms?”

  Her question takes me by surprise, and I loosen my grip slightly. “Now isn’t the time to explore that option.”

  “I know.” Her eyes look so innocent. “I just wondered.”

  “Seeing as you’re the only female Warrior, I would think you would need to answer that question.”

  Her body tightens the smallest bit. “So it can be done?”

  She’s killing me. “It’s not like there’s a sexual guide in the history texts. I think it’s something we could explore if you wanted.” She infinitesimally moves her arm. I keep talking. “I think we should make our own rules.”

  “Do you find this form attractive?” She moves again, but her voice stays even.

  I look at her. The hair covering her body is like mine. Her breasts are plates of muscle and the rest of her body is a flowing painting of bulging strength. “I find your Warrior form stunning.”

  “Sexy?”

  My voice turns gruff. “Quite sexy.”

  “You’re weird.” She twists hard, using her core strength, and shoves one leg between mine, trying to break my hold. She manages to flip us, and she’s now on top, but I have control of her upper body, and I’m not letting go. That’s when her teeth find my arm.

  I tap before she hits bone, and she releases me. “You let me win,” she says softly.

  “Maybe,” I say and roll toward her. We’re back where we started.

  “I hate you.”

  I touch her nose with the tip of my claw. “You love me.” It’s a statement.

  “I do.” Also a statement. She turns her head and looks into my eyes. “Do you ever think about children?”

  “Children?” I ask, not sure where this is going.

  “Our children.”

  My heart rate ratchets. “Is there something I should know?”

  She shakes her head the smallest bit. “I never thought about having children, but now the thought pops into my mind occasionally. Then I feel guilty for wanting to bring a child into our screwed-up world.” She sighs after her declaration. “So do you think of babies, our babies?”

  I need to handle this delicately. It’s not the conversation we should be having right now. “I agree with you about not wanting them to suffer in the current world.” I reach over and carefully place my hand beneath her jaw and use the tip of my claw and rub it across her lower lip where her sharp teeth flash in the light. “I think about our future children all the time.”

  “Is it because they will be pureblood?”

  She’s been reading more of our history. “I won’t lie. Bringing a pureblood into the world would be amazing. It’s not why I think of our children, though. I want a Marinah rug rat running around, getting into more trouble than Che and Ruth combined. I want temper tantrums and squishy hugs.”

  Her giant jaw opens in a smile. “Squishy hugs?”

  “You heard me. I’m totally going soft.”

  “I feel it too.” She looks at me with understanding. “I want a part of you here when we are no longer alive. It’s almost a craving.”

  We slide closer. “I’ll make you a deal.”

  “I’m all ears,” she whispers.

  “We’ll have a little boy and a little girl; that way we’re both happy.”

  “I love you, and you might make me cry. If I try and hide the tears by wiping them away, I’ll take out my eyes.”

  I pull my very pragmatic mate’s legs closer so our bodies are pressing into each other. “Shadow Warriors don’t cry.”

  “Then don’t say things about squishy hugs.” She inhales deeply, filling herself with my scent as I do hers. “When we return to the island,” she says, “I want alone time with you. Someone else can handle the end of the world.”

  “You have a deal.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marinah

  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 remainder of the time before us in preparation. After a quick lunch, we leave our accommodations and scope out high buildings in the area around the Federation’s camp. A few are impossible to get to, but we find several locations that work.

  “Your strategizing is improving,” King says after we manage to gain the top of one of the buildings we find.

  I have no idea what he’s talking about. “How so?”

  “You’re thinking like a Warrior. The concept of strategy was foreign to you when you first arrived, even after we discovered your secret. Now you’ve embraced the part of you that sees the bigger picture and analyzes what needs to be done.”

  “Did you wa
it for me to voice my opinion earlier?” I ask curiously.

  He nods. “I always do.”

  “I’m gaining confidence.”

  “Yes.” He looks me up and down with an appreciative eye. “You are.”

  We’re in the middle of a war, planning an assault on a heavily armed foe, and I still want to jump up and down under King’s praise. He gets me, and even though I didn’t realize it, he understands what I’m going through in regard to my capabilities.

  We return to our camp before the men, but we don’t have long to wait. Axel and Garret come in first. The two men say all the right things, but I know something is up. It’s the subtle way they carry themselves, and it bugs me that King doesn’t have a clue. I’m also protective of Axel, and I don’t trust Garret as far as I can throw him.

  They unload their bags, and we examine their treasures.

  “It wasn’t as much as we would like, but at least they weren’t wiped out of everything. We also found a buried grocery store with canned goods. No one’s entered it since the bombings, and it’s a goldmine.” Axel looks at Garret in that strange way that’s driving me crazy.

  Garret snaps his eyes away and turns his attention slightly to me without meeting my eyes. “After this is over, I’ll bring a large team here to transport what we found. It will help supplement our food production and help us prepare for winter.”

  Before Axel and Garret are settled in with MREs for dinner, Beck and Labyrinth return. They’re bickering when they enter.

  “It was once an hour,” says Labyrinth.

  “He took at least seven breaks, that’s more than one an hour,” Beck growls.

  “He didn’t go all the way to the latrine on three of his breaks. Those don’t count.”