Page 13

King

I watched Marinah like she was prey. She glanced around, clearly trying to figure out how to keep herself occupied, but all I could think about was her. My focus sharpened as our eyes met, and I saw the exact moment she realized I was going to pounce. She was quick. Quicker than I’d expected, and though I had every intention of catching her, she eluded me. She crouched low several feet away, her breathing heavier, her entire focus locked on me.

"What do you think I’m after?" I asked, circling her slowly, the predator in me fully awake.

She turned with me, her movements fluid. "I know exactly what you’re after."

"It’s been two minutes, and you’re already going stir-crazy. I thought some sparring was in order."

She shook her head, her sharp eyes catching mine. "That’s not the look I see in your eyes."

"I’m not surprised—" I lunged before finishing the sentence. She moved fast, using a leg block and twisting her body to the right. I’d seen her pull this move before and was ready for it. My arms caught her low at the waist, my head at her hip. Using the powerful drive of my legs, I lifted her off balance and brought her down solidly on her back. She hit the floor with a huff of air.

"Now what are you going to do?" I asked, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth.

"What is this about?" she gasped, catching her breath.

I rolled off her and settled at her side, both of us staring up at the ceiling. "I want uninterrupted time with you. Somewhere no one can find us. If I can’t make love to you, and now isn’t the time, sparring works."

She turned toward me, and I felt her gaze, though I kept my eyes fixed above. "It’s a tough life when you’re king."

"That it is."

The tension between us buzzed like a live wire. With all the energy we had piled up, if we couldn’t burn it off one way, we’d burn it off another. I braced myself, expecting Marinah to make a move. Sure enough, she launched from her back to her feet with startling speed. I pushed off the floor with my legs, creating space to track her next move.

She grabbed a hefty beam beside her and swung. I barely ducked in time. “Close, baby,” I rebuked.

“You’re getting slow, old man,” she laughed.

I launched an entire desk at her. She saw it coming, dropped the beam, and came in low as the desk sailed over her head. She went for my legs, but I was already moving. Using the wall beside me, I ran toward her and leapt over her head.

“Maybe you’re not that old after all,” she said, her breathing a little heavier. She has no clue why I was actually doing this. I loved watching her Warrior in action. She had a grace of movement missing from male Shadow Warriors. She’s worked hard on muscle memory, and her body reacted before her brain told her to. She was symmetry in motion, a beautiful, monstrous creature who was discovering herself. Her roundhouse kick connected with my side, and I tried grabbing her leg, but she was already moving away. I pivoted and jabbed with a front kick to keep her back. “Are you giving up?” she panted.

“You wish.” I exploded in her direction, dodging away from another kick aimed at my head and took her beneath her armpits, jerking my head back to avoid her snapping jaws. We landed in a pile of arms and legs when she tried to twist from the fall. She was nearly as strong as me, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she surpassed all of us at some point. It amazed me that Marinah didn’t see it.

She drove her elbow into my neck, and a loud grunt exploded from my chest. She lifted her ass and scissored my legs between hers, bending her knees and pretzeling my lower body. I twisted and brought one leg up high and pushed it into her crotch while pushing on her shoulder. At the same time, I grabbed her opposite arm and she was trapped.

“Good move, you need to teach me,” she said with appreciation.

I had seen her in action far too many times to fall for her fake acceptance. “Tap out or prepare for the next move.”

“You’ve been working on these without me,” she said, her voice taking on an exaggeratedly whiny tone, another one of her tactics.

“Beck is a good guinea pig.” Keeping her pinned, I realized it was me breathing heavily now.

“I’m not giving up,” she promised defiantly.

“I know.”

Her eyes turned speculative. “Can we make love in our Beast forms?”

The question hit me like a ton of bricks, and my grip loosened slightly. “Now isn’t the time to explore that option.”

“I know.” Her gaze was wide, disarmingly innocent. “I just wondered.”

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

Her body tensed, just the slightest bit. “So, it can be done?”

She was killing me. “It’s not like there’s a sexual guide in the history texts,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “I think it’s something we could explore if you wanted.”

She moved her arm the tiniest bit, but I kept talking, pretending not to notice. “We should make our own rules.”

“Do you find this form attractive?” she asked, while shifting ever so slightly again.

I looked at her, the hair covering her body similar to mine, her muscular frame a powerful symphony of strength. “I find your Warrior form stunning.”

“Sexy?” she pushed.

My voice dropped, gruff with honesty. “Quite sexy.”

“You’re weird.” She twisted sharply, her core strength driving the movement. One of her legs shoved between mine, breaking my hold. Before I could counter, she flipped us, pinning me beneath her. She had the advantage, but I still controlled her upper body. I wasn’t letting go.

Then her teeth found my arm.

I tapped before the bite hit bone, and she released me immediately. “You let me win,” she said softly.

“Maybe.” I rolled toward her, and just like that, we were back where we started.

“I hate you,” she muttered, though there was no heat in the words.

I touched the tip of my claw to her nose. “You love me.” It wasn’t a question.

“I do.” Her eyes softened as she turned her head to look into mine. “Do you ever think about children?”

“Children?” I echoed, unsure where this was going.

“Our children.”

My heart skipped a beat, then raced ahead. “Is there something I should know?”

She shook her head, just barely. “I never thought about having children, but now the thought pops into my mind sometimes. Then I feel guilty for even wanting to bring a child into this screwed-up world.” She sighed in frustration. “So, do you ever think about babies? Our babies?”

This was a delicate topic; one we probably shouldn’t be having in the middle of a mission. Still, I couldn’t brush it off. “I agree with you about not wanting them to suffer in the current world.” I reached over carefully, sliding my hand beneath her jaw. With the tip of my claw, I traced her lower lip, catching a flash of her sharp teeth in the dim light. “But yes, I think about our future children all the time.”

“Is it because they’d be fullblood?” she asked thoughtfully.

She’d been reading more of our history. I nodded slightly. “I won’t lie. Bringing a full blood into the world would be incredible. But that’s not why I think about our children. 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 massive jaw parted in a grin. “Squishy hugs?”

“You heard me. I’m going soft.”

Her expression gentled with understanding. “I feel it too. I want a part of you here when we’re gone. It’s almost a craving.”

I slid closer to her, our bodies nearly touching. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“I’m all ears,” she whispered.

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

Her eyes shimmered with emotion. “I love you, and you’re going to make me cry. But if I try to wipe the tears away, I’ll probably take out an eye.”

I pulled her closer until our bodies pressed together. “Shadow Warriors don’t cry.”

“Then don’t talk about squishy hugs.” She inhaled deeply, drawing in my scent as I did hers. “When we return to the island,” she murmured, “I want alone time with you. Let someone else handle the end of the world.”

“You’ve got a deal.”