Page 22

King

I lost track of Marinah after she took off toward the vehicles holding the rotary gun. She must have figured out what Smythe had planned. My men were ready to enter the fight. We left our position and circled the area. The enemy was flanked on all sides. Many of them began running toward Marinah’s location, desperate for a place to hide, but I didn’t have time to dwell on the danger she was in. Beck’s men had already made it inside the outpost and were successfully tearing into the hellhounds. A few stragglers remained. My men drew their swords and cut them down.

The Federation soldiers realized the battle was lost and began laying down their weapons. A hellhound about twenty feet from me grabbed one foolish man. His muffled screams stopped when the hound tore his face off. A hound charged me. I cut it down with my sword as I ran. Half my men pointed their rifles at the surrendering soldiers, who seemed to decide being shot was a quicker death than being eaten by hounds. After the hellhound attacked their fellow soldier, they held their weapons but kept them pointed downward.

Once we took out the remaining hounds, the soldiers began tossing their guns to the ground again.

“I’m going to Marinah; I need twenty men with me,” I yelled.

Nokita appeared out of nowhere and stayed a few feet behind me as I took off. Beck gained ground until he was running beside me.

“No human casualties,” he reported. “Two Warriors injured from my team.”

I heard him, but my focus was on Marinah. We crested the rise, and I saw the trucks in the distance. Warriors surrounded the farthest truck on the left. It was the one with the rotary gun that Smythe had jumped onto. The Shadow Warriors had their backs to the truck like they were protecting something on it. I didn’t see Marinah and picked up speed.

I noticed a Warrior down and sent Nokita in his direction. I didn’t want to see what was behind the men, and from the looks in their eyes, they didn’t want to see it either. My heart plummeted into my stomach, and my knees almost buckled. A smoky haze clouded my vision, and I couldn’t find air.

Then I heard her above the roar in my ears. She was alive. I shoved aside the Warrior in front of me, and I froze where I stood.

It was Marinah, but not the Marinah from earlier. She was larger, scarier, deadlier. She had grown a foot taller, and it wasn’t just her height. Her entire body was larger. I had read about this phenomenon in our history texts.

The book passage spoke of rare, elite Nova Warriors. They stayed behind on the home planet when the ships left, sacrificing their lives so others could live. What I was seeing before me was pure Nova. It was said that when they went into rage mode, they grew in size and became nearly impossible to defeat.

Marinah was covered in blood, and still she slammed her claws into Smythe. Or at least I thought it was Smythe. Hard to tell now. Beck moved next to me. “Are you going to stop her?” he asked.

I didn’t take my eyes off my mate. “Hell no, are you?”

“I value my life more than that.” There wasn’t an ounce of teasing in the words.

Marinah raised her arm. Halfway to pummeling the body again, she stopped the downward momentum. She stepped toward the head and lifted it. I saw the moment the world came back into focus. Her gaze remained on what she held. A minute passed before she looked up. Our eyes met. I could only describe the look she gave me as, lost. She didn’t seem to understand what had happened. But I did. Blood and gore slid down her face. Incredible didn’t even come close to describing what I saw. She tossed the head to the side.

The men turned toward her and slowly dropped to one knee; their faces filled with awe.

Her eyes left mine, and she looked at them in confusion. Her gaze returned to me, and I saw fear. I smiled and slowly knelt on one knee.

“What are you doing?” she yelled in an even deeper voice than her normal Warrior form carried. She leapt toward us and landed with a thump that made the ground rumble. “Why are you on your knees?” she demanded while quickly scanning the men then focusing on me again. “Are you crazy? Get up. We’re still in danger.”

“No, we aren’t crazy. We were paying homage to our new leader.”

Marinah was King, and she didn’t have a clue what had just happened. I opened my arms, and she walked into them. The men around us backed away, giving her room. She bent slightly, trying to get into her usual position. It was impossible, and she shook her head in confusion while looking down on me.

“Did you shrink?” she asked carefully.

“No,” I said, my chest rumbling because I refused to let my relieved laughter out. She’d survived and she was bigger and better than ever before. I pulled her closer and adjusted her slightly with my arm around her shoulder. “You okay?”

“I don’t know.” She looked at what remained of the body before turning back and looking down to meet my gaze. “What happened?”

“I think that’s Smythe up there, or at least what’s left of him.”

She shook her head again. “I killed him, didn’t I?”

“I only caught the tail end, but that’s definitely your kill.”

It took her a moment before she responded. “I’m killing President Barnes next.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

She leaned closer to me. “You’re acting strange.” Her eyes scanned the area. “The Warriors are acting strange. What did I screw up now?”

It wasn’t the time for this discussion, but she needed to understand what happened. Once she had her bearings, she’d insist anyway.

“Do you remember the history text we were reading a few weeks ago? The one about the Warriors who stayed behind on the home planet to save as many as possible and gave up their seats on the ships?”

“Weren’t they super Warriors or something like that?” she asked cautiously.

“Anshi.”

“An what?” Her dark eyes remained filled with confusion.

“Anshi… Nova Warriors. We didn’t think there were any who made it off the home planet. But obviously someone’s grandmother or great-grandmother did.”

“Where?” She glanced around before her gaze returned to mine. “King,” she whispered.

“Yes, Anshi.”

“No.” She stretched the word out, and her goliath jaws trembled.

I couldn’t stop my proud grin. “You’re Anshi, and you are amazing.”

“This is a joke.” She stepped back and gazed at me, beginning at my feet and finally ending at the top of my head, which was obviously a foot lower than hers.

“Do you need the men to take another knee?” I asked carefully, though my laughter was almost too much to hold back.

Horror filled her voice. “Please tell me I don’t look grosser than before?”

It was more than I could handle, and I began laughing. It was partial relief that she was safe and part hilarity over what had stayed hidden from me until now. The men close enough to hear what she said started laughing too.

It was Beck who finally tried to calm a very irritated Marinah. “I’m still guarding King, but I doubt you’ll need my help.” He lost it and bent double, laughing like the rest of us.

“You think this is funny?” she shouted in outrage.

Her hand came up, and she placed it against her throat.

“Careful, mate, your claws are bigger too,” I said, still laughing.

“This can’t be happening,” she groaned. “How could I be bigger? I want to return to my normal Warrior size.” She took several deep breaths. “Oh God, how will you keep me fed?” Her head snapped to the side of the vehicle then in different directions. “Ryan?”

Beck’s smile disappeared, and he shook his head. “He didn’t make it. You’ve got another team member seriously wounded and one with a bullet in his shoulder. They’re being transported to Axel right now.”

Marinah turned to me, and I saw her jaw tremble again. I placed a hand on her back. “Hold it together. We’ll mourn when it’s time.”

She didn’t respond, but the look in her eyes told me everything. She would never forgive herself for Ryan’s loss.