Page 14 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

“I need to speak to the four of you in private,” I told Desmond and nodded at the other three teens.

“And if we say no?”

This kid. Sheesh. He and Ruth would get along famously.

“If you say no, I will honor it.” I met his eyes, making sure he knew I wasn’t here to force them into anything. “We help each other on the island. We work together. That’s what I would like to talk to you about.”

The girl beside Desmond raised her hand.

Her hair was a shade lighter than his, a bit longer but similar in texture.

Siblings, most likely. Her nose matched Desmond’s.

It was her eyes that set her apart. While Desmond’s were blue, hers were a vivid green, striking against the overhead lights in the gym.

Shadow Warrior’s almost always had blue eyes and with her green ones, she made me think of Labyrinth. He had one of each. My gut tightened.

I nodded to her. She shot a glance at Desmond, a silent conversation passing between them before she squared her shoulders and turned back to me. “My name is Julia. I want to hear what you have to say.”

Desmond gently elbowed her, but she scowled, then shifted her gaze to the other two teens. “Come on. We’re here, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We might as well hear her out.”

She took a step forward, her posture straight but not stiff, and after a brief hesitation, the other two followed, their expressions wary and slightly resigned.

“Shit,” Desmond muttered before grudgingly stepping up as well.

“There’s a small meeting room next door,” I told them. “The children won’t be taken from the gym. You have my word.”

Desmond grumbled something under his breath, too low for me to catch even with my heightened hearing. I let it slide. No use getting into a pissing match with a teenager over his discourtesy.

I led them to the small office I had assigned to Ruth and Togg. Inside, the two of them were bent over a desk, papers spread between them. Their conversation stopped when we entered.

“I hate to ask,” I said, “but we need to use your office for a few minutes. Would you mind helping in the gym?”

Ruth’s gaze flicked over the teens, and interest sparked in her expression. For a second, I expected some kind of protest, but instead, the alien being that had possessed her body surfaced. “Come on, Togg.”

Ruth moved past me without another word. I barely stopped myself from gaping at how easily she complied.

“My Queen,” Togg murmured as he passed.

The door clicked shut behind them, sealing me in with the four wary teenagers.

“You’re her,” Julia said. “The female Shadow Warrior.”

Desmond grumbled. “We saw her shift. Unless there’s more than one, of course she’s her.”

Julia ignored him. They had to be siblings. She had that exasperated patience, like she’d been dealing with his foul moods for years.

“The mayor of Tully told us you had anti-venom for hellhound bites, but we didn’t believe her. I saw a hound bite you, and you survived.”

Desmond muttered something unintelligible again.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Our scientists are working on an antidote for humans. Bites and scratches are safe for us now and if we know we’re going to encounter hellhounds, we take it hours before.

We had planned to go hunting tonight, and were prepared.

The bites and scratches still burn, but that’s all they do to us now. ”

“That’s so cool,” the other girl said, her eyes wide in fascination.

I smiled at her. “It is rather cool, and it’s helped us tremendously.”

Desmond scoffed. “Are you going to keep chitchatting like the world hasn’t ended, or can we get down to business?”

To hell with diplomacy. I turned and faced him. “Your attitude is about to get you into trouble,” I said, my voice very low, which should have warned him. “I have been extremely patient, but you keep pushing. Do you expect me to toss you in a cell and throw away the key? Is that what you’re after?”

“You and what army?”

He barely had time to blink before I moved.

In half a second, I had him pinned, his own blade pressed against his windpipe.

“This army,” I said, even lower. “I’m a one-person wrecking ball. I’m also in command of the island, and the last thing I want is to hurt any of you. But you’re making that difficult.”

I shoved him back toward his friends and flipped the knife in my palm, offering it to him hilt-first. His jaw clenched as he took it, slipping it back into his waistband without a word.

Julia smirked at him. I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if she’d stuck out her tongue.

“We’re worried about the kids,” she said, her amusement fading into something more serious. “We’re the only family they have.”

“What did the outposts do when you arrived there?” I asked.

“They housed us in a large barn, and it was hard for the children.” She shrugged, the motion tight with old frustration. “I know it’s difficult because there are so many of us, but we lived alone for years. We only went to the outpost because a virus broke out, and everyone was sick.”

“Do you know what the virus was?” I asked.

Julia nodded. “The nurse at Second Son said it was measles. One of our babies died, and that’s what finally made us look for help. They provided food, but made us stay outside their walls until no one was sick. It took over a month. Most of them resented us.”

I inhaled slowly, keeping my reaction measured. “We don’t resent you. We asked the outposts to send their children here so they would be safe from the Federation. Your group is the first they agreed to send.”

Desmond let out a bitter scoff. “They didn’t want us, and didn’t care if we lived or died.”

“That’s not true,” Julia snapped, turning on him with barely restrained frustration. “They’re struggling just like everyone else. They wanted to help, but didn’t have the resources.”

I lifted a hand, cutting through their rising anger.

“We do have the resources. So instead of fighting about the past, let’s focus on making this transition as smooth as possible.

The children are exhausted, and if we keep arguing, they’ll end up sleeping on a cold floor.

If anyone has a solution, I’m all ears.”

Julia clenched her fists, clearly holding back whatever sharp retort she had for Desmond. After a second, she exhaled and said, “I’m sorry.” She met my gaze. “It would help if we knew the children were with families who wanted them.”

I liked this girl. Practical. Protective. Smart.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll work with that. It would also help if you sat in at our meetings concerning you and the children. The Federation sees the citadel as a threat, and it’s not necessarily the safest place for kids, though we do have some who live here.”

I turned to Desmond, holding his gaze. “I’d like both you and Julia to be part of the meetings. I know you don’t like us, but we do want to help. More than that, we want to keep the trauma to the children as low as possible.”

He didn’t answer right away. His shoulders were still tense, but something in his posture shifted slightly. A hesitation rather than outright defiance. He gave a curt nod, the first real crack in his tough exterior. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Progress.

“I do have a favor to ask,” I said carefully. “One of the islanders recently lost a child at birth. She’s hoping to care for one of the toddlers. She’s willing to stay here with you until we have everything sorted out. Would you be open to that?”

Julia glanced at Desmond, gauging his reaction. He didn’t protest, just held his silence, which was as good as approval. She turned back to me. “Cade is the toddler Missy carried. He wants nothing more than to be held.”

I allowed myself a small smile. “I think Maria would be thrilled to hold him all night if that’s what he needs.”

The tension in the room softened, just a little. Their exhaustion and uncertainty still hung thick in the air, but at least now we had a starting point.

“Let’s get everyone settled,” I said. “We’ll start working out the details tomorrow.”

Julia gave a small nod. “Thank you.”