Page 16 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

I opened my eyes and found King lying beside me, his body warm against mine. Those piercing blue eyes were locked onto me.

I smiled sleepily. “What time is it?”

I loved everything about this man. Whether he was soft and warm like now, or angry and frustrated.

He could be in human or his beast form; it didn’t matter.

I wasn’t sure how I got this lucky. I knew when he was near.

King said it was the mate bond, but it went past that.

Our energy was aligned, and I had no other way to explain it.

A thought suddenly struck me.

King always pushed me to rest. He wouldn’t be lying here awake, watching me like this, unless something was wrong.

I tensed. “What is it?” I asked, propping myself on one elbow.

Instead of answering, he slid out of bed, walked around to my side, and took my hand. With a firm but gentle pull, he helped me sit upright, lifted me, giant belly and all, and carried me to a chair, resting me on his lap.

“I waited longer than I should,” he admitted. “But you needed sleep. You can yell at me after we figure this out.”

Unease ran through me. “You’re scaring me,” I said, my voice tight with growing wariness.

He explained what Alden said. I listened in silent horror. Our worst nightmare was turning into reality. King didn’t need to tell me who it was.

“Knet,” I spat, already picturing my Nova teeth sinking into his skull, one powerful bite crushing his brain to pulp.

Kill , Ms. Beast whispered inside me.

She was right. We didn’t need Nova to kill Knet.

“It has to be,” King said.

“Do you think they injected him with their serum and then killed him?” I asked, my mind racing through the possibilities.

His jaw clenched. “Alden said he appeared to be in control. If the Federation murdered him, would he be working with them? He may have volunteered. There’s no telling what types of experiments they’re doing.

No matter what our small group of scientists discover, we’re always a step or ten behind the Federation.

Right now, we don’t have the information we need. ”

I exhaled sharply, trying to piece it together. “We know it’s because Barnes and possibly his wife helped create the first hellhound.”

King nodded.

“What about the hounds they created at the settlement?” I asked. “The ones who slaughtered the children?” My hands fisted in the blanket. “I don’t see how they would kill their own children if they had any form of control.”

“Until we capture one, we have no way of knowing.”

“You said our whistles didn’t work. Was Knet controlling them verbally?” I pressed and continued. “They had to have made him with the hellhound serum. It’s the only thing that makes sense. I agree with you, Knet hates us enough to volunteer.”

“He does. I have Alden tracking them now while Eagle holds the shipyard. I told them not to engage unless necessary.”

“Why?”

“We’re stretched too thin.”

I stared at him for several seconds, then shook my head in frustration. I knew what had to be done. “Have the entire island placed on high alert. All Shadow Warriors at their assigned stations. No time off until the island is safe from this current threat.”

“I’ll see it done.”

“I am pissed off that you let me sleep, but we’ll deal with that later.” I folded my arms. “What really infuriates me is that Lesley Barnes has the information we need. I broke her damn leg, and she still wouldn’t talk.” My jaw tightened. “We need a torture expert. Or something.”

King’s expression darkened. “Or something. My answer is to simply kill her. She’s not worth the headache she causes.”

I smirked. “What if we use her as bait?”

King’s lips pulled back in an evil grin. “Okay, maybe I like your plan more than mine.” He tilted his head slightly, watching me. “Do you have a plan?”

“Not yet, but I will,” I said as my head spun through possibilities.

“Are the new children settled?” he asked.

“They’re in the lower hall. I had beds moved in, and we’ll sort out additional details tomorrow. Two of the older teens will attend the meeting in the morning.” I shrugged. “I guess this morning.”

His gaze held mine. “And what’s your plan for right now?” His voice dipped slightly, the heat behind his eyes unmistakable.

“Not that,” I said, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss before moving away. “I need food delivered to the argument room, and my guards there as soon as possible.”

King sighed dramatically but stood and placed me on my feet.

“Unfortunately, I need to pee first,” I said.

He chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes. “After our prince is born, you and I are going to have a long discussion about appropriate times to laugh. We’ll be in warrior forms with claws bared.”

His grin widened. “I can’t wait.”

Then he pulled me in close, and just before our lips met, he whispered, “Our princess.”

He stole my breath and gave me no chance to argue about our child. Within a minute, the sudden need for the bathroom cut our make-out session short. Frustrated but refocused, I told King to gather the guard.

“I had sent Nokita south to be with Maylin, so we were down one. No, two, with Alden out chasing hellhounds.”

“Okay. We’ll make do.”

While King gathered the men, I went to the argument room, my gaze drawn to Labyrinth’s chair.

I had to replace him, but how could I? He had been a man of few words, and he hadn’t always been on my side, but he stood with me when I made the final decision.

A small smile tugged at my lips at the memory of him going head-to-head with Beck.

I began eating the food on the table allowing memories of Labyrinth to fill me until my grin was a full smile. It still hurt to think of him, but my chest lightened just a bit.

Nokita entered the room, and my smile disappeared.

“I thought you were going to Maylin,” I said.

“She’s coming here. I stopped at the shipyard and spoke to Eagle. He told me what happened. I sent Warriors to escort Maylin and Che here. She should arrive tomorrow.” His expression darkened. “The large hellhound is a problem.”

I exhaled sharply. “You must be thinking what we are.”

“Knet,” he growled, the name carrying a sharp edge of rage.

King strode in, dropping into the seat beside me. “He’s mine,” he declared.

I gave him a warning look, a low growl escaping before I spoke. “Beck said those same words before, but Nova has a special place in her black heart for him.”

King held up his hands. “I don’t mess with Nova.”

“What if the first person to find him gets the honor of killing him?” Nokita suggested.

Axel, Cabel, and Beck entered just in time to catch that last part.

“Who are we talking about killing?” Beck asked.

“Knet,” the three of us answered in unison.

Beck gave a nod of approval. “I would like nothing better than ending his miserable life, but I’m with Nokita. Whoever finds him first gets the kill.”

Axel didn’t join the discussion. He looked tired. It seemed to be a constant state with him lately. When this was over, he was getting a vacation.

I sighed. “We have bigger problems to discuss. Unfortunately, we might need Knet alive.” I turned to King. “Would you like to sum things up?”

King laid out what happened at the shipyard.

The room charged with K-5. Expressions hardened, hands fisted, and eyes gleamed. Even Axel, the most level-headed of us, looked furious.

Knet had already signed his death warrant, but this new information elevated the need by ten notches.

“The Federation has been experimenting with their unnatural serum to create hellhounds,” I said.

“It’s most likely been happening since the beginning, which is why they’re always ahead of us.

If we take Knet alive, we can put our science to work, figure out exactly what he is, and how to eliminate these new hellhounds who follow him. ”

I gave them a moment before asking, “Do any of you want to add something?”

“He’ll be coming after you,” King said, his eyes locked on mine.

“He will,” I admitted.

“I disagree,” Beck cut in.

I groaned internally. Beck always disagreed.

“He wants you dead, but he’ll go for the bigger picture too.

He’ll do his best to hurt the people on the island.

It will appeal to him just as much. You’re well-guarded.

He knows that. He’ll target the soft spots, the places where he can kill the most people because that will cause you mental anguish.

The only good news is that if he’s on the island, we will find him. ”

“Dammit,” I muttered. “I hate when you’re right.”

“I try,” Beck said with a smirk.

The door swung open, and Alden entered. The look on his face didn’t give me much hope. He sat down, exhaling sharply.

“They went into the water a mile from the shipyard. After that? No idea. We scouted the shore for miles in both directions. Nothing.”

I turned to Beck. “Give him your thoughts.”

Beck repeated himself.

“Makes sense,” Alden said. “What are we going to do about it?” His eyes landed on me.

“For starters, we go on high alert,” I said. “Get word to your men that there is no time off until we’re secure. Knet is on the island, or close to it. We have no idea how many hounds are with him. We need to keep Knet from attacking humans.” I turned to Nokita. “How’s the sub coming along?”

We had an older submarine he’d been scavenging parts for. There was also the submersible. It was useful for scouting and minor runs, but not much else. Right now, our best advantage was having the sub in the water.

“It should be operational after I make a few minor adjustments,” Nokita said. “I took it out for a test run two days ago. The oxygen gauge decided to act up, but I have a spare and can replace it within the hour. If I were Knet, I would attack the shipyard.”

“They failed before,” I replied.

“Yes, they did,” Nokita said, “it’s why it makes a good target. We won’t suspect it.”

I nodded my head. He had a good point. “The Federation is transporting this new group of hellhounds to the island somehow. We need to stop them. It’s either by ship or submarine. What are the capabilities of ours?”

Nokita leaned back slightly, arms crossed.

“As you know, it’s not a modern craft. No high-tech systems, no fancy tracking.

But that’s actually an advantage. I have seventy men ready to go but I could run it with a twenty-man crew if I had to.

The men have been training hard. The islanders can fight, but they’re not Warriors.

In the sub, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is even. ”

He glanced around the room, then zeroed in on Beck, who waved him to continue.

“Rodrigo knows everything I do, and he’s been training the men for submarine combat.

We have four torpedoes in the front, two in the rear.

A direct hit could take down or cripple a large ship, but the torpedoes are old, tracking could fail, or they could malfunction completely.

Tactical positioning and surprise are our best weapons. ”

“And the mines?” I asked.

“We have them in the shipyard harbor and Warrior Bay,” Nokita confirmed. The Bay was close to the citadel. “They’re remotely detonated. If we use them right, we could catch their sub by drawing it closer. The mines give us an advantage.”

I was impressed. More than that, I liked the idea of the islanders having a way to fight without risking hellhound bites or scratches. How to use Lesley Barnes as a decoy was also swirling in my head.

“Give me an update tomorrow once the oxygen gauge is replaced,” I said.

A yawn crept up before I stopped it. I was so tired. I glanced at the clock. It was after three. No wonder my brain was barely functioning.

“Tell me what I’m missing,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I’m too tired to think straight.”

King leaned forward. “You mentioned using the president’s wife as bait.”

That’s right. Lesley. Decoy. “I’m open to ideas. There’s got to be a way to use her even if Barnes doesn’t want her back.”

King took my hand. “What if we reconvene in the morning? We can iron this out when we’re more rested, then call in the teens for the next meeting.”

I wanted to argue, but exhaustion made my thoughts blur together. I don’t think it had ever been this bad. Pregnancy was to blame, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Sounds like a plan,” I muttered around another yawn.

King stood and, before I could protest, he scooped me into his arms.

“Really?” I grumbled.

He ignored me, carrying me from the room like I weighed nothing.

I gave up and snuggled into him. Sleep took over before we were halfway to the room.