Page 22 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

The following morning, I went to the indoor training facility to speak with Ruth, Julia, and Togg.

“I’m impressed with what you’ve done in only a couple of days,” I told them.

Alden entered. “Maylin regained consciousness,” he said.

I approached the med bay and heard Maylin crying. I had only seen her cry when her first Shadow Warrior husband, Boot, died. Her toddler, known as Baby Boot, was named after his father. The new baby was named Labyrinth, nicknamed Laby, which he would someday hate.

I stepped inside, and King’s eyes met mine. His tightly clenched hands and the burn in his eyes showed the rage he struggled to contain. He nodded at the door. I backed out, and he followed me. He placed a hand on my back and steered me farther down the hall away from the door.

“She positively identified Knet. He told her who he was. Maylin said his speaking ability was poor.” King took a breath before he continued. “He injected her with the hellhound serum and told her it was a present for you.”

I recoiled and took a full step back.

King wasn’t finished. “They took the Warriors as hostages. One will be exchanged for Mrs. Barnes. The other will become whatever the hell Knet is. There will be no negotiations. One Warrior for her. We are to deliver her to the shipyard tomorrow at noon. If we don’t, both Warriors will be turned into monsters. ”

I needed a few minutes to breathe and absorb this horror. King pulled me into his arms and rested his head on mine. “I’ll hold you while you think,” he said.

King understood. Right this moment, I didn’t have a plan. Fury didn’t adequately describe my feelings. Maylin would become one of those monsters when she died. If she were around her children and it happened, she would kill them. I couldn’t begin to imagine what she was going through. And Nokita.

Yes, I wanted to kill Knet, but I wanted President Barnes even more.

In my mind, he was the evil that permeated everything.

Lesley Barnes wasn’t far behind because I could feel her hatred in every fiber of my being.

She was as good as, if not better than, her husband at hiding her distaste for everything Shadow Warrior.

I also wanted my country back. It would never return to what it had once been, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. We needed a do-over, and we had to do better.

My people, the Shadow Warriors, also deserved a good life. The deep-seated anger I carried and the lives I had taken were not me. Killing had been forced on me by the Federation. I wanted my soul back. My child deserved to grow up in a better world.

Maylin. My heart ached.

I stepped back and looked into King’s eyes. “We give them Lesley. Once we have our Warrior back, we kill them all. I am done playing nice.” I took several deep breaths. “We need to be smart. I’ll meet with the guard in fifteen minutes. If Rodrigo is still at the citadel, notify him too.

I entered the argument room and found everyone but Eagle waiting for me. Their expressions said they knew what had been done to Maylin. They met my eyes, then glanced away. We were all on edge and knew that pushing Ms. Beast was not in anyone’s best interest.

“I’ll make this part quick.” I said, then stopped when Eagle entered.

“Please sit,” I told him. “Rodrigo and Eagle have been added to the guard. The general consensus has been that Eagle should fill the spot Labyrinth held. I agree fully, but the island people need representation, and Rodrigo has earned a spot too. I want to be clear that he holds as much power as each of you, and his words hold just as much weight.” She met the men’s eyes before they looked away.

Her heavy gaze stopped at Beck, and she waited for him to look up.

“Don’t look at me,” he said. “I’m currently in a new daddy state of bliss and agree fully with your decision.” He turned to Rodrigo, reached past Nokita, and shook his hand. “Welcome.” He then turned to Eagle and said it again.

“We are exchanging Mrs. Barnes for one of our Warriors,” Marinah said after the men welcomed the new members. “The other will be turned into whatever it is that Knet has become.”

Beck’s daddy-bliss didn’t last long. His seat flew back.

“Sit and keep your feelings to yourself until I am finished,” I said and waited for him to sit. “At the moment, we do not have leverage unless we are willing to sacrifice both Warriors. Is there anyone who thinks we should sacrifice both?”

Thick energy swelled in the room as the K-5 spiked.

“They are good men,” Beck said, his fury in overdrive.

“I’m aware of that. If you think I want one of our own turned into one of those monsters, you shouldn’t be on my guard.

” Beck nearly choked on the words forming in his throat, and I growled.

He looked down, and I continued. “Somehow Knet and his hellhounds have evaded us. We have no idea how long they have been on the island. My guess is they’re using a submarine to hide in.

Rodrigo and Nokita have ours ready, and the men have been training for this.

We need to find the Federation sub before it leaves the island waters.

I’m open to suggestions about anything I’ve said. ”

“May I speak?” Rodrigo asked.

“Yes,” Marinah replied.

“The men are ready to blow the other sub from the water. If I were one of the Warriors taken, I would rather die than help the Federation’s cause.

If you plan to make the exchange, I have an idea.

” Marinah nodded at him to continue. “We have nothing that rivals what they inject into the innocent to turn them into monsters, but they do not know that, and we should use the terror they wield against them. Inject the Senora with something and make her think she will become one of the monsters.”

Silence filled the room when he finished speaking.

Slowly, I smiled.

“Son of a bitch,” Alden said. “That’s the devious shit we need to be handing out.”

“I can inject her with saline,” Axel said.

Beck also smiled at Rodrigo. “You’re going to fit in perfectly.”

“We need the exchange to take place before they know that she’s been injected,” Marinah said.

Caleb spoke up. “The woman never shuts up. Anyone who knows her would understand if she were gagged.”

“I like it. Now for the hard part. We are sacrificing one of our own. Both of these men are single, but they have friends. They are one of us. I carry the burden for this death.”

“We carry the burden,” Beck said. “We should have found Knet by now. That is on all of us.”

“I agree,” said Nokita.

The other men gave their agreement too.

I released the air from my lungs. “Thank you, but the weight of this still falls on me.” I held up a hand. “You feel it too, but the most important thing here is to find Knet and stop both Warriors from becoming monsters.”

“They have superior science,” said Alden, “but I keep wondering how Knet is able to control himself. Wouldn’t a Warrior side with us?”

King finally spoke. “That thought has crossed my mind too. Could there be more than one serum? Or maybe a Shadow Warrior reacts differently. Our Warrior could possibly become something like Knet and keep his loyalty to us intact. I doubt Knet ever gave a fuck about us.”

Marinah looked at Nokita and then Rodrigo. “We need you to find that submarine and stop it from leaving. They may be taking our Warrior back to the mainland. They may also experiment to see how he reacts. If the only way to stop that sub is to blow it out of the water, then do it.”

Both Nokita and Rodrigo nodded.