Page 24 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

We were dealing with several scenarios. While King and I faced what was happening at the docks, attacks at different locations on the island were a huge threat.

At any other time, I would have sent King to the southern island to lead the men there.

My pregnancy would turn the order into a full-out argument because, without even asking, I knew he wouldn’t leave me.

Trusting anything the Federation said was suicide, and we had to be prepared on all fronts.

Even with the entire island on high alert, we were vulnerable due to Knet.

It all came down to how long he’d been on the island and what he’d seen.

Could his new form even decipher what happened around him?

I had so many questions, and we were out of time.

Ace and Trevor were the two Warriors being held. My stomach clenched when I thought about them. Both were good men whom I trusted implicitly. My heart felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.

Thankfully, after a restless morning, the prince had decided to sleep. King didn’t want me at the exchange, but I’d vetoed him. Lesley would tell the Federation about my pregnancy, and there was no use hiding it.

We’d had to quickly implement safety measures for the shipyard.

Eagle set snipers up in key locations the evening before.

He left Elright in charge because he was acting as my personal sniper and he would take out any threat to me.

The group with Elright was far enough away and was hard to spot.

One of the old steel ships closest to dry land would be our fallback point if needed.

The ship’s hull, even rusted, could take a lot of damage.

The moment I saw Lesley trussed and carried to the dock with duct tape circling her head, a bit of evil glee entered the dark chaos filling my mind.

The duct tape would be a bitch to get out of her hair.

Her eyes locked on me, and they promised retribution.

Bring it, I thought to myself. My hands hitched to end her miserable life right now.

I didn’t take my eyes off hers, and slowly something else entered her gaze.

Smugness? Maybe she was thinking that if we had an antidote, the Federation could make one too.

Hell, they might already have one, and our plans were for nothing.

Her reaction to the shot had been pure terror, so I doubted they had anything to counteract the serum.

Our lie was a long shot, and getting both our Warriors back nearly impossible, but I wasn’t giving up.

We had changed our mind about using the submarine to blow theirs out of the water.

We knew Ace and Trevor would rather be dead than turned into hellhounds, but it didn’t make it easier.

I finally decided that giving away the fact we had a sub could hurt us more in the long game.

When Knet was with us, the old sub hadn’t been a consideration, and we’d done what we could to keep the secret intact.

I hated these decisions, and I questioned myself continuously.

Beck hadn’t been himself since his son was born and he barely argued with me. I wasn’t sure about this calmer Beck, but I would take it while it lasted.

Ruth had been unusually quiet before I left.

She seemed to understand the gravity of what was happening, even if she didn’t have the specifics.

I left her with Desmond and Julia. It was good for her to be around people her age who understood how she felt.

Hopefully, they would guide her and not cause additional trouble.

For now, all civilians at the citadel were below ground.

We were taking fifty Shadow Warriors with us.

Warriors were stationed at the citadel, and another group at the southern part of the island. Caleb had gone there to take command.

The baby was a hard knot in my belly. Axel assured me he would be okay. Well, he assured me she would be okay, but I only had energy to give him a hard stare.

We shifted form an hour before the exchange. If the Federation wanted to deal with the Shadow Warriors, that was exactly who they would get. They knew our secrets because of Knet. We needed each Warrior fully in control of their faculties for what could go down.

I stood at the shore, King, Beck, and Nokita beside me.

Alden led the forces at the citadel, and Rodrigo manned the mini sub.

Rodrigo’s men, which he’d chosen the day before, moved the underwater mines away from the dock so the Federation sub could get closer.

His job in the mini sub was to stay out of sight unless he had a chance at picking up one or both our Warriors from the water.

The water near the shipyard was thick with fuel and death.

Rodrigo knew the area like the back of his hand, and it wouldn’t be a problem for him.

Axel stayed behind our troops with Rodrigo’s human soldiers guarding him for protection.

Under no circumstances could we lose Axel.

We had planes ready to run interference if we were attacked by air. Though we hadn’t pictured the scenario we faced today, we’d planned for so many possibilities that everything came together smoothly. And still, I had that nagging feeling that we’d overlooked something.

We waited at the end of the dock for about ten minutes.

My body stiffened when a barely perceptible ripple in the water caught my eye.

A dark column rose up. Droplets of water caught the sunlight as the periscope climbed higher.

No splash, no churn, just a quiet, almost surgical penetration of the natural waves.

With a deep, resonant groan that vibrated through the air, the ocean's surface began to boil. A dark mass surged upward, displacing tons of water in a thunderous roar of foam and spray.

I wanted to look at King, but I kept my eyes on the enemy. This display was meant to intimidate. I almost laughed. No one with me was afraid of the Federation.

The hatch opened. A man carrying a rifle climbed out and took a position on the far, left side of the sub’s deck. More men emerged until they lined the deck, holding their weapons at ready.

“Do we do anything this stupid looking?” King asked.

“No,” Beck replied.

“They must have drilled for hours to get it right,” Nokita added.

“Stop it,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m trying to look properly cowed, and you’re going to make me smile.”

“Give the order, and the snipers will take them out,” Beck said.

“Not now,” I replied.

What came next was something out of a horror film.

There was nothing sexy about our Shadow Warrior form unless you were one.

King found my Warrior body appealing, and I returned the favor, but we were not Hollywood werewolves.

We were hairy, muscled, killing machines, and built just for that purpose.

The creature that emerged was hideous. Its arms were too short, its head too something.

I wanted to say small, but the teeth made up for it.

The leg joints bent at awkward angles, making it hunch its body as if trying to decide whether to walk on two legs or four.

Knet.

Two soldiers on the sub’s deck turned slightly and pointed their rifles at the traitor. I found this interesting. They didn’t trust him, which made them smarter than they appeared.

A tall man I didn’t recognize came up next. He looked official, his parade uniform complete with firm creases and shiny pins to mark his significance.

Another man came out. He wore a lesser uniform and carried a megaphone. He handed it to the officer.

The shrill squeak made me fight covering my ears.

“My name is Admiral Fegan,” he said after the squeal subsided. “I need to see that First Lady Barnes is unhurt before we proceed.”

“Bring her forward,” I said.

She was carried by a Warrior and placed on the ground beside me. I pulled a large knife and cut the bindings on her hands. I grabbed beneath her arm and lifted her so she stood beside me.

The admiral showed no reaction to her condition.

He said something to the soldier beside him, and within a minute, Ace appeared, followed by Trevor.

Both men were chained. They looked straight at us, and my heart clenched.

They were ready to die, and more than anything, I wanted them to live.

They didn’t show fear; they showed fury.

Two men to either side of them had stepped back and pointed their rifles at them.

A yellow, square-shaped object was pulled from the hatch with a rope. A man tossed it over the side and pulled a cord so a raft inflated. The admiral said something to the soldier beside him again. The soldier took Ace’s arm and led him toward the hatch.

Ace gave us one last look, nodded his head, and went below. My heart broke. Trevor’s beast roiled, and I worried he wouldn’t be able to control it.

“If he changes into one of those creatures, shoot him,” the admiral bellowed into the megaphone so we would hear.

Trevor slowly gained control and kept his eyes trained on me. I could almost feel the red-hot rage pouring out of him. His head finally lowered, and he stared at the deck. We knew he would switch places with Ace if he could.

The admiral lifted the blowhorn again. “He will be placed in the raft alone. Do the same with the First Lady.”

We had a small fishing boat waiting. While Trevor was placed in the raft, Mrs. Barnes was situated in the boat. She struggled with the tape but only managed to pull part of it from her mouth. Her face looked even more misshapen after her effort. With a last furious glare at me, she began rowing.

This was the most dangerous part for Trevor. Enemy guns were trained on him. His legs were still chained, and he had few options. I watched his face as he drew closer to Lesley. My vision and hearing were excellent as a Shadow Warrior.

“Trevor, no,” I shouted when his body changed position and he made his intent to throw himself at Lesley. He would drown them both.

His head snapped up, and his shoulders relaxed.

I understood how he felt. His sacrifice wouldn’t have the desired effect, though. We needed every Shadow Warrior we had for the coming battle that was long overdue.

Five minutes later, Trevor reached the dock. Mrs. Barnes reached the sub, and she was hustled down the hatch.

We stood staring at the admiral while he stared back. Then, he smiled. It sent shivers up my spine.

Someone yelled from behind us. “Hellhounds.”

I looked toward the Federation sub. Knet and the admiral had gone below. Several of his men were trying to get down the hatch as fast as possible.

“Take them out,” I commanded.

Six Federation soldiers went down from sniper fire.

We fell back to the ship and took cover behind it. An explosion rocked beneath us.