Page 34 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

There was no time to relax after Nikayla’s birth.

I stayed in full work mode with the added responsibility of a newborn.

I didn’t resent my child; I resented everything that took me away from her.

I wanted cuddle time and to learn her likes and dislikes.

A wet or dirty diaper or a hungry belly were easy to decipher, but there was so much more.

She liked bright colors. I learned this when one of the island women came in to change the bedding.

She was dressed in a brightly colored dress, and Nikayla’s eyes followed her.

Later that day, the woman, Carla, brought a mobile she made from an old dress similar to the one she wore.

She had cut and stuffed the fabric in different shapes, hung them with string, and attached them to a dowel.

We’d failed to use the crib, but after the new toy was set up with Carla’s help, Nikayla lay in it and eventually fell asleep.

Endura and Amissa became my personal shadows. I was accustomed to having security when I left the citadel, but not while inside.

“There must be something else you could be doing other than following me around,” I finally snapped.

Endura gave a soft smile. “We’re here to assist with the baby. You should allow us to take her back to our rooms and care for her while you handle the things that are pressing on you.”

“What’s pressing on me is the fact you say I will leave Nikayla shortly. I want to spend as much time with her as possible, even if it means toting her around with me.”

“I understand,” Endura said.

I wanted to gripe at her some more, but that damn mellow essence kicked my butt, and my irked mood disappeared.

I couldn’t even complain because when Nikayla was content, she gave off the same vibes.

I calmed when she did. Ms. Beast felt the same.

Nova hadn’t shown herself since the baby was born three days before.

On day four, Amissa approached me with Endura behind her. She had a piece of fabric in her hands.

“This is for you?”

I had no idea what it was.

“Allow Endura to hold the baby, and I will show you how it works.” I turned Nikayla over, and Amissa wrapped the cloth around me. I finally understood.

It was a garment to hold the baby, and it allowed me to keep my hands free. With a few adjustments, Nikayla hung contentedly against my chest while she slept.

“Thank you,” I said. “Did you make it?”

“It belonged to one of our babies who outgrew it. We want to help, not hinder you. If that’s more time with the baby, we will see you get it.”

“Again, thank you,” I said.

“Is there anything else we could help with?”

“If you could figure out how to acquire tofu, I most likely wouldn’t snap at everyone so much.” I smiled good-humoredly. I was embarrassed over how I’d treated these women the day before.

Amissa gave me a huge grin. “We have a large supply of soybeans with us. It’s one of our main farming crops, and one that’s helped us survive. I will give some to the kitchen staff and help prepare it so they know how.”

I stared in open-mouth shock. “You brought soybeans?” I couldn’t have heard her right.

“Yes, we are vegetarian and eat quite a bit of it. Your island has a wide variety of beans, which is also good for us, but we brought our own food so we would not be a burden.”

“You aren’t,” I assured both women. “We will gladly share what we have, especially in exchange for the soy.”

“Anything we can do to help,” Endura said.

“I’m having trouble with the timeline you gave me,” I said hesitantly.

“I’ve reached out to the homesteads looking for information about the Federation’s movements.

They haven’t seen anything. I feel like the situation is up in the air, and it makes me apprehensive.

I took that out on you yesterday. Forgive me, please. ”

“We are facing our own troubles,” Endura replied. “The Shadow Warriors make us feel unstable. We didn’t expect it to be this hard.”

“Are they bothering you?” I asked. Maybe I needed to knock a few heads.

“They stare when they think we are not watching, but one or more of the women is always watching. We had hoped to help the island people, but you have everything organized, and we find ourselves at loose ends.”

“Do you do any type of self-defense training?”

“We do. Hapkido and Aikido are our main focus, but we also practice Tai Chi for relaxation. We’re unsure where to practice.”

“We have a training field that would do nicely. Would you consider working with the Shadow Warriors?” I held a hand up at the expression that crossed her face.

“They are beyond curious. If I allowed them to work with you, they would get over their infatuation quickly. You would be training them. I’ve already incorporated meditation into their daily routine.

Your brand of self-defense training would be good for them. ”

Amissa placed her hand on Endura’s arm. “It would be a good thing,” she said. “We need to heal the past. Would one-hour a day work?”

“That would be perfect.”

“I will hold a meeting with my personal guard. These are the men who lead the Warriors in battle. If you’re okay with starting tomorrow morning, I will see it done.”

“Tomorrow will work. We will head to our rooms, pick up soybeans, and take them to the kitchen.”

Nikayla started fussing. It’s time for her to eat and take a nap. I need one too. If you run into a problem, send someone for me.”

“Thank you,” they said before leaving me.

My Warrior body healed at a miraculous rate, but I was tired from the all-night feedings. I saw it with King too. We worked as a team, which meant we were both cranky.

I lay with Nikayla and thought about the Shadow Warriors. They were fascinated by the women. I had given the order that they would not approach or speak to them unless the women opened the communication. I hadn’t mentioned staring at them, but from the way it sounded, the women stared too.

I finally fell asleep and woke about two hours later. I changed and fed Nikayla and decided to visit the quarters I’d given to the women.

They had an entire wing. I looked around at what they had done. It was set up with their personal belongings, which included colorful silks and wall hangings that fit in with the Cuban accents.

They passed the baby around and admired her while I looked on nervously. They were strangers, and it was hard for me. But Ms. Beast didn’t grumble. I was glad I went to see them.

I ran into Caleb after I left the women. “Have the guard meet me in the argument room in one hour.”

He nodded, did an about-face, and returned in the direction he came from. I took a breath, turned around, and went back to the women's quarters. They agreed to watch Nikayla during the meeting.

“I will play with her,” Sweeting said. “She will be happy.”

That more than anything soothed my heart.

An hour later, the men stared at me expectantly.

“You will begin training with the Shadow Women tomorrow morning. They will teach you Hapkido, Aikido, and Tai Chi for one hour each day. You will use it as your warm-up.” I stopped Beck’s next words with a flash of my eyes.

“This is an order. The men are staring at the women, and the women at the men. You do not fear them, but they fear you. You will follow their dictates until the training is finished. It replaces the morning meditation.”

I looked around the room. “Is this understood?”

They weren’t happy, but they didn’t argue.

King gave a nod.