Page 49 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

“I found another way into the tunnels,” he whispered. “I couldn’t get through the main exits because there were a lot of guards. There’s a small door with only two guards outside of it down a narrow hallway.”

“What happened when you were inside?” I whispered back.

“They fed me and found me a bed. Suckers.” He chuckled quietly.

“How did you get out?”

“The guards are stupid and they were half asleep. I was worried I couldn’t kill them both before one of them sounded an alarm. They heard a noise and went to see what it was. That’s when I got my chance.”

He was sneaky and smart. The kid was going places, though I didn’t think he should go with us.

He noticed my face in the moonlight. “I did the most dangerous part. You can’t leave me out of the fight.” Anger flashed in his voice.

He was right. He deserved to go, but he was so damned young, and I was terrified something would happen to him. I nodded, and his shoulders relaxed.

Our Warriors would circle the two main entrances and attack if it were necessary.

They were warned that the tunnels might explode if President Barnes escaped.

They also knew Barnes would sacrifice his men to kill us.

King, Nokita, Desmond, and I were going after Mr. and Mrs. Barnes.

Alden would lead the Warriors. Eagle would set up his sniper rifle and cause havoc if it were needed.

The two guards were asleep when we found them.

We slit their throats. Desmond showed us a small trap door that would be a tight squeeze.

One of us had just given birth and was carrying a few extra pounds.

My stretchy Warrior pants were tighter and proved it.

I silently growled over what would happen if my ass got stuck.

I made it with King’s help and had a nice scrape on my upper hip to prove it.

I stood slowly and gazed into the darkness though my Warrior eyesight helped me see.

It smelled of damp earth and stagnant air.

Something buried inside me triggered. My stomach clenched, and an unwelcome knot tightened my gut.

I had spent years in tunnels. Every breath I took had been recycled.

Death bit at my heels inside those small spaces.

For two years, I was one step away from red stripe duty.

Apprehension pricked the edges of my mind. It was a sensation I hadn't felt so acutely since King came into my life. Or I guess, I came into his.

"Ready?" King asked.

He touched my face, then released me. His presence was an anchor. I nodded, unable to trust my voice just yet. Some part of me wanted to scream no. Tunnels were where I had been weak.

I took the first step. The dirt floor was soft and squishy beneath my bare Warrior feet. The air immediately grew heavier. The only sound was the echo of my too-loud breathing. King realized something was wrong and squeezed my hand.

This was stupid. Where the hell was the fear coming from? Hell, I hadn’t thought twice about entering the tunnel when we captured Lesley Barnes. It hadn’t been dark, though. Then it hit me.

Nikayla.

I had so much to live for and I wanted to see my daughter again.

Fuck you , Ms. Beast. You should be controlling this, I said internally.

Kill , she whispered back.

That’s not helping . I called on Nova. Nothing.

I inhaled slowly. I was a Shadow Warrior, and I would do this. My daughter would rest in my arms again. I squared my hairy shoulders.

A steady drip of unseen water surrounded us.

No sun. No sky. Only walls. No , I was falling back into the disastrous hole of fear.

Ms. Beast stirred, and a low growl grew in my chest. She remembered the fear because she was part of me, but she was not afraid.

If she whispered, “sissy,” I wouldn’t have been surprised.

I stopped walking and turned my head back toward King. "Barnes is here," I whispered. “I can smell him.” His scent and the need for revenge were my guiding force. Fuck my memories. I needed to kill the president and his wife.

“What the fuck?” a man yelled when he almost ran into me.

I grabbed him around the throat, and he made a gurgling sound.

We froze. Did his shout go unnoticed?

The blare of an alarm filled the tunnel.

“Get Desmond,” I told King over the noise.

Desmond was pulled forward so we could hear each other.

“How far are we from the president’s quarters?”

“Don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t get anywhere near him, but there was a hallway with guards stationed at the entrance.”

That had to be it.

“How far?”

“Fifty yards, maybe.”

I started running.

We turned a corner, and bullets exploded, causing me to pull back. King placed a dagger in my hand. I had my own, but he must have had his out. We were at a T junction.

“Backup,” I yelled over the sound of gunfire and the alarm.

I took three steps back and launched myself into a low slide, crossing to the other side, and released the dagger at the midway point.

Someone cried out, and the gunshots stopped for a moment.

King flung himself around the corner and barreled toward the men.

Another gunshot sounded. I was right behind him, and Desmond behind me, stupid kid.

King killed two of the men, and I grabbed one and twisted his head until I heard the vertebrae snap. Desmond stabbed another, and Nokita finished him off.

The alarm stopped, and the tunnel lit up. I squinted into the flood of light.

“Are you hit?” I asked King.

“Yes, shoulder, not serious. We’re doing this.”

At the end of the long, straight tunnel, a group of soldiers appeared from another intersecting shaft. They moved in the opposite direction from us. In the middle of their formation, I saw Lesley Barnes in a white nightdress. Two soldiers followed, and then President Barnes came into view.

My vision went red, and I started running.

King stayed close behind me. More gunfire rang out. I didn’t care. A bullet entered my side, and I barely felt it.

The soldiers went through a metal door and tried to close it, but I was too close and threw my weight against it.

“Push,” a man yelled from the other side.

They didn’t stand a chance. I shoved with my Shadow Warrior strength, and they flew backwards.

I barreled inside a room that was maybe twenty by twenty.

The soldiers had landed on their asses and were trying to gain their feet.

I didn’t concern myself with them. A scream and a grunt sounded behind me. King took them out.

I grabbed a soldier standing between me and the president and flung him into Barnes. Lesley headed to another door. A guard was trying to push her through. Strangely, she stopped and turned toward me. She held a gun in her hands. I charged the president.

King launched himself at Lesley, knocking her away from the door. She twisted and fired at King point-blank.

Fuck.

More gunfire exploded, and I saw Nokita leap over a table and take down two soldiers with the spread of his arms.

I grabbed Barnes around the throat and spun so he was between me and the last two soldiers. They turned and ran through the door. A moment later, they backed into the room, their hands in the air.

Lesley was on the floor, her back to the wall, the white gown around her, and the gun aimed at King, who had fallen. A circle of blood spread beneath him. He wasn’t moving.

“This time I’ll shoot him in the head. He won’t recover from that,” Lesley said.

Her eyes told me she was going to do it anyway. She glanced quickly at the exit door and smiled.

“Ace, I’m so glad you’re joining us. Stay there while I explain a few things.”

I stared at the bipedal creature before me.

He had massive, clawed hands and thick skin that looked almost armor-plated but with short charcoal grey hair.

His back was hunched and his body was very different from his Warrior form.

The head was distinctly canine, similar to a hellhound, but something more.

His open jaws revealed long fangs that extended past his upper and lower lips.

The inside of his mouth and his tongue were deep red.

His eyes seemed to glow. A thick, spiky mane erupted from his neck and shoulders.

A prominent, lighter-colored ridge ran down the center of his forehead and snout.

The broad, muscular chest was covered by fur, and the long, dark claws were larger than mine.

Oh Ace, my heart cried.

The president whimpered.

“Shut up, you stupid fool,” Lesley yelled at him.

“She’s going to kill me,” he croaked.

“No, she’s not,” his wife said. She turned the gun and fired again.

I felt the impact but the bullet didn’t pass through the president’s chest. She was using hollow points. I almost laughed.

His body went limp, but I kept him as a shield.

“He was nothing more than a simple-minded dimwit,” Lesley yelled. “I had to put up with him for years. I ruined your little plan to kill him, didn’t I?”

Lesley Barnes was insane.

She laughed. “I did everything. Each scientific discovery was mine. The entire plan was mine starting on day one. He took the credit and received all the glory while I was forced to stay in the background. The fools actually named him president.”

Saliva dribbled from the side of her mouth.

“You warped the formaldehyde?” I asked calmly, wanting answers. One of King’s finger’s twitched.

“Me, you bitch. It was all me.” She laughed again.

“Men are too stupid. They think with their dicks and only see the small picture. I envisioned the destruction of the entire damned world. I’m the genius and they wouldn’t listen to me.

I even had to fix my husband’s stupid mistakes.

The hellhounds got out of hand because of him.

He needed the Shadow Warriors to fix the fucking problem he created.

I wanted to kill all of you from the beginning.

You were far too dangerous, but again, the idiot wouldn’t listen to me.

” She was panting now, trying to get it all out so I could see the genius she claimed.

“Then your worthless father took over the Shadow Warriors. He had a soft spot for them. Or I thought he did. It turned out, his daughter was one.” Her laugh turned into a cackling sound that sent shivers down my spine.

My mind raced with questions. “What about the electromagnetic pulses?” This had bothered me for years.

“What about them?” I could almost see the wheels in her brain turning.

“Oh,” she laughed again. “You thought they were connected to the hellhounds. You’re as big of a fool as your father.

Hellhounds and electromagnetic pulses have no connection.

We used thermonuclear fusion deep beneath the earth’s outer crust to throw the government off our scent.

That was my idea, too. I would go into more detail, but you’re too stupid to understand.

” She glanced at Ace, who remained still, then looked back at me.

“The U.S. government had lost all credibility in this country and abroad. We were a laughingstock, and the administration left me no choice. While the men in charge picked their noses, I did what had to be done. I am the brains behind the Federation.”

Evil leaked from her pores. Because of her, millions of people died. I didn’t care if she was clinically insane or completely sane. She would be next.

“Do you really have a cure for the hellhound serum?” she asked snidely.

“Yes,” I lied. “But you’ll never get it.” I wanted her to die thinking that she would turn into one of the monsters she created. I couldn’t think of a more fitting punishment.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” she scoffed, “but even if you do, hellhounds are only the beginning. I’m making a new breed of monster.” She gestured toward Ace. “He’s my crowning glory. His kind will be under my control, and just think, you brought Shadow Warriors to my doorstep.”

Her gaze dropped to my side where I’d been shot. I could feel the blood running freely. “You and your monster are going to be mine. She glanced at King. Or maybe he’s dead already.” She smiled again.

Ace shifted slightly toward Lesley. I was waiting for him to attack me. Nokita stayed back. I didn’t see Desmond.

“Isn’t he a work of art,” Lesley said, turning and smiling at Ace for a second.

When her attention came back to me, he took another small step in her direction. It seemed odd.

“I’ll kill her,” Desmond yelled from beneath one of the tables. He held a gun leveled at Lesley. He was six feet away, closest to the thing Ace had become.

“Protect me,” Lesley yelled at Ace.

The creature turned its head in my direction and stared at me for two seconds.

Then he lunged at Lesley and grabbed the gun from her hand.

His other hand circled her throat. Her eyes grew large, but she could only squeak.

He kept squeezing and dug his claws into her neck.

He pulled sharply, and her head came off in his hand.

Blood sprayed across the walls in all directions saturating her gown.

Before I could move, he looked at me, brought the gun to his head, and fired.

My brain was having trouble keeping up.

He fell on top of Lesley, but he wasn’t dead. His eyes stared into mine. His low, growly voice filled the room. “I can’t control it. Take my head.”

I stared at him, understanding he wanted me to kill him. He’d saved our lives, and this is what he asked. I stood frozen.

King materialized in front of Ace and severed his neck with a powerful swipe of claws. For just a second, before Ace died, his eyes showed relief.

King fell again and landed face-first. He didn’t move.

I dropped to my knees. The Barnes were dead, and I didn’t care.

My hand slid through King’s blood. I grabbed him and turned him over.

He’d taken a bullet to the chest. Blood pumped from the wound with every shallow breath he took. A rasping scream filled the room.

It was mine.