Page 53 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

Three years later…

If wishes were horses, we would operate a horse ranch, and that’s exactly what happened.

Our plan to ditch the Shadow Warriors was a pipedream.

They followed us. Well, most of them. Nokita and Caleb stayed on the island with their mates.

We visited them every six months so we could catch up, and our children could play together.

Rodrigo was now in charge of the island and doing a damned fine job.

A year after we settled in the U.S., Landan stepped down as governor of the outposts to enjoy more time with his growing family. In the election, Missy, Beck’s mate, was named the new governor and resided over twenty communities. The loss of her fingers and part of one hand, never slowed her down.

Beck married her in a large ceremony six months after the last battle with the Federation. Missy was our hero for killing Knet. Her legend continued to grow, and it brought more people into her territory. Now Beck ran interference for her and became her problem, though I doubt she minded.

Our dream of a world without war wasn’t what we thought it would be.

There were oftentimes rumblings that someone was trying to form a new government and overthrow Missy.

They could easily start communities of their own and form a government.

Many had. But there were still those who sought power and domination over everyone.

Beck had enough Shadow Warriors and humans to put the talk down quickly. He’d formed a large militia, and they took care of business when it was needed. No one wanted a president or king. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

Mail was a problem in the U.S., and it gave us the idea for the horse ranch. King loved horses, which was something I hadn’t known about him.

Alden, Eagle, and Axel came with us, which meant Garret came, too. They had a medical outreach program that needed horses. Their home base was a small property a mile from ours. They took on two additional orphaned children and had one of the largest families in the community.

Alden and Yamila had not worked out and he had yet to find a mate. He lived in our bunkhouse along with other Shadow Warriors who didn’t want their own property.

Eagle and Julia became an item a year ago after she turned eighteen. Eagle was nine years older than her and it took a bit of doing to bring him in line. He wanted her to have more time to grow up. Julia put a stop to his stupidity. They had just moved into their own place.

Our herd of horses had grown substantially, and we provided what the new mail service needed. Letter writing was back in style. We saw automobiles occasionally, but they were older models that needed constant work. Horses were the general mode of transportation.

Hellhounds were still a problem, though on a smaller scale. We never found an antidote for the insidious injections spearheaded by Lesley Barnes. Maybe one day. The hounds were still attracted to technology. The upside was it kept the male carriers busy.

Desmond and Julia came with us and fit perfectly within our new lifestyle.

Ruth lived two hours away, but she spent more time at our place than with her busy parents.

Her little brother exasperated her endlessly because he could do no wrong in his parents’ eyes, or so Ruth complained.

She and Desmond hunted hellhounds together whenever she was here.

Her crush was becoming more obvious each day, but Desmond ignored it and treated her like a sister.

In a few years, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Mommy,” Nikayla said, running up to me, her curls all over the place and no longer in the band I’d secured them with earlier.

She had a smudge of dirt on her face, mud-caked hands, and her coveralls, which were all she would wear, had more than a smudge or two.

From experience, I knew her cherub face, that made you want to squeeze her tight, was deceiving.

I leaned over and tickled her sides until she giggled.

“Mommy, stop, I need to show you something.” Her excitement was contagious, regardless of what was on the other end of it.

I hefted my pregnant body up from the chair. This time, Axel wasn’t putting up with my crap. He swore if I rode a motorcycle or horse, he would lock me away until the baby was born. King backed him and kept a constant eye on me.

I still trained with my sword daily, but I had slowed down and didn’t take the same risks I had when we were at war. Ms. Beast was in heaven, and her whispers of “baby” every ten minutes were getting old.

I followed Nikayla to our largest barn, her small hand tugging mine.

“Look,” Nikayla said. “Daddy says he can be mine when he’s old enough to ride.”

I’d heard one of our mares had a foal the night before, and eventually I planned to check on mom and baby.

She was one of our best mares. The foal was a beautiful dark bay with a classic star on his forehead and the long, wobbly legs of a newborn.

The colt was the son of our largest stud and looked just like his father.

The stallion was hell on wheels, and King was the only person who could stay in the saddle when he acted up.

Nikayla would be five when the colt was old enough to ride.

King would be sorry he made that promise.

“He’s small now, but he’s going to grow really big,” I told my stubborn daughter.

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at me, seeing through my efforts. “Daddy said,” she insisted. “I’ve already named him Starfire.”

King and I would be having our talk sooner rather than later.

“Here you are, Nikayla,” the man in question said as he entered the barn.

“Daddy,” she squealed and ran to him. King picked her up and twirled around once before setting her down. “I named him Starfire, and mommy thinks he’ll grow too big for me, but I’m growing too, and he’s mine. You said he was.”

King looked at me and grinned before turning back to his exasperated daughter. “He’ll take work, and you’ll need to learn a bunch about caring for a horse, but I keep my word.” He covered his heart with his hand, and I growled. He had the utter nerve to wink at me.

“Amy made a batch of cookies, and she’s waiting for you to taste test.”

Nikayla didn’t look back as she ran from the barn. She was capable of calming an entire room if she wanted to. She could also cause chaos, which seemed to be the stage she was in right now. No terrible twos. Her terrorizing ability came at three.

King held his hands up before I got started on the lecture he deserved.

“He’ll be gelded in six months. If he’s not a good mount, I’ll break the news to her. I felt she needed to learn about raising a horse from the beginning, and he’ll be a good bit of work for her.”

“She’s three.” I glared.

“Going on thirteen.” He smiled and walked toward me. His arms circled most of me. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a whale.”

He laughed and shook his head. “A very beautiful whale.”

“You think that makes me feel better?”

He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn’t just a peck; it was a full-blown, “let’s fool around” kiss. He scooped me up and carried me to a clean pile of hay at the back of the barn.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m hoping to make out with my wife.”

“Your very pregnant wife.”

He kissed me again, and I reciprocated because, hell, he was damned sexy, and I craved him even more with my hormones on overdrive. I knew it wouldn’t go far because people walked in and out of the barn all the time.

Someone cleared their throat a few minutes later, and we broke apart.

“There’s a fence down in the north pasture, and I wanted to know if you were planning to help, but I’ll grab Alden,” Desmond said with a disgusted look on his face.

This wasn’t the first time he caught us in the hay.

King stood and helped me up. I pulled hay from my hair and dusted myself off.

“I’ll be right there,” King said. “Give me a minute.”

Desmond turned and walked out.

“I promise, the horse will be perfect for her,” King said.

“You’ll keep that promise,” I told him. “Go play cowboy, and I’ll see you this afternoon.”

He walked away with a chuckle. I moved to the stall and took a closer look at mom and baby. Callie walked over and circled my legs, begging to be picked up. Of course, I obliged.

I absentmindedly rubbed her head.

Our lives had changed so much.

Amy, our cook, was the soldier I’d saved on the island. She sometimes went hellhound hunting, but mostly, she ran the house, kept our supplies up to date, and managed the bunkhouse.

My Nova hadn’t materialized in over three years.

Cosway thought it was because of the meditation and my ability to control my rage.

I thought it was because of Nikayla. Something happened deep inside me when she was born.

I was completely vegetarian again and fully at peace.

If anyone on the ranch wanted meat, they hunted it and kept it out of my sight.

Cosway had helped us start the ranch. She lived in a small apartment above one of the barns. She disappeared at regular intervals and came back with an assortment of animals who became part of the family.

Amissa and Endura visited often. The Shadow Women had formed their own community and were in Missy’s territory, too.

They would be helping us after the baby’s birth.

They had also helped me translate my great-grandmother’s journal, along with the texts.

Combining the men’s and women’s texts, we filled in most of the missing pieces.

The home planet did not have a good history, and we were determined not to repeat their mistakes.

My Grandmother Veda’s insights were interwoven with sections of her mother’s journal, which I hadn’t understood until we pieced it together.

Both these women inspired me to write my own journal.

Amissa had visited the day before and told me King and I were having a boy. She also told me his name.

The mare walked over for a nose rub, and I lifted my hand from Callie’s head and gave her what she wanted. Like Nikayla, the name spoke to me. I let Callie down and placed my hand on my stomach.

“Your name is Samuel,” I said softly, and smiled.

Baby , Ms. Beast agreed.

The End.