Page 8 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

I received word last night that Ruth was back at the citadel.

No doubt she had made Maylin’s life hell, and Maylin had finally had enough.

She had taken Ruth, a royal pain in my ass, with her so Che would have company on the southern end of the island.

Ruth was Missy and Beck’s daughter though Beck was still getting his feet wet over gaining a daughter due to his mating.

Missy had shot Beck when he jumped from a plane in a parachute and Ruth wanted to kill him after he landed.

He spoiled the girl rotten. My anger at the child was still in simmer mode.

She insisted on endangering her own life along with Che’s to kill hellhounds.

They were both human and too fragile, even if they didn’t think so.

This morning, I sent a message ordering Ruth to meet me in the gym where I usually trained her. I had no intention of arriving on time. Instead, I showed up twenty minutes after I told her to be there, expecting to find a sulking, petulant child waiting for me.

Instead, Ruth was warming up, stretching as if preparing for whatever I planned to throw at her today.

Interesting.

I had considered canceling her training, knowing full well that would hurt her most. Her reckless behavior had continued long enough.

If I trusted Mrs. Barnacle, I might have assigned Ruth to laundry duty and locked the two of them in the same room together.

I couldn’t think of a worse punishment for either of them.

Ruth turned as soon as she heard me enter. Excitement flared in her eyes, only to vanish, replaced by something I never expected to see on her face.

Guilt.

Was she acting?

She stepped forward hesitantly, lifting her chin. “I owe you an apology,” she began.

I folded my arms and waited.

“I acted irresponsibly,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m going to try harder if you’ll still train me.”

She kicked the floor with the toe of her boot, glancing up briefly before continuing.

“I’ll even try if you don’t want to train me.”

I narrowed my eyes, studying her.

Was she coached? Did an alien take the real Ruth and replace her with a decoy?

I wasn’t sure how to react, so I went with my gut.

“What brought on this sweet new child act?” I asked bluntly.

Ruth shifted uneasily. “Maylin had a long talk with me,” she admitted. “She said I endangered Che, which means I can’t be trusted around him.”

Her voice changed. “He’s my friend,” she all but cried.

Ruth and Che had lost their human fathers to hellhounds. They wanted to cleanse the world of every last one. Great goal if they were older.

“You’ve been told this before, and it did no good,” I challenged.

Ruth didn’t shrink away. She met my gaze head-on.

“There’s a girl where Maylin is staying,” she said. “I like her, and she’s my friend. I invited her to Maylin’s place, and she taught me how to cook a meal she loves. Her mother came to check on her and took her away when she found out I was there. She didn’t want me near her daughter.”

Her face darkened, and for the first time, I recognized the emotion for what it was: embarrassment.

“Maylin translated,” Ruth continued, voice quieter now. “She said the woman thought I was dangerous, and Maylin agreed.” She swallowed. “I wasn’t allowed to see my new friend again.”

She took a deep breath, bracing herself. “I want to kill hellhounds,” she continued. “But I also want to teach other kids the things you show me. Most humans my age don’t know how to fight. Will you help me?”

There was something different about her. The way she held herself and the edge of real desperation in her voice.

I studied her, trying to find cracks in whatever act she might be performing. But Ruth wore her emotions on the outside, and right now, all I saw was sincerity.

“I can’t personally help you train them,” I said.

Her face fell before I continued.

I held up a hand. “However, I’ll still train with you in the mornings when I have time. And I have someone in mind who can help you if children want to participate. The kids will need their parents’ permission.”

Ruth nodded quickly, hope flickering back to life.

I narrowed my eyes. “Listen to me, and listen like your life depends on it. If you ever endanger them with another one of your idiotic stunts, I will personally see that you’re locked up when there’s no one to watch you. Have I made myself clear?”

She didn’t answer.

Instead, she launched herself across the three feet between us and threw her arms around me.

I hesitated, then wrapped mine around her in return.

“I really am sorry,” she murmured against my stomach. “I promise I’ll be good at this.”

I leaned back just enough to meet her eyes. “You won’t just be good at it, Ruth. You’ll be the best.” I let my voice soften. “I’m proud of you for doing this.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, as if realizing what she had done.

If Ruth was actually sincere, I owed Maylin a huge thank you.

“Are you ready to train today?” I asked.

“You bet,” she said eagerly. “Are we using weapons or just conditioning?”

I blinked.

She hated conditioning.

Yep. Aliens were the only explanation.

“Weapons,” I said.

Forty minutes into our sparring session, Alden entered. I could tell by the look on his face that something bad happened.

“An outpost was attacked on the mainland,” he said.

I lowered my weapon. “Have the guards meet me in the argument room in ten minutes.”

“I ran into Cabel on my way here, and he’s alerting them.”

I nodded, turning back to Ruth. “Training is cut short. Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring the person who can help you with your plan.”

“I’ll be ready,” she said, eagerly.

I left the gym, my mind already shifting into battle mode. The attack didn’t surprise me. It had been too quiet. The thought of casualties, though, scared me. We had Shadow Warriors stationed in half the human outposts on the mainland. The other half had refused our help.

I burst into the argument room, which was the name I’d dubbed our conference room. The new name was mostly because of Beck and his never-ending need to be difficult. I would think his contrary behavior just for me but he had been the same way with King.

My guards immediately rose from their seats. These were the men who led their own contingency of Shadow Warriors. My gaze swept the room, landing on Labyrinth’s empty chair. A familiar ache tightened my chest. He should be here.

He’d taken too many Federation bullets during Lesley’s capture. By the time we stopped running, he had lost too much blood. I would never see his unique eyes again. Never hear his laugh. It hurt so much.

His death would stay with me forever. It was somehow worse than Boot’s.

Shoving the grief aside, I took my seat and turned to Beck. “What outpost?”

“The closest one north of Landan’s. It’s one of the outposts that refused our help.”

A small, exhale of relief escaped me. At least it wasn’t one of ours and I refused to feel guilty for thinking it.

“What are the casualties?” I asked.

Beck’s mouth tightened. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Originally, all but the young,” he said.

A cold pit formed in my stomach.

“They injected the dead with hellhound serum, and after they transformed, they let them kill the children.”

I shot to my feet. “What?”

“They left a message for you.”

“For me?” My voice was sharp with disbelief. “Not King?”

Beck’s jaw flexed. “Knet told them who’s in charge now. They know it’s you, and the message proved it.”

My hands clenched into fists. "What do they want?"

“Your head on a pike,” Beck said. “The president’s wife returned unharmed. And every Shadow Warrior to turn themselves in.”

“Or else?” Ms. Beast surged inside me, hunger curling like fire in my gut. Teeth. Claws. Rip them apart.

King’s hand closed over mine. My lungs expanded as I sucked in oxygen. Ms. Beast retreated.

“They’ll kill every man, woman, and child they come across,” Beck said. Then, for the first time since this nightmare unfolded, his tone shifted. “I do have somewhat good news. Three additional outposts have requested our aid. They want to meet with the Shadow Warrior in charge.”

His eyes met mine. “They’re willing to meet at a place of your choice.”

I turned to King. “What are your thoughts?”

“They come here,” he said. “We supply the plane. There’s a chance this is a trap. The outposts that refused our help have always kept their distance from Landan and his people. We have no way to vet them.”

“I agree. What about the rest of you?” My eyes met each Warrior in turn.

“Agreed,” Beck said.

“Axel?” I asked.

He exhaled sharply. “We have nothing to go on when it comes to your pregnancy, and you’re safer here. Even if I went with you, that wouldn’t change. I have the best labor and delivery unit here at the citadel. You need to stay close.”

Before I responded, Cabel spoke.

“I have a better idea,” he said. “You won’t like it, but hear me out.”

I folded my arms. “Go on.”

“Let King take the lead while you stay in the background. Knet didn’t know about your pregnancy, and the quieter we keep it, the better.”

I considered his idea carefully.

This was hard. But he was right.

I turned to Beck. “Send them a message. Tell them King will arrange a plane. I also need you to offer the outposts we already protect another opportunity to relocate here. I know they probably won’t take it, but suggest it again.

If they’re only willing to send their noncombatants and children, we will keep them safe. ”

Beck gave a firm nod. “Consider it done.”