Page 10

The Island (Cuba)

King

Marinah’s absence was a dark hole in our daily routine. She was part of the island’s life force, even though she had no idea what that truly meant. I’d tried taking things slow, giving her time to adjust. Maybe time wasn’t the answer. Warriors understood war. I’d been treating my mate like a human woman instead of the bloodthirsty Warrior she’d become.

The punch of energy from Marinah’s Beast had hit me like a fist to the gut when she went after Beck. Fury and confusion filled me, mirroring what I knew was going on inside her. I’d felt our mate bond before, but this was different. It pulled me along, and for a moment, I wanted to kill Beck too. I almost went after him instead of grabbing Marinah.

“Have you heard from her?” Axel, our doctor, asked. He was also one of Marinah’s best friends and had been working tirelessly to save those injured during the battle. We’d lost two Warriors and six humans in the attack, not counting Knet. Axel looked as exhausted as the rest of us.

“It’s only been three days,” I said stiffly.

“The Warriors need her here.”

My mind darkened, and my fingers itched to wrap around Axel’s throat. “Something is wrong. Marinah’s Beast is acting strangely.”

“Could it be tied to the women’s history?”

I’d thought about that too. I shrugged. “I’m unsure.”

We both fell silent, our thoughts turning to what the journal might reveal.

Axel broke the silence first. “Should you read it?”

I wanted to. The female Warriors had always been a mystery to us. The idea that they might have developed their own community had never been considered. Our texts speculated that the women assimilated into the human world and were lost to us.

“I’ll talk to her about the journal when she returns,” I told Axel.

“Hopefully that will be soon,” he muttered, walking away.

So did I.

When I entered the meeting room, Beck was pacing the floor. He advanced as soon as he saw me. Before he could speak, I held up a hand. “No word from her. It’s only been three days.”

Beck rolled his eyes. “Maylin and Missy put some stupid idea into her head. Something about Cosway wanting Marinah to meditate.” He scratched the side of his face, clearly frustrated.

Beck expected life to line up perfectly, though it rarely happened. He was loyal and an incredible pain in the ass. I’d grown accustomed to his endless sour moods before Missy came into his life. His emotions went up and down with Marinah in the beginning, and when she became alpha, he insisted he would remain my bodyguard while I became Marinah’s.

I thought the bond with my men would fade after Marinah became Nova and I stepped aside as Alpha. When Greystone, my uncle, died, the unseen strings of Warrior energy wrapped around me almost instantly. I expected them to disappear just as suddenly, but they hadn’t.

Inner turmoil clouded my thinking after Greystone’s death. While I grieved for him, I also took on the role as leader. At the time, we were in the middle of fighting the Federation, and every decision I made cost Warrior lives. My days were spent attacking and killing. It wasn’t a choice; it was survival. My Beast led me, and I let it. Enemies died. Friends fought beside me. Life was simpler then. War was simpler.

Now Marinah dealt with the island’s politics, which had always driven me crazy. She was trying to find her place among us while learning to lead, and she constantly questioned herself because she wasn’t born to war. Everyone had advice for her, even Cosway, apparently.

“The women are meditating?” I asked, confused. Maybe I hadn’t heard him correctly.

Beck met my gaze for a fleeting second. “Not the women. They think Marinah needs to meditate.”

“That makes no sense.”

Beck flung himself into the nearest chair, and I took a seat two down from him.

“Apparently, the island women see Marinah as their champion,” he said. “They caused an endless string of problems for her, making demands and expecting her to fix everything. Then she went Nova during the battle and they saw it happen. Now they’re terrified she’ll eat their children. Cosway, along with Missy and Maylin, think that if she acts more human, the women will trust her again.” Beck’s face twisted like he’d eaten something sour, his disgust clear.

“It still makes no sense.” I covered my face with my hand for a brief second, trying to picture Marinah meditating. The stupid image that popped into my head didn’t even make me smile. Marinah wasn’t exactly the meditating type, but then again, I’d never known a Shadow Warrior who would sink to any kind of new-age crap.

“Maybe you need to go to Del Rey and check on her,” Beck suggested tightly, which made Beast grumble deep inside me.

I turned my head slightly and gave Beck a full dose of alpha. “Maybe I shouldn’t.” Whatever was going on in Marinah’s head, she needed space to figure it out.

“The Federation will attack soon. We have no idea what Knet told them,” Beck pressed.

“Why do you think he would talk?” I shot back, my irritation building. Beck’s fixation on Knet was grating on my nerves. A Shadow Warrior could have his limbs removed, and he still wouldn’t give our secrets to humans.

“I don’t think he was kidnapped. I think he went willingly.”

“What?” I barked, shoving my chair back as I stood.

Beck’s eyes practically glowed with anger; his jaw tight as he spoke. “Knet hates you. He wanted to be one of your personal guards, and when he wasn’t chosen, he blamed Marinah for his own ineptitude. The men have been grumbling about Knet for months. We’ve suspected a traitor, and Knet fits the bill.”

The urge to rip Beck’s head off surged through me. He’d kept this to himself while we’d been searching for answers. We’d known there was a traitor, but we’d assumed it was someone human. “Did you share your theory with Marinah?” I demanded.

Beck had the sense to look away before answering. “I mentioned we should forget about Knet and someone almost ripped my throat out.”

He was lucky I didn’t finish the job.