Page 21

Marinah

Energy coursed through my veins as we sped down the winding roads. I felt alive with fire so hot, I soared. There was nothing left of the old me who clung to King’s back, gripping a man she didn’t trust. That man, riding beside me now, was the reason I’d become an entirely different person.

My fingers tightened and released on the motorbike’s handlebars, anticipation bubbling just below the surface. Hellhounds were one thing, but humans; thinking, plotting, murdering humans were the real enemy. Bloodlust surged within me, a dark hunger I didn’t bother suppressing. I’d kill them all.

As we hit the city, we weaved through the narrow side streets at breakneck speed. The bike roared beneath me, its power a thrilling vibration between my thighs. I leaned into the corners, the wind rushing against my face. Who knew I’d turn into a full-fledged biker?

We glided through the open metal gates of the citadel and abandoned the bikes, hitting the ground running. Shadow Warriors and humans scattered from our path as we barreled toward the roof. By the time we crashed through the door, I had shifted to human form, my body humming with energy.

We sprinted to the outer wall, where Missy and her group of archers made way for us. My gaze snapped to the horizon, narrowing on the small boats skimming the water.

“What’s inside those boats besides soldiers?” I demanded, straining to make out the shapes.

“Field glasses,” King said in a clipped voice. Someone beside him handed him a pair, and he raised them to his eyes. “LCVPs. Each holds a twelve-man squad and a vehicle. Looks like tarped Jeeps. Judging by the height of the tarp, they’ve got mounted artillery on hardtops.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, an explosion shook the ground beneath our feet. I whipped my head toward the blast, spotting a plume of smoke rising about a mile north. LCVPs were Landing Craft Vehicles. My mind scrambled for what the “P” stood for, but there wasn’t time.

“They’re firing from the ships,” I growled. “That means our planes didn’t do enough damage. How many boats or LCVPs do you count?” I yelled, just as another explosion thundered south of us.

“Fifty,” King answered grimly.

I did the math in seconds. That was six hundred men and fifty vehicles equipped with advanced firepower.

The battle was coming, and we were outnumbered. But we weren’t outmatched.

Nokita approached us. “When do you want the hellhounds in the bay released?”

King handed me the field glasses, and I lifted them to my eyes. “The boats are moving in fast,” I said, scanning the water. “We need the hounds ahead of them. Release them now.”

Nokita nodded and raised a small device that had once been one of our radios. He smiled faintly as he pressed the button. Lifting his own field glasses, he joined us in watching the water.

It took a few minutes before the surface began to ripple and churn. The hellhounds found their footing beneath the waves and started moving. Fifty yards from shore stood a block wall, designed to hold back storm tides. The Warriors stationed behind the wall began signaling the hounds with their whistles as soon as the first beasts reached land. The hellhounds turned and waded back into the water just as the boats advanced.

Anyone watching from the Federation ships would be questioning where the hellhounds had come from. Pandemonium would ripple through their command as they scrambled to figure out what had gone wrong. The more confusion we sowed, the better our chances. This wasn’t just about winning; it was about making a statement. This was our island, and the Federation would never take it from us.

I turned to Missy, who stood nearby in battle-worn fatigues. “Are the archers ready?”

She pressed the radio to her lips. “Archers, standby,” she said. Her voice was calm, but her pupils were tiny pinpoints of hate. Missy had fought the Federation and hellhounds in the U.S. before mating with Beck and coming here. She’d learned the hard way to never back down in a fight.

“They’re ready,” she confirmed, lowering the radio.

“Tell them to fire at will as soon as the first boat hits shore,” I instructed

The boats were closing in, now only fifty yards out. King stepped behind me, hooking his fingers into the leather straps of my gear. He tightened the buckles with practiced efficiency, his body brushing against mine as he worked. The motion was subtle, casual, but the comfort it gave was profound. To those around us, it probably looked like nothing more than him adjusting my straps, but I felt the silent reassurance he offered his mate.

I was terrified that we weren’t ready, that something critical had been overlooked. Yet, alongside the fear, anticipation burned so hot I was surprised my eyes didn’t shoot fire.

This was the fight that mattered most.

When the boats were twenty yards from shore, they crashed into the hellhounds heading toward them. It quickly became clear that at least one Federation soldier on each boat was equipped with a whistle. They used the mildly irritating noise to hold the hounds back until our whistles joined in, releasing a shriller sound than the original whistles controlling them from alternating directions.

The hellhounds, never known for their discipline, lost all control at the conflicting sounds. We had tested this tactic, knowing it was the best way to disrupt the limited organization the Federation tried to impose on the monsters. A free-for-all erupted as the hounds turned on the Federation soldiers. Their fighters were pulled over the sides of the boats as hellhounds scrambled aboard. The haunting human screams carried over the waves.

Through my field glasses, I could see the horror etched on their faces. The red stripes, the Federation’s expendable cannon fodder, were doing exactly what they were intended to do. They were non-skilled humans, sent to die. My stomach churned at the thought that any one of those young men or women could have been me.

Despite the seeming disorder, the soldiers fought off the hellhounds, slowly gaining ground and pushing closer to shore. Minutes later, the first boats hit the beach, and soldiers began pulling the tarps off their vehicles.

“Fire!” Missy’s command rang out, and the archers unleashed a barrage of arrows. For sixty relentless seconds, the arrows rained down, striking hellhounds and soldiers alike. The assault slowed them, stopping them from fully unloading the vehicles.

At Missy’s signal, the archers fell back, and the Shadow Warriors stepped up from behind concrete barriers. They opened fire with Kalashnikov machine guns, the rapid bursts of 600 rounds per minute ripping into the enemy. The 7.62×54mmR ammunition served a dual purpose, fitting both the Kalashnikovs and our sniper rifles. A single well-placed shot could take off half a head.

The Federation soldiers returned fire, but they were disorganized, forced to dodge both bullets and the frenzied hellhounds. With little cover and the rising sun now behind us, we held the advantage.

My radio crackled to life. “The Federation sub changed course,” Cabel’s voice spat through the static. “More soldiers are disembarking a mile south of the citadel.”

I clicked the mic. “What’s the ETA?”

“The soldiers will hit shore in under ten minutes. If they head to you after that, they’ll be on you in twenty minutes max,” he replied.

I once more silently thanked King and Beck for all the hours they’d spent drilling military tactics into me. “Make sure they head this way,” I ordered Cabel through the radio.

My strategy hinged on the assumption that the citadel would be the Federation’s primary target. It was our established stronghold, and Knet knew we’d move the humans inside the walls if an attack became imminent. We’d intentionally painted a huge target on the citadel, hoping the Federation would take the bait. If a little violent persuasion was needed to nudge them along, Cabel would see to it.

“Understood. Out,” he replied.

“We’re ready,” King assured me as soon as the transmission ended. Another explosion rocked the area outside the citadel, this one closer than the last.

I hit the radio again. “Axel, send the women and children below. You have fifteen minutes.”

“I’m ahead of you. We’re almost situated,” Axel responded.

Click. “Labyrinth, those planes need to do more damage. We can’t let the ships return to the U.S. Either they sink, or we destroy and salvage.”

Static crackled before Labyrinth’s reply. “They hit one of our planes. We’re using the small sub for rescue. I’ll have my men take another pass at the ships.”

The connection cut off abruptly.

I turned to King. “We need to get down there.”

He gave a mock bow, sweeping his arm in an exaggerated gesture. “After you, my queen.”

I rolled my eyes, stuck out my tongue, and bolted. It was finally time to face the Federation one on one.

We reached the main floor of the citadel. A few women and children were still making their way to the basement. To my surprise, Skylar and Mila ushered the stragglers along. Mila saw me first.

“Marinah?”

I didn’t have time, but I stopped. She ran toward me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, bringing me in for a quick hug before pulling back. She had a gun on her hip and noticed me looking at it.

“Skylar and I have been training with some of the other people at our new home.” They had gone to the northernmost region of the island to give Skylar a chance to heal.

“Hi,” Skylar said. The sadness was still there, but she also had something else in her eyes. “We’ll defend our people with our lives,” she said solemnly.

“I never doubted it. Thank you. I need to get out there.”

“Stay safe,” Skylar said.

“Kick ass,” Mila added.

“You got it.”

The lower levels of the citadel had no windows, and its reinforced walls made it the safest place for them. I turned and headed down another corridor. A battalion of Shadow Warriors rounded the corner, led by Eagle, with Elright as his second. They were our two best snipers. Eagle brought the troops to a halt in front of us.

“I’ll lead,” King said.

The men had constructed several sniper towers on the citadel roof. Eagle and Elright would do the most damage from up there. The battalion followed King as we jogged outside, where more Shadow Warriors waited.

The sound of our heavy boots echoed against the citadel’s stone tiles, the rhythm matching the rapid pounding of my heart. My adrenaline surged as we stepped into the open air. It felt as if I’d waited my entire life for this.

The rumbling inside me said Ms. Beast was ready to explode. I held her back, forcing control, as Eagle’s troops fell in line with the other Warriors. I glanced up, spotting longbows and focused faces in the windows above us, where metal grates had been strategically placed to protect the archers as much as possible. We were as ready as we could ever be.

A shadow fell over me, and I looked into King’s massive jaws.

“You need to shift. I’ll loosen your straps,” he said. His clawed hands fumbled slightly as he unfastened the buckles on my gear. When he was done, he carefully ran a sharp claw along the bare skin of my back, sending a shiver down my spine.

“One kiss,” he growled, “and we’ll pick this up later in human form.”

He said it like we were about to take a casual stroll through the park, and I couldn’t help but appreciate his attempt to lighten the mood. My nerves were coiled so tightly I could barely breathe. Now he wanted a kiss, and I couldn’t think of anything better.

I let the change take me, morphing in his arms. My body grew taller and bulkier, my girth expanding as I turned into a flavor of ugly only a mate could appreciate. With my fangs in the way, I pressed a kiss to his massive maw.

My radio crackled to life. “The artillery on the ships is keeping our planes back, but they’ve crippled one of the Federation’s vessels. I’m changing the plan, if my alpha approves. I’m tracking the sub and want to take it out,” Labyrinth said.

“Go for it!” I shouted, just as another explosion shook the ground even closer to us.

The radio went silent.

Finally, the Federation’s sacrificial lambs, aka red stripes, rounded the corner. I glanced at King, who flashed me his Warrior grin, the one that promised death.

I returned it with one of my own. “It’s time to rock 'n' roll!” I bellowed to the Shadow Warriors.

With a ferocious battle cry tearing from my throat, I charged forward. My body hummed with adrenaline and rage as we surged into the fight.

My powerful legs carried me straight into the middle of the first group of red stripes before they even had a chance to fire. They went down like dominoes, stumbling into each other, scrambling to make sense of the bedlam. The air filled with gunfire and screams as Shadow Warriors tore through them, a broken neck here, a disemboweled stomach there.

Blood splattered across my face as I wrenched a soldier’s gun from his hands and drove it through his jaw. The vicious crack barely registered over the roar of the battle. I didn’t have time to search for King, but I felt his presence. Ms. Beast’s bloodlust was sharper than it had ever been.

I turned, taking out another soldier with a brutal swipe. He was young, too young. The pain and terror on his face stayed with me for a fraction of a second before I spun to kill the next soldier, then another.

Three red stripes charged me at once. One managed to bury his knife into my side, the blade slicing through muscle and igniting a fire of pain. My jaws clamped down on his neck, crushing gristle and bone. His head landed twenty feet away.

The wound burned, but I knew it wasn’t life-threatening. At least, I hoped it wasn’t. There was no time to check. I grabbed the other two soldiers and hurled them in the same direction as the severed head. I didn’t watch them land; the sickening sound of bodies hitting cement told me broken bones would keep them from causing further trouble if they managed to survive.

More Federation soldiers poured into the street, wave after wave. The third and fourth groups were more organized, coming in with guns blazing. We fell back, taking cover while our archers and snipers rained destruction from above.

Breathing hard, I scanned the area, searching for King. Before I could locate him, a high-pitched voice cut through the noise.

“Take that, you big pile of Federation poop!”

I turned toward the sound, disbelief washing over me. Ruth. How had she escaped the locked metal cage?

I lifted my head and gazed toward the entrance of the side street circling the citadel. A group of red stripes stood frozen just a few feet from Ruth, clearly unsure what to do. She was facing them with the short sword I’d given her, and to make things worse, her sidekick, Che, had his own sword raised.

Relief surged through me when King leapt into the fray. The befuddled soldiers flew in every direction, no match for his brute strength. I had no time to celebrate my mate saving the day before a massive mortar bomb exploded a few feet away.

The blast stole the wind from my lungs, and my head spun. Everything went fuzzy as my brain tried to process the impact. When the dust began to settle, I realized I was still alive. My ears rang as another mortar round whistled through the air.

The next blast tore through the ranks, taking out several Federation soldiers. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but then another round hit, and I realized the truth. The Federation was firing on their own soldiers along with my Warriors.

The soldiers near me scattered, running for cover. They didn’t get far. Shadow Warriors intercepted them, and screams cut through the early morning light as they fell to both us and their own artillery.

My senses snapped back, stabilizing me just in time to spot a young female soldier sprinting past. I reached out, grabbed her leg and dragged her to the ground. Her body hit the cement with a sickening thud, but she was still alive.

I raised a clawed hand, prepared to strike, but her horrified expression stopped me cold.

So young. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

For a moment, I hesitated.

“I won’t fight anymore,” she pleaded, her entire body shaking. “I surrender.”

Even with her desperate words, I could see she didn’t believe they would save her. Fear radiated from her as tears streaked her dirt-smeared face.

Without thinking, I grabbed her arms in one clawed hand and brought my forearm down, snapping both her wrists with a sickening crunch. Her scream pierced the air as I hoisted her up and ran toward the last place I’d seen Ruth and Che.

King was about eight feet in front of them, his massive form a wall of protection. The kids, however, stood with their swords raised, as if ready to defend him.

I might have smiled at their audacity if it weren’t so utterly pathetic.

When King saw me, the look on his face was priceless. “She asked for quarter!” I yelled above the noise, dumping the trembling soldier behind him.

I turned to Ruth and Che, whose wide eyes followed the human as she squirmed and gasped on the cement. “You want a job?” I asked, though I wasn’t giving them a choice. “Keep her safe and keep your heads down. You always bring firepower to a gunfight, not swords. Now you get to babysit the enemy. I want her in one piece.”

“We couldn’t carry the big gun,” Che said.

I sighed, already regretting my curiosity. “What big gun?”

Che grinned, his white teeth flashing through his dirty face. “The one Ruth used to blow a hole in the wall to rescue us. It was awesome.” He slammed his small fist into his opposite palm, mimicking an explosion with his flattened fingers and a loud “Boom!”

Both of their dust-covered bodies told the whole story of just how "awesome" it had been.

“Someone locked us in,” Ruth added with a defiant sneer.

Their mothers were going to kill me.

Another explosion rocked the ground, too close for comfort. “Keep her safe!” I yelled before taking off again.

“You’re out of your Warrior mind!” King shouted after me.

I glanced over my shoulder, blowing him a kiss before charging toward the soldiers operating the mortar artillery. A sharp sting lanced my side, but I didn’t slow down.

Several Shadow Warriors saw me and rose from their cover, joining the charge.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught one of our Warriors going down from a rifle round to the head. The feeling was indescribable, a connection snapping, like a piece of my heart had been ripped out, leaving a searing, empty pain in its place.

Another burn tore through my shoulder, but I kept pushing forward.

I was ten feet from the soldiers when a mortar explosion detonated nearby, throwing my senses into disarray. My ears rang, and my vision blurred again.

A Shadow Warrior beside me fell, and I kept moving, fury propelling me toward my target.

The world slowed around me as energy surged throughout my body. I welcomed the pain as each part of me expanded, growing deadlier with each passing second.

The red haze clouded my vision, making it hard to see clearly, but I didn’t need sight. I was connected to the people around me, sensing their locations, their weapons, and their fear. The emotions fed into me like fuel, powering my every thought.

Kill , whispered inside me, and it wasn’t Ms. Beast.

A guttural roar erupted from my throat, so inhuman I didn’t recognize it as my own. The sound froze the people within earshot, and their faces went slack with fear. I shook my massive head, and instinct told me they would all die.

A Shadow Warrior darted into my line of sight.

No.

I turned, seeking the true enemy.

Nova took over completely.

Time became meaningless. Seconds, minutes, hours blurred together as blood and body parts flew. I held a severed arm and used it to smash into the next person I saw. Their shattered body rolled a few feet away a second after my strike, while I searched for the next person to kill. More human pieces whipped through the air, no longer attached to who they once were. I gloried in the destruction and death, having no idea how long I rampaged.

Marinah was made for strategy, Ms. Beast for destruction, but Nova? She was complete annihilation. There was no on-off button when she faced the enemy. Nothing mattered but death to those who stood against her. I reveled in it as the red haze consumed me. I killed in multiples, using every part of my body. It went on and on and on.

Slowly, awareness returned. The sounds around me remained a cacophony of screams, groans, and cries. I heard them, but they didn’t register.

“Marinah,” King’s voice, though faint, cracked through the fog.

“Marinah,” he repeated, louder this time.

“Kingth?” My voice was foreign, distorted.

“I’m here,” he said softly.

“Dith we win?”

“Yes, we won,” he assured me.

Wet stickiness dripped down my face. It wasn’t sweat, I knew that much. I looked at my hands, massive, clawed appendages coated in blood. They didn’t work right as I tried to flex them, slowly tightening and releasing my grip.

My lisping voice suddenly made sense as my tongue ran over my sharp, oversized fangs. Dried blood crusted my lips, and the coppery taste lingered. I tilted my head down, the motion sluggish and heavy, just as King grunted.

“I’m taller,” I thought, giggling at the absurd observation. The sound that came out of me was more like a dog retching than laughter.

King’s expression shifted from weird to downright unnerved. He was covered in blood, too. An odd impulse struck me. I wanted to lick him. No. Bad Nova.

My gaze wandered over the battlefield. Federation bodies lay scattered, some twitching, others deathly still. Blood and gore painted the ground, limbs strewn about like discarded toys. It took me a moment to realize most of the limbs weren’t attached to bodies.

A horrifying thought struck me. Had I been eating them?

Ms. Beast screamed inside me, her anguish ripping through my mind. Something was terribly wrong. A searing pain spread through my body, beginning at my waist and heading in two separate directions until my toes cramped at the same time as my fingers. I couldn’t see or hear.

I had no time to figure out what was happening because my world collapsed into darkness.