Page 24

King

Seven Warriors lost their lives with several humans in critical condition, but so far, none had died. Marinah’s strategy to keep humans away from hellhounds and act solely as support personnel or long-distance archers had paid off. With the loss of the Warriors, she didn’t see it that way. Each one of us, including her, understood the risk each time we went into battle.

I gave an internal sigh. I took the deaths as hard as she did, but I didn’t want my mate suffering the same guilt I carried. It was wrong of me; I simply didn’t know how to break the pattern.

My thoughts weighed heavily as I sought out the wives of two of the fallen men. From past experience, there was a look people got when death became a certainty. I wanted to reassure them, to make them understand that as the wives of Shadow Warriors, they would be cared for and had a home with us, even after we left the island. If we ever left. These thoughts kept turmoil raging inside me.

I spoke to the wives but the grief in their eyes left no room for comfort. Death didn’t care for promises.

Would it ever end? The thought gnawed at me as I walked away.

I didn’t have the answer. When we came to the island, the plan was to take over temporarily. The people here had put up little resistance. They were starving, short on medical supplies, and needed us as much as we needed them. We’d thought once the world was settled, we’d return the island to its people. But on days like today, I couldn’t see a future.

Beck found me as soon as I returned to the citadel. “There’s a problem at the shipyard,” he said without preamble. “Nokita’s asking for you.”

Of course, there was a problem at the shipyard. I changed direction.

The sun beat down as Nokita launched into a detailed explanation of the parts he needed for the submarine. I stood there, trying to track his words while wondering what had elevated this to a crisis. He droned on, and I fought the urge to tap my foot.

Abruptly, he stopped speaking and looked down at the ground.

“What is it?” I asked, my patience stretched thin.

He glanced up at me briefly before turning his eyes away. “Maylin is pregnant,” he said quietly.

That caught my attention. “How old is Baby Boot?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Almost a year.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “You could have waited a little longer, but if Maylin’s happy about it, I don’t see a problem.” I paused. Maylin wasn’t exactly known for her cheerful disposition, but working with Axel in the infirmary and having Baby Boot with her had softened her edges somewhat. Nokita had known exactly who he was choosing when he mated with her.

“She’s happy,” he admitted, but his tone betrayed his unease. “I’m worried.”

I motioned toward two benches along the dock and stomped over, sitting down heavily. “Alright, papa. Tell me what’s got you worried,” I said, trying to inject a bit of humor into the conversation.

“Che’s on lockdown after the stunt he pulled with Ruth. Baby Boot grows bigger every day and needs more time than Maylin has to give, and now we’re bringing another child into this fucked-up place.” Nokita looked up at me, his features strained. “Do you ever wish we were still farmers?”

The question caught me off guard. I hadn’t thought about my farm days in years. Back then, I’d resigned myself to a future of pushing a plow and following in my father’s footsteps. Even with commercial farming taking over, my father had owned plenty of land, and our future had seemed secure. But I didn’t want it.

“No,” I answered honestly. “It was never my dream. Is it what you want?”

He sighed heavily. “I don’t want war.”

That admission startled me more than his news about the baby. Nokita was part of Marinah’s guard. I trusted him completely, but his words gave me pause. “Would you like to take over Cabel’s old job?” I offered carefully.

Cabel, after finding Mary, had been overwhelmed by the mating frenzy and had needed time to adjust. We’d transferred him to agriculture, giving him space to regain control of himself. Eventually, he returned to Marinah’s guard. Nokita hadn’t experienced the same intensity with his and Maylin’s union, likely because he had better control over his beast than Cabel.

Nokita scratched his head, gazing out over the water. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just want my children to grow up in peace. Che is human. He’s not as capable of surviving this world as we are. I don’t want what happened on our planet to happen here. That’s what I fear most.”

His words hit me harder than I’d expected. I’d never considered the possibility that it could be Shadow Warriors who might destroy this planet. For me, war and strategy came as naturally as breathing, not because I loved it, but because it was all I’d known for so long. My Uncle Graystone had trained me for war and it came easy. But Nokita’s revelation was something new, something weighty. It was a truth I couldn’t ignore.