Page 24 of Shadow (Marinah and the Apocalypse #1)

King

B east had never been this calm. The pain was nearly gone, and for the first time, my mind was completely clear while in this form. It was an unfamiliar feeling. I felt whole and balanced, something I had never experienced before.

Why had Beast wanted her dead? He had been acting like a lovesick fool since I shifted.

That question gnawed at me, but another one loomed even larger: Why had the men who came after me wanted her dead? That was the bigger question.

Marinah set the empty bowl aside once she finished feeding me, then quickly ate her own meal. Exhaustion pressed down on me like a weight, and I fell asleep to the soft sound of her chewing.

Sometime during the night, I shifted back to human form.

When I opened my eyes, sunlight streamed into the room through a high window. The warmth on my skin was soothing, but Marinah was gone.

Axel stepped into the room and took the chair she had used. “Good to see you awake,” he said.

“Where is she?”

He sighed, folding his arms. “She went to take a shower and change clothes. She’ll be back as soon as she finishes breakfast. I told her I’d stay here until she returned.”

“Did they catch the men who shot at us?”

Axel shook his head. “No. They ran into a large group of hellhounds. Nokita was injured. A scratch on his leg. He’s healing.”

I frowned. A scratch was easier to recover from than a bite, but the antidote was not one hundred percent foolproof. It always worried me when one of my Warriors was injured.

“Those men located us somehow,” I said furiously. “They’re on the island, and they’re American. I want them found.”

“I’ll send for Beck.”

I nodded and stood from the bed as frustration built. There was no question now. The Federation had decided Marinah was a liability. For some reason, they saw her as a threat to their agenda. It might never be safe for her to return to them.

The thought didn’t bother me at all.

Beck arrived a few minutes later, his expression was as angry as mine. Axel was in the other room with Nokita, who was resting comfortably now.

I stopped pacing and focused on Beck. “We have work to do,” I said.

He nodded with complete understanding. Together, we would hunt the men who had dared to threaten us on our island. His gaze remained sharp as he watched me closely, waiting for my orders.

“I’ll be ready to ride in ten minutes,” I said. “Have the men out front.”

Beck strode to the door, but before he could leave, Marinah stepped into the frame, blocking his path.

“You need rest,” she said, her gaze pointedly on me.

I glanced at Beck, who was slowly inching away from her. He understood the situation. Beast had claimed Marinah as mate, and it complicated everything. Beck’s expression remained neutral, but the tension in the air was thick because he was standing too close to her with little room to maneuver away.

I turned my gaze back to Marinah. The concern in her eyes was evident, but she had no idea how volatile this situation was. The fact that she was looking directly into my eyes, with no repercussion from Beast, said it all.

He had chosen her, and there was no undoing it. I had never understood what it truly meant to mate. It was spoken about by Warriors trying to explain it to us who were uninitiated, but until it happened, there was no way to understand the volatility of feelings that encompassed the bond.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Usually, the man made the choice, and the beast followed. But this? This was different. The way she had calmed me yesterday pointed to something deeper, and I had never felt this way before.

What unsettled me even more was how much I didn’t want to leave her today. This was all new territory.

“You’ll work with Boot,” I told her carefully. “I’ll be back before nightfall.”

Her gaze narrowed stubbornly, and she stepped further into the room. “And if I say no?”

“Then I’ll have Boot carry you to training,” I replied in a hard tone.

“Why can’t I go with you?” she pressed.

“We are traveling fast, and we don’t have time for someone who can’t stand steady on their own two legs,” I said sharply, the words harsher than I had intended.

The hurt in her eyes was immediate, cutting deep. But it couldn’t be helped. She needed to stay here, where she was safe.

Beast, however, didn’t agree, and he made his displeasure clear when shooting pain landed in my right kidney.

“Excuse me,” Beck said from behind her.

Marinah turned, expectantly, waiting for Beck to finish.

He pointed at the door. “If you move further into the room, I can leave.”

She glanced over her shoulder, confused, not understanding what he meant.

I did.

Reaching out, I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her aside, clearing the way for Beck to pass without touching her.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Marinah turned to me, a simmering anger in her eyes. “Why did you do that?”

“The Shadow Warriors cannot touch you and need to stay as far from you as possible,” I said honestly.

“That’s ridiculous,” she replied with a laugh, brushing a strand of hair off her forehead. Her gaze dropped to our joined hands. “I wish you’d let me come. My balance is improving.”

“Those men are armed,” I explained. “We’ll travel in beast form to follow their trail. We’ll be back before nightfall.”

“You really think it’s the Federation?” she asked skeptically.

“I know it is. This isn’t their first attempt to assassinate me. What surprises me is that they’re coming after you.”

She looked at me, insulted and innocent all at once, her confusion evident. “If they’re my people, why would they want me dead?”

Her naivety was maddening. Her father had sheltered her from the harsh realities of war for far too long.

“You’re a liability,” I said bluntly. “They haven’t heard from you, and they’re worried you’re helping us.”

“I am helping you. That’s what they sent me here for.” Her hands flew to her hips, and her voice rose in indignation. “There is absolutely no reason for them to kill me.”

“We’ll figure it out after I return,” I replied. “Find Boot and train.”

Her eyes blazed hotter. “When I can finally kick your ass, you’d better be ready,” she snapped before storming from the room.

Her guards followed her, keeping about ten feet behind. It wasn’t far enough for Beast. He stirred restlessly inside me, but I forced him down with a heavy sigh.

I headed to my room to change and grab the weapons I’d need.

A short time later, ten motorcycles roared to life. All of us were in Warrior form, the shift complete before we left. Nokita, almost recovered, stayed behind to guard the citadel, keeping Marinah under watch while she trained with Boot, hopefully driving him as crazy as she drove me.

We hit the highway and shifted into high gear, the pack moving as one. Our first stop was the place where I had stashed my bike yesterday. Their scent would guide us straight to them.

We would find those bastards, question them, and end them.

No one came onto our territory and threatened my mate.