Page 26 of Shadow (Marinah and the Apocalypse #1)

King

T houghts swirled in my head as we walked to her room. It hadn’t bothered me before when Boot was close to Marinah. But this time, it ruffled both mine and Beast’s feathers. Controlling the situation was harder when Beast and I were in accord. The only reason Boot had walked out of the room under his own power was because he was mated. Otherwise, things might have gone differently.

I was at a crossroads. The Federation had tried to kill her, and there was no chance she was returning. But she had friends, and her loyalty was with them. I needed her to see reason without alienating her.

Her transformation since arriving here had been remarkable. She stood taller now, her confidence evident in everything she did. Tripping over her own feet was a thing of the past, and I suspected being surrounded by Shadow Warriors, towering over her at every turn, had made her appreciate her height rather than resent it.

We were larger than life, intimidating by design, and yet Marinah had shown little fear since she arrived. Now, she wasn’t just fearless. She was inspiring. Her work ethic was unparalleled, and Boot’s daily reports had shifted from “It’s torture to watch,” to “She could be an actual fighter.”

He didn’t mean in a ring. He meant in war.

That wasn’t happening.

I had spent too much time trying to untangle my inner turmoil with Beast. He wasn’t following the usual patterns when it came to women or how mating was supposed to work. Jealous? Yes. Volatile? Absolutely. But there was still something that held him back, something I couldn’t identify.

The whispers from Beast to kill her had stopped, though she still managed to provoke him. I rubbed the scar on my face, my thoughts swirling in a conflicting mix of frustration and curiosity.

I decided I’d dwell on it tomorrow.

Approaching Marinah’s door, I nodded to the guards stationed outside. “You won’t be needed until I notify you.”

They stepped away without a word. The relief in their expressions was obvious. No one wanted to be too close to a mated pair, and by now, everyone knew Marinah was mine.

I didn’t have the luxury other mated Warriors enjoyed. I couldn’t simply disappear with her for months and let the mating rage run its course. Too much hung in the balance.

It was yet another thing I’d set aside until tomorrow.

Marinah stepped out of the bathroom wearing a sleek one-piece swimsuit that clung to her curves in all the right ways, accentuating her perfect body. She draped a brightly flowered wrap over her shoulders before we left her room. Thankfully, we didn’t run into anyone on the way to the pool. Beast was calm for now, and I wanted to keep it that way.

“The water’s perfect,” she said, dipping a toe in and smiling at the slight ripple it made.

“Good,” I replied, and before she had a chance to react, I sprinted toward her, grabbed her around the waist, and leapt into the pool. The impact sent a massive splash over the edges, drenching the tiles around us.

“You idiot!” she laughed between coughs, pushing her wet hair out of her face. “I didn’t plan to get my hair wet!”

I knew exactly what had come over me, and even so, I reeled slightly at the off-balance feeling.

“Stop complaining. Wet looks good on you,” I said to hide my discomfort.

She turned away, still coughing lightly, then spun back with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “It doesn’t look that good on you. Maybe this will.” She scooped a handful of water and flung it in my face.

The war was on.

Her laughter filled the space, louder than her gasps for air, as we splashed and ducked around each other. For the first time in years, I was having fun. Real, unrestrained fun. It felt foreign and almost uncomfortable, like a muscle I hadn’t stretched in too long.

I came up from the water and used my arms to send a tidal wave crashing over her head, but she dove under just in time. Her form was sleek and quick as she torpedoed toward me, kicking off the pool’s bottom with her legs. She surfaced a few feet away, laughing breathlessly, and I reached for her.

Lifting her effortlessly out of the water, her laughter morphed into something different as her eyes locked on mine.

She was beautiful. Beyond beautiful.

Beast purred low in my chest, his approval a rumble that matched my own unspoken thoughts.

Her lips were too tempting, too close to resist, and I leaned in, pulling her against me.

Her legs wrapped around my waist, so her body was flush against mine. The feel of wet skin was too much and far too dangerous .

This shouldn’t be happening, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it.

I couldn’t let her leave. Ever.

She had a say, I reminded myself. When a woman turned down a Shadow Warrior, we had to respect her choice. I had dealt with Warriors when this happened, and it was something I had hoped never to feel.

Pushing these uncertain thoughts aside, I tilted my head back and stared at her lips. Keeping this at just kissing was becoming increasingly difficult. I had to give her a say before the inevitable happened because once we physically mated, it would be too late.

Her lips were too much, and I dipped my head again, savoring each unique flavor of this kiss. I was being pushed closer to the edge by the second. If I didn’t stop now, there would be no turning back. With a savage groan, I pulled away and brushed her hair from her face.

“Let’s swim laps,” I said, my voice rough with undisguised longing.

“Laps?” she repeated unsteadily.

I grasped at levity with a trace of humor. “You know. That thing where you raise your arms and move through the water?”

“Dumbass,” she replied, a grin tugging at her lips.

Without another word, I pushed off the wall and started swimming. Marinah joined me after a moment. I didn’t hold back, gaining ground until I was passing her with ease. We settled into a rhythm, and after ten minutes of laps, I finally felt like I could control myself.

I joined her at the shallow end, where she floated casually, arms braced on the pool’s edge, her body lazily suspended in the water.

“Are you hungry?” I was doing my best to focus on her face and not the way her wet skin glistened under the lights.

“Starving.” The look she gave me said she was hungry for more than food.

I ignored the heat in her gaze. Food was the only thing either of us was getting tonight, and I was suffering enough for both our sakes. Explaining why would only lead to questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

I climbed out of the pool and offered her a hand. She took it, and I led her to the stack of towels. Tossing one her way, I focused on drying myself off, deliberately turning to the side to avoid watching her as she toweled her body.

She placed the brightly flowered cover-up over her shoulders again and started toward the door. I snagged the fabric before she got too far and held it open for her, then wrapped it completely around her, knotting the thin waist tie so it wouldn’t come undone. The last thing I needed was one of my Warriors catching a glimpse of her, wet like this, with my lust at a solid ten. Beast would lose it, and I wasn’t in the mood to fight.

She had noticed the Warriors behaving differently around her, and I knew she was trying to piece it together. A council meeting was inevitable. We needed to decide how to move forward and figure out a way to protect Marinah, negotiate with a Federation that seemed hell-bent on killing both of us, and extract what they knew about hellhounds. At some point, Marinah would need to be brought into the discussions. The challenge lay in deciding what to tell her and how much we could trust her.

When we reached her room, I planned to wait outside while she changed. Marinah opened the door, stepped inside, and paused.

“Come in,” she said over her shoulder, irritation creeping into her tone when I shook my head.

“You’ll dress faster if I’m standing out here,” I replied, leaning against the wall.

She gave me a look I had come to recognize all too well. It was a mix of sexual frustration and burning impatience to figure out what was going on.

By the time she reemerged, her wet hair was combed, and her clothes were fresh. We headed to my quarters, where dinner was already laid out. Marinah wasted no time, whipping the lid off the nearest plate. She breathed in deeply, her expression shifting to one of pure bliss.

“Steak?” she said with appreciation. The frustration from earlier melted away as she looked at me with wide eyes.

“We don’t have as much beef as I’d like,” I admitted, settling into my chair.

Without waiting for permission, she picked up a knife and fork and dove in. I leaned back, watching her eat. Normally, I enjoyed seeing her savor her meals, but tonight, her hunger was so ravenous it made me wonder if she had eaten at all today.

“Did you have breakfast and lunch?” I asked, keeping the question casual.

“Yes, and a snack,” she replied between bites. “I can’t get full. I’m not gaining weight either. It must be the exercise. I’m even enjoying my meat rare, which I never did before.”

She finished the steak in what felt like ten bites and looked at my plate with longing. With a small smile, I pushed it toward her.

“Take it. I’m not that hungry.”

She stared at the steak longingly but ultimately pushed it back. “Don’t tempt me. My baked potato and steamed carrots will do.”

That was debatable. When she finished her meal, her eyes still strayed to my plate.

Trying to distract her, I lifted the lid off the last covered dish on the tray. Two generous slices of pumpkin pie, topped with whipped cream, waited underneath.

Her face lit up. “Oh my god, pumpkin pie! It’s my favorite!”

“It’s all yours,” I said with a small grin.

“How can you pass this up?” she asked, staring at the dessert.

“It’s more fun watching you enjoy it.”

“So refined, your majesty,” she teased.

I let out a low growl, and her laughter filled the room. She eagerly dug in but avoided the whipped cream, carefully scooping it off to the side so she could get to the pie. She ate every crumb with enthusiasm, leaving only the untouched lump of white on the plate.

She didn’t like whipped cream. Noted.

There were other uses for it.

Shit.

The thought sent a wave of heat through me, which I had no choice but to quickly suppress.

By the time I walked her back to her room, we were both content, at least when it came to food.

“Look, your majesty, no guards,” she said playfully as we reached her door.

“I’ll send them up,” I replied, pulling her into a kiss before she could argue.

This one was brief but charged. Marinah, ever the vixen, ensured it was anything but sweet. Her tongue flicked against mine, and she bit my lower lip, sparking a growl from Beast.

When I pulled back, I pressed a final kiss to her cheek while attempting to regain control. “The guards will be here in five minutes. Keep your door locked until they arrive.”

She pouted, and I saw the same frustration in her eyes that I knew was burning in mine.

“You could stay with me.”

I groaned and gave her a gentle but firm, “No,” before walking away, heading to my room for an ice-cold shower.