Page 27 of Shadow (Marinah and the Apocalypse #1)

Marinah

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned from the door and saw Boot standing partially hidden in the shadows of my room.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

His expression sent a chill through me. Whatever it was, it was bad.

“My son is missing,” he said. “He talks about killing hellhounds all the time. His bike is gone, along with a plastic knife he uses to kill them in his imagination.”

Fear gripped me, shooting straight to my heart. Che’s sweet, mischievous face flashed in my mind, and the thought of anything happening to him made my stomach twist.

But hellhounds.

They were the monsters of my nightmares. The mere thought of facing one nearly sent me to my knees.

“Are you saying he went out looking for them? Alone? ”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Boot replied, his worry dragging across his face. “If Che runs into a hellhound...” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

“You need to tell King.”

“I will if I can’t find Che, but I was hoping you’d help me look first.”

I gaped at him, stunned. “You’re insane,” I blurted. “I can barely protect myself, let alone a child. Hell, even taking care of myself is debatable.” My chest tightened even more, and I forced myself to take slow, steady breaths.

“He’s on a bicycle. How far could he have gone?” Boot’s desperation bled into his voice. “Please, Marinah. Maylin can’t stop vomiting, she’s so worried, and she’s ready to kill me for not keeping him safe.”

I felt myself wavering. “Why can’t you go to King?” I demanded, needing answers before I committed to this madness.

Boot hesitated, shame flickering across his face. “Maylin and Che have been staying in my room here at the citadel,” he admitted. “Which is against King’s orders. If I involve another Warrior, they’ll be honor-bound to report it.”

Great. More secrets. And somehow, I’d become the last resort.

“My guards will be here any minute,” I muttered, glancing toward the door.

Moving on autopilot, I yanked the bedspread back and arranged the pillows to mimic a sleeping form. It was probably overkill. My guards hadn’t entered my room at night before, but the subterfuge made me feel marginally better.

I straightened and looked Boot squarely in the eye. “Let’s find him. But if this goes sideways, you’re explaining everything to King.”

I grabbed some workout clothes from the drawer and dashed into the bathroom to change, Boot’s stressed expression etched in my mind. In under a minute, I was back out, ready to go.

We left the room, Boot taking the lead.

“This way,” he said, guiding me down a corridor I hadn’t used before. “These halls lead to the personal quarters. It’s early enough that there’s less chance we’ll run into anyone.”

At the end of the hallway, he unbarred a heavy metal door, and we stepped outside into the cool night air.

“This is where his bike was,” he said, pointing to an alcove. A large toy truck lay abandoned in the dirt next to an empty patch where the bike must have been.

My stomach clenched again as Boot continued, “We’ll take my motorcycle and see if we can head him off before he leaves the city.”

“Are you sure there aren’t any hellhounds around here?” I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. Memories of the two captured monsters flooded my mind, and I fought back the terror clawing at my chest. It had taken me weeks just to sleep peacefully under the same roof as them.

“They come out of the ground and head for the other side of the island,” Boot explained. “We still don’t know why. We’ve only seen a few in the city, and none recently.”

I nodded, not reassured, and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle.

Wrapping my arms around Boot’s waist felt nothing like it did with King.

When Boot took off, the bike lurched forward, and I almost fell. I gripped tighter, my fingers digging into his sides. He didn’t so much as flinch, but it made me think.

What was it about Shadow Warriors being near me when King was in the room?

The question nagged at the back of my mind.

Boot took a sharp turn, and I let it go.

We sped through the streets, scanning for Che. I kept my eyes peeled, glancing down alleys and side streets on the right while Boot checked to the left.

After thirty tense minutes, Boot pulled over and shut off the bike, frustration etched on his face. “I thought we’d find him. He must be outside the city.”

A chill ran down my spine. “Then let’s go. We need to get to him before a hellhound does.”

I couldn’t believe I was saying it, but it was true.

Che was out there, and we had to find him before it was too late.

“We’ll go back, and I’ll face King. He won’t kill me,” Boot said, but the uncertainty on his face betrayed the lie.

“We need to find Che, and we don’t have time to waste!” I shouted.

The thought of running into hellhounds almost made me reconsider, but I forced the fear down. I couldn’t let it stop me. Not now.

Boot started the bike again, and we took off, the engine’s roar drowning out any other sounds.

Twenty minutes later, a strange noise pricked my ears. I leaned closer to Boot, shouting over the wind, “Stop the bike! I heard something!”

He pulled over and cut the engine once more.

For a moment, there was only silence. I began to doubt myself, wondering if the sound had just been part of the bike’s engine.

Then it happened again, a short, sharp scream.

“Che!” Boot yelled, jumping off the bike.

He left me scrambling to figure out the kickstand. Precious seconds ticked by as I finally managed to stabilize the motorcycle before taking off after him.

I rounded a corner and nearly collided with Boot’s back. The heat radiating off him seeped through my clothes, and I knew what that meant.

He was going to shift.

“Daddy,” a small, trembling voice cried.

Peering around Boot, my stomach dropped at the sight.

Che was perched precariously on the edge of a ten-foot building. He had used a large garbage can and then climbed a ladder on it to get higher. He was just out of reach of a pack of hellhounds.

They were monstrous and grotesque, their glowing eyes locked onto the boy as they circled beneath him. Their jagged claws scraped against the metal, and their teeth glinted like razors in the dim light.

I was thankful they hadn’t tried to climb yet.

Could they climb?

I didn’t know, but I did know they were capable of jumping. Che’s quick thinking had bought him a chance, but it wasn’t enough.

There were too many of them, and the reality slammed into me like a freight train.

We were outnumbered.

If we fought, we were going to die.

Boot’s beast exploded from his body with a feral snarl. His shirt shredded as his muscles expanded, and his shoes were obliterated as razor-sharp claws ripped through them. Without a word, he charged the hellhounds at full speed.

Fuck.

Che fell silent, frozen as he watched his father launch into the pack of monsters. Boot didn’t stand a chance. There was no way he could take them all down alone.

My heart pounded as I realized I needed to get to Che before he saw this tragedy. I couldn’t allow Boot’s sacrifice to be for nothing.

I glanced up at the building where Che was perched.

There was another building about five feet from it. I spotted another ladder about ten feet away. They must have been doing construction in this part of the city.

There was no time to think about what could go wrong.

A five-year-old boy’s life was at stake, and that was all that mattered.

My legs moved before my brain caught up.

One of the hellhounds noticed me and turned, its glowing eyes locking onto its new target.

Me.

I sprinted, leaping for the ladder and scrambling up just before the creature lunged. I hauled myself onto the roof and hurriedly pulled the ladder up behind me.

I couldn’t look at the space between the buildings.

All I could do was run harder than I ever had before.

I flew through the air, not thinking about what would happen if I didn’t make it. My feet landed on solid roof, and I fell into a crouch. Standing, I grabbed Che’s ladder, pulling it upward, and moved it to a higher building.

“Che, climb!” I yelled.

His wide eyes were brimming with fear, but he nodded and started scrambling upward, his small limbs moving faster than I thought possible. I followed, forcing myself not to look down at what was happening below.

Che reached the roof, and I pulled myself up seconds later.

“My dad!” he cried, spinning back toward the edge.

“Your father can handle the hellhounds,” I said, praying the lie didn’t sound as hollow as it felt. “But he needs to know you’re safe. We have to get out of here.”

I pointed to the opposite side of the roof. “Help me lift the ladder and carry it to the far side.”

Che did as I asked.

We moved as quickly as we could and crossed the roof to the back edge of the building. After we lowered the ladder, I climbed down first, ensuring it was safe. I then coaxed Che to follow.

When we were back on solid ground, I grabbed his hand and started moving away from the fight.

There was no point in trying to get back to the motorcycle.

I couldn’t drive it, and the hellhounds would spot us if we went anywhere near the battle.

I was just beginning to think we might have a chance when we heard Boot’s roar.

“Daddy!” Che cried, wrenching his hand free from mine and taking off in the direction of his father.

“No!” I yelled, sprinting after him.

Che skidded around the corner, disappearing from sight, but his scream pierced the air again. I rounded the building and froze. Che stood paralyzed by fear; his wide eyes locked on the horrific scene in front of us. Boot was buried beneath a writhing mass of hellhounds, their claws and teeth ripping into him.

“Che, run! ” I shouted, grabbing his arm and yanking him back.

He struggled against me, refusing to leave, so I wrapped my arms around his waist and lifted him. I managed a few steps before a hellhound lunged at me.

“Run, Che!” I shouted as I let him go, spinning to face the beast.

I kicked it with all my strength, but pain exploded in my arm as its jaws clamped down. A burning agony shot through me, fire racing through my veins.

I hit the hound in the face with my opposite fist, and it released me. I struck again with a roundhouse kick, the impact traveling from my leg to my hip. This time, the hellhound crashed onto its back.

This was how my mother had died. Saving me at the cost of her own life. For the first time, I truly understood why she had made that sacrifice.

Che wasn’t my child, but he was important. He deserved to live.

“Che!” I yelled again, forcing strength into my voice while I watched the stalking hellhound. “Run and get help! Go! ”

A deafening roar erupted, and Boot exploded from the pile of hellhounds like a force of nature, throwing them aside as if they weighed nothing. His growl of rage reverberated through the alley, and hellhounds scattered in every direction.

Blood streamed from his wounds, but his eyes found mine and then he saw the bite on my arm. Despair flickered in his expression, but he didn’t stop. He barreled toward us, claws flashing.

“Take my son and run!” he commanded, his voice thunderous. “Get him back to the compound. I’ll hold them off!”

He turned back to the advancing pack, slicing through a hellhound’s neck with one devastating swipe of his claws. Another attacked him. Then two more. And still more waited behind them.

“Dad!” Che screamed.

“I love you, son,” Boot shouted. “Run like the wind, my boy. Take care of your mother.”

Tears blurred my vision as I grabbed Che, lifting him into my arms again.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. I ran.

Boot’s roars echoed behind us, mixing with the snarls of the hellhounds.

Che sobbed into my shoulder, his little body shaking. He was heavy, and every step sent fresh waves of pain through my bitten arm, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I had to get Che back before the poison took me down. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind as I ran.

I had never made love to King.

I had failed my country.

I was saving a little boy, and this was the defining moment of my life. I had always wondered why I survived when so many others didn’t.

Now I knew.

I was here to save this child.

Che mattered more than anything else, and I loved him.

The pain in my arm was excruciating, but I kept going, though slower now. Every step was agony, and yet I pushed forward.

I stumbled a few times but refused to fall.

I was grateful Che was small enough for me to carry. Boot’s relentless training had given me the strength to endure this.

I couldn’t think about his sacrifice. Not now. Not ever, because I would be dead soon. Strangely, I wasn’t afraid of anything but failing to get Che to safety.

The streets were dark, lit only by the pale glow of the stars and moon. I hoped I was heading in the right direction, though doubt gnawed at the edges of my mind.

Then, faintly, I heard voices.

“They’re over here!” someone shouted.

Relief surged through me, but my body couldn’t go forward. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground. Che scrambled out of my arms as King’s voice cut through the night.

“Marinah?” he called, panic lacing his yell.

“Get Che,” I gasped. “There are hellhounds behind us. Boot is fighting them. You need to help him.”

The effort to speak drained me, and I curled into a ball, trying to will the pain away.

It wouldn’t be long now. I had done what I set out to do.

I had saved Che.

Relief mingled with the agony, and a strange peace settled over me. Me, the woman without a backbone, who shouldn’t have survived this long. I only regretted what King and I would never share.

At least I met him. At least I knew someone in this world might have fallen in love with me.

“You’ve been bitten,” King snarled, his voice trembling with fury and fear.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask your permission, your majesty ,” I gritted out through clenched teeth, the pain stealing my breath.

He scooped me into his arms as if I weighed nothing. His heat surrounded me, but the fire in my veins was unbearable.

“Che?” I whispered weakly, my voice barely audible.

“One of my men has him. The others are going back for Boot,” King replied.

I heard the emotion in his voice. He knew what I did.

This was our goodbye.

“Boot wanted his son to live,” I murmured, the words slurring as exhaustion took hold.

I could have fallen asleep there, in King’s arms, even with the searing pain. I saw the citadel lights flickering in the distance. So close now.

“I think I might love you,” I whispered against his shoulder, my vision dimming.

“Shut up, Marinah, or so help me,” he growled, his voice cracking.

I heard his words, but we both knew the truth.

The poison was already taking me.

I was dying.