Page 6 of Shadow (Marinah and the Apocalypse #1)

King

I cut the motorcycle’s engine and coasted to a stop in front of the citadel.

The imposing structure was nothing more than a facade, a tool to project strength and mystery. My actual residence, tucked deeper into the territory, was far cozier and more suited to my farm-boy roots. If the woman ever left here, we wanted her superiors walking away with as little knowledge about us as possible. Me living unguarded among the Cuban people was not information they needed.

Two guards swung open the heavy doors as I dismounted, and the wave of indoor heat wrapped around me like a second skin. The sun was an hour from setting, and this was the warmest time of day inside the usually cool citadel. We preferred heat over cold. K-5 ran just beneath the surface, and warmth kept it stable.

I glanced over my shoulder as the doors closed. “Boot and the woman?” I asked.

“Boot is in your office,” Knet replied, his tone edged with frustration.

Knet wasn’t pleased with his current duty. It was a punishment; one he had earned for repeatedly testing my authority. His transgressions hadn’t been severe enough to warrant a beating, but he was skating close. I filed that thought away and headed toward my temporary office.

The door stood slightly ajar, and I pushed it open to find Boot seated at my desk, his son Che perched on his lap.

My ire rose instantly, and both looked up, freezing under my gaze.

“Hi, Che,” I said, ruffling the boy’s hair as I passed. “Go find your mother and tell her she needs to take you home.”

Che gave his father a quick hug before darting out the door, leaving me alone with Boot.

My tone sharpened the moment the boy was out of earshot. “Explain.”

Boot set aside the book he had been reading to Che, his eyes meeting mine for only a split second before sliding away.

“His mother is expecting,” he said evenly, “and she’s resting in my room. Che needed to stay out of her way for a little while.”

“No children or women were to be present once the negotiator arrived. Did you misunderstand my order?”

“No, Alpha. My wife is the problem,” he admitted, his tone resigned. “She does poorly at following direction.”

Most did. Boot’s wife was particularly incorrigible.

My jaw tightened. “Where is the woman?”

“The Federation woman?”

Boot wasn’t my brightest soldier, but he was one of the gentlest, which was why I had chosen him to handle the woman in my absence. His softness was supposed to balance out our intimidating presence.

“Yes, the woman,” I said, forcing more patience into my voice than I felt.

“The green room,” he answered, his tone devoid of any urgency.

Before he could blink, my left hand clamped around his throat, lifting him clear off the chair.

His eyes widened as my grip tightened. “You left her in the goddamned green room?”

A garbled “Yes” escaped his lips before I hurled him across the room.

His body collided with the wall, the impact reverberating through the space.

If Marinah was dead, Boot’s unborn child would grow up fatherless.

“Beck!” I bellowed as I strode into the entry hall, not pausing to look around.

If his hypersensitive ears didn’t pick up the call, word would spread fast enough.

My pace quickened as I headed for the green room, each step fueling my fury.

When I reached the door, I shoved the outer latch aside and threw it open.

She was lying on the floor, her chest rising and falling faintly.

Relief flickered as I knelt beside her, but it was short-lived.

Her cheeks were flushed and scorching hot beneath my hand as I pushed sweat-soaked hair from her face.

She didn’t respond.

“King,” Beck’s voice cut through the heavy air behind me, slightly winded from running.

My original plan had been to unleash a string of curses and knock him around for not ensuring Boot kept her safe. Instead, I took a breath and resisted.

“Send a guard for Axel. Tell him to bring IV equipment to the pool.”

Gathering Marinah’s limp body into my arms, I rose and turned toward the door.

Beck hadn’t moved, his imposing frame blocking my exit.

His expression was as angry as ever, his jaw clenched tight.

“You can’t keep her,” he growled, the accusation clear in his tone.

Rage pulsed through me, dangerously close to spilling over.

Kill, Beast urged from the shadows of my mind.

The thought tempted me, but I forced it down.

Beck wasn’t a threat to our world; he was just another soldier bound by duty.

And he was my friend.

I leaned closer, my voice lowered. “Farris Church is her father.”

Beck’s determination flickered for a moment, his brow furrowing as he processed what I’d said.

His surprise said it all.

Without another word, he stepped aside, and I pushed past him, striding through the hall and down the stairs to the underground aquatics room.

This pool was seldom used; the one at the main compound was larger and better suited for our kind.

This was strictly a lap pool, left over from the opulence of the citadel’s former owner, a Cuban general who had thrived under the dictator’s tyranny.

The multi-million-dollar facility now served as a stark reminder of human corruption.

I stepped into the pool, lowering Marinah onto the first step, careful to keep her upper body above the water.

Cool liquid barely covered the step, but the fact that she hadn’t stirred even with the temperature change worried me.

This wasn’t good.

I stripped off my weapons, unbuckling the halter and waist belt, and tossed them onto the pool deck.

The air felt heavier without their weight, but unease gripped me as I cradled her again and waded deeper into the water, letting it rise to her neck.

The room had darkened now, the sunlight that once streamed through high windows fading quickly.

My enhanced vision adjusted effortlessly to the darkness, but the same couldn’t be said for her fragile human body.

Marinah stirred, her head lolling as a faint groan escaped her lips.

Footsteps and low voices echoed from the hallway. Axel and Beck entered, their conversation just within earshot.

“How is his beast reacting?” Axel asked, his tone curious but laced with caution.

“I’m protective of the woman. Beast is not,” I snapped, irritation clear in my voice.

I waded to the pool’s edge, where Axel had already set his bag. Gently, I lifted Marinah’s arm from the water, and he took her wrist, his fingers pressing against her pulse point.

“Her pulse is sixty-two,” Axel said after a moment, his expression tightening. “Borderline problematic. You’ve cooled her body temperature, which is good, but fluids are critical now. My guess? She hasn’t slept in days or had proper hydration. Leaving her in a hot, stuffy room for hours didn’t help.”

The pointed accusation in his tone stung. A low growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it.

Axel ignored it, reaching for my wrist instead. His fingers pressed firmly against my pulse, and I held perfectly still. Jerking away risked letting Marinah slip under the water, and he knew it.

“Hmm,” he muttered, his brow furrowing.

His calm, clinical demeanor only fueled my frustration, but I bit back another growl. Right now, Marinah’s survival mattered more than my pride or Axel’s thinly veiled judgments.

I didn’t ask if his muttered observation was good or bad. I didn’t care. He released my wrist and focused on starting an IV for Marinah. When the needle slid into her vein, she groaned softly and instinctively tried to pull her hand away.

Beck knelt beside her, his large fingers wrapping around hers to still her movement. My growl erupted, louder this time.

“What the hell is wrong with you, King?” Beck snapped, his eyes meeting mine for a dangerous second before he looked away, avoiding a confrontation with Beast.

I inhaled deeply, forcing the dopamine raging through my system to a manageable level. The chemical storm inside me subsided just enough for rational thought to take hold. “Don’t know,” I said gruffly. “I tasted Secretary Church in her blood, and things got… interesting.”

The room fell silent.

Farris Church had saved my life once, along with Beck’s and Nokita’s, at the cost of his own. We had been pinned down in a trench, surrounded and under relentless attack. Death had been certain. But Church had run out of the trench, a one-man diversion that had drawn the hellhounds away from us. He had acted before I could stop him. With most humans, it was always the other way around. They expected us to die for them .

The Shadow Warriors held great respect for Church. Yet it didn’t explain why his daughter stirred something so volatile in me. Beast’s disdain for humans was well known, but this felt different. Deeper. More personal.

I tightened my hold on Marinah as she shifted against me. Her limbs stiffened, and I knew she was awake.

“You’re safe,” I told her. “You’re in a pool. It’s dark because there are no lights in here. You have an IV in your arm, and I’ve placed you in the water to cool your body temperature.”

The words echoed through the cavernous room. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She blinked, squinting at the darkness as her gaze darted around, searching for answers she couldn’t yet see.

Axel handed the saline bag to Beck. “Fifteen more minutes on the fluids,” he instructed, his voice clipped. “It’s best she stays in the water while they’re administered so her body continues cooling.” He crouched to pack his medical bag before standing and dusting off his hands. “I’ll check on her tomorrow. No more hot rooms, lots of fluids, and plenty of rest.”

Neither Beck nor I responded. Beck’s uncharacteristic silence didn’t go unnoticed; I could almost hear him turning over the implications of Marinah being Church’s daughter in his mind.

I took the opportunity to study her while she was still. Her dark, frizzy hair framed high cheekbones and a pointed chin; her features distinct. She was thin. No surprise, considering the Federation’s rations. I had eaten them too and knew they were barely enough to sustain anyone.

Strangely, I found her attractive, though she was far from my usual preference. I favored women with more substance, shorter in stature, and with an air of vulnerability. Marinah exuded none of that. She was tall, wiry, and defiant despite her current condition. Beast churned inside me, growing increasingly agitated the longer I looked at her.

She didn’t speak until Beck removed the needle and I lifted her from the pool. “Please put me down,” she said, her voice rasping, a far cry from the boldness she had shown earlier.

“No,” I replied, my tone brooking no argument.

“I’m heavy,” she protested weakly.

“Don’t insult me,” I growled. “I could carry five of you and not break a sweat.”

Without giving her another chance to argue, I strode through the never-ending hallways, water dripping off both of us with each step. Beck trailed behind, collecting my discarded weapons.

At my temporary quarters, I barked commands to the guards stationed outside. “Food and water. Now.”

The suite wasn’t where I had planned to bring Marinah, but improvisation was necessary. A room had been prepared for her with clothing and essentials, but I didn’t have the patience to make the transition right now. I carried her straight to the bathroom and set her feet gently on the floor.

The sudden brightness from the overhead light made her flinch, her hand shooting out to grab the counter for support. She was shaky but stubbornly avoided leaning on me for balance.

For a moment, I simply watched her, the weight of her presence far heavier than her body in my arms. Beast stirred again, restless and aggravated, but for once, I pushed him down without effort. Marinah Church had survived so far, but this was just the beginning.

“Take a shower, and I’ll bring you the clothing we have available for you.”

She turned away and glanced into the mirror.

A gasp escaped her as she covered her breasts.

The wet shirt she was wearing had turned see-through, but her bra covered more than a bathing suit, so I didn’t understand why she bothered trying to hide herself.

She squinted into the mirror, and her dark, annoyed eyes lifted to meet mine through the reflection.

“I would suggest, unless you want my eye contact to start a major incident, that you leave the room,” she ground out.

Her stare immediately ruffled Beast’s feathers.

I was King, the leader of the Shadow Warriors.

I do not retreat.

Two steps backward, and I closed the door as quickly as possible.