Page 11

King

Three days left with Marinah, and most of that time would be spent preparing. We were staying at the citadel until she flew back to the U.S. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Lying in my big bed, I pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple.

In no way was Marinah ready for this, but I had to make her believe she was. Somehow, she had to control her beast less than two months after becoming a Shadow Warrior. If I hadn’t been with her during this time, I would have said it was impossible. Hell, I still felt it was impossible, but if I showed any sign of not believing in her, what she needed to do would have zero chance of succeeding.

She sighed and wiggled against me until there wasn’t any space left between us. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

I was terrified. So many things could go wrong, but the biggest threat was her Shadow Warrior side. If the Federation discovered what she was, she was screwed. The plan was to send one hundred Warriors with Marinah, and within twenty-four hours, three hundred more would drop onto U.S. soil. We’d dig in and wait for her signal, which could take days, weeks, or even months. I’d leave the rest of our Warriors behind to protect the island. They’d also be on standby if needed.

The humans on the island were already moving into populated towns near reinforced living quarters and our main food supplies. We’d been preparing for this day since we first arrived, though we hadn’t known who we’d be fighting. We’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this with the Federation, but now we had little choice.

“How will we survive this?” Marinah asked softly.

“This?”

“You, me, love,” she said, her voice breaking slightly.

“I love you,” I said, because she needed to hear the words before she left.

“I never doubted it.” She twirled one of my braids between her fingers. “I just don’t know how I can leave you.”

I rolled onto my side to face her. “If there were any other choice, I’d make it happen.”

She leaned her head against my shoulder and rested there. “My father would have loved you,” she said softly.

“And Greystone would feel the same about you.”

I heard her sniffle, and it tore at something deep inside me. Being away from her for more than an hour was unbearable. Miles would separate us, and it could be days or weeks that I didn’t see her. She would be alone, and I wouldn’t know what was happening. Everything inside me rebelled, but she couldn’t know.

“I can’t lose you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I won’t be far,” I told her. “No matter what happens, I will find you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” I said, the word carrying more weight than anything else I’d ever spoken.

She leaned up, her face hovering over mine as she looked into my eyes. “I’ll find you too.”

∞∞∞

Marinah

“I ’m incredibly sorry for what happened yesterday,” I told Maylin.

She laughed softly, her fingers deftly weaving my hair into braids befitting a true Shadow Warrior. I couldn’t care less what the Federation thought of my hairstyle choice. It was the only defiance they would be able to see.

“When Boot and I first mated, he almost killed Nokita,” she said. “It was one of the scariest things I ever witnessed. You do not want to see two Shadow Warriors fight, believe me.” She laughed again, shaking her head. “I forget that you’re one of them. Your secret is safe with me and Che. No one else will know.”

From King’s report, I already knew that Maylin and Che had kept my secret. The relief was immense. “Thank you,” I said sincerely.

“I will always owe you for my son’s life,” she replied, her tone softening.

I covered her hand with mine, stopping her movements. “You owe me nothing. Your son is part of our family, just like you.”

She paused, wiping away a tear, and I waited, giving her a moment.

“Pregnancy is hard on a woman when she wants to appear strong,” she said with a small, wry smile.

We both laughed at that.

“You are beautiful,” she said, admiring her handiwork as she finished the last braid. “And I am about to have a baby, so I must lie down. Would you fetch Axel for me?”

It took me a moment to register what she’d actually said. Her calm tone almost made me miss the urgency. “You’re having the baby now?”

“Not now, but soon. Maybe a few hours,” she replied, completely composed.

Holy cow. I jumped to my feet and bolted from the room, tearing into Axel’s medical domain like my legs were on fire. “The baby! It’s coming!” I shouted, breathless and wide-eyed.

“If you value my life, young lady, you will back away,” Axel said sharply.

I skidded to a halt, my brain catching up to his words. I glanced around. I didn’t see King.

“If you so much as touch me, he’ll scent it on you,” Axel continued. “Same goes for any woman who touches him, so don’t give me that look.”

He was right, of course, but now wasn’t the time to argue. “Baby. Maylin. Doctor,” I huffed slowly, making sure he understood the urgency.

“I’ll grab my bag. Go back to Maylin and tell her I’m coming,” he said, already moving toward the cabinet.

I turned on my heels and bolted back the way I came. Che was waiting in front of their door, practically vibrating with excitement.

“My brother is coming!” he announced, bouncing up and down.

“Yes, he is,” I said quickly. “I need you to go find King and stay with him until I come get you.”

He shook his head stubbornly. “That’s not fair,” he protested, kicking at the tile floor with a scuffed sneaker.

“Babies take a long time,” I explained. “And when they’re born, they’re bloody. You don’t want to see him until he’s all cleaned up.”

“Bloody? Cool! I’ll sneak in when no one’s looking,” he declared with a mischievous grin.

Save me.

“No,” I said firmly. “You’ll do as I say because you’re a good little boy, and you don’t want your mom mad at you.”

“She’s always mad at me,” he countered, trying to weasel his way out.

“King will be mad too,” I added, leveling him with a serious look.

His expression shifted, and I knew I’d finally gotten through to him.

“Now, go find King.”

Che took off running, and I exhaled a relieved breath. “Maybe I’ll have one just like him someday,” I muttered, shaking my head with a small smile.

When I entered the room, the smile vanished. Maylin was gripping the bedpost, her face tight with pain as she worked through a contraction.

“What can I do?” I asked quickly. “Axel’s on the way.”

The contraction finally ended, and she leaned against the post, breathing heavily.

“Do you need to lie down?” I asked, realizing I didn’t have the foggiest idea what she should be doing.

“I will when the pains are worse. Please rub my lower back between contractions and stop if one is coming,” Maylin said in a strained voice.

“I can do that.” I moved behind her and began rubbing her back, using firm, slow circles.

“Thank you, it helps,” she said, her body relaxing slightly under my hands.

“Your English has really improved,” I remarked.

“Nokita helps me.”

Interesting.

Axel entered the room just as the next contraction began. He placed his bag on the bed and quickly started laying out items on the small nightstand. His calm, methodical movements were a stark contrast to the tension buzzing through me.

When the contraction ended, I resumed rubbing Maylin’s lower back.

“Sheets and plastic are under the bed,” she said when she could speak again. “Can you put them on the bed before the next contraction? The baby is coming quickly.”

Under Axel’s direction, I pulled a sheet of painting plastic from beneath the bed and spread it over the mattress. I layered a clean sheet and towels over it, working quickly. A woman I didn’t recognize entered the room carrying a pan of steaming water.

I thought boiling water was just an old wives’ tale, but apparently not. Axel began washing his instruments in the water while I deliberately avoided looking at them. Warrior or not, some things were still terrifying, and Axel’s baby tools were at the top of that list.

“Stop, stop,” Maylin half-screamed, snapping me back to the moment.

I hastily jerked my hands away from her back as she breathed heavily, clearly in pain. A wave of panic hit me like a freight train.

Kill.

“You’re an idiot,” I told Ms. Beast. Kill hellhounds, keep babies safe, I explained silently, repeating it like a mantra to calm my nerves.

A strange warmth washed over me, something soft and almost fuzzy, like a shot of expensive vodka straight to my veins. Ms. Beast must have a thing for babies because she quieted instantly, her usual grumbles fading as I helped Axel move Maylin to the bed.

Maylin’s hand clamped down on mine with a grip that could rival a vice. For the most part, she seemed to be handling this better than I was. I guessed doing all the actual work took the fear out of the equation.

“Are you ready to help deliver a baby?” Axel asked calmly.

I glanced at the strained muscles in Maylin’s face and neck as she fought to push the baby from her body.

“Do I have a choice?” I asked desperately, doing everything I could to stay upright and not faint.

Baby. Ms. Beast whispered through me, her voice soft and strangely encouraging. She was just in time for the miracle, and if she didn’t behave, I’d find a way to punch her in the snout.

“You’re doing great, Maylin,” I said, because what else do you say in a completely unreal situation where you have zero analytical data and absolutely no idea what you’re doing?

It took another hour, which felt like ten.

“The head’s out,” Axel finally shouted, his voice entirely too loud for a baby’s new ears and for my very sensitive ones.

Maylin groaned deeply, her body straining one last time as the rest of the baby slid into Axel’s waiting hands. A few seconds later, a loud, healthy cry brought tears to my eyes. Axel didn’t announce if it was a boy or girl, it wasn’t necessary. Every Shadow Warrior child born in the last two hundred years had been male.

“He’s beautiful,” I said as Axel cleaned the wrinkled body, then wrapped the baby in a blanket and placed him on Maylin’s chest.

She looked down at the tiny bundle, love and exhaustion radiating from her tear-streaked face. “You shall be Boot,” she said quietly, her tears falling onto the baby’s blanket.

I realized I was crying too and wiped my eyes. Boot Junior would be a handful and undoubtedly the best brother Che could ever ask for.

About ten minutes later, Axel covered Maylin’s lower half and began tidying up his workspace. Seizing the opportunity, I slipped out of the room and found King and Che standing just outside the door.

“He’s gonna be big like me and strong too! We’ll kill hellhounds together and make their guts bleed—” Che said in the middle of an enthusiastic declaration when they both turned to look at me.

“Your brother might need a little time to grow before he’s your size,” I said with a huge grin I couldn’t hold back. “Would you like to meet him?”

Che bolted past me into the room, his excitement on high. I stayed where I was, looking up at King.

He stepped forward, wrapping me in his strong arms. It was the perfect time to cry for Boot, who would never see his son, and for the overwhelming mix of happiness and sadness swirling inside me.

“He’s beautiful,” I said, my voice breaking. “And she named him Boot. This is so unfair.”

King slid his fingers over my new braids, a soothing gesture that made the tears flow more freely.

Baby, Ms. Beast whispered softly.

I let out a laugh through my tears, causing King to pull back and look down at me, his brow furrowed in curiosity.

“Ms. Beast likes babies,” I explained, still smiling despite the ache in my chest.

His eyes darkened, and I felt a lump form in my throat. I swallowed hard. “I take it Mr. Beast likes babies too?” I asked cautiously.

King’s laugh echoed loudly in the cavernous hallway, rich and unapologetic. “All beasts like babies,” he replied.

That didn’t exactly comfort me. Since the war began, I’d never seriously considered the possibility of bringing a child into this chaotic, dangerous world. The idea had always seemed reckless.

But a baby with King? That would be something good in this completely fucked up world.

Baby, Ms. Beast whispered again, her tone filled with quiet longing.