Page 26

King

If I thought Beast was irrational before, it was nothing compared to the unhinged monster he was now. Single-minded, he was driven by a primal need that I couldn’t fight.

Mate.

Find, I replied, surrendering to his will because we were on the exact same fucking page.

The first hour was spent avoiding the few humans I encountered. There should have been hundreds of people moving around during the day, but the streets were eerily empty, making it easier to avoid detection.

What unsettled me more was the high-frequency noise gnawing at Beast’s sensitive ears. It was electronic and piercing. I knew what it was for. Hellhounds. The Federation was drawing them in.

Shaking my head did little to alleviate the irritating hum, and my frustration grew with each step.

The door Marinah had shown me the last time I saw her was propped open with a small piece of wood. It screamed trap , but ignoring it wasn’t an option.

I entered quickly, moving straight toward the opposite wall, bracing for gunfire but there was nothing. No sounds besides the persistent hum. No humans in sight.

Relying on scent, I tracked Marinah to her room, then followed the trail she’d left behind. It led me to the Shadow Warriors’ quarters, now empty, and then to an interrogation room.

Her scent lingered there, along with that of a male human.

Beast stilled as the unmistakable smell of her blood hit me like a punch to the gut.

Even before Beast growled the word, the need burned through me.

Kill.

Gladly.

I pushed forward, following the trail as the red haze clouded my vision and the K-5 coursed through me like wildfire. My rage boiled over, and I knew that if I encountered anyone before I found Marinah, their life would be forfeit.

Five minutes later, I barely had time to react when Marinah came hurtling around the corner.

She threw her arms around me, claws digging into my back as she buried her snout against my shoulder. Relief surged through me as I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

“You’re hurt,” I said gruffly, inhaling her scent.

She was alive, and in one piece, or close enough.

“Head wound,” she said, her voice muffled against me. “Not serious. We’re in trouble.”

She didn’t let go, and Beast purred, content in a way I’d never felt before.

After taking an even deeper breath to fill my lungs with her scent again, I managed to speak rationally. “Soldiers are hunting us. Nokita’s keeping them busy. Do you know where Labyrinth is?”

Her massive head nodded against my shoulder. “We’re heading there now. They’ve been evacuating humans, and whatever they’re planning, it isn’t good.”

“Do you hear the high-pitched hum?” I asked.

She pulled back slightly, tilting her head in thought, then shook it. “I thought that was from my head injury, just ringing in my ears. What is it?”

“They’re attracting hellhounds to the tunnels.”

Her eyes darkened, and she let out a low growl. “We need to find Labyrinth.”

I pressed a grin against her neck, the warmth of her scent steadying me. “Then you need to pull your claws out of my skin and hope I don’t bleed to death.”

“Damn, I’m sorry,” she said, carefully extracting her claws. She lifted her hands, inspecting them in the dim light, and her jaws pulled into a sheepish grin. “I seriously need a manicure.”

Despite everything, I chuckled.

No matter the danger, Marinah would find humor in any situation.

Her friends didn’t bat an eye when she introduced me. I took Harris from the man she introduced as Landan, cradling his battered body.

“She promised not to tell my soldiers about this,” Harris muttered after we’d traveled a hundred yards.

“About what?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“About being carried like a baby,” he said, coughing afterward.

I bared my teeth, a Warrior’s version of a smile, and met his bloodshot gaze. “I’m not Marinah, and your soldiers will hear about everything.”

He chuckled weakly, the sound turning into a gurgling cough.

The metallic tang of his blood was sharp in the air, and I knew he needed immediate medical attention.

I calculated his chances.

My Warriors were just beyond the wall, hunkered down and waiting. Nokita would meet up with them soon, but if he didn’t make it, the Warriors knew the plan: wait one hour, then storm the tunnels.

It was almost time.

I glanced down at Harris. His breathing was shallower now, each labored gasp pulling him closer to unconsciousness. We needed him to stay awake long enough to find Labyrinth.

“He needs a doctor,” Skylar said, her voice cracking.

Marinah answered before I could. “The doctors are important to the Federation. They would have been evacuated first.”

“I’m fine,” Harris rasped, followed by a violent cough. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he gasped again, blood staining his lips.

Skylar turned to Marinah; her face streaked with tears. Her voice dropped to a desperate whisper. “Please don’t let him die.”

Marinah met her friend’s gaze, her silence speaking louder than words.

She knew as well as I did that it would take a miracle to save Harris.

Skylar looked away.

We kept moving, the narrow halls echoing with our footsteps.

When we reached a fork in the corridor, I stopped. “Which way?”

“Left,” Harris murmured so softly that even with my Warrior-enhanced hearing, I barely caught it.

Beast tensed inside me, his instincts silently giving a warning.

I froze and held up a hand.

A second later, the sound reached us.

Claws skittered against cement, closing in fast.

Hellhounds.

I pivoted, handed Harris off to Landan, and put myself between them and the threat.

“Run,” I growled.

Marinah’s head snapped toward me. She heard it too.

For once, she didn’t argue.

She grabbed Skylar’s hand and led them quickly down the corridor. They barely made it a few yards before Marinah skidded to a halt. Skylar nearly crashed into her.

“They’re coming from this direction too,” Marinah warned me.

Damn it.

The Federation’s plan was obvious now.

They were flooding the tunnels with hellhounds to wipe us out.

The tunnel lights flickered once, then cut out, plunging us into darkness. Beast’s power surged. He was ready for the fight.

“Stay close,” I growled, my voice cutting through the darkness. “We’re not dying here.”