Page 8

Six weeks later

Marinah

King’s blow slammed me against the wall, rattling my brain. I landed on my feet and sprang back, channeling my frustration into the left hook I threw at his head. He dodged it, but it was a setup for the right uppercut that connected with his jaw.

We were both bloody, and I didn’t care. The sexual frustration I’d been dealing with had taken me past the point of giving a damn about a little blood. Morning, noon, and night, King kissed me like I was the air he breathed, only to walk away as if it was nothing important. I was infuriated. I’d done everything short of flat-out begging him to have sex with me. Six weeks of this agonizing tease, coexisting, resisting, and pretending we didn’t crave each other had left me wound so tight with frustration I was ready to explode. Even now, bloody and bruised, I’d take him right here, right now.

Mate.

“ Oh, shut up, ” I muttered silently to Ms. Beast.

The beast inside me wasn’t some separate entity, but sometimes she acted like it. King had been right, though—it was easier to manage her if I thought of her as a distinct personality. Ms. Beast talked, complained, and made me feel physical pain when I ignored her. In return, I did my best to control her and resisted giving in to her demands too often. Mainly these were the ones that involved forcing myself on King.

As the weeks passed, it had gotten harder to keep her in check, especially whenever King’s beast surfaced. That was when Ms. Beast became almost impossible to restrain. If we let our beasts take over, they could probably settle this whole damn mess without the beatings we were dishing out. But it was a pipe dream. King liked to kiss and run. In that exact order. It left me in a state of perpetual torment.

A whoosh of air came at me as I dodged King’s fist and sprinted to the far side of the room. Placing one foot at hip level against the wall, I flipped my body back and over, avoiding his next kick.

We were inside a small, abandoned warehouse King had cleaned out, giving us a private place to train in beast form. It was our own personal dojo. King was a patient teacher, but now that he knew all the moves Boot had taught me, he was impossible to beat. Not that it stopped me from trying.

Our other problem was the Federation.

Something was going on, and King wasn’t talking. That was never a good sign, and it usually meant I wouldn’t like the news. Beck had been coming to the house daily, updating King on all the kingly matters that needed his attention. Whenever Beck showed up, I made myself scarce, usually by cooking or running.

Today, though, something was different. After Beck left, King had been unusually quiet and pensive. Normally, he’d fill me in on the latest news about his island domain, but this time, he refused to open up. His mood grew more sour throughout the morning. It grated on me until I suggested hitting the dojo.

We warmed up and began light sparring, then went heavier. My mind wandered when I should have been paying attention.

Shifts to beast form had become smoother and, as promised, less painful. I gained more control each day. When we ran, Ms. Beast usually took the reins. I easily snapped her back just to test myself. King had promised to take me out to hunt hellhounds soon, and I was past ready.

Boot’s baby was due any time, and from what I’d read about Shadow Warrior history, Warrior babies had a gestation period of only six months. Human women couldn’t carry longer than that due to the baby’s rapid growth. I was learning everything I could about my new family, but I wanted to know more.

King’s foot connected with my jaw, snapping me back into the moment. I turned with a growl, snapping my teeth in his direction. He dodged easily, trying to grab me in his signature Neanderthal move. I didn’t fall for it this time. With a snarl, I launched myself at him, bringing my right arm up just as he lifted his to block.

I drove my left fist into his abdomen. The effort earned me a blinding punch to the side of my head that rattled my brain and shook the cobwebs loose. Letting out another low growl, I dropped to my haunches, seriously contemplating throwing up.

When I opened my eyes, King’s large snout was inches from mine, his dark gaze fixed on me. His expression held deep concern.

“Sucker,” I muttered, and at the same time, I used my right arm to sweep his legs out from under him.

He fell, pulling me down on top of him in one of his annoyingly graceful, king-like moves.

We were snout to snout, breathing hard, our sharp teeth bared.

The skin on King’s face shimmered, and a few seconds later, he was human. “We need to talk,” he said.

I shifted, the transition smooth and nearly painless. I think there was still pain, but I’d grown accustomed to it and barely noticed. I actually enjoyed the transition. Resting my head on his chest, I exhaled, hoping he was finally opening up.

“I’m not going to like it, am I?” I asked softly.

“No.”

I definitely didn’t like the sound of that one word. “You want to do this here or back at the house?” I asked.

“The house.”

He stood, pulling me to my feet while avoiding my eyes.

Oh, joy.

It took us fifteen minutes to return home. Funny how I’d started thinking of it as home. I hadn’t had that feeling since I was a kid. After the first wave of hellhounds, I moved to the military compound, and even my cramped college dorm had seemed like a palace. The cot in my quarters at the Federation never felt like home. But King’s place was different. It held King. That made it our haven. I knew it, Ms. Beast knew it, and now we just needed King to get on the same page.

I climbed behind him on the bike. He drove like he always did, completely fearless. If worry hadn’t been eating at me, I would have enjoyed it.

When we arrived, we went straight to our separate bathrooms to shower. Afterward, we met in the kitchen nook, the place where most of our serious conversations took place. Over the past few weeks, we’d sat at this table countless times as I relayed the Shadow Warrior history I’d read late into the night. But today felt different. The usual camaraderie between us was missing, replaced by a heavy tension I didn’t like.

“Spill it,” I said after we took our seats.

“The president of the Federation wants to speak with you. He’s asking for proof of life.”

I stiffened. When it came to the Federation, I felt like a traitor. That guilt had been constant torment, one of the reasons for my late-night study sessions. The worry over indecisiveness gnawed at my insides. Reading was the only thing that soothed me.

I glanced at King, my mind spinning as I tried to make sense of why my boss, better known as the president, suddenly cared about my existence.

King wasn’t finished, and I knew I’d like his next sentence even less.

“Their electromagnetic activity has doubled. They’re encountering hellhounds on the outskirts of Washington.”

That changed everything. “For how long?” I asked as his words tumbled around inside my head.

“A month.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted the answer to my next question. “How long have you known?”

“A month.”

I stared at the man I loved. Yes, I used the “L” word. Neither of us had acknowledged our feelings, but we both knew what this was.

The other reason for my restless nights was my constant need for King. I wanted to share his entire life, including his bed. The need was there even when he wasn’t.

My gaze hardened. “Did you plan on telling me?”

“Not unless you asked,” he said with a boyish smile that didn’t belong on his rugged face. I wasn’t about to fall for it.

“Is there a reason you didn’t tell me?” I pressed.

He shrugged. “You worry about it constantly, and you needed more time to control your beast. If you were a male, that would’ve taken over a year. But as you’ve discovered in our history texts, some female Warriors were able to do what you’ve done.” He shrugged again, but this time his expression betrayed him. “I don’t want to lose you.”

I’d tried bringing up our current non-situation before, but he always changed the subject, refusing to discuss our so-called relationship. I was officially done with his attitude, and I was bringing it out in the open.

“If you want me so badly, why don’t you do more than kiss me?”

The telltale signs of his beast flickered in his eyes. “I touch you every day.”

“You kiss me, you hold my hand, you beat the shit out of me. I’m talking about sex. Are male Warriors deformed or something?”

His lips quirked with humor, and I couldn’t help but glare. I’d seen him naked once, and I knew for a fact there was nothing wrong downstairs.

“I was waiting for you to beg,” he said, tossing out the line just to irritate me.

It took me a few seconds to realize he was joking. But I was done with jokes, evasion, and living a celibate life.

“King. Make love to me.” It was a demand, pure need wrapped into it.

He contemplated my words, like he wasn’t in a rush to answer.

“Now?” he asked calmly. “Or would you prefer to be wined and dined first?”

I might need to kill him.

“Now,” I ground out, glaring at the most stubbornly sexy man on the planet.

“You’ve read some of our history,” he said. “You know what mating means and how it will affect us both. We won’t have the luxury of staying away from my people while our beasts adjust. And it won’t just be me. Your beast will behave irrationally if another woman so much as comes near me. Beck and I have discussed this, and he’s still unsure if it’s wise.”

My jaw clenched, and the thought of killing Beck slowly with maximum creativity sent a wave of satisfaction through me. King had discussed our lack of a sex life with Beck and hadn’t bothered to share with me.

Kill.

I wasn’t sure if Ms. Beast meant to kill King or Beck, but her killing urge made me happy today.

Unfortunately for King, I was tired of my feelings being dismissed. He said he respected me and would never take advantage of me. Yada, yada, yada. He drove me insane, and I wanted to kill him half the time. I locked eyes with him, refusing to look away.

“I love you and Ms. Beast feels the same way,” I said simply.

He moved so fast I barely registered it, and then I was in his arms. His lips, the ones I was very familiar with, crashed into mine. His hands moved, and he lifted me effortlessly, cradling me against him. He ended the kiss and carried me out of the room.

If I’d known all I had to do was say I loved him, I wouldn’t have wasted so much damn time.

He sat me down on his bed and took two steps back. “Your beast has accepted me?”

This man was testing my patience.

“Ms. Beast is tired of you wasting time,” I said flatly.

“You call her Ms. Beast?” he asked, the grin tugging at his lips ramping up my irritation.

I lifted my hands in a shrug. “You have your word, and I have mine. Are we getting on with this or what?” The frustration in my voice should’ve been enough to tip him off that I was done talking.

He tilted his head slightly. “You realize you could shift while mating.”

“What?” My stomach dropped. No way. Absolutely not.

“It’s rare, but with you newly changed, you need to be aware of it.”

“It won’t happen,” I said quickly, though I wasn’t entirely convinced. Crap. It better not. The short hair that covered my body when I shifted would take “I must shave my legs to be with a guy” to a horrifying new level. No snouts, no big teeth, and definitely no all-over body hair.

Then something clicked in my thick, lust-addled brain.

“Are you afraid of me, King?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

His gaze raked over me, taking in every inch of my clothed body. His blue eyes were so intense they almost seemed to shift to a new color. They also made it clear that King wasn’t afraid of anything.

“There’s no coming back from this, Marinah,” he said. Our gazes stayed locked. “Fear can’t be anywhere in this mix.”

“Prove it,” I whispered, the husky edge to my voice surprising even me.

King stepped forward, and I spread my knees to make room for him. He tugged at the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it somewhere unimportant. What was important was the solid wall of rippling muscle inches from my tongue. I’d wanted to taste him for so long. Every time I tried when we kissed, he’d back off. I was done holding back the physical ache in my body, the need to touch him everywhere and taste him in the same places.

Lifting my hands, I placed them flat against his abs and watched as he inhaled sharply while my fingers slid across the muscled ridges. I let them roam higher, circling his pecs and noticing how his nipples pebbled under my touch. His breath hitched, and then he reached for the bottom of my shirt, pulling it off in one fluid motion. Before I could react, he unclipped my bra and tossed it aside like it was nothing.

His eyes smoldered, their intensity making my heart race to the point of explosion.

He took my hands and pulled me up so I was standing. He unzipped my pants and quickly stripped them off. I watched as he removed his own clothes.

Finally, we stood gloriously naked.

My gaze swept his body, taking in every inch of flesh I’d wanted to explore. He was beautiful, each line and flow of muscle speaking to the raw power his body held.

His hand came up, grasping my shoulder, and he pulled me against him. His mouth crashed down on mine.

This kiss was different. It spoke of need, and there would be no stopping. He held nothing back as I drank him in, savoring his taste while needing more.

I ended up on my back, pressed into the bed as King’s lips moved along my neck. Each small nip made me arch against him, my body begging for more, needing all of him. His lips trailed to my breasts, my belly, even further. I writhed beneath him, gasping for each breath.

The world around me stopped. No thoughts of the Federation, shifting right now, or even Maylin’s baby slipped past the feel of what King was doing to me. I’d craved this and at the same time had no idea what this entailed. It was everything. Our bodies syncing with our beasts as we did our mating dance of love, lust, and perfection.

He worshiped me with his hands and lips, a nip here, a gentle caress there. Every part of me loved it, loved him, and then, suddenly, I was impatient for so much more.

Our thoughts aligned. He moved my body into position to accept his, leaning over me with a look of pure need. Our gazes locked, the moment stretching into something timeless.

“You’re mine, Marinah,” he said, possession and promise woven into the words.

“And you’re mine,” I choked out as he slowly slid inside my body.

I’d ached for this. It had invaded all my dreams, and those dreams didn’t come close.

His powerful rhythm stayed slow until I could no longer take it. My nails dug into his back.

“Harder,” I whispered, needing a faster pace. Needing him untamed.

King’s restraint disintegrated. The power of his beast and mine took me to a place I’d never been. His body slammed into me, filling me to the point of no return.

The tension built, keeping me on the precipice for endless moments, locking in the taste of our combined scents, the power of two Shadow Warriors, giving us the balance that made us whole. Then, the world shattered around me. I didn’t see stars; I saw galaxies forming in my mind. Their explosions took me with them. I shattered into small pieces and reformed into King’s mate.

Wave after wave of bliss wrecked my flesh, my peace, my mind.

Mate.