Page 9

King

Marinah was in my bed, my arms wrapped around her, with one of her legs thrown over mine and a pillow covering her head. The small fingers of her right hand rested possessively on my chest, and it had been like this for hours. Every time I moved, she adjusted, using me as her personal pillow, realigning herself for maximum comfort.

It was late, or maybe early, depending on how you looked at it. Somewhere around three in the morning.

“Marinah,” I whispered.

Her soft grumble made me smile.

“I want to go hunting.”

Her relaxed body went rigid.

“For hellhounds?” she asked, her voice muffled from beneath the pillow.

I tugged it away, revealing the mass of hair covering her face. Pushing the strands back, I kissed her nose.

“For hellhounds.”

She shot out of bed and shifted into beast form before I could remind her to put her pants on first. Her claws, which she still hadn’t fully mastered, would shred her legs.

“Damn claws,” she growled.

I laughed as I got out of bed to help. I dressed her while she bounced on her tiptoes with nervous energy, unable to contain her excitement. Unlike male Shadow Warriors, her mind worked perfectly after she shifted, without needing time to burn off K5. I hadn’t spoken to her about it, but what she could do wasn’t just rare. Until her, it had been nonexistent to us.

“Remember, don’t let them bite or scratch you.” I tightened her leather straps and secured the sword she’d been practicing with. “Use your sword and keep clear of claws and teeth.”

“You’re sure we’ll find hellhounds?” she asked excitedly.

“I’m sure.”

I shifted into Beast, and we headed out. We moved to the water’s edge and ran south, farther away from the village. An hour later, we reached an uninhabited area where Beck’s reports detailed recent hellhound sightings and their migration patterns.

So far, all we’d discovered about their habits was that they entered the water and disappeared. The theory that they were committing mass suicide seemed too good to be true. Deep down, I knew there was something else going on, something we didn’t yet understand.

Beast settled into the rhythm of the run, and my mind slowly cleared.

I caught movement ahead and nudged Marinah with my elbow, pointing toward the area. Her snout stretched, and her teeth gleamed, a feral grin that showed just how much she’d changed. It wasn’t just her body that had transformed. Her entire psyche was different.

Fear was no longer a language she understood.

It terrified me, and it was one of the reasons I’d held off hunting. But she had to learn some time, and tonight, I could deny her nothing.

Two hellhounds loomed ahead, both large and heading toward the water.

“Remember, stay clear of claws and teeth,” I reminded her. The antidote was secured in a small case on my belt, but I’d rather not have to use it.

“This will be fun,” she replied with a grin, unable to contain her excitement.

Then, without waiting for me, she took off at full tilt, cutting off the hellhounds from their destination. Her sword gleamed as she positioned herself perfectly between them and the water.

She didn’t hesitate. With a high arc, she aimed her blade at the first hound, clearly intending to remove its head. But the thing turned at the last second, taking a deep slice to the shoulder instead. I moved to intercept the second hound before it could charge her.

I’d been drilling Marinah on patience, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at the throat. In her excitement, she’d clearly forgotten everything, but it didn’t stop her fun.

Her laughter echoed through the night, making me shake my head as the hound and I circled each other.

This was another mystery about the hellhounds we’d been encountering lately. Their fighting strategies were evolving. The one facing me was watching my blade, calculating my movements, waiting for the right moment just as I was.

“Yes!” Marinah shouted behind me, her triumph unmistakable.

I didn’t take my eyes off my opponent. It was a good thing, too, because the hound suddenly decided waiting wasn’t in his best interest. He charged low, protecting his throat.

I reacted instantly, hooking my claws into his stomach and flipping him onto his back. My blade came down fast, but it wasn’t the cleanest cut, and it didn’t finish the job.

“Need some help, baby?” Marinah teased from the sidelines, smug amusement in her voice.

“Keep your eyes peeled for more of these suckers, why don’t you,” I said as the hellhound rolled over, trying to crawl away.

I lifted my sword and brought it down. The head rolled, and the body collapsed in a heap.

I turned to see Marinah grinning, her face speckled with blood and gore.

“More,” she said, with a chilling, fang-filled grin.

We found the next group farther inland. Three hellhounds moved through an abandoned building.

I didn’t bother with warnings this time. Odds were good I’d be administering the antidote and digging poison from her before the night was over.

Marinah moved quickly, circling one hound and keeping it between herself and the second. Meanwhile, I bent low and ran past her, swiping the third hound just above the ankle. The blow caught its peroneus tertius, slowing it down as I crashed into the second hound trying to get in on the action with Marinah. Its claws swiped an inch from my jaw before my sword found its mark. I turned back and ended the one I’d wounded with a single strike through its neck.

Her hellhound was trickier than the last one she faced, fighting erratically, swinging its deadly claws with near misses that came within centimeters of her body. She slipped, trying to dodge one strike, and her feet slid out from under her. The hound charged. She flipped to her feet and jumped over its lowered head. Spinning around to face it, she swung her blade with enough force to take its head in one sweep.

Marinah grinned at me. “I like this,” she said gleefully. “Maybe even better than sex.”

“I must’ve done something wrong,” I teased.

Her deep laughter rang through the darkness. She was born to hunt.

“Are you ready to go home so I can disprove your sex theory?” I asked, raising my overlarge brows suggestively.

Her laugh hit the wind as she turned and sprinted toward the beach. She stopped at the shore for only a moment before heading back toward our home. I followed a short distance behind, watching her move. Her Warrior form ran with a sure, smooth glide that belied her size, every movement exuding power and grace.

She’d changed so much. The once-nervous woman I’d first met was now a warrior in every sense.

I stayed behind her, picking up speed when she did, matching her stride.

“You must want me bad!” I yelled, my voice carrying over the sound of the waves.

Her laughter floated back to me. “Arrogant much?” she called over her shoulder.

“Confident,” I shot back.

“If you want me, you better beat me home,” she challenged, picking up speed.

I easily kept up, letting her think she had the advantage. But when I finally decided to put an end to her madness and pass her, she sidestepped and kicked my ankle, sending me sprawling to the ground.

We were a hundred yards from the house, and it took me a quarter of that distance to regain my footing. My stride was longer, though, and I caught up to her ten feet from the house steps. I tackled her into the sand.

“I guess you win,” she said, grinning up at me.

“I always win,” I replied smugly.

“It’s that king complex that fills your head and makes you impossible to deal with.”

“Shift, Marinah,” I said, ignoring her jab.

She closed her eyes, and her body mutated back to human form. I scooped her into my arms and carried her inside.

“What about you?” she asked as we entered the bedroom.

I shifted while carrying her.

“Whoa,” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck as my size decreased, throwing off her balance slightly. Her wide-eyed surprise made me grin.

“Shower first,” I said, setting her down gently. “Then I’ll prove that sex is better than killing hellhounds.”

Her eyes raked over me as I removed my gear. “Afraid of a little hellhound blood?” she teased.

The fire in her gaze stopped me.

The shower could wait.