She smiles and walks over to me. Her eyes are snapping in challenge which I ignore. “What are we going to do with him?”
I look at the prisoner before meeting her eyes and don’t say a word.
“No,” she shakes her head. “That’s not happening.”
What is it about authority that Marinah does not understand? It’s out of her hands, and I don’t bother replying.
“King?” She leans in closer, her eyes steaming with anger. “You are not killing him. He’s not all here mentally, and he is not the enemy.”
“He’s dangerous.”
“No, he was scared, and he didn’t shoot. He hasn’t shown any type of violent behavior since he arrived.”
“That was a few hours ago and not enough time to make that determination.”
One of her claws flick, and she presses it slightly into the skin of my arm. “It’s been twelve hours. I won’t stand still and let you kill him.”
Beast grumbles at her authoritative tone. “This is not a democracy,” I say flatly.
Her entire body goes rigid, and her dark eyes appear even darker. “Mating is a democracy, and if it isn’t, I’ll be rethinking things,” she snaps.
She’s actually sexy when she’s irritated. And I’m not nearly so dumb that I say so. “Look around you, Marinah. My men will follow my orders. You are one of my men, and the sooner you accept that the better.”
Her claw slides away without leaving blood which surprises me. She rises and goes to Axel who’s returned to Garret’s side. I’m sure he’s trying to avoid as much of our argument as possible. They begin talking, and I tune them out. I’m on edge. We’re in danger, and my mate is upset.
Same day, different country.
Chapter Eighteen
Marinah
I refuse to think about King right now. His panties are in a twist, and the poor man is suffering. It can’t be comfortable. I also know that nothing I say or do will make a difference. He needs time to ponder his idiot behavior. If he insists on Cosway’s life and holds to his edict, we’ll have another problem, and it won’t be pretty.
I do know King won’t be killing the prisoner. Cosway is about as dangerous as a newborn infant. He needs care and good food before any decisions are made about his well-being.
The biggest problem we’re going to have over the next few days is boredom. I’m no good at sitting still. I sat and waited for death for far too many years, and I no longer think of myself as fodder.
To kill time, I go through my pack and reassemble my treasures so they’re at the bottom of the pack and the essentials are easier to get to. That kills all of ten minutes. I wipe my wide brow with the back of my hand. It’s going to be warm today. It’s sad when you can smell yourself, and you don’t like the odor. I so need a bath.
King, Labyrinth, and Beck go deep into conversation in the far corner of the roof. Cosway smiles at me, and I move closer. “You wouldn’t know of a place to take a bath, would you?”
His green eyes light up. “Pretty Butterfly.”
“Stinky butterfly.” He starts laughing, and I can’t help but smile.
“Riverwalk, yep. Water good.”
“There’s a Riverwalk?” I ask excitedly.
“Good water, yep.” He bobs his head up and down.
This will be a no-go for King; I know it. “Can you give me directions?”
He looks around with his snappy head movements, and I think I’ve lost him. “Map, yep. Show map.” His smile is huge when he looks back at me.
I grab a map from my pack and hand it to him. He opens it and looks it over before running his grimy finger across the surface. It’s hard to be this close to him for so long because if I’m ripe, he’s completely spoiled. I swear he’s gone swimming in urine.
A shadow passes over me where I’m squatting beside Cosway. I look up and it’s King. “He says there’s a Riverwalk and clean water.” King’s ginormous teeth crisscross when he grinds his jaw together. I cross my arms and wait.
King looks down at the ground, and I almost smile because I do the same thing when I’m counting. I think it helps. When his eyes meet mine, I know he needed to count longer. “This is not a resort.”
I stand up so we’re almost eye to eye. “Is that really what you wanted to say?”
He counts again. This time he seems even angrier. “If the princess wants a bath, she’ll get a bath.”
I blink once. Then twice. “Do you want a bloody nose?”
He throws up his hands and stomps away.
I look down at my new best friend who knows where I can take a bath. “You get to go too.”
“Good, good. Feed the kiddies.”
That grabs my attention. “The what?”
“Feed the kiddies. Kiddies hungry.”
Oh, hell no. “King,” I shout and Cosway jumps. King turns my way. “He has children. We need to go now.”
***
The “kiddies” are a short distance from the river according to Cosway’s directions. We divide the men evenly with Labyrinth staying behind for added protection. Beck is on the same page as King and doesn’t trust our prisoner in the least. He grumbles as much as King does.
Beck attaches a rope around Cosway’s neck, and I hold my peace. I’ll be fighting both Beck and King over Cosway’s life if needed. They are not killing an innocent. I also stop dreaming about water. If we find children, a bath won’t be as important as getting them to safety.
We spot a coyote in the distance as we go through metal and cement debris on the main road. Besides mice and rats, it’s the first animal we’ve seen. We travel a smaller side road about thirty minutes into our trip that’s even more hazardous. I can’t help wondering if we’re being set up. Cosway keeps us moving and seems to know his way. I expect the scenery to change, but Cosway keeps us in the city.
Two hours later, I’m lost and still Cosway leads us on. Occasionally, he lifts his hand and rubs the skin beneath the rope. It chafes, and Beck ignores my killing glares. King is in silent mode again. He must be finding it really hard with me as one of his soldiers. I have no idea what to do to put things right. The continued stress of our disagreement is starting to get to me and Ms. Beast. She’s decided everyone needs to die.
“Kiddies, kiddies,” Cosway shouts and pulls against the rope Beck is holding. We aren’t in a forest neighborhood at all. At one time, this was a prime corporate center from the amount of glass fallen and the gutted tall buildings. I hear a small noise, and Cosway pulls again.
“Hungry,” he says.
I see a small area ahead that’s been turned into a shelter. There’s even a potted plant by the swath of material that’s used as a door.
King stops me with a hand on my arm. He walks around in front of me and throws the material back. One look inside and he pulls his head out. The look he gives me is confusing, and he’s grinding his teeth again. Then I hear it. One soft “meow” is followed by another.
“Kiddies, kiddies.”
When I pull back the blanket, I’m right and his kiddies are kittens. Five of the most adorable things you’ve ever seen. They can’t be more than a few weeks old. There’s a can of powdered milk on the ground and a dry tin plate with a water and milk mixture next to it. I step inside and quickly search for weapons. I find books and small trinkets along with a picture. I lift the frame of three people. It’s a man and woman with a small girl between them. He probably found it.
“Send him in, it’s clear,” I call out. A minute later, Cosway enters the small enclosure and goes to his knees. The kittens meow and start climbing him as he lifts them and cuddles each one against his chest and neck. I glance over my shoulder and see King looking in. I can’t help myself and mouth, “You’re an idiot.” He knows I’m talking about killing a man who rescues kittens. King only shakes his head when I give him the same evil eye I gave Beck.
Cosway feeds the kittens and leaves them with a full bowl even after they finish their meal. I’m guessing he’s been doi
ng this in case he can’t get back to them right away. I’ve also figured out that the urine smell is actually from the kittens. They aren’t litterbox trained, and the entire hut smells like Cosway and the kittens.
Cosway takes us to the river next. It’s only a short distance away. The entire area is beautiful. An oasis in the city, or it must have been at some point.
Beck didn’t place the rope back on Cosway, and he moves faster as he heads for the water. No one stops him when he carefully pulls his shirt over his head facing the water. It’s when his pants go down that King takes a step forward. And then Cosway turns.
“Crap,” says King under his breath.
Oh boy. Or should I say, oh girl? Cosway is female, and she’s grinning from ear to ear. “Good water.”
The look I give King and Beck could freeze a hot coal.
Chapter Nineteen
King
If I could be right just once, it might help in dealing with my mate. No, I’m not killing a woman.
Beck and I don’t bathe. We give the women time to enjoy the water. If Marinah doesn’t like my smell, too bad. War is not the time for roses.
“We need to grab the kittens on the way out,” Marinah tells me when they’re finally ready to leave.
“We are not taking the kittens with us.”
Twenty minutes later, we collect them. Maybe we need a marriage counselor because this mating stuff is harder than it looks. Marinah helps Cosway carry the darn cats back to the roof. Their food is stuffed in her pack. I now have a human woman, an injured human, and five kittens. I don’t think the situation could get worse. I bite that thought off. Of course it could with Marinah in the picture. I all but groan out loud.
Beck and Labyrinth are doing everything they can not to laugh in my face, and I don’t blame them. Point me in any direction and I’ll find something to kill. Collecting people isn’t my thing. I look at Marinah holding the smallest kitten. It looks like some kind of patchwork quilt. She brings the tiny body up to her giant jaws, and the kitten rubs its small head against her teeth.
This is worse than her climbing my shoulders naked over a snake, but it’s me who won’t be living it down. I don’t like cats.
“Are we starting the official Shadow Warrior Humane Society?” Beck asks from about ten feet away because he’s smarter than he looks. If eyes could kill, he’d be laying out cold on the ground, and Missy would be widowed.
“You have a mate too. I don’t know why you’re giving me a hard time,” I say instead of removing his head.
“That I do. Never knew life could be so… interesting.”
“I’m the one thinking rationally here. We can always eat the cats if food is scarce.”
He laughs knowing Marinah would scalp me. “Ruth would love one.”
My cold stare does the trick, and Beck walks away. Marinah heads over carrying her kitten. I already know it’s hers. I could make a fool out of myself again and tell her no. I don’t think I can handle the blowback from my men if I do. In the end, we all know I’ll be giving her what she wants.
“Here, you need to hold him.” She thrusts the small body at me, and I have no choice but to take the cat. “Isn’t he precious.”
I bring him to my nose and sniff. “Smells like food.”
She bats my arm, her claws leaving their mark. “No, he doesn’t. He’s adorable.” The kitten squirms in my hands, and I look at Marinah perplexed. “Cuddle him and he’ll stop squirming.”
Cuddle him. I need a large deep hole to jump into. I glance toward Axel whose watching me with a sly grin. Beck and Labyrinth share the joke too with a few snickers. Here goes nothing. I lift the kitten higher and put him between my jaw and shoulder. A few seconds later, he calms and begins purring.
“I knew you could do it.” Her smile shows all her teeth, and she looks so darn proud.
I hand him back. “Take him.”
She lifts him from my hands and bows slightly. “I’m on it, your majesty.”
The next two days are going to be hell.
***
That evening, Garret sits up for five minutes. It’s after Axel assists him to the ledge to relieve himself. He’s out cold a few minutes after he lays back down. The good news is Axel says it’s a positive sign. I told everyone to keep a close watch on Cosway and to be sure she doesn’t get near their weapons. I don’t trust that she won’t flip any second and try to kill us all. Yeah, I’m reaching, but I don’t like the unknown, and Cosway is unknown. For anyone to survive as she has, she’s had to use natural instincts and guts. She’s killed or she wouldn’t be here.
The third morning we begin packing our gear. We’re setting off at noon, giving Garret a few extra hours. Axel will be carrying him. Marinah has two of the kittens, and Cosway carries three. We have the kitten food and a few items from Cosway’s makeshift home divided between our packs. The picture Marinah discovered is of a young Cosway with her parents and it’s coming with us.
The biggest worry is General Smythe and a possible ambush. We’ve seen no sign of anyone else in the city. Yesterday, Beck and Labyrinth disposed of the soldier’s bodies before their ripe smell hit our rooftop camp.
It’s been quiet. Too quiet.
I notice Marinah talking to Garret and Axel. Beast has no problem. I glance at the new woman. Usually, a Warrior can scent the difference between a male and female. In Cosway’s case, the cat urine made it impossible. I should have paid closer attention to Beast when he didn’t react to Marinah being near her.
I take point with Marinah behind me, Cosway behind her, Labyrinth, Axel with Garret, and finally Beck taking our tail. We move at half the speed we came here at. Axel never argued over leaving. He knows the risks, and he knows I gave him more time than I should. Once we’re out of the city, we don’t take the same path we were on before. I’m worried our original trail has been compromised.
Our breaks are quiet, with little talking. Axel cares for Garret, and Marinah cares for Cosway and the kittens. I keep to myself, licking my wounds. Yeah, they’re pride wounds. I’m completely out of my element with Marinah, and I don’t know what to do.
The first night is stilted. She sleeps beside me in my arms, but little is said. I lay awake absorbing her scent and trying to make heads or tails out of my new life. I don’t think I can keep her safe, and the knowledge is killing me.
We’re halfway into our second day, marching on a high ridge, when we spot someone approaching from the south, and we take cover. A few minutes later, I can see it’s Nokita. I don’t know how he found us, but something’s wrong. We start a slow jog in his direction, and he heads our way after seeing us. It’s ten minutes before we meet up.
“There’s a large contingency of Federation soldiers descending on the northern outpost. They have hellhounds, but we’re unsure how many. We’ve pulled Warriors from the other outposts, and they’re in transit. After you left, the women and children were moved to the northern outpost, and they’re in imminent danger.”
I look behind me and decide. “Labyrinth, you’re traveling with Axel and Garret.” I glance at Marinah. “You’re with them for further protection. Beck, you’re with me and we’re moving fast.”
“King?” Marinah asks after I’ve turned, ready to leave immediately.
“Take me with you.”
She doesn’t follow orders, and it makes the current situation even more deadly. I nod and we take off.
Axel speaks up. “Take Labyrinth too. I’ve got these two and you need the help.”
I look at Labyrinth, and he falls in with us.
“Bye bye, little butterfly,” Cosway says sadly behind us once Marinah hands off her kittens.
Chapter Twenty
Marinah
King is still angry. I don’t know how to open the door to let this go. I don’t like things this way, and it makes me insecure. It bothers him that I don’t obey his orders, and I promise myself I will do my best. I don’t want someone to die because of me. I also don’t know what
I’ll do if someone needs saving and it’s “dangerous” for the little Shadow Warrior.
I groan silently. I don’t like this at all.
We run at a much quicker pace than we took when we came here. It will still take three days to get to the outpost because we don’t have an airplane picking us up. We sleep two hours the first night, and we start off again. The last thing I would do is complain. We speak little. I can’t stop thinking about Ruth and Missy, and I know Beck is as worried as I am.
Three days is a lifetime when those you love are in danger.
***
We enter the northern outpost at midnight. It’s eerily quiet, and apprehension grips me. It’s too quiet.
“Marinah,” Ruth calls and before I know it, her spindly little arms and legs are wrapped around me.
Missy runs out and grabs her. “I told you no. It’s too dangerous. Get back inside, now.” Missy shakes the child like I’ve never seen her do before. I guess I shouldn’t mention Ruth’s brains rattling in her skull from the look on Missy’s face. I wisely keep my mouth shut.
Before I have time to greet Missy, Beck lifts her and Ruth into his arms several feet off the ground, and Missy buries her face in his chest. Ruth squirms down and looks at me with a shrug and an expression that says, “totally gross.” Missy leans away from Beck. “We think the attack is coming in a few hours. They sent us their conditions three days ago saying we had a week to comply. They want all able-bodied men and women sent to the Federation, but they aren’t giving us the week.” She tucks her head into his chest again, and it’s hard to hear, but I make out the words. “We have the Shadow Warriors hidden outside the walls along the upper ridge. We figure, if the Federation sends hellhounds in first like they did with the other outpost, it was safest.” She rests her head back on his chest for a moment. “We didn’t think you would make it here in time.”
“Inside,” King says and herds us to the house Missy is using.
“Can we train tomorrow?” Ruth asks once we’re inside.
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