Next, to the Shadow Warriors detriment, came the betrayal by the new U.S. Federation who took over when the old government crumbled. The Federation wanted the Shadow Warriors under their control for experimentation. It didn’t matter that the Warriors saved humanity, they turned into ten-foot monsters with ginormous teeth and claws and had to be contained.
Another short war broke out between the Federation and the Warriors, and more people died, including the Shadow Warriors’ leader, Greystone. When the dust settled, a treaty was reached and as part of the deal, the Shadow Warriors were given the island of Cuba. King became their new leader until I invaded his space. That’s why I’m sitting by the pool, researching a world that was unknown to me a short time ago.
With a spark of awareness, I lift my head and look over my shoulder. King is heading toward me. I can’t hear his footsteps but Ms. Beast, the seething monster inside me, knows he’s coming. I’ve been noticing “the awareness” phenomenon more and more along with several others connected to mating. It’s another question I have about female Warriors. A mated Warrior pair hasn’t happened in centuries, and I’m discovering some interesting side effects associated with our union. A written, preferably in English, rule book would be…perfect.
I also have an awareness of other Warriors, and it’s growing stronger. It’s nothing like the bond I share with King, but it’s there. King calls it invisible threads of energy that connect the men to their alpha. Those threads did not leave him when I became alpha. My appeal that we should lead together and start a new, modern trend falls on deaf ears. The universe hates me.
The sound of my mate’s boots finally hits my ears, and I glance down at the journal in my hands, pretending to be engrossed. He enters the room and strides to the water, a silent predator that Ms. Beast has no problem tracking. I don’t look up when he sits beside me and removes his boots and socks. I do hear the slight pleasurable moan he makes when he places his feet in the cool water. A satisfying shiver passes through me.
Mate, Ms. Beast whispers inside my head.
I finally became accustomed to her angry and sometimes bloody nudges at King, but now she rolls over and purrs much like Callie when he’s near. He relaxes beside me while I continue pretending to read. His presence alone is enough to distract me, and yes, my lower stomach clenches at his nearness. His musky Warrior scent drowns out the chlorine, and it’s hard to remember why I’m so angry.
The king finally speaks. “I had the kitchen hold dinner until you’re finished sulking.”
My eyes snap to his in disbelief. He did not just say that! His gaze remains steady on mine. When we’re alone, he doesn’t lower his eyes because Ms. Beast accepts him, and up until now, I’ve loved that about our private time. I bite back the answer I want to give because nothing good will come of it.
His voice is low, his eyes laughing when he speaks again. “Let it out, baby; you’ll feel better.”
“Baby?” I keep my voice steady, my lips tight.
“Do you want to be cuddled like a six-month-old?”
Murder is the only solution and I can’t help asking, “Do you have a death wish?”
King slowly stands and places his hand out. I stare at it for a moment before resting the journal on the pool deck. I place my fingers in his and feel the familiar burst of energy his touch brings. He pulls me up so I’m on my feet. I’m tall, but he’s more than a foot taller. Without answering my question, he moves in and circles his arms around my waist. My fingers slide down his muscled forearms until I’m gripping his wrists behind me, bringing my chest closer to his.
“Are you trying to get a reaction out of me?” I ask because there is no other reason he would tempt me to murder at this moment in time when he knows I’ve been about to explode all day. My head is tilted back, and my eyes are lasers with homicidal intent.
“Yes, but I don’t think it’s doing the trick,” he observes.
“Really,” I say with pure consternation in the two syllables.
King twists his wrists, loosening my hold. “If that won’t do the trick, maybe this will.”
I only have time to shriek as I sail through the air and land with a loud splash. I’m so stunned I forget to hold my breath and inhale water.
Someone is going to die when I finally stop choking. I’ll need to replace King as one of my guard and my mate. My list of duties just grew longer.
Chapter Four
King
Mate, Beast chides.
Wet mate, I whisper back with an internal laugh.
Flinging Marinah into the water satisfies something inside me that’s been missing for far too long. I have all of two seconds to enjoy my self-satisfied state before I’m attacked from behind. Claws sink into my back and wrap around my face, going for my eyes. A three-hundred-pound mountain lion is out for my blood. By the time Marinah appears above the water’s surface, I’m in a battle for my life.
The noise coming from my throat is not that of a Warrior. A claw catches me in the forehead and teeth sink into the side of my face.
“If you hurt Callie, you’re a dead man,” Marinah yells between coughs while spitting out water.
“She’s the devil,” I shout back on a strangled high note while trying to save my left eye from being gouged and possibly eaten. The hellcat is plastered to my head, doing everything she can to skin me alive. Dripping wet, the darn thing probably weighs three pounds. Where did this ferocious beast come from?
The feline gives a loud hiss before Marinah rescues me. Or maybe she’s rescuing the cat before I use my fangs to rip off her furry little head. I lift my fingers to check for facial damage when a heavy kick takes me in the back of the knees and Marinah throws her weight against my shoulders, sending me into the pool. By the time I come up for air, my mate and her cat from hell have vanished.
A gruff laugh leaves my throat. Maybe I’ll get lucky and this will bring whatever is bothering my mate to the surface. The entire citadel is walking on eggshells while she stomps through the halls in her crazy boots yelling at everyone.
I’m aware this is all new to her, and I’m also aware she doesn’t want the alpha title. At least not until quick action is needed and she goes into Queen mode. It comes naturally to her and still she fights it.
With a small grunt, I realize I’m turned on and need the cold water. My loud laugh floats off the walls and I feel better. Too bad my handsome face is forever damaged by that hellcat.
Chapter Five
Marinah
King arrives after I began eating our evening meal. We usually wait for each other, but after my sudden dip in the pool, I’m not exactly in the mood to deprive myself of food for the extra ten minutes it takes him to join me.
My anger from earlier is gone, but I have no intention of telling King my thorough soaking did the trick. It might not have been the water anyway. Seeing Callie come to my rescue lightened my mood considerably. She’s now lying on the bed, cleaning every square inch of fur she can find like she doesn’t have a care in the world. She really doesn’t, and I smile in her direction.
“Do you want to talk about it?” King asks, and I give him my attention.
His eyes are hard blue. The only time they soften is when he looks at me in our private rooms. Right now, they’re questioning and judging my mood. The world King knows is filled with death, destruction, and betrayal. He doesn’t trust easily, and his Beast side doesn’t trust at all. Have I become the same way? I stand and cross the two feet separating our chairs. He opens his arms, and I sink into his chest as he pulls my long legs across his lap and cradles my back.
Mate. The puzzle pieces click into place, and the internal part of me that claims this man settles into the calm waters King provides. The pieces lock together, strengthening our bond.
Why do I fight this so much? His warmth envelopes me, and my negative thoughts drift away. His hands move across my skin, and energy dances where he touches me. “The women hate me,” I mumble into his chest, my pathetic voic
e cracking with self-pity.
He continues to stroke my back, offering comfort without offering a way out. There’s unfortunately no easy solution. King rarely dealt with the females on the island, and it suited his fierce demeanor perfectly. I’m not that lucky.
Finally, he lifts my chin so we’re looking at each other. “They don’t know what you’re capable of, and they don’t fear you as they should.”
“I don’t want them to fear me,” I snap with disgust.
He pulls me closer. “You can’t have it both ways. They respect you and think of you as their leader too, but they have no understanding of war and what is needed to defeat an enemy.”
“You think they would treat me different if they knew what I become?”
His arms squeeze a little more firmly. “I don’t know. They think they know you too well. They met you as human and even when you’re Warrior, they still see the woman they knew before. They don’t see the killer.”
“They see you as a killer,” I say resentfully.
“Is that so bad? The Warriors know what you’re capable of, and they will never doubt you.”
I hold my breath for a second before asking, “Do you doubt me?”
He lifts me in his arms, and before he kisses me, he whispers, “Never.”
“Take me to bed,” I demand in my queen voice.
The corners of his mouth tilt. “Your hellcat is on the bed staring at me.”
I laugh for the first time today. “Carry me close to the bed. I have the balls to knock her off her pedestal.”
King growls against my hair, walks closer, and then uses his foot to make Callie move. She doesn’t sneak under the covers with me for the next hour, and I’m okay with that.
∞∞∞
The blare of our emergency system wakes us. We’re both on our feet, heading to our clothes and weapons before the loud burst stops.
Our door flies open and Beck enters. Neither King nor I have time to growl at the fact he didn’t knock. “Homestead One is under attack. Possibly fifty soldiers with hellhounds.”
Homestead One is our true home even if we don’t spend much time there. We know the residents well. “Where is Nokita?” I demand sharply; he’s one of my guard.
Beck and King know I’m not asking about Nokita. It’s Che and Baby Boot, his sons I’m worried about.
Beck’s eyes meet mine. “They’re at home.”
Home for them is Homestead One too. “Is the helicopter operational?”
“Nokita says it might get us that far,” Beck cautions.
“Then we take it.”
Ten minutes later, I’m on the helicopter with crossed fingers. This mechanical nightmare has gone down twice with no casualties, but there’s always a first time. It’s about as trustworthy as the first rickety old plane that brought me to the island. It also holds the risk of falling from the sky due to electromagnetic pulses caused by the resurrection of hellhounds.
We don’t understand what triggers the hounds to dig out of the ground, but the pulses always spike first. The stronger the pulse, the more hounds we deal with. The pulses themselves disrupt electronics. Electronics attract hellhounds. It’s an endless cycle of death, and finding answers has been our biggest problem.
Our enemy, the Federation, has learned a way to control hellhounds. They’re now using the terrifying creatures to do much of their dirty work. Thankfully, we have our own team of controlled hellhounds after discovering and replicating one of the devices the Federation uses. We hadn’t planned to use our new whistles until we were off the island and causing havoc for the Federation on our terms. This doesn’t mean I will allow the Federation’s hellhounds to kill my people. Make plans so God laughs is my motto. Boy, he’s laughing now.
King grabs one of the leather straps on my chest. We’re all in Beast form and as of this minute, we’re the only two who have full control. This means the Warriors with us know friend from enemy and that’s about it. If we point, they kill. King’s control, once he shifts, has improved almost as much as mine. He says my Beast helps his, and I think he’s hit the nail on the head. Mine and King’s Beasts have found a way to work out their problems instead of fighting our human side.
We’ve noticed changes in the Warriors too. They don’t have nearly the control we do, but the hour it took to gain control of their Beasts is now down to about forty-five minutes. Each positive gain helps.
Beast form is our preferred fighting mode. We don’t resemble an animal, more like the creature from the old movie Predator, and I mean the good one with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Our entire body undergoes changes when we transform caused by an alien chemical known as Kedorine 5 or K-5 for short. When the K-5 floods our alien system, it causes oxytocin and dopamine to spike at levels hundreds of times higher than found in humans. Our bones crack and reshape; our jaw elongates into a powerfully grotesque snapping shelf that holds six-inch razor-sharp fangs. Nonretractable claws extend three inches past our fingertips and makes us clumsy when trying to hold firearms, but place a sword in our hand, and it becomes an extension of our claws. Did I mention we aren’t the most delightful creatures to look at when in Beast form?
I glance out the chopper’s window and think of six-year-old Che. He’s been working hard on his training with Ruth, my twelve-year-old protégé. The kids are two peas in a pod. Beck’s eyes catch mine, and I see apprehension in them. He also hasn’t complained like he tends to do about everything. Ruth is his mate’s daughter and a handful at the best of times. I pull my headphones from around my neck and place them over my ears, adjusting the mouthpiece.
“Beck, where’s Ruth?” I question around the huge fangs filling my jaw.
“She’s with Che. They wanted a sleepover, and Missy finally allowed it.”
My heart tightens even more. Ruth and Che together think they can take on the world, hellhounds and all.
King’s hand lands on my thigh, and his large paw rubs along my pant leg. “We’ll find them,” he says between his own large fangs.
Yes, we will. They’ll be in the middle of the fight. I can only hope they aren’t dead. Yet.
Chapter Six
Homestead One
King
The helicopter drops us a mile from the most populated housing area near the shore. We rappel down so the helicopter doesn’t need to land. Once we’re on solid ground, Marinah leads us toward the fight. Beck’s information says there are at least fifty soldiers fully armed with as many hellhounds.
Marinah is worried for Che and Ruth. She doesn’t need the distraction while she’s finding her Warrior legs. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to stop her from building a ragtag team of adolescent human juveniles. Her leadership style will settle down, but in the meantime, even though she understands she has too much on her plate, we must put up with her need to save the world, not just our small island.
We creep through the sand along the rocks near to shore. One of the men gives a signal, and our eyes turn toward the water. Five mid-sized rafts rest on the shore. Marinah signals one of the men to destroy them. Whoever this is will not be going home the same route they came. Most will die and be shoved into the ocean for a wet burial. No one comes to our island and attacks our people without penalty.
The use of rafts tells me they have an undetected ship offshore. Even with my Beast eyes, I can’t see a vessel. It would take something sizable to carry this many humans and hellhounds.
The sound of steel striking steel clangs in the distance, and Marinah picks up speed, her braided hair flowing behind her as she runs. Our weapons are secured and make no sound as we head into battle. Our team of fifteen will be joined later by those using motorcycles to get here. We need to end the fight or keep it going long enough for reinforcements to arrive. A loud pop sounds from a large building about a hundred yards in front of us. We’re still in the shadows, and it’s doubtful anyone knows we’re here.
There’s a cleared area ahead that we need to cross. Marinah holds up her hand an
d we stop. Using the last outcropping of ocean rock to hide us, we wait for our leader to give the order.
“We need a distraction,” Marinah says softly. “Someone needs to move their attention in another direction.”
“I’ll go,” Beck volunteers.
“A disruption only,” she repeats. “I promise we’ll find Ruth, but I don’t want you dead before it happens.”
He nods and climbs upward over the rocks. Within three minutes, a burst of gunfire is heard farther away. It’s got to be Beck.
It’s now or never, but we wait for her command. “It’s time to rock 'n' roll. We need someone left alive so don’t eat too much.”
Even worried about Ruth, Che, and the baby, she throws out jokes. If all Shadow Warriors had her sense of humor… I would have killed them a long time ago. It’s frowned upon to kill one’s mate, though.
“Ready, big boy?” she asks with a pat on my arm.
I give her my fiercest scowl. She tugs my braid and her giant maw lands on mine. Not what I was expecting but I’ll take it. She tries to pull away and I don’t allow it. Kissing in Beast form isn’t really sexy or easy for that matter, but if my mate needs the contact, she’ll get it.
“We have work to do,” she says gruffly after finally pulling away. “Let’s go kill some hellhounds and bad guys.”
“Give the command and I’ll lead the way,” I taunt.
“That’s what you think, baby.” She takes off running across the open area. All we can do is follow. We make it without detection and continue moving forward. Pandemonium greets us in the main part of town where the majority of houses are located. A hellhound jumps at Marinah, and she bats it aside with a clawed hand. I finish it off with my sword thrusting deep into its neck and slicing outward to remove its head. I want to shout at Marinah to go after the kids like she wants to, but she throws herself into the thick of battle and I lose track of her. The hellhounds attack indiscriminately. This lets me know our people deployed the whistles and now the hounds, with no clear guidance, are no longer under anyone’s control. My sword takes another hellhound’s head.
Queen (A Genetically Modified Novel Book 4) Page 3