Page 12 of Warrior

“Join the meeting, and no one will laugh,” Beck said.

When I glanced over, I saw him glowering at the others.Reluctantly, they rose and took their seats.Beck’s no-nonsense attitude was unexpected, but at that moment, I appreciated it.

I marched back to my chair and dropped into it; thankful it was sturdy enough to handle my new, supersized body.The facial hair and increased muscle mass should have bothered me, but it didn’t.

Crossing my arms, I felt a sharp sting and glanced down to see I’d sliced my own arm with one of my claws.Blood welled from the cut, but I ignored it.

Nokita, who had remained silent until now, balled up a tissue and tossed it my way.

Without thinking, I caught it midair, my reflexes faster than I realized they could be.The red haze faded again, and I blinked at the room.My new, incredible eyesight made every hair follicle on their faces crystal clear.

“Do you ever attend meetings in your beast forms?”I asked, letting the curiosity show in my voice as I addressed the room at large.

“We never start a meeting that way, but we tend to end up in our beast forms after Beck starts talking.”Nokita grinned at me and winked.

It was my turn to spread my colossal jaws and grin.“That makes perfect sense.”

Now they were laughingwithme and notatme.

Chapter Four

King

The earlier meeting had been a nightmare before I brought Marinah into the room.Beck didn’t trust her, but that wasn’t surprising.The thing about Beck, though, is that he respects honesty.Marinah didn’t change who she was to win him over, and she sure as hell didn’t fall at his feet in thanks just because she’s now a Warrior.No, Marinah put Beck in his place the best way possible.She challenged him.

It had taken everything I had to let her handle it herself.If she’d killed him, we’d have had far bigger problems than just a lack of trust.I hadn’t expected her to control her beast so soon.But it was like a switch flipped inside her, and Marinah out-beasted her beast.She wasn’t the wimpy woman she thought she was a short time ago.Eventually, she would be a Warrior for the history books.

When the meeting ended, I led us outside to the bikes instead of taking her to the infirmary.

“I can’t ride like this, King,” she said, holding her shirt together with both hands.

In one move, I lifted my arms, pulled my shirt over my head, and handed it to her.

The once-over she gave my chest made Beast purr in contentment, the traitor.During the meeting, I’d realized Beast hadn’t just accepted her as mate, he was ready to kill anyone who stood in his way.I needed to rein in my thoughts until Marinah’s beast was ready.Beast wasn’t going to make that easy.Neither, apparently, was the kiss, which I wasn’t letting myself think about right now.

“It smells like you,” she said, deeply inhaling the material before pulling it over her head.She shifted around, sliding a hand under the shirt and tugging her torn one free from the bottom.I took the tattered fabric from her and stuffed it into a saddlebag, removing shoes for her.She would go through many pairs of them, and I’d adjusted accordingly.

“I want to learn to ride my own bike,” she added, hiking her leg over the seat behind me.

This side of Marinah was daring and fearless and exactly how a queen should be.

I revved the engine just as my guard, minus Cabel, who had gone in search of his mate, walked through the outside door.All but Axel grabbed their bikes.

“I’m staying here to oversee Maylin,” Axel said.“We don’t expect her baby for six weeks or so, but that means little, and she could go into labor at any time.”

“Will you please tell Che I’ll visit him soon?”Marinah asked, sadness settling into her features.

“Yes,” Axel replied with a quick nod.“I hope you’ll visit me too,” he added, his gaze lingering just a moment too long.

Beast grumbled, his irritation rumbling through me like distant thunder.Marinah tightened her arms around my waist, pressing her cheek against my shoulder.

“Yes, I’ll visit,” she said simply.

We roared away before the conversation continued.Beast gave a relieved sigh inside me, clearly pleased he didn’t have to deal with Axel as a threat.Marinah was going to be a challenge at every turn.I just needed to give her beast time to figure out what I already knew.

We were meant to be together.

The men surrounded us as we hit the road, their bikes forming a protective barrier.The rumble of my bike beneath me and Marinah’s arms wrapped tightly around my waist made the long ride sweeter.

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