Page 18 of Warrior

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King

Iwas certain her beast didn’t appreciate my bossiness.Marinah was alpha, and she proved it by putting Beck in his place earlier this morning.It was a good sign.It meant our children would be strong, carrying the Warrior gene from both parents.A new Shadow Warrior race was on the horizon, and it would be an incredible thing to witness.

I didn’t respond to Marinah’s playful jab.Instead, I watched as she blinked a few times, considering, and then finally decided to eat the steak.

While she focused on the food, I took her first plate to the sink and washed it.When she finished the second plate, I grabbed that too.

“You don’t need to clean up after me,” she said.“I’ll wash dishes when you cook.”

“We can share the work,” I replied, rinsing the plate.“I have about five meals I can manage without burning the house down.If you have anything to add to the mix, you’re welcome to make it.The freezer in the underground bunker has enough steak to last us a few months, but it would be nice to have something to go with it.”

“I could live off steak for the rest of my life,” she said with conviction.

“That’ll change,” I replied with a knowing smile.“Your body’s burning through calories like wildfire right now.Carbs are important too, but I remember how steak tasted after my first shift.My father actually lured me out of my room with the smell of it.”

“I have so much to learn,” she murmured, a wistful note in her voice.

I walked around the counter and took her hand, relishing the low, contented purr from Beast at the contact.

“Come with me, and I’ll show you where to start.”

Marinah hopped off the stool and followed me.

I led her down the long hallway to the center of the house and stopped at a door at the end, turning the heavy deadbolt before pushing it open.Flipping on the light, a set of stairs was revealed, leading downward.At the bottom, the space opened into a large underground room.A tunnel at the back stretched away from the ocean.

“This is reinforced with steel?”Marinah asked, her eyes scanning the bunker.

“Iron ore,” I replied, glancing at the sturdy walls surrounding us.“It’s one of Cuba’s natural resources.We’ve welded countless train cars together and built an underground city if it’s ever needed.This is where we store our food, weapons, and other essentials.It’s also where I keep what I need to show you.”

We stepped into the tunnel and walked straight for about a hundred yards.The cool air carried a slight metallic scent, amplified by the silence.

“It feels like a tomb down here,” Marinah whispered as we took a right turn into another long corridor.

“We’ve segmented the tunnels into rooms, and each house has an access point to the network.We’re not going all the way today.I just wanted to show you this.”

I stopped at a door on our left, unlocked it, and flipped on the light before stepping inside.

Marinah’s gasp echoed in the enclosed space.“It’s a library.”

I followed her gaze to the rows of shelves, each packed with books.These volumes had been in my possession since Greystone passed.

“It’s our history,” I said simply, though I didn’t mention that someday, these books could be passed to one of our children.The thought of a curly-haired little girl with Marinah’s eyes made my chest tighten with warmth.

“The history of Shadow Warriors?”she asked, pulling me back from my thoughts.

“Yes.”

She carefully removed a book from one of the shelves and studied it.“What language is this?”

“It’s the original Shadow Warrior language,” I explained.“Most of the books have been translated.The English versions are on the far side.”

She walked to the English section, her eyes scanning the rows of titles.“So many,” she whispered in awe.“Do you speak the original language?”

“My father insisted I learn.I hated him for it at the time, but Greystone made me understand why it was important.We can never forget where we came from.Not if we want to stop history from repeating itself.”

I watched as Marinah picked up another book, her fingers trailing over its cover.

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