Page 64 of Warrior

Ms.Beast growled softly in my mind, and I silently thanked the heavens he couldn’t hear her.

Leaning forward, I let my coffee-scented breath waft toward him.“It wasn’t a request,” I said, my voice dangerously low.“You have one hour to make it happen.”

Daniels sneered, completely unfazed.“You don’t make demands,” he spat, his tone laced with spite.“Your job is to be seen by the Shadow Warriors and not heard.”

He leaned in, his voice dripping with scorn.“If you weren’t here, I’d be filling your shoes with something other than demands and whining.I’d be leading and commanding men in battle.”

Bingo.

Poor Daniels wanted to be Secretary of Defense.

I straightened in my chair, meeting his glare.“You forget who my father was,” I said, my tone icy.“When the battle takes place, I’ll be the one who’s there.”

Daniels’s face shifted from mottled red to a deep burgundy.

“Your father was one step away from treason,” he sneered.

Something in my expression must have betrayed my shock because he let out a cold, triumphant laugh.

“Didn’t know that about your old man, did you?He loved those animals more than his own troops.If he hadn’t died when he did, he’d have been arrested and hung.And you?You show the same sentiment, and I’ll be the one to pull the trap door beneath your feet when the time comes.”

His lip curled as he spat the next words, a fleck of saliva landing on the table.

“You don’t fool me with your sweet act.You are poison.The sooner you and those animals are destroyed, the better.”

I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, and let my gaze deliberately slide over his entire frame before meeting his eyes again.The disdain I felt for him was obvious, and I didn’t bother hiding it.

“Tell me how you really feel, Daniels,” I said pleasantly, rolling my eyes for effect.“For some reason, you think I care.My father had more honor in his pinky finger than you have in your entire body.If you’d just learn to keep your mouth shut, wipe that nasty scowl off your face, and follow orders, you might actually go places.Oh, and work on those raging daddy issues while you’re at it.That might help too.”

“You bitch,” he hissed, his hand rising.

I didn’t flinch.I refused to back away.If I wanted, I could have broken his hand, arm, and shoulder in one definitive strike.But I stayed still, watching as his open palm landed on my cheek.It was a weak slap, really, not even worth the effort.

The room fell deathly silent, every eye in the cafeteria now fixed on us, but Daniels didn’t seem to care.Something must have shifted within the Federation for him to be this bold.Something I wasn’t aware of.

Slowly, I raised my hand to the slight heat on my cheek.In a soft, measured voice that carried across the room, I delivered my ultimatum.

“Get out of my sight,” I said, locking eyes with him.“Or I will kill you.”

He shoved back from the table, standing with a spiteful grin etched across his face.

“You’ve got it all backward, Marinah.Your time’s up,” he sneered before striding away, leaving me alone with my coffee.

Around me, the cafeteria hummed back to life as if nothing had happened, but I knew better.There was a reason for Daniels’ tantrum, and I needed to uncover it fast.

If he wouldn’t take me to the president, I’d find another way.First, I had to check in with Labyrinth.If anyone had a clue about what was happening or a way to contact King, it was him.Skipping my room entirely, I set off for the Warriors’ barracks, the mile-long walk giving me time to steady my nerves.

When I turned the final corner leading to their hallway, I immediately noticed the absence of guards.My gut twisted.This wasn’t right.It only took a few more steps to confirm the worst.

The Shadow Warriors’ quarters were silent.Empty.

They were gone.

A cold chill ran down my spine after stepping inside, scanning the room for any sign of what had happened.Drawers, cabinets, everything was bare.No notes.No personal belongings.It was as if they’d never been there at all.

Tension coiled tightly in my chest.There was only one person who could provide answers, and it was time for the president and me to have a long-overdue chat.If he’d harmed even a single Shadow Warrior, he’d go down as the first Federation president to die in office, and I’d make sure of it.

I knew where his main work quarters were, so I headed straight there.The journey only heightened my unease.I passed two people in the first half mile, a peculiarity on its own, but the absence of anyone as I approached the president’s office was downright eerie.

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