Page 22 of Beast

I tried to stop her, but she raised a hand, cutting me off.“I’ll shift to my human form, let them think I’m a spy, and run for it.Unless someone there recognizes me, they’ll have no idea I’m a Warrior.”

Of course, her plan would place her in danger.I turned to Labyrinth.“Did you see anyone you know?”

Marinah cut in before I could respond.“I can unbraid my hair.If we play this right, it won’t matter if someone eventually recognizes me.”She stubbornly crossed her arms, her stance defiant.

“They’re led by General Smythe,” Labyrinth said.

Marinah slowly turned to him, then back to me.A slow, evil grin crossed her face, and I could see the effort it took for her to keep her beast under control.

Axel broke the tension.“I don’t think seeing a lone woman would send the entire camp in pursuit.”

Marinah answered with a wave of her hand.“It would if I killed one or several of them.I can establish high ground and use my rifle.In fact, I can set up multiple shooting positions and draw them as far from the hellhounds as possible.”

“What if they release the hounds?”Labyrinth asked.

Her eyes flashed.“I can outrun hellhounds and soldiers.”

“Any one of us could draw them away using your tactic,” I said.Marinah’s plan wasn’t happening.My mate would not be bait for the general.

∞∞∞

We decided to scout their camp to finalize our plan.Garret stayed behind after I made it clear we’d be moving fast, and his presence would slow us down if we were spotted.

Labyrinth led us to a vantage point where we could see most of the camp’s layout.As he’d described, it was well-established, using several large metal industrial buildings to house the soldiers.The buildings had massive rolling hangar doors, most of them open, allowing us to see inside with our Warrior night vision.Scattered around the perimeter were several large tents, but we couldn’t see inside those.

We didn’t spot General Smythe, but the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I scanned the camp.If Smythe was here, he wouldn’t be leaving alive.

The railcars were arranged in a horseshoe shape beside the solid wall of one of the barracks.We moved farther north, circling the camp.On the northern side, we discovered a recently cleared path.The tracks told a story.Large machinery had passed through here not long ago.Most likely, the vehicles were used to transport the railcars and had since been moved elsewhere or were parked inside one of the warehouses.The tents weren’t large enough to hold them.

Continuing around to the other side, we caught the unmistakable stench of a latrine and gave it a wide berth, along with the two sentries stationed nearby.The Federation’s security was lax, and we’d use that to our advantage.

“I didn’t see Smythe,” Marinah said once we were far enough away.

“Neither did I,” I replied.“But they’ve been here for a while.It wouldn’t surprise me if there are more camps like this one.They could be systematically taking out the outposts, attacking, regrouping, and scouting the next target.”

“We need to end them.”

She was right.We did.

Once we returned to camp, I determined we’d need food and sleep before holding our meeting to solidify the plan.A small squeak caught my attention, and I turned to see Beck holding up a mouse, a rare grin on his face.

“Sorry, not enough to share, and I’m eating meat tonight,” Beck said, holding up his prize.

“Jerk,” Marinah muttered under her breath.I couldn’t help but smile.

“The last time I suggested you try mouse, you nearly killed me with your glare,” I said teasingly.“What’s changed?”

“MREs,” she snarled, her disdain evident.

Leaning close, I whispered huskily in her ear, “I’ll find you warm food.That’s one of my jobs as your mate.”

She licked her lips, her sharp teeth just barely visible.“And what’s my job?”

“To eat it.”

She gulped and nodded.“You catch it, I’ll eat it.”

It took me about fifteen minutes, but I returned with three dead rodents.Tossing one her way, I half-expected her to jump up and run.Instead, with a quick turn of her head and a snap of her jaws, the mouse was gone.

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