Page 38 of Beast

“He’s dangerous,” I replied.

“No, he’s scared, and he didn’t shoot.He’s also the reason Garret has a chance and he hasn’t shown any violent behavior since he got here.”

“That was a few hours ago,” I countered.“Not nearly enough time to make that determination.”

One of her claws flicked out, pressing just enough to prick the skin of my arm.“It’s been twelve hours.I’m not going to stand by and let you kill him,” she said with authority she didn’t have.

Beast grumbled at her defiance, stirring uneasily inside me.“This is not a democracy,” I said flatly.

Her entire body went rigid, and her dark eyes seemed to deepen, growing darker still.“Mating is a democracy,” she snapped, “and if it isn’t, I’ll be rethinking things.”

She was actually sexy when she was irritated, but I wasn’t nearly dumb enough to point that out.“Look around you, Marinah.My men will follow my orders.You are one of my men, and the sooner you accept that, the better.”

Her claw slid away without breaking skin, which surprised me.She straightened, turning her back on me, and crossed the rooftop to Axel, who had returned to Garret’s side.I was sure he was doing his best to stay out of our argument.

Marinah and the doctor began talking quietly, their voices blending into the background noise as I tuned them out.My nerves were frayed, stretched thin by the constant tension.We were in danger, and my mate was upset.

Same day, different country.

Chapter Eighteen

Marinah

I refused to allow myself to dwell on King.His panties were in a tight twist, and the poor man was suffering.It couldn’t have been comfortable.I also knew there was nothing I could say or do that would make a difference.He needed time to stew over his own idiocy.

If he insisted on enforcing his edict about Cosway, we’d have another problem on our hands, and it wouldn’t be pretty.But deep down, I knew King wouldn’t kill the prisoner.Cosway was about as dangerous as a newborn foal.He needed care and proper food before we could even think about making decisions regarding his future.

The biggest problem we were going to face over the next few days wasn’t Cosway, it was boredom.Sitting still was not my strong suit.I’d spent too many years waiting for death, and I no longer thought of myself as expendable.

To kill time, I rummaged through my pack, reorganizing my treasures at the bottom so the essentials were easier to access.The task killed all of ten minutes even with claws.I wiped the sweat from my wide brow with the back of my hand.It was going to be warm today, and it was a sad state of affairs when I could smell myself and didn’t like the odor.A bath was no longer a want, it was a necessity.

Across the roof, King, Labyrinth, and Beck were deep in conversation.I ignored them, focusing instead on Cosway, who smiled at me with his too-wide grin.I moved closer.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a place to take a bath, would you?”I asked.

His green eyes lit up.“Pretty Butterfly,” he said in that same reverent tone as before.

“Stinky butterfly,” I corrected.

That made him laugh, a raspy, unhinged sound that still managed to make me smile.

“River, yep.Water good,” he said, nodding enthusiastically.

“There’s a river?”I asked, my excitement rising.

“Good water, yep,” he said again, bobbing his head up and down.

I already knew this would be a no-go for King, but the idea of clean water was too tempting to ignore.“Can you give me directions?”

Cosway’s head snapped around in quick, jerky movements as he scanned the area.For a moment, I thought I’d lost him to whatever flying grasshoppers lived in his mind.Then he looked back at me, his grin enormous.“Map, yep.Show map.”

I couldn’t help but smile in return.At least he was trying.

I pulled a map from my pack and handed it to Cosway.He unfolded it carefully, his grimy finger running across the surface as he studied it.Being this close to him for so long wasn’t easy.If I was ripe, then he was completely spoiled, and swimming in urine.

A shadow fell over me where I was squatting beside Cosway.I glanced up and saw King looming above us.“He says there’s a river with clean water,” I said, watching his jaw clench so tightly that his massive teeth crisscrossed.I crossed my arms and waited.

King dropped his gaze to the ground, and I almost smiled.I did the same thing when I was counting, and I understood the need.It helped.But when his eyes met mine, I knew he hadn’t counted long enough.

---