Page 45 of Princess

“We are exchanging Mrs.Barnes for one of our Warriors,” Marinah said after the men welcomed the new members.“The other will be turned into whatever it is that Knet has become.”

Beck’s daddy-bliss didn’t last long.His seat flew back.

“Sit and keep your feelings to yourself until I am finished,” I said and waited for him to sit.“At the moment, we do not have leverage unless we are willing to sacrifice both Warriors.Is there anyone who thinks we should sacrifice both?”

Thick energy swelled in the room as the K-5 spiked.

“They are good men,” Beck said, his fury in overdrive.

“I’m aware of that.If you think I want one of our own turned into one of those monsters, you shouldn’t be on my guard.”Beck nearly choked on the words forming in his throat, and I growled.He looked down, and I continued.“Somehow Knet and his hellhounds have evaded us.We have no idea how long they have been on the island.My guess is they’re using a submarine to hide in.Rodrigo and Nokita have ours ready, and the men have been training for this.We need to find the Federation sub before it leaves the island waters.I’m open to suggestions about anything I’ve said.”

“May I speak?”Rodrigo asked.

“Yes,” Marinah replied.

“The men are ready to blow the other sub from the water.If I were one of the Warriors taken, I would rather die than help the Federation’s cause.If you plan to make the exchange, I have an idea.”Marinah nodded at him to continue.“We have nothing that rivals what they inject into the innocent to turn them into monsters, but they do not know that, and we should use the terror they wield against them.Inject the Señora with something and make her think she will become one of the monsters.”

Silence filled the room when he finished speaking.

Slowly, I smiled.

“Son of a bitch,” Alden said.“That’s the devious shit we need to be handing out.”

“I can inject her with saline,” Axel said.

Beck also smiled at Rodrigo.“You’re going to fit in perfectly.”

“We need the exchange to take place before they know that she’s been injected,” Marinah said.

Caleb spoke up.“The woman never shuts up.Anyone who knows her would understand if she were gagged.”

“I like it.Now for the hard part.We are sacrificing one of our own.Both of these men are single, but they have friends.They are one of us.I carry the burden for this death.”

“We carry the burden,” Beck said.“We should have found Knet by now.That is on all of us.”

“I agree,” said Nokita.

The other men gave their agreement too.

I released the air from my lungs.“Thank you, but the weight of this still falls on me.”I held up a hand.“You feel it too, but the most important thing here is to find Knet and stop both Warriors from becoming monsters.”

“They have superior science,” said Alden, “but I keep wondering how Knet is able to control himself.Wouldn’t a Warrior side with us?”

King finally spoke.“That thought has crossed my mind too.Could there be more than one serum?Or maybe a Shadow Warrior reacts differently.Our Warrior could possibly become something like Knet and keep his loyalty to us intact.I doubt Knet ever gave a fuck about us.”

Marinah looked at Nokita and then Rodrigo.“We need you to find that submarine and stop it from leaving.They may be taking our Warrior back to the mainland.They may also experiment to see how he reacts.If the only way to stop that sub is to blow it out of the water, then do it.”

Both Nokita and Rodrigo nodded.

Chapter Twenty

Marinah

Unable to get comfortable in bed that night, I tossed and turned as much as my stomach allowed.A Shadow Warrior would die the following day.My brain raced for some way out as fury filled my thoughts.I couldn’t do anything to stop it.The only thing I was sure of was turning into a hellhound was worse than death.I had given the order to kill our own man.A friend.One of us.

King’s eyes were closed, and I hoped he was sleeping.Due to my squirming, the little prince woke up and did somersaults.He was working towards an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.

I turned slightly and checked on King again.He didn’t move, and his breathing remained even.If I stayed in the room, I would wake him.I carefully slipped from the bed and walked to one of my favorite courtyards.With a deep inhale, I let the scent of the ocean fill my lungs.

---