Page 8 of Princess

Shadow Warriors weren’t immune to the toxins that killed humans, but we had an advantage.Our small science team had discovered a serum that kept our stronger bodies alive long enough to heal.We each carried an emergency injection that could save us most of the time.If we knew we’d be facing hellhounds in battle, we took the injection in advance, ensuring we wouldn’t go down if teeth or claws made contact.

I scanned the field, my eyes landing on several men and women who had once been part of the Federation’s attack against the island.That had been almost four months ago.We had interrogated them, studied their motives, and in the end, more than half had been given a choice to fight with us or become part of the island community.

President Barnes had turned his lowest-level troops into fodder, injecting them with the genetic modification that ensured, if they died, they would quickly rise again as hellhounds.The ones who had joined us had been given a promise that if they died, we wouldn’t let them come back as monsters.

The humans who didn’t want to fight were assigned tasks on the island.

One of them, Kenneth, had been a medical intern when the first hellhound war broke out.He now worked alongside Axel and his mate Garret, assisting in the medical units.Kenneth made a deal that if Axel continued training him, he would stay behind when the Warriors pulled out for good.

He was a puny human, awkward in movement and reliant on glasses to see.His first pair had been lost during the battle, but we had managed to find him another set.He wasn’t a warrior, not by any means.But Axel and Garret liked him and said he was a great asset for the people.

In the end, people mattered most.

I spotted Amy across the training field, her stance tense as she fought with another human.She was young and determined but not fully healed.My mate, in Nova form, had broken Amy’s wrists when she begged for mercy during the heat of battle.The bones had mended but left weakness that would take more physical therapy to completely heal.

I strode toward her and lifted my hand.The fighting halted immediately.

“The sword is too heavy for you,” I said.

Amy’s expression flickered with defeat, but before she could protest, I continued.“That might not be the case in a few months, but right now, you’re still recovering.Anything you learn with a lighter sword will go into muscle memory.When you’re ready for the heavier one, you’ll be surprised how much you’ve improved.”

She swallowed hard and nodded.

I turned to her practice partner.“Go with her and help find something that won’t cause further damage to her wrists.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied quickly, already moving.

I hadn’t wanted Amy on the field at all but Marinah insisted.Amy wanted to fight the Federation for what they had done to her.She had been one of the unneeded soldiers who wore a red stripe on her uniform, the ones sent in first, their deaths considered meaningless.She’d been injected with the poison so she would continue to kill after death.

Marinah saved her life.I wouldn’t have hesitated to end her.This was only one of the reasons Marinah was exactly what we needed.The world was not “either or” the way Shadow Warriors saw it.Marinah was the Shadow Warrior who tempered our beastly natures.

After watching Amy train for two weeks, my opinion had shifted.She wasn’t the strongest.She wasn’t the fastest.But she never gave up.She had something to prove, and it showed in every movement, every strike, every stubborn refusal to quit.

Marinah had a knack for saving those who deserved it.

“You want in?”

I turned at the familiar voice.Beck stood a few paces away, grinning like a man who had just flattened someone and enjoyed it.The human soldier at his feet groaned, struggling to stand.

“You looking for someone to kick your ass, or do you want me to go easy on you?”I shot back, drawing my sword.

Beck’s grin widened.

Within minutes, those on the field stopped sparring, their attention shifting toward us.Beck and I werenearlyevenly matched, which meant our clashes were always worth watching.

The clang of steel rang out in the warm morning air.

I tightened my grip on the hilt; my focus locked onto Beck.He moved in a slow, deliberate circle, his stance loose and his eyes calculating.

“You planning to swing,” he taunted, “or are you just going to stand there holding it like a staff?”

His smirk was as irritating as ever.

I smiled.“I was just giving you a head start,” I shot back, lunging forward with a quick strike aimed at his shoulder.

Beck parried easily, the flat of his blade meeting mine with a deafening clang.The impact sent a jolt up my arm, but I adjusted, rolling my wrist to strike again.This time, I went lower, aiming for his side.

He anticipated the move.

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