Page 17 of Warrior

“Yes.I don’t like having the island women underfoot, and I grew up on a farm where cooking wasn’t optional.When I was younger, my mom did most of it.After she left, it was just me and Dad, so I learned.”

He placed the enormous steaks onto plates and slid one across the counter toward me.A fork and knife followed.

I cut into the steak, the rare meat glistening, and almost drooled before getting the first bite into my mouth.

“Good,” I said after chewing, though it was a complete lie.This wasn’t just good.It was the best thing I’d ever eaten.

“Your beast needs protein,” King said.

I kept my focus on the food, ignoring the small thrill that coursed through me as I watched a freshly washed King move around his kitchen.He placed his plate in the microwave without turning it on, closed the door, and started cleaning up the mess he’d made while cooking.

There was no way I would pause eating to wait for him, but I wasn’t about to complain about the view either.Barefoot like me, he wore his BDU military pants and a red cotton shirt that fit him like a second skin.

Delicious.

And I was no longer thinking about the food.

Maybe that’s why I finished my entire steak before King had even taken one bite of his.

“Did you suspect what I was before I shifted, or mutated, or became a monster, or whatever you want to call it?”I asked.

He looked at me, another grin tugging at his lips.“Shifting works.And no, I never suspected anything.Human scent is the same even when Warriors are in that shape.There was no way to know, but after it happened, a few things clicked into place.”

“Like what?”

He finished wiping down the counter, then grabbed his plate.I fought the urge to stare at his steak.

“The food thing,” he said, pointing his fork at me.“Your sudden desire for meat.After a lifetime as a vegetarian, it wasn’t exactly normal.What you are also explains a little more about your father and why he accepted us so readily.”

“You think he knew?”I’d had the same thought, but I wondered how King arrived at his conclusion.

“Your father was a warrior.Not one of us, but he had an understanding of war and strategy that was almost unmatched, second only to Uncle Greystone.I think your mother taught your father, just as her mother likely taught her.It’s the only explanation that fits.”

“If that’s true, then why didn’t they teach me?”

“How old were you when your mother died?”King asked gently, though I could hear his curiosity.

“Nineteen.”

“And you showed no signs of shifting before that?”

I shook my head, trying to summon a memory that might suggest otherwise.“Not before or after.Not until the night the hellhound bit me.”

He shrugged, thoughtful.“It’s possible they didn’t think you would shift into a Shadow Warrior.Only a limited number of female Shadow Warriors carry the gene that produces K-5.Your mother and grandmother may never have made the transition.In males, it’s the opposite.There are only a few who don’t shift.”

“I still think my father should have told me where I came from,” I said, my frustration bubbling just beneath the surface.

King picked up his half-eaten steak and pushed the plate across the counter toward me.

“Eat.”

“This one’s yours,” I argued, eyeing the steak before glancing back at him, indecision warring within me.

“I’m full,” he replied.“I don’t need the calories a new Warrior does.Eat.”

My hand instinctively went to my chest as a tiny rumble vibrated there.I gave King a sheepish smile.

“I don’t think my monster likes it when you boss me around.”

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