Page 20 of Warrior

“Training as in exercise?”I asked cautiously.

“Training as in learning to kill hellhounds.”

Funny how the thought of them didn’t terrify me like it once did.

“You want me to shift before we go?”I asked cautiously.

“No.You’ll learn to kill them in human form first and then add your beast to the mix.”He paused for a moment.“Your human body is still adjusting, and you need to work on balance like you did before.”

“No half-balls,” I ground out.

That made him smile.“Promise.”

“You actually think I can kill one?”

“I think you canlearnto kill one,” he said with measured confidence.

“I don’t have the right clothes for training,” I pointed out.

“Beck brought you a gift.Apparently, one of his women made it for you last night.”

“Women, as in plural?”

“Beck’s business,” King replied curtly.He switched subjects to the gear.“Apparently, we do have Velcro on the island.We’ll need to find more, but this gives you a good start, and you didn’t need to sew it yourself.”

I’d broach Beck’s women in another conversation.I walked over to the bag sitting on the couch and opened it.Slowly, I pulled out a leather harness similar to King’s, though mine had Velcro for adjustments and a larger breast plate to cover me.Leaving the food behind, I headed to my bedroom.

It took me a few minutes to figure out the straps and get the thing on, but the Velcro made it easy to adjust perfectly.Pairing it with my shorts might not have been a fashion statement, but I didn’t care.

I stared at the badass in the mirror looking back at me and smiled, which completely ruined the effect.

After taking another moment to admire my new gear and lacing up a pair of athletic shoes, I went back to King and the waiting food.

I was hungry for both.

We made short work of breakfast, and when I started cleaning up in the kitchen, King joined me.Between the two of us, we had everything spotless in a few minutes.

He led me outside to his bike, and I climbed on behind him.

I would learn to fight, and eventually, he’d teach me to ride.

There was no limit to the badass I would be.

It was a short drive to a large, cleared section on the south side of the village.Shadow Warriors were scattered around, sharpening knives and adjusting straps.As soon as we pulled up, they straightened and came to attention.

“Try to stay in human form.Those shorts won’t survive a shift.”King winked as he helped me off the bike.

Beck rounded the corner, nodding in my direction.I returned the nod, then did a slow turn to show off how well the new gear fit.

He grimaced when King growled.

The sound left a strange, warm feeling inside me.Apparently, Mr.Beast had a healthy dose of jealousy.

Nokita and Labyrinth arrived, and the casual atmosphere evaporated.King stepped forward and announced, “Marinah will join us today.She’s training and will partner with me.”

Not a single snicker came from the group.The men threw quick glances in my direction, then paired off without comment.

Nokita approached King and handed him several knives.“Weapons for her.”

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