Page 24 of Warrior

She needed more time.But I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her.I pulled her flush against me, letting her feel my hardness.She groaned into my mouth, and I threaded my hand through her hair, tilting her head slightly to deepen the kiss.My beautiful, amazing warrior tasted like fire and defiance.

She returned the kiss with equal fervor, clutching my chest straps like her life depended on holding me against her.I thrust my hips, and she countered, nearly making me toss my resolve into the wind.We were a heartbeat away from losing control right there in the street.

With a savage groan, I tore my mouth away and tried to control my breathing.Her dark eyes had gone darker still, the irises bleeding into her black pupils, giving her a wild, predatory look.

I felt her body shift beneath my fingers as her heat radiated against me.

“How do I loosen the straps, and why is this happening?”she asked raggedly as she struggled against the urge to shift.

“Push back,” I said firmly.“Your beast isn’t getting what she wants, and she’s letting you know she’ll take matters into her own hands.”

“Maybe…” she said, her breath hitching as she tried to steady herself, “I should give her what she wants.”

I couldn’t take much more.My beast was fully engaged, clawing at me to let go, but we were standing in an alleyway where anyone could pass by.

“Fight it, Marinah,” I urged.“We’re not ready to give away your secrets.”

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly as she fought for control.I knew how hard it was to push against the change, especially in the beginning.We needed to get home so her beast could run.

I rested my forehead against hers, breathing with her, matching my heart rate to hers.Slowly, her body cooled, and when her eyes opened again, the brown had returned to normal.The tension in her frame eased.

“How will I ever learn to fight if this happens every time I try?”Annoyance filled the question.

I wasn’t sure if she was referring to her beast trying to take over or her desire for me.Either way, I couldn’t help but laugh.This was painful for us both.

Chapter Eight

Six weeks later

Marinah

King’s blow slammed me against the wall, rattling my brain.I landed on my feet and sprang back, channeling my frustration into the left hook I threw at his head.He dodged it, but it was a setup for the right uppercut that connected with his jaw.

We were both bloody, and I didn’t care.The sexual frustration I’d been dealing with had taken me past the point of giving a damn about a little blood.Morning, noon, and night, King kissed me like I was the air he breathed, only to walk away as if it was nothing important.I was infuriated.I’d done everything short of flat-out begging him to have sex with me.Six weeks of this agonizing tease, coexisting, resisting, and pretending we didn’t crave each other had left me wound so tight with frustration I was ready to explode.Even now, bloody and bruised, I’d take him right here, right now.

Mate.

“Oh, shut up,” I muttered silently to Ms.Beast.

The beast inside me wasn’t some separate entity, but sometimes she acted like it.King had been right, though—it was easier to manage her if I thought of her as a distinct personality.Ms.Beast talked, complained, and made me feel physical pain when I ignored her.In return, I did my best to control her and resisted giving in to her demands too often.Mainly these were the ones that involved forcing myself on King.

As the weeks passed, it had gotten harder to keep her in check, especially whenever King’s beast surfaced.That was when Ms.Beast became almost impossible to restrain.If we let our beasts take over, they could probably settle this whole damn mess without the beatings we were dishing out.But it was a pipe dream.King liked to kiss and run.In that exact order.It left me in a state of perpetual torment.

A whoosh of air came at me as I dodged King’s fist and sprinted to the far side of the room.Placing one foot at hip level against the wall, I flipped my body back and over, avoiding his next kick.

We were inside a small, abandoned warehouse King had cleaned out, giving us a private place to train in beast form.It was our own personal dojo.King was a patient teacher, but now that he knew all the moves Boot had taught me, he was impossible to beat.Not that it stopped me from trying.

Our other problem was the Federation.

Something was going on, and King wasn’t talking.That was never a good sign, and it usually meant I wouldn’t like the news.Beck had been coming to the house daily, updating King on all the kingly matters that needed his attention.Whenever Beck showed up, I made myself scarce, usually by cooking or running.

Today, though, something was different.After Beck left, King had been unusually quiet and pensive.Normally, he’d fill me in on the latest news about his island domain, but this time, he refused to open up.His mood grew more sour throughout the morning.It grated on me until I suggested hitting the dojo.

We warmed up and began light sparring, then went heavier.My mind wandered when I should have been paying attention.

Shifts to beast form had become smoother and, as promised, less painful.I gained more control each day.When we ran, Ms.Beast usually took the reins.I easily snapped her back just to test myself.King had promised to take me out to hunt hellhounds soon, and I was past ready.

Boot’s baby was due any time, and from what I’d read about Shadow Warrior history, Warrior babies had a gestation period of only six months.Human women couldn’t carry longer than that due to the baby’s rapid growth.I was learning everything I could about my new family, but I wanted to know more.

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