Page 29 of Warrior

I didn’t take my eyes off my opponent.It was a good thing, too, because the hound suddenly decided waiting wasn’t in his best interest.He charged low, protecting his throat.

I reacted instantly, hooking my claws into his stomach and flipping him onto his back.My blade came down fast, but it wasn’t the cleanest cut, and it didn’t finish the job.

“Need some help, baby?”Marinah teased from the sidelines, smug amusement in her voice.

“Keep your eyes peeled for more of these suckers, why don’t you,” I said as the hellhound rolled over, trying to crawl away.

I lifted my sword and brought it down.The head rolled, and the body collapsed in a heap.

I turned to see Marinah grinning, her face speckled with blood and gore.

“More,” she said, with a chilling, fang-filled grin.

We found the next group farther inland.Three hellhounds moved through an abandoned building.

I didn’t bother with warnings this time.Odds were good I’d be administering the antidote and digging poison from her before the night was over.

Marinah moved quickly, circling one hound and keeping it between herself and the second.Meanwhile, I bent low and ran past her, swiping the third hound just above the ankle.The blow caught its peroneus tertius, slowing it down as I crashed into the second hound trying to get in on the action with Marinah.Its claws swiped an inch from my jaw before my sword found its mark.I turned back and ended the one I’d wounded with a single strike through its neck.

Her hellhound was trickier than the last one she faced, fighting erratically, swinging its deadly claws with near misses that came within centimeters of her body.She slipped, trying to dodge one strike, and her feet slid out from under her.The hound charged.She flipped to her feet and jumped over its lowered head.Spinning around to face it, she swung her blade with enough force to take its head in one sweep.

Marinah grinned at me.“I like this,” she said gleefully.“Maybe even better than sex.”

“I must’ve done something wrong,” I teased.

Her deep laughter rang through the darkness.She was born to hunt.

“Are you ready to go home so I can disprove your sex theory?”I asked, raising my overlarge brows suggestively.

Her laugh hit the wind as she turned and sprinted toward the beach.She stopped at the shore for only a moment before heading back toward our home.I followed a short distance behind, watching her move.Her Warrior form ran with a sure, smooth glide that belied her size, every movement exuding power and grace.

She’d changed so much.The once-nervous woman I’d first met was now a warrior in every sense.

I stayed behind her, picking up speed when she did, matching her stride.

“You must want me bad!”I yelled, my voice carrying over the sound of the waves.

Her laughter floated back to me.“Arrogant much?”she called over her shoulder.

“Confident,” I shot back.

“If you want me, you better beat me home,” she challenged, picking up speed.

I easily kept up, letting her think she had the advantage.But when I finally decided to put an end to her madness and pass her, she sidestepped and kicked my ankle, sending me sprawling to the ground.

We were a hundred yards from the house, and it took me a quarter of that distance to regain my footing.My stride was longer, though, and I caught up to her ten feet from the house steps.I tackled her into the sand.

“I guess you win,” she said, grinning up at me.

“I always win,” I replied smugly.

“It’s that king complex that fills your head and makes you impossible to deal with.”

“Shift, Marinah,” I said, ignoring her jab.

She closed her eyes, and her body mutated back to human form.I scooped her into my arms and carried her inside.

“What about you?”she asked as we entered the bedroom.

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