Page 38 of Warrior

She swung our joined hands like a playful child.“That has a nice ring to it.”

“You’re a liar.If one of them called you queen, you’d take their head off.”

Her laughter rang out again, sending a buzz across my skin.She’d been sad whenever she wasn’t with Maylin and the new baby, and I knew it was because she was leaving the island.Leaving me.My beast had been sulking in doom and gloom ever since we started preparing for her departure.

The worry nearly ate me alive.I’d done an excellent job of keeping it to myself, but it killed me to send her into enemy territory alone.

We turned the corner and reached the stairs leading to the underground pool.

“I can’t handle another lesson about hellhounds,” Marinah said, giving my hand a small tug to stop me.“Could we go back to our room?”

“I was thinking a long, relaxing swim,” I replied.

She shook her head.“I don’t have my suit.”

“No suit is required for this swim.”

Her eyes darkened, her voice turning husky.“I’m all about a lack of requirements.”

The water was a little on the cold side, which felt perfect after the warmth of the upper floor.Marinah tossed her clothes aside and dove in before I even had my shoes off.

“Slowpoke,” she taunted, laughing when I struggled with my stuck shoe, hopping around like a fool.

“Ha ha,” I growled, shooting her a mock glare once I finally wrestled the damned thing off.I made quick work of the second one and tossed it aside.My clothes

∞∞∞

followed in a pile, and I dove in, heading straight for my sassy mate.

She shrieked when I grabbed her legs and pulled her under.She came up sputtering water, laughing like we didn’t have the weight of the world on our shoulders.This, just being together, was what we hadn’t had time for.We’d had six weeks at the ocean house, but it wasn’t nearly enough.We hadn’t truly been mated then.

A splash of water hit my face, and I grinned.The fight was on.We both knew how it would end.Our bodies were too primed for each other for this to stay innocent.But for now, it was pure fun, just a chance to shake off the constant thoughts of the Federation and our looming separation.

I dove under and yanked Marinah down with me.She surfaced, sputtering again, her wet braids stuck to her face.

“You don’t fight fair,” she challenged, a little whine in her voice.

I laughed and lifted her out of the water, her hands instinctively gripping my shoulders.Her head was now a foot above mine.

“What if we don’t fight?”I asked, lowering her until our lips were almost touching.I pulled back slightly.

“Your idea’s better,” she groaned when my attention shifted to her breasts.

“My ideas are always better,” I murmured, lifting my head to capture a kiss that would burn.

Playtime was over.

∞∞∞

The plane was loaded with the items Marinah would be presenting to the Federation as a show of good faith.Fresh produce, specifically set aside for their leaders, made her scowl.I couldn’t blame her.It was a calculated move.We needed enough time to get into position while she dealt with the Federation.

We had no idea how the Warriors I was sending with her would be treated.They carried their own supplies, including enough jerky to meet their protein needs for three months.Marinah had her own stash of jerky, along with our special knockout drug and antidote for hellhound wounds.The drugs were hidden in a custom-made inner lining of her bag.Small and discreet, the ampoules were modeled after battlefield morphine doses, easy to conceal unless someone decided to look too closely.Each Warrior carried their own supply.

“Remember,” Beck said sharply to Marinah.“Give as little information as possible.Don’t be overly friendly with our Warriors.”

My beast growled at his tone, but Beck ignored me.

“The Warriors know their job,” he continued, “and they’ll wait until you give them different orders or hear from me or King.”

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