Page 2 of Princess

He was up in an instant, moving with that infuriating ease, and set me firmly on the floor.The moment my weight settled, I let out a quiet groan.Everything ached.Everything was swollen.Pregnancy was a complete scam created by men.No woman would ever dream of this torture.

I shuffled toward the closet, adjusting my balance to what seemed like twenty extra pounds in my belly since I fell asleep the night before.Reaching in, I pulled out some clothes.The pants had an expandable band in the front, and the shirt, tight but stretchy, would hug my frame without suffocating me.Each day was a mess of meetings to handle the problems of the citadel, our so-called home away from home.But no matter how busy or "fat" I got, I still insisted on training with my weapons.

That meant I needed clothes that hugged my expanding belly.

"I’ll wait for you," King said, his tone far too casual.

I stilled, eyeing him suspiciously.

King had given the word "hover" an entirely new, borderline stalker definition.Usually, I didn’t mind.But the larger I became, the touchier I got.I forced the brightest smile I could manage.If I’d been in beast form, my sharp teeth would have shone.Without a word, I shut the bathroom door in his face.

Relief came the moment I sat down, the pressure on my bladder finally easing.Whoever said pregnancy was fun deserved to be locked away in a mental asylum.

My hormones were a wreck, my belly stretched so far it looked like it was about to pop, and my feet, oh, my poor feet, were so swollen that I could barely squeeze them into shoes.Not that it mattered, because I couldn’t bend over to lace my Doc Martens anyway.My stomach had taken over all visibility of my toes weeks ago.

And the heartburn, which was currently sitting in my chest like I’d swallowed a live coal, was a constant companion.Oh, and I couldn’t possibly forget the gas, that lovely addition to the mix in a list of bullshit that just kept growing as big as my stomach.

I exhaled slowly, trying to remove the unproductive thoughts from my mind.My reflection showed in the mirror.My hair, which had been cut short when we broke into the Federation stronghold, had grown several inches since then.Not that it helped.The dark strands stuck up at angles that defied both gravity and decency.I reached up, half-heartedly smoothing it down even though it was a lost cause.

Pregnancy glow?Please.The only thing glowing about me was the fire in my gut from whatever the hell I'd eaten last night.

I washed my face, letting the cool water chase away the last traces of sleep, and reached for my toothbrush.The sharp scent of mint filled my nose as I scrubbed away the stale taste of the night.By the time I finished, my stomach let out a low, impatient growl, loud enough to make me sigh.

I pressed a hand against my belly, rubbing slow circles.“I’ll feed you shortly, promise.”

It took about five minutes to wrangle myself into my clothes.The pants stretched over my stomach, and I tugged the snug shirt down over them, making sure it wouldn’t ride up at an inopportune moment.Then came the sandals.They were simple plastic ones that Missy had found for me.They weren’t my style, but they were easy to slip on without having to bend over, and that alone made them priceless.

When I trained with weapons, I kicked them off, preferring to go barefoot.It was instinctual.In Beast form, I’m a nine-foot-plus killing machine where shoes have no place, not that we could find any that fit if I wanted them.

A low, familiar grumble vibrated through my core.

Protect.

Ms.Beast, my ever-present, ever-watchful companion outside my nightmares, whispered the command into my soul, the word forming not in sound but in sensation.It was like a ripple of energy traveling through my bones, a silent pulse that formed words.Actually, the sensation was impossible to explain.

I rested my palm against my stomach again, feeling the tension coiled inside me.Nova, my other beast, remained quiet, lurking in the depths of my consciousness.Unlike Ms.Beast, who prowled just beneath the surface, Nova emerged when things turned truly brutal.When she came out, evil humans and hellhounds died.

Things had been peaceful lately.No, strike that.Lesley Barnes, the woman we had kidnapped, made our lives hell and frayed everyone’s nerves.How could I even think "peaceful"?She was President Barnes’ wife, and he was our sworn enemy.She’d been festering inside our walls for three months, dripping venom into every interaction.Just being near her made everyone’s hands twitch toward their weapons.I wasn’t immune to it, but I had refrained from breaking her other leg.

The first one I broke for information.It hadn’t worked.

Now, she hobbled around with a cane, though most of the time, her limp was exaggerated for sympathy.

The biggest problem wasn’t the injury; it was her ceaseless complaining.

We had kidnapped her from the new U.S.government, known as the Federation, as leverage to force their hand and uncover the truth behind their future plans.But President Barnes had done nothing since we took his wife.No ransom demands.No desperate negotiations.Not even a token plea for his wife’s return.

If I had to guess, he was relieved to have her off his hands.

Lesley, sensing that her husband wasn’t coming for her, had switched tactics.Her burning hatred for Shadow Warriors had been impossible to hide at first, but now?Now she played the role of the misunderstood victim, the poor, abused wife of the President, trapped in a war she never asked for.

It was the worst kind of bullshit.

But today, this would end.

I was putting my plan into action.

The wise thing to do was execute her, and I’d given it serious thought.Cold, rational, logical thought, but unfortunately, it wasn’t going to happen.Killing to defend my people was one thing.Cold-blooded murder, another.

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