Page 35 of Princess

I took inventory.“My back isn’t as sore, which is a plus.The bites from last night aren’t affecting me or the prince at all.He’s performing in his first gymnastics meet right now.Hopefully, I eat so much, he’s incapable of tumbling in such tight quarters.”I held up my hand.“Do not say it.”

King smiled.“Tell me about the teenagers.”

I did.

“Theycanfight,” he acknowledged.

“They can, but the danger is too high.We need an antidote for humans.I’m frustrated that we haven’t moved forward in that regard.”

“It might never happen,” King said.

“That’s what bothers me,” I replied sadly.“When did you tell the guards to meet?”

“They’re waiting for you in the conference room.”

I gave King the evil eye and shoved a piece of sausage into my mouth before standing.“You can be entirely too frustrating, but I do feel better after sleep and food.I’m in such a good mood, I’ll wait to start bitching at you.”

He smiled, and we left the room.

Two people were missing when we entered the argument room.My eyebrows rose.

“Missy is in labor,” Nokita said.

I turned and glared at King.

He shrugged.“Axel thought it would be a few hours.”

“You didn’t think to mention it while we ate breakfast?”

He shrugged again, but kept his mouth shut.He pulled out my chair, and I slapped his hand away.My last nerve was wondering if duct tape was an acceptable form of punishment.Not for his mouth.I had another body part in mind.I’d tape the appendage I was thinking of to his thigh so he pulled out hair when he walked.

“Did anyone come up with an idea to use Lesley as leverage against the Federation?”I asked as calmly as possible.I was at a loss no matter how much I thought about it.

“We could shoot her and be done with it,” Nokita said.

“You’re as bloodthirsty as King, and not helping,” I replied with a sharp look.

“Your mate didn’t disappear and run to the other side of the island to escape that woman,” he threw back.

I covered my eyes and leaned my elbows on the table.I may have growled.

“What if we implanted a locator device on her and gave her back?”Cabel suggested.

“Hmm.”I turned to Axel.“Is it possible?”

“It would be a homing device for hellhounds,” he replied.“There’s also no way we could do it without an incision, which would leave a scar.”

“What if one of us was captured with the barnacle and we carried the tracking device?”Cabel asked.

That gave me pause, but then I shook my head.“They might kill the Shadow Warrior immediately, or worse, turn the sacrificial Warrior into a hellhound like Knet.We can’t chance it.”

“Knet seems to have control over whatever the hell he’s turned into,” Nokita said.“He knows our secrets, and he is stalking us on our own damn island.We need to do something.”There was pain and anger in his words.He was usually reasonable, but Knet’s defection and Labyrinth’s death had gotten to him.

“It’s a death sentence for the Warrior,” I said.“We can’t risk it.We have families and people who love us.”

“I don’t,” said Alden.“I’m willing to volunteer.”

Everyone looked at him.

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