Page 5 of Princess

“Don’t worry,” I replied.“I’ll eat another full meal in a few hours.”I had put off the coming altercation long enough.“Do you want to enter the black widow’s den with me?”

His expression changed to revulsion.“Not unless you need me, but I’ll walk with you until we hear her screams,” he said seriously.

“Wow, so magnanimous,” I praised.

“That’s me, your magnanimous king.”

I laughed.

He stood quickly and took my hand to help me stand from the chair.I would swear our son already weighed fifty pounds.

Chapter Three

Marinah

Lesley Barnes was lucky, even if she didn’t think so.For one, she wasn’t dead.And considering her disposition, it was a miracle.Her original cell had also been upgraded, though I doubted she appreciated the improvement.She now occupied a ten-by-ten box of a room, with an added bathroom outside those dimensions.It wasn’t luxury, but it was better than the dirt floor and iron bars she deserved.

She was monitored around the clock.A guard stood outside her door at all times, enduring her endless complaints through the locked barrier.That guard wasn’t there to keep her from escaping.He was there to keep others from deciding that killing her might be entertaining.Not that I really thought my Warriors would go against orders, but I’d hoped Lesley was a valuable pawn and I wouldn’t risk her safety.That hope had quickly dwindled.

Maylin, our doctor’s assistant, and mate of a Shadow Warrior, had taken care of Lesley due to her broken leg for as long as she could tolerate the woman’s relentless whining.Then, with no small amount of relief, she’d given birth to a new baby and handed the duty off to Missy, who had far less patience and even less sympathy.Maylin made it clear that birth was not her primary reason for running to the other side of the island.She was worried the guards would need to stop her from murder.

On a brighter note, Nokita and Maylin were now the parents of three children.Baby Two and Baby Three would grow to be Shadow Warriors.Che, who would be seven soon, was human, but he didn’t act like it.He worshipped Nokita.Maylin was a tough customer, but she loved her children and Nokita after losing her first Shadow Warrior husband when he rescued Che from hellhounds.I missed Boot, the fallen Warrior.He turned into a good friend after a rough start.Baby Boot, his son, was almost two years old and looked so much like his father.Nokita didn’t mind at all.He loved his children equally.

Missy, after Maylin’s desertion, removed Lesley’s cast, an event that had only escalated the hourly screams demanding an audience with me.Mostly, I ignored her.But not today.

The Warriors stationed outside her door never failed to look traumatized whenever I arrived in response to yet another complaint.This visit was no different.

“Good morning, Togg,” I said as I approached.

Togg was a Shadow Warrior on the shorter side, not that anyone would dare call him small.What he lacked in height, he more than made up for in sheer bulk.His muscles were thick, his shoulders wide, and his neck was about as close to the size of a basketball as a human, or near-human, could get.Togg was a deadly fighter, and I valued his fighting ability more than his brains or lack thereof.

He was here as punishment because he’d been caught teasing one of the island women in Beast form.Not with maliciousness, he’d simply thought it was fun, and he liked her.Unfortunately, he chose the wrong way to go about relaying his intent.She was shaking when I’d come upon them.The worst punishment I could think of for his stupidity was to assign him as one of Lesley Barnes’ watchdogs.

Now, as I stepped up to him, he looked skyward, his expression one of silent pleading.I wouldn’t have been surprised if he crossed himself.

“Good morning, Queen,” he said stiffly.

King was King’s given name.Mine was Marinah, but I’d given up trying to convince the Shadow Warriors to use it.Queen was better than Mate of King, at least.

“I don’t hear the usual screams.”

“Beck’s mate told her you would be down shortly.She’s been silent since.”

“Thank you.Please unlock the door.”I would have told him Beck’s mate had a name, but his thick skull wouldn’t have understood.Any woman mated to a Shadow Warrior was on a pedestal, and the Warriors felt it such a great honor.

Togg did as I asked, and I stepped inside.Lesley immediately stood from her chair and grabbed her cane to look more pathetic.She was about five feet four inches tall with brown hair that now had gray in the roots since she no longer had access to a beautician.She had a thin, regal face with few signs of her age, which I assumed was late fifties.Her nose was a little too long, but it worked for her wicked witch persona.She was smart as a whip and a scientist like her husband.Not that we ever saw her brilliant side.Playing dumb might have been her greatest skill.

“It’s about time,” she said angrily.“Does anyone on this God-forsaken island have a clock?”

I ignored what she said.“I have good news for you.You have a work assignment.It took a week to arrange the room, but at least you won’t need to stay here day and night.You even have a window, though it’s high and you can’t see directly from it, sunlight filters in.”

She stared at me for a moment.“You expect me to work with my leg in this condition?”She pointed at said leg with an imperious finger.

“When you don’t work on the island, you don’t eat.Everyone has a job.We cooperate and make this a better home for the people.If you choose not to do your assigned task, I’ll have meal delivery stopped.”I kept my tone neutral.

“Again, what do you expect me to do with a crippled leg?”

“Work.”

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