Page 72 of Princess

His gaze remained on mine.“What would you do if they did turn on us?”

“End them.Nikayla will grow up in peace.I will eliminate each and every threat, no matter where it comes from.”

He smiled, a wicked, satisfied grin.“I will always have your back.”

“I know.”

He leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips.

“It’s time to go to the meeting,” I said with a catch in my voice.

“Finish your breakfast.They will wait.”

“I’ll drop Nikayla off with Amissa and Endura.”

“I don’t mind carrying her,” King said.There was a softness in his eyes when he said it.Soft and King had never gone hand in hand.Our child tempted me with tofu and him with gentleness.

“I’m worried you will need to behead Beck.I’ll take Nikayla to the women.”

We finished our meal.

“We will leave at daybreak,” I told the Shadow Women.“You will be escorted to the southern part of the island and wait there in the tunnels.It’s possible fighting will reach you.”

Amissa grabbed Endura’s fingers and squeezed them.“We are ready.Fighting is not something we are looking forward to, but we will protect the children.”

“I know,” I told her.“Nikayla is in good hands.”

I left them with my child and went to the argument room where the others waited.

“We will start this meeting with meditation.We need clear minds to make decisions.”

No one argued, and it was hard not to grin when I remembered how this went down in the beginning.Five minutes of silence later, I opened my eyes.Beck was staring at me; the rest, including King, had their eyes closed.I winked at Beck, and he gave an almost imperceptible grumble.

The presence of K-5 was low.It would change as soon as Beck decided he didn’t like something, but for a few minutes, we were calm.

“I want the submarine here guarding the island,” I told Nokita.

“Good call,” he said.If he had doubts, he didn’t show it.

“I won’t be on it,” he said.“My fighting skills are useless if I command the craft.Alfred will be in charge of sixty men.He knows the submarine like I do.”

I wasn’t sure why that relieved my mind, but it did.Nokita was too valuable as a fighter to have him on the sub.

“Do the men understand the danger of their job?”

“Yes.”

I inhaled slowly.The men onboard were human.It shouldn’t matter to me, but I saw Shadow Warriors as the protectors.I was wrong though.All of us were fighting for our lives and for peace.People would die, and I couldn’t dwell on it.

“After this meeting, we will meet with Alfred and anyone else you think needs to be informed of our plans,” I told him.“It’s vital that the sub takes out a ship or two before those ships reach the island.”

I looked around the table and stopped at Rodrigo.“Have you made your decision?”

He nodded solemnly.“I will stay here and defend my people.My men were given the choice, and we are staying behind.”

I looked at my guard again.I cared about them.They cared about me.

“We have family and friends on this island.It’s our home, and the only way we can defend it is to wipe out the Federation.The Warriors going to Landan’s territory will leave late this afternoon.The rest of us have tonight to say our goodbyes.We leave at dawn.Our destination is a small landing field, fifty miles from the Louisiana coast.Landan has people waiting for us.Axel and King are coming with my team.”I looked at Beck.“Is Missy planning to fight?”

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