Page 84 of Princess

Soldiers ran back toward the boats.

Caleb looked at me.

“They came here to kill, and they will not leave.”

He grinned and took off, followed by Warriors and islanders.

With a final push, the Shadow Warriors and humans overwhelmed the last pockets of enemy soldiers.The beach was littered with fallen humans and hellhounds.

The ships opened fire, and our men fell back.We had one last surprise.Two airplanes came into view and dropped bombs from the sky.These were our reserve planes.

One ship took a direct hit to its bridge and exploded in a fiery inferno.The other took a less severe hit, but there was enough damage to cripple it.Flames tore out of both ships, and men jumped overboard.

That’s when I saw the Federation submarine.Soldiers were diving into the water.Smoke poured from the hatch.Hellhounds burst out and tore into any man they could reach.If I had to guess, something went wrong and the Federation soldiers were paying the price.

I radioed the lead plane.“Target submarine.”

The plane turned around and swooped in low and released a bomb.It was a direct hit.

“Para nuestros hombres valientes,” I whispered.

The roar of battle slowly faded, replaced by the sounds of exhausted breathing and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore.Without compassion, not one enemy soldier made it out of the water.This was a battle to the death and we were finishing this war.

Chapter Forty

Missy

The massive explosion at the shipyard lit up the sky.A thrill went through my entire body.I was tired of war and living in fear.I wanted my family safe, and that included my bone-headed mate.

“Marriage is a human condition,” he told me after I fell in love with him.It sounded stupid then, and now it was even more so.Yes, we were mates in his Shadow Warrior world, but my world counted, too.He would put a damn ring on my finger and marry me in front of our friends after this was over.If not, he would be looking for a new mate.Barrett deserved a real father, and so did Ruth, although she would say she was too old to care.Beck would do it for me and our children.

“Be ready,” I called to the line of archers.

Shadow Warriors stood behind us.After we took out the first round of hellhounds, they would take over.Each archer had a ground quiver of incendiary arrows ready to fire.We kept our arms down to save our strength until it was time.

The road leading to our position had the ocean on one side and rock ledges on the other.The hounds could only come at us in tight groups.The arrows killed hellhounds if we struck the neck, and the explosion took their heads.We used actual hellhounds when we trained.

I’d tried to talk Ruth into archery.Even though she was a human child, and hellhound venom would kill her, she preferred close-up and personal attacks with a sword.

Ruth and her newly formed team of fighting youth were the last line of defense for the youngest children.If the hellhounds and soldiers got through us, the Shadow Warriors, and the Shadow Women, Ruth and her team would give their lives to protect the children.My daughter had sworn an unasked-for oath stating just that.I had no doubt she meant it.If we survived this attack and she lived to be an adult, she would be the youngest general in history, and no one would convince me otherwise.She’d told me that she and her fighters planned to hunt the hellhounds into oblivion when they were old enough.

Even though she caused continual havoc, I was damned proud of her.Barrett would be a handful, too.Children were the future.

We heard the horde before we saw them.Their lumbering gait defied the speed they were capable of.The morning was still cool but the breeze coming off the ocean carried the unmistakable odor of hellhounds.

“At ready,” I said.

Fourteen arms lifted.We had formed two rows, with the first row taking a knee.My hands were steady, and my heart rate slowed.I took measured breaths and waited.

No matter how many times I face down hellhounds, I would never get over their horrifying appearance.Their eyes locked on us as they came closer.They never showed fear because they didn’t feel it.Their brains were a one-cell organism living for death.

“Fire,” I yelled.

One hound made it through the first volley.The standing archers fired as we reloaded.The single hound fell along with others behind him.They would be too close soon, but each row could get off two more rounds before we retreated.

Through the center of the horde, something emerged.The hounds were horrifying, but this creature was worse.It was more than double their size.I froze when its red-tinged eyes zeroed in on me.His jaw widened, and disturbingly huge teeth emerged in a semblance of a smile.He swept aside the hellhounds nearest him and charged.

“Retreat,” I cried.

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