I stepped in to finish the creature, driving my sword deep into its neck before slicing outward to sever its head.The thick, acrid scent of hellhound blood filled the air.I wanted to shout at Marinah, to tell her to go find the kids like I knew she wanted to, but she was already throwing herself into the thick of battle.Within seconds, she disappeared in the chaos.
The hellhounds attacked indiscriminately, their lack of focus confirming what I feared.Our people had deployed the whistles.Without clear guidance, the hounds were no longer under anyone’s control, and they tore through Federation and islanders alike.My sword struck another beast, separating its head cleanly from its shoulders as its body crumpled to the ground.
“King!”one of my men shouted.I turned to see one of the Warriors who had stayed behind to guard the area staggering toward me.His chest was a mass of blood, and the gaping wound in his stomach made it clear his chances of survival were slim.He fell.I sprinted to his side, landing in a crouch to check the damage.
I began adjusting his straps, trying to keep his insides where they belonged, but he shook his head weakly.“No time,” he rasped, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth.“They attacked us and took Knet.Che and Ruth followed them.”
The words hit me like a punch.Knet, another Warrior who had been tasked with guarding our homes.He’d always been reckless, more focused on proving himself than following orders.I’d hoped sending him here would keep him out of trouble.Clearly, I’d been wrong.
“The kids followed?”I asked, needing to be certain I hadn’t misunderstood.
He nodded weakly.“I saw them near the rocks,” he gasped.“They were trailing the Federation soldiers.Ruth had a whistle.”
A surge of panic twisted in my chest.“What about Maylin and Baby Boot?”
He coughed violently, blood spraying between his Warrior fangs.“Maylin had the baby with her.That’s all I know,” he choked out, his voice barely audible.
I clenched my jaw, fury and fear warring within me.Marinah needed to know, but there was no time to dwell on what might have already happened.We had to move.
I locked eyes with him, his life force dimming with every passing second.“You did your job and will receive a Warrior’s burial.Go in peace, my brother.”His hand found mine in a weak squeeze before the light in his eyes flickered out.Like always, a part of me died with him.Even though I was no longer Alpha, I could still feel the abrupt end of a Warrior’s energy when it was extinguished.Maybe it was my bond with Marinah that kept the connection alive; my men didn’t seem to feel it.
The sharp crack of gunfire drew my attention toward the cluster of houses near the water.My home sat farther up the shore, more secluded.The humans preferred to stay close together and had avoided claiming the homes away from the village.With a burst of speed, I rounded the building standing between me and the fight.
Marinah was locked in battle with three men, though it had clearly started with more.Bodies littered the ground around her.Her lethal efficiency was on full display.Another shot rang out from above and drew my gaze upward.Missy was in an upper window, her marksmanship as precise as ever.She was just as deadly with a silent bow, but her rifle scattered the Federation soldiers, and they didn’t know in what direction death would find them.
I focused on one of the soldiers attacking Marinah and closed the distance in a blur of motion.He didn’t have time to react before my sword cut through him.Marinah made quick work of the other two.Her movements were a deadly ballet of claws and strength.The Federation soldiers, far more elite than their red stripes, were still no match for her.
A fresh burst of gunfire erupted behind us.I turned and saw more Federation soldiers closing in.A quick glance toward Missy’s last position showed she’d shifted to another vantage point.
“You want to fly?”I whispered to Marinah out of the corner of my mouth.
“Sounds good, baby,” she replied, her voice filled with an eager need to kill.
She turned toward me, and in the same motion, leaped up.I crouched low and then jumped, shoving every ounce of strength into her legs.Pain flared briefly in my shoulder.A bullet grazed my arm, but it didn’t matter.Marinah soared through the air, shifting into her Nova form before she landed.
When she hit the ground amidst the soldiers, all hell broke loose.Claws and teeth ripped through flesh, and her roar sent a tremor down my spine.If we’d hoped to keep one alive, it wouldn’t be from this group.The chance of Marinah’s Nova leaving a survivor was slim.
She was amazing, impressive, and terrifying as hell.Even if Marinah sprouted two heads and six arms, I’d still find her beautiful.In Nova form, there were no words to describe her.She was bigger, stronger, and more powerful than anything I’d ever seen.And deadlier.Like a Viking berserker of old, she surrendered to the madness of battle when Nova took over.
I counted six men aiming guns at us.Sixty seconds later, no one remained standing.My mate stood amidst the carnage, her body drenched in blood, a feral growl rumbling deep within her chest.She spun, searching for her next victim, and her intensity was both awe-inspiring and chilling.A scream pierced the air, and that was all the encouragement she needed.She took off again, driven by instinct.I followed, though not to help.There was no need.I wanted to witness the spectacle.I wouldn’t dream of stepping between Nova and her prey.
In the center of the town square, several men were dragging a woman across the dusty ground.A group of women surrounded them, fists flying as they tried to free her.One soldier struck an unlucky helper, sending her sprawling.Others immediately stepped in to take her place, refusing to back down.
Marinah arrived like a hurricane.The women retreated, dragging their injured sisters out of the way as my mate unleashed her fury.She eviscerated the first soldier, her claws tearing open his stomach in a spray of blood and entrails.Her massive jaws clamped onto the second soldier’s throat, and his gurgling cries were cut short as she wrenched his life away.The third soldier made the mistake of running.He managed ten feet before Marinah’s powerful legs propelled her into his path.He barely had time to whimper before his head was severed and sent flying toward the onlooking women in a crimson arc.
Three hellhounds bounded into the square, their black forms monstrous, their glowing eyes locked on Marinah.Her back was to them as something else caught her attention.This time, it was my turn to join the fray.Drawing my sword, I charged the first hellhound, its fangs bared and dripping with toxic saliva.A single swing of my blade took its head, and the creature’s body slid to the ground.
The remaining two came at me in tandem, their snapping jaws aimed for my throat.They fought like the vicious dogs they resembled.I dodged their teeth and claws, going for the stomach of the closest one.It howled in pain when my claws raked its stomach, but it wasn’t a fatal blow.The only way to truly kill a hellhound was to sever its head.As I turned to face the second, I prepared for its next lunge.
Hellhounds were born of humanity’s worst mistakes.They were genetically modified abominations that defied nature.When they died, their bodies turned to ash within minutes, fueling the belief that they were creatures of biblical damnation.Religious fanatics had seized on this, labeling them as hellhounds.Their origin was actually steeped in science, though their terrifying bodies made it hard to argue against mythology.
I turned to the remaining hellhound, grabbed its head, and twisted hard.The sharp crack of its neck breaking was satisfying, but I didn’t stop there.The wounded one, missing most of its internal guts, lunged at me, its glowing eyes filled with feral rage.I sidestepped, my left clawed hand slicing through its throat in a clean, deep arc.With a vicious pull, I separated its head from its shoulders.Dropping the head to the ground, I hurled the limp body across the square.
I didn’t notice my foot was standing on its entrails until the grotesque display made the hellhound resemble a kite trailing ribbons of flesh.It flew through the air before landing with a wet, sickening thud.Blood still dripping from my claws, I scanned the area, my vision hazed with adrenaline and rage, searching for more enemies.
Marinah stood twenty feet away, her massive Nova form heaving with each breath.Her claws and fangs glistened with blood, and she snapped at the air in frustration, unable to fully expel the battle frenzy coursing through her.The island women began backing away, their wide, terrified eyes glued to her monstrous form.
“Marinah, we’re safe now,” I said in a soothing voice.“I need you to return to your Warrior form.It’s important.”I didn’t dare touch her.She needed time for her bloodlust to fade, process my words, and let her Nova instincts settle.
