“I’m fine,” I said quickly, though my voice lacked conviction.“Beast was trying to tell me something.”My mind flickered to the precarious situation we were in.If I had shifted, the bubble would have shattered, and the ocean would have rushed in.That was not a death I was ready to face.
“You blacked out and slumped to the side.That’s not fine,” King said, his tone harsh as he turned to Nokita.“Get us back to shore.”
I didn’t bother pulling rank or playing the queen card.When King went into full protective mode, he was immovable.Instead, I focused on what had happened.“Something upset Ms.Beast,” I admitted, my voice softer now.“I’m worried it’s Nova.”
King’s concerned eyes locked onto mine.
I grimaced, trying to ease the tension.“Maybe I have multiple personality disorder,” I joked weakly, though it didn’t land as intended.
King’s expression didn’t change, and his hand remained firmly locked with mine as if to anchor me.
“Nokita.After you drop me and King back on shore, I need you to locate any other waterlogged hellhounds.Use whatever means you have.”
“Yes, alpha,” he said.
I heard the same horror in his voice that King and I felt.Part of it was the underwater nightmare we had just witnessed, and part was because I passed out.Nothing about this was good.
Chapter Fifteen
King
We left Marinah’s motorbike at the shipyard.She rode behind me, her arms loosely wrapped around my waist while I kept one arm secured around her arm to hold her steady, the other steering the motorcycle.Her skin was still pale after the strange episode on the sub, though she appeared steadier now.I couldn’t shake the worry that she might pass out again, and I’d be too slow to catch her.I should’ve called Beck to pick us up.
By the time we reached the citadel, she declared she was fine, the universal code for “leave me alone.”Ignoring my concern, she stomped toward our room.When I tried to insist she take a shower, her response was a low growl.I growled back, picked her up, and deposited her inside the tub.
“You can turn the water on, or I will,” I said, my jaw set stubbornly.“Ice-cold might improve your mood.”Shadow Warriors hated the cold.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she snapped, reaching for the nozzles.“Tell our guard we’re meeting in thirty minutes,” she added sharply.
“Your guard,” I corrected, matching her tone.
Her brown eyes darkened slightly.“You’re pushing your luck, mate, and you know it.They’re our guard,” she said, standing her ground.
“Keep dreaming,” I replied, leaving the room.I closed the door softly, fully aware that she would have slammed it if our roles were reversed.Sometimes satisfaction came from quiet victories.
Informing her guard was as easy as finding Beck and telling him to take care of it.My real target was Axel.I found him in his quarters, sitting at his desk with a book in hand.I stomped in without knocking, earning a glance from him as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.
His private room was one door down from the medical bays, keeping him close to his work.Axel took his role as our doctor seriously.Over time, he had expanded his domain into a fully functional hospital, complete with a maternity ward to serve the women on this side of the island.He was setting up another near our home.Maylin, Nokita’s mate, handled much of the nurse outreach, while Garret, Axel’s significant other, assisted with everything from surgeries to baby deliveries.
Axel sighed and fixed me with a weary look.“I take it this isn’t a friendly visit.”
“Marinah called a meeting in twenty-five minutes, main conference room,” I said without pausing for breath.“She passed out, or had a seizure, a hallucination, something.”
Axel rubbed the bridge of his nose, his expression showing a glimmer of concern.“Was she attacked, injured, or maybe just hungry?”
I started pacing, the tension clawing at my insides.“No.K-5 spiked, and she slumped over.She was out for maybe a minute or two.The spike was stronger than anything my Beast has ever thrown at me.Nokita and I almost shifted.”
“Had she eaten recently?Her transition to Nova requires a lot of energy.”
“Two pounds of bacon, a dozen eggs, and half a loaf of bread,” I replied, listing off her morning meal.
Axel’s eyebrows shot up.That amount of food would have been excessive for anyone else, even a Warrior.
“Has she shifted to Nova in the last few days?”he asked.
“Yesterday.She did it without going into Beast form first.She had more control, and she spoke in full, understandable sentences.”
“Take a seat,” Axel said, pointing to a chair in the corner.His tone left no room for argument.Once I was seated, he turned to face me.“We know almost nothing about Nova Warriors.What little we do know, we’ve learned from Marinah.”
