Which wasn’t much.“Our histories mention them,” I said defensively.
“They mention them,” Axel corrected, “but they don’t explain them.Why do so few Warriors ever shift to Nova?Were they meant to rule us, or were they meant to protect our rulers?What separates a Nova from a Shadow Warrior?Yes, they’re more powerful, but there were always so few.They were the monster’s monster.And we know next to nothing about them.”
“They were feared and worshipped on the home planet,” I countered.
Axel stared at the wall for a long moment before turning his attention back to me.“I’ve read the texts too.Novas were incredibly dangerous.Once a Warrior went Nova, they were never fully trusted, even when they became leaders.They had one purpose, and that was war.Marinah seems to have a handle on her Nova, but does she actually control her?”
“You think her Nova is the one in control, even in Beast form?”
“I think we don’t know enough,” Axel replied.“She needs to be watched closely.”
“She thinks her Beast is trying to tell her something,” I added.
“Interesting.”Axel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.“After we deal with the Federation, I’ll have her come in for blood tests.It wouldn’t hurt to check her chemical makeup in both Beast and Nova forms.There’s always a chance we’ll discover what separates her from the rest of us and why most Warriors can’t attain Nova status.The focus on the home planet was always war and they didn’t value science.The answers we need may be inside her.”
I left Axel’s room with more questions buzzing in my head than answers and reminded him not to be late for the meeting.When I entered our quarters, I found Marinah curled on the bed, naked, twisting one of her braids between her fingers, and staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Anything you want to share?”I asked, lying down beside her to stare up at the same unimpressive ceiling.
“The female Warriors didn’t think much of their male counterparts,” she said distractedly, gesturing toward the journal on her nightstand.
“I’m pretty sure the men figured that out when the women left them shortly after arriving on earth.”
“Hmm.”Her noncommittal response grated on my nerves.
I reached over, took hold of one of her braids, and gave it a small tug to make her look at me.“I’m worried about you.”
Her face scrunched up in mild confusion.“Me?”
“You passed out.”
“Ms.Beast and Nova were trying to tell me something,” she said, brushing off my concern.“I’ll have a long meditation session and figure it out.”
When she continued to stare at the ceiling, I tugged her braid a little harder.“Yes?”she asked, her tone laced with just a hint of irritation.
“The meeting?”
“Yes, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes in exaggerated exasperation.“I need to save the world,” she added dramatically, sliding off the bed and getting dressed with distracted movements.Without a word, she walked out the door.
Mate, my Beast whispered.
Contrary mate,I whispered back, dragging myself off the bed to follow my queen.
Chapter Sixteen
Marinah
After five minutes of meditation, I took a steady breath and opened my eyes.“Now that our heads are clear, do we have word on the Federation’s location?”
Beck’s eyes snapped open impatiently, and the sharp tone of his voice made it clear the meditation hadn’t worked its magic on him.I made a mental note to schedule a few private sessions with him later.“Landan reported about an hour ago that one of his scouting planes spotted Federation ships approximately eight hours away, somewhere between Key West and us.At most, we’ve got eight hours to prepare.”
Weariness tugged at me, and I stifled a yawn.“The timing makes sense,” I said, launching into the explanation about the hellhounds chained offshore.As I spoke, horror spread across the men’s faces.Even Nokita, who’d had time to process what we’d seen, looked visibly shaken.“This battle is two-fold,” I continued.“They’ll release the hellhounds first to disrupt our Warriors and kill as many of us as possible, then send in troops to finish the job.If we can interrupt the signal that releases the hellhounds, we’ll gain valuable time.”
“How did they get that many hounds into position?”Beck asked.
“My guess is they worked with Knet, and it’s been a slow process.They’ve likely been working on it for months.”
Beck shook his head slowly, and his eyes burned with hatred for Knet the traitor.
