Chapter 136: Marinah

I wake up in the warm cushion of King's arms. He's awake and staring at me.

"How is the soldier?" I ask groggily.

He knows who I mean. "She survived. Axel performed surgery on one wrist and put both in casts. What do you plan on doing with her?"

My heart is heavy. "I'm not sure." I roll so I'm facing King. "I couldn't kill her. Even Ms. Beast couldn't do it."

"Hmm."

He almost has me smiling, but then I remember the pain of losing our men. "How many of our people died?"

"Your people. Seven Warriors, no humans."

I ache at the news. "Who?"

King recites the names. It hurts. Two of them have families. One just became a new father. I sit up partially. "The men need us. What are we doing in here?"

King locks his arms around me again and pulls me back into bed. "You can read your grandmother's journal, but you are not leaving this room until you're healed. It's not up for discussion."

I want to argue. His hard, calculating e