"You've had this the entire time?" Marinah asks in disbelief as she stares at the silk. "You needed to unwind a bit and the only way to do that was to get you on the road." "You are so aggravating," she grinds out in frustration. She wiggles on the back of the bike, wrapping the scarf around her head and securing it. Her thighs squeeze my legs and Beast takes notice. I can't think of a female I've met who's more aggravating than Marinah. Maybe Beast and I have finally met our match. I rev the throttle so she'll hurry and it does the trick. I have a spot picked out where I'd like to eat lunch. It will take another hour to get there. She wraps her arms around my waist again and we're off. This time it's her laugh that makes me push speed. "I loved it," she says an hour later after I pull over. "I should learn to drive." "Walking and running first. Riding a motorcycle last." Her tongue slips out and more than anything I want to kiss her. I grab our lunch

The day was too perfect, and I should have known it wouldn't end well. I'm trapped in a very small cave with an injured beast-man with someone trying to kill him close by. The injured party in question has decided I need to be practically sitting in his lap while I try to remember not to look into his eyes. We stay this way for the longest time and strangely I feel safer than I ever have. The sun begins going down and I hear his slight snore before I have a chance to take a good long look at a Shadow Warrior in beast form. He's amazing. If I had to compare him to anything, it would be a wolf, but no wolf holds a candle to this creature. Short hair covers his body that once had smooth skin. His legs are larger and his arms have grown too. His wicked claws are sharp and deadly. It's his jaws and skull that have changed the most, though. Whereas his skull was round before, it's narrower and larger. His enormous teeth overlap and make it look like it would be impossible to cl

Beast has never been this calm. The pain is all but gone, and my mind is completely clear. This has never happened when Beast takes over. There's a completeness that I haven't felt before. Why did Beast want her dead? A bigger question is why did the men who came after me want her dead? Without the K-5 flooding my system in waves, I can concentrate on what's important. Someone wants Marinah dead and I need to discover who. Then I'll eat them. Marinah rests the bowl beside us when the healing food is gone and then eats her meal quickly. Exhaustion rolls over me and I fall asleep to the sound of her eating. Sometime during the night, I shift back to human form. When I open my eyes, sunlight enters the room through a high window. Marinah is gone. Axel walks in and takes the chair she vacated. "Good to see you awake." "Where is she?" He sighs. "She went to take a shower and change clothes. She'll be back as soon as she finishes breakfast. I told her I wou

Seeing Boot so close to Marinah ruffled Beast's feathers. Mine were a little more controllable, but I'll admit I didn't like it either. Boot is mated and it's the only reason he walked from the room under his own willpower. I'm at a crossroads. Marinah returning to the Federation is still a very real possibility. Add to that, her confidence since she began training is remarkable. She's standing tall and tripping less. I'm sure having Shadow Warriors around where you're the shortest person helps her value her height. We are larger than life and intimidating. Since her arrival, Marinah has shown little fear, but now she's not just fearless, she's inspiring. She has a strong work ethic and Boot's daily reports have gone from "It's torture to watch," to "She could be an actual fighter." He doesn't mean in the ring, he means war. That won't be happening. I've spent too much time examining my inner turmoil with Beast. I still don't understand it and he's not following normal gu

This can't be happening. I won't let it. I bust through the doors of medical and rest Marinah on one of the beds. I don't see Axel, so I administer the antidote myself jabbing the needle into her arm. "Come on, Marinah, fight!" "It won't help, King," Axel says from over my shoulder. One look in his eyes and I want to take off his head. He doesn't know what he's saying. "It must," I shout in frustration. I take Marinah's hand and bring it to my cheek. "She's my mate," I implore my friend. "She can't die. You need to cut the poison out." "King," he says softly. "No! Screw you. Do something to save her. You can." "I can't." He shakes his head then turns and leaves the room. He's left her to die. I bury my face in her stomach and hold on. If I can hold her long enough, she can beat this. Her body shudders and her eyes open. She shouldn't be, but she's still conscious. "Hold on Marinah," I tell her. "It hurts. My body hurts," sh