"Breathe, Marinah." King talks me through the sudden rush of Kedorine 5, or K-5 as King calls it, that tries to shove itself into my veins. K-5 is the miracle that brings on the shift for Shadow Warriors and it's packed with other powerful hormones too. You can't catch it, it's not a disease, it's something you're born with, and I'm the lucky woman to be the first female Warrior in hundreds of years. "Inhale, exhale. Don't allow your beast to win. You say when she's in charge, not her." Sweat breaks out across my freshly washed skin. The red haze slowly recedes and I'm able to tug Beast back where she belongs. "I've got it," I practically wheeze through clenched teeth as the room returns to focus and my breathing slows. It takes most Shadow Warriors a year or longer to control their beasts enough to be around humans. Humans will be present tonight and I need to remember how easy they are to break. As of today, I have little control over my clawed hands and I'm lucky I hav

I glance at my guards standing a few feet away ready to jump in if needed. "It's time to begin." I raise Marinah's hand and kiss the backs of her fingers. "Stay with Axel." I search her eyes for just long enough to see if she's handling herself before I glance away. "I'm fine, really," she assures me. Axel nods, letting me know that he has her. I walk forward and face about two hundred people who came to say farewell to Boot. A few "hushes" sound and small talk quickly dies. "Death is always a tragedy," I say loudly enough for everyone to hear. Marinah grimaces but otherwise doesn't react. "Boot died saving his young son's life." I look to the children standing in a group and find Che. "He loved you and he was proud to call you son." Che's tears stream down his face when I continue. "You are the son of Boot, a mighty Shadow Warrior, and you are one of us as is your mother. Look around you at every Shadow Warrior here. We are your family now." I glance out at the o

A growl leaves Beck's throat and King is on his feet with his own loud growl rumbling from his throat. I'm only seeing half of this because the red haze takes over and there's no fighting it this time. The table separates King from Beck, but not from me. With powerful legs, more animal than human, I launch onto the thick wood and land inches from Beck, who is still in human form. There's nothing human left in me, I'm all Warrior. In a slow, delicate move, I slide my gigantic tongue from between huge jaws and slide it up along Beck's cheek. "Tag, you're it," I say and bring up my arm in a classic uppercut connecting solidly with his jaw. Beck flies out of his chair and I follow with a five-foot jump from the table to floor landing between his splayed thighs. I lift my now-bare foot, which is more than double the size of my human foot, hairy, and sporting claws that I'm unaccustomed to. I lift the top of my foot and lower it onto Beck's crotch adding just enough pressure to make h

"This is your real home?" Marinah asks. "Yes." We walk up the path to the steel front door. I reach around her and open it. "Unlocked?" she questions. "Unlocked." The entry is large, tiled, and cool compared to the temperature outside. I hit a switch by the door and turn on the generator. We use wind and solar power on the island. When I'm away for a long time, I disconnect the batteries to allow them to totally drain so they last longer. I walk over and open the large bay window that leads to a balcony overlooking the water. "You live here?" Her eyes are huge as she takes in the view. She then stares at me perplexed. "It's like... normal." I smile. "As normal as things can be right now." "Then what is the Federation doing to take the U.S. back to ‘normal'," she says with air quotes, her sudden anger prevalent. "They're not. They use fear to keep the people in line. It's been a tactic used for years." Several emotions slide

I take three thick black volumes of Shadow Warrior history back to my bedroom. The leather is old and supple, the smell that of antique books, which stirs warm fuzzies in my belly. King gave me a short tour of his home after we left the underground section and also showed me my room. He hasn't kissed me since we arrived and he's given me a separate room. I'm trying not to feel disappointed, but it's a lie. I want to be in King's bed no matter how wrong it is. Technically he's still an enemy of the Federation. And technically, I don't care. He obviously needs time to decide if we should sleep together and I wouldn't appreciate being rushed, so there's no way I'll rush him. I also won't beg. I pick up one of the worn volumes and open it. In the beginning, there were two. In the beginning, one male, one female. In the beginning, no war, no famine. In the beginning, love. Within a short time, I'm enthralled. It's like reading a science ficti