The Warrior King

Chapter 10

Nicola's POV

"Hold still Parker!!" I yell as I reach around him trying to strap a piece of armor to his chest.

"I can't you're tickling me!"

He continues to wiggle around like a five year old who just ate way too much candy and I'm two seconds away smacking him.

"Seriously, please! I have to present this tomorrow and I'm lucky I even got more time to work on this."

I'm not exactly sure what went down the last time I presented the project's status, and I haven't told anyone about what happened in that room, just that we ended up getting the extra days we needed. I'm not sure about anything really. All I know is that Elliot almost killed Rivers and, if that as if that wasn't enough, Kane seemed completely unphased. Hell, I'd say he was amused by his actions. The power that came off Elliot was unlike anything I ever experienced and I've been questioning everything since.

"Calm down Nic, Cameron and I will be there with you and everything will be fine." He says, pulling me back to the present. I hope he's right.

"Can I least put the remaining pieces on you to make sure they fit?"

"Fine." He huffs and I roll my eyes at him.

I continue to put the armor on and once finished, I stand back to look at the final product. It's not too bad, but not perfect.

I let out a sigh of relief knowing I'll at least have something to show tomorrow.

Tomorrow. I wonder if Elliot will be there and how Cameron is going to react seeing him again? I shake just my head and try to focus on the job I have to do.

The next day, Parker and Cameron meet me at the training room to prepare for the presentation of the first prototype. Both men are stripped down to their boxer briefs arguing over who looks "cooler" in the new gear.

"Hey! Pay attention." I snap at both of them. "I'm going to walk into the room and take a few minutes to explain the features to the guys. I'll mind link you both when it's your time to come in."

They both nod and I start to take a deep breath as I walk into the room. All three men are sitting in chairs as I start to lay everything out on the table. I catch Elliot's eye, his gaze intense, and making me momentarily forget what I was doing. I can hear Gamma Rivers impatiently tap his foot on the ground and I quickly direct my focus to him as I begin to speak.

"Right, so this is the first prototype." I try to say confidently but it comes out a bit shaken. "It's made out of a new material called 'Revatek'. It combines the strength properties of Kevlar with the elasticity properties of spandex. It's made to stretch up to 7x its original shape, making it ideal to shift in. We may have to work on the shape and fit for some of the pieces but I think we've created the ideal material."

All men stare at the pieces with interest and I mind link Parker and Cameron to come in.

"Now I'm going to bring in two of the warriors to show you the fit and how it can still function with different body types." I explain as they both walk in.

Cameron and Parker start to enter and I hear a low growl. I turn around to see Elliot with rage flashing across his eyes. The aura coming off of him is powerful and deadly, causing me to take a step back. Kane puts a hand on his shoulder and the tension in the air slowly fades.

I hesitate as I grab one of the chest plates to strap to Cameron's body and walk over to him.

"No." Elliot growls. "They can leave, I'll try it on."

Both of my friends tense up and look at each other before I tell them that it's okay.

"Are you sure? I don't know his intentions and right now he's acting manic." Cameron says in the mind link while giving Elliot a glare.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, promise."

"We'll be just outside the door."

Elliot starts to undress down to his boxers and I can feel the heat creeping up my neck. I'm trying hard not to stare but he looks like a Greek god. He has a thick chest and chiseled abs, along with a small happy trail starting just below his navel and disappearing into his boxer briefs.

When he catches me checking him out, he gives me a wink that makes my face burn. I'm not sure if I want to run out of the room from embarrassment or ask him to take me right here and now. Maybe both.

Soon, he gives me a nod telling me he's ready for me to continue. I walk over to him, reaching around his body to strap the chest plate together. The skin to skin contact sends chills over my body, making me want to lean in closer. As I adjust the straps in the back, I run my finger down his spine and watch as he closes his eyes. Once he opens them, they're shades darker and pooled with lust. I glance over to find Kane looking at us with a knowing look on his face.

Crap.

I quickly put the remaining pieces on Elliot and stand back to look at him. He looks amazing and deadly.

"Well? Are you going to shift?" Kane says to him.

I'm a little nervous at what will happen since we didn't have time for Parker to shift in the armor previously.

As he does, I can hear some of the fabric start to tear. Once he's in full wolf form, I start to look over him and assess the damage to the armor but my attention shifts and I suddenly realize how large his wolf is. He's larger than any I've ever seen. All of the pieces covering his legs expect for one have stayed in place but the chest plate has completely torn.

His fur is charcoal black but he has the same green eyes. He starts to walk towards me and I stare in disbelief at just how gorgeous he is. His wet nose nuzzles my hands and I put them on each side of his head staring into his green orbs. He steps up and puts his head over my shoulder, resting it there as he lets out a long sigh of contentment, like he's waited his whole life for this.

Freya starts to purr at the justure and peace consumes my entire body, as if this is where I was meant to be. I start to feel him shift back into his human form as his arms wrap around me, pulling me into him with his face buried into my neck. When he pulls away, I look around and notice no one else is in the room. He grabs my hand and start to plant light kisses across my fingers while his eyes stay closed.

"Nicola..." his voice is deep and filled with need.

I look into his eyes and my heart starts to beat fast as my breath catches in my throat. An intoxicating scent of mahogany and spice floods my senses as his lips lower to mine.