Chapter Forty-Three
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GRACE WAITED FOR CAMRIEL to hide behind the door of the doctor’s office before opening it. “Help!” she shouted at the truck that was slowly approaching. “I need some help!” she called out, waving her hands frantically. She’d tucked her pistol at the small of her back where it was out of sight.
The driver’s eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. He said something to his friends, then stopped the truck in the middle of the road. The window slid down and he stuck his head out. “Are you alone?” he asked.
Even from a distance, Grace could tell these men were evil. Their eyes crawled all over her, already planning what they would do once they got their hands on her.
“My friend is injured,” she lied, gesturing behind her. “She needs a doctor, or someone with medical training.”
“We’ve had plenty of practice patching up wounds,” the driver said, trying to contain his smirk. “Let’s see what we can do for your friend.”
All four men exited the truck. Two split off and circled around to the back of the building. The other two headed for the front door.
“Hide in there,” Camriel whispered, pointing at a tiny storage closet. “I’ll take care of these goons.”
His normally cheerful face was chillingly hard.
Grace was aware she’d just lured these humans to their deaths.
Somehow, she couldn’t find any pity for them.
They were no better than the group of men from the resort.
This lot were worse, since they probably murdered their victims after they were done with them, rather than keeping them captive.
Grace ducked into the closet and pulled the door mostly shut. She left it open a crack to watch the action. Camriel had his back pressed against the wall, waiting to spring his trap. He waited for the driver and his companion to enter before he exploded into action.
The warrior moved so fast that Grace could barely keep up with him. His massive hands grabbed the men by their necks, then he bashed their heads together.
“Gross,” she complained softly when their skulls cracked open. Blood and brains dribbled out of their heads as they collapsed.
Camriel was on the move again even before the corpses hit the floor.
One of the two remaining humans entered through the back door.
Spotting a huge blur racing towards him, he shouted in terror and reached for the gun in a holster that was strapped to his belt.
He never got a chance to pull it. Camriel smashed his face in with one punch, then snapped the final thug’s neck.
“I wish I could move that fast,” Grace said enviously as she emerged from the closet. She bent to rummage in the driver’s pockets and pulled out his keys. “Here you go, Cam,” she said and tossed him the keys.
“Cam?” he asked, deftly catching them. “I like it,” he decided with a grin. “I’ll drive my baby around to the back of the office, so we can start loading the supplies into it.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she reminded him.
Camriel’s mood soured a little. “Let me clear the bodies from here and move my truck, then we’ll talk,” he promised.
Grace was strong enough to help carry the bodies into the woods. Other people might need medical supplies, not that there were many left now. It seemed rude to leave the dead men to rot inside the building.
When they were done, Camriel retrieved his brand-new pickup, then eased it onto the narrow road behind the stores.
Waiting until he’d climbed out, Grace rounded the truck to join him at the back. “Tell me what this big secret is that you and Amaros have been hiding,” she ordered him.
Half his size, she looked about as dangerous as a kitten. Camriel knew she could be fierce when she was pushed, but he doubted she would actually shoot him if her anger got out of hand.
Holding up his finger for another short delay, the knight lowered the tailgate of the truck, then heaved himself up onto it. “Let’s sit and talk,” he said, patting the space beside him.
Grace was done with waiting, but she complied with his request. The gun was digging into her spine, so she pulled it out of her shorts and stuck it in her sweater pocket. One of her thick black tights had a run in it. She poked at a small hole that had formed as she waited for him to speak.
“Fate gave Amaros a choice when we were still in the Void,” Camriel began. “She told him that this will be our last war. Once we either win or lose, Order is going to decommission us. New warriors will be created on both sides.”
Grace’s eyes widened in horror. “What the hell?” she said, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes. “You guys don’t deserve that after all the battles you’ve fought for Order.”
“It was a kick in the guts when Amaros told me,” he agreed ruefully.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to get Order to change its mind?” she asked.
“Fate already stepped in for us,” he told her, touched that she was so upset. “She bargained with Order to allow us to remain on Earth as its guardians if we win this war.”
“That’s great,” Grace said in relief, then scowled. “You got me all worked up for nothing.”
“There’s a pretty big catch,” he said, hunching his shoulders. This was the part he dreaded telling her about. “Fate did more than just sever your bonds with your sires,” he said.
Grace became suspicious when he couldn’t meet her eyes. “What else did she do?” she asked ominously.
“She altered things so the Knights of Order can become bonded to the cambions, but only if you want us to.”
Grace gaped at him speechlessly for a few seconds. “What does that even mean?” she asked. “Are we supposed to be your slaves instead of our pops’ slaves?”
“No,” he denied, shaking his head. “It would be more like being married to each other.”
Her brow furrowed as she looked him up and down. “Are we supposed to become bonded?” she asked doubtfully.
“I don’t think so,” Camriel replied. “Amaros and Zoe felt their bond from the moment they met, or so I understand.”
Grace nodded in agreement. “They’re definitely going to knock boots.”
“They’re knocking boots right now,” he said with a smirk.
“How can you possibly know that?” she asked.
“Amaros told me they were going to accept their bond,” he explained. “He asked me to delay returning to the base for an hour or so.” He tapped his head to remind her that Amaros could use telepathy.
“So, the cambions are supposed to have sex with the knights and we become magically bonded to them?” she mused.
“I guess so,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not sure how it works.”
“Are you attracted to me?” Grace queried.
Camriel hesitated, hating the idea of hurting her feelings. “You’re like my little sister,” he told her.
“Yeah, I don’t want to jump your bones, either,” she said in relief. “But maybe we should kiss or something, just to make sure we’re not meant for each other.”
Camriel managed to stop himself from wrinkling his nose at that thought. “Okay,” he said with great reluctance. He leaned over and she lifted her face to meet him. Their lips were millimeters apart when they both jerked away at the same time.
“Nope, that’s not happening,” Grace declared, then leaped to the ground to distance herself from the warrior.
“Agreed,” he said ruefully. “We definitely don’t have the potential for a bond.”
Shuddering a bit at how wrong that had felt, Grace pointed at the containers that were neatly lined up. “It’ll take a while to stack all this into the truck and drive back to the base. Hopefully, Zoe and Amaros will be done boning each other by then.”
Camriel snorted out a laugh, glad neither of them felt rejected by their lack of connection.
They took their time to stack the supplies in the truck. A thought hit Grace when they were ready to leave. “You said the bond is like a marriage,” she mused.
“In a sense,” he agreed. “It’s permanent and it can’t be broken.”
“We should do something for Zoe and Amaros to celebrate,” she suggested in budding excitement.
“Like what?” he asked.
“I’m thinking champagne and wedding gifts,” Grace said, feeling proud of herself for coming up with the idea.
“There’s a liquor store just down the road,” Camriel said. “We’ll pay a visit to it after we’ve loaded the truck.”
Grace liked Camriel, but she was glad they didn’t have a bond. It was exciting to think there was a Knight of Order out there somewhere who was her match. “I can’t wait to find him,” she murmured too quietly for her companion to hear her.