Chapter Forty-Four
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ZOE’S ENTIRE BODY WAS more relaxed than it had ever been in her life before. She and Amaros had satiated themselves twice and they were basking in mutual pleasure. “Camriel and Grace are on their way back,” Amaros told her.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“My telepathy is a lot stronger now,” he said. “I can pick up on surface thoughts if I concentrate hard enough.”
It seemed bonding had amplified his skills. “Even from a distance?” she asked.
“They’re almost halfway up the mountain,” he said.
“I need to get dressed,” Zoe said, unwilling to lounge around naked in her bedroom when she didn’t even have a door. “I guess it’s our bedroom now,” she corrected herself out loud. “Do I need to talk to you, or can you just read my mind all the time?” she queried.
“It takes power and concentration to read minds,” Amaros replied, then rolled off the bed. “It’s easier with you, though,” he added. “We can talk to each other whenever we want to. I’m not sure what our range will be yet.”
“We’ll have to test it,” Zoe said as they gathered their clothes. She realized they’d forgotten to bring linens back from the resort.
They were in the kitchen, waiting for their friends when Grace and Camriel entered the base. The teen was beaming widely when she joined them. “Congratulations!” she said, giving them both a hug. “Give them their wedding gifts, Cam,” she ordered.
“Cam?” Amaros repeated, lifting an eyebrow.
“It’s my new nickname,” the blond warrior said, then handed over the bags he was carrying. “Happy bonding day,” he added with a grin.
Zoe opened her bag and felt her face go red. “Thanks, Grace,” she said wryly. “It’s just what I needed.” See-through red and black bras and panties were inside.
“Every cambion should have sexy lingerie on her bonding day,” the teen said with a smirk.
“Champagne and walky-talkies?” Amaros said when he opened his bag.
“The walky-talkies were the manliest thing I could think of to get you,” his second said sheepishly. “Besides, they’ll come in handy,” he added. “I grabbed a whole bunch of them from an electronics store.”
“I’ll take that,” Zoe said, reaching for the champagne.
“I’ll help you drink it,” Grace offered cheekily.
“You’re not twenty-one yet,” she reminded her.
“Who’s going to arrest me for underage drinking?” the teen asked, waving her hand at the complete lack of police in the vicinity.
“Good point,” Zoe conceded. “I don’t want to drink alone anyway,” she added with a grin. She felt alarm thrum through her new bond that she hadn’t acclimatized to yet and turned to Amaros. “What’s wrong?” she asked in concern.
He put his hand on his stomach when it made a loud noise. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I feel strange.”
They all listened to his stomach growl. Grace and Zoe burst into snickers when they recognized the noise. “I guess the bond changed you more than we’d realized,” Zoe said.
“What’s wrong with me?” her knight asked, alarm rising.
“You’re hungry,” Grace explained. “The bond has made you human, at least partially.”
Camriel was looking just as worried as his boss. “Does this mean we’ll become weaker?” he asked.
“I don’t feel weaker,” Amaros replied. “I feel a lot stronger than I’ve ever been before.”
“We’ll have to test your capabilities,” Camriel said, still concerned that the bond would have a detrimental effect.
Amaros groaned and hunched over when his stomach complained about being empty. “I need food,” he said, then crossed to the container of venison.
Zoe, Grace and Camriel watched the commander of the Knights of Order stuff handfuls of meat into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed rapidly, then just stood there, waiting for something bad to happen.
“I think you’ll be okay,” Zoe said soothingly, sensing his fear that he’d become less than he’d been before. “You feel the same to me, so I don’t think there have been a lot of physiological changes.”
“You know what this means?” Grace mused.
“Do we even want to know?” Camriel queried.
“We’re going to need to stock up on a lot more food and toilet paper,” the kid said solemnly.
“And a bigger latrine,” Zoe added. They’d dug a deep hole behind some trees, but it wasn’t going to be adequate for long. Not if they eventually ended up with a total of forty knights and cambions.
“Real indoor bathrooms and plumbing would be ideal,” Grace said longingly.
“My throat feels strange,” Amaros said in a slightly hoarse voice.
“You’re thirsty after eating all of that meat,” Zoe told him.
He retrieved a bottle of water from their stash and chugged some down. Wiping his mouth with his hand, he assessed himself.
“So?” Camriel asked anxiously. “How do you feel?”
“Full,” Amaros reported, then patted his flat abdomen. “Did you explain everything to Grace?”
“I know all about the bond,” the teen said. “Cam and I tried to kiss and we almost barfed on each other. We’re not meant to be a couple.”
She put on a tragic tone that made Camriel snicker. “You have to see my new truck,” the warrior exclaimed.
Grace caught Zoe’s hand as she went to follow the guys outside. “So, how was it?” she whispered.
“How was what?” Zoe asked, feigning ignorance.
“You know what,” Grace scolded her friend. “What was it like to become bonded to Amaros?”
Zoe could feel the goofy smile that stole over her as she mused about it.
“It’s hard to describe,” she replied. “We were in the middle of having sex when we both surrendered to the bond. Our minds became joined and now we can speak to each other telepathically. I can sense him far more strongly now. His power increased, but I’m not sure if anything has changed for me. ”
“Was the sex good?” Grace asked.
“It was amazing,” Zoe confirmed dreamily. “I didn’t know it could be that good. I can’t wait to do it again.”
“Okay, too much info,” Grace said, holding up her hand. “I don’t need to know all the nitty gritty details.”
Zoe’s smile faded as the reality of what they’d done finally hit her. “I just hope Amaros doesn’t end up regretting the choice he made,” she said. They were speaking too quietly for the guys to hear them.
“Why would he regret it?” Grace asked in confusion.
“Because he’s stuck here forever now,” Zoe explained. “He won’t be able to return to the Void. From what I’ve seen, Earth will never be the same again. There will always be evil people to defeat even if we win the war against Chaos’ minions.”
I’ll never regret becoming bonded to you, love, Amaros said into her mind.
Her emotions had been strong enough for him to tune in to their private conversation.
For all of these eons, I’ve just been fighting for Order, he went on.
Now, I have you to fight for. I have a cause that means more to me than simply saving this planet from Chaos.
“Damn,” Zoe murmured as tears welled in her eyes. “I love you, too, Amaros,” she said out loud, knowing he could hear her with his ears and his mind.
“Crap,” Grace said, getting emotional as well. “When will my knight get here and sweep me off my feet?”
Zoe had to force herself to grin when she received a brief flash of a vision of the future. “Who knows?” she asked, unwilling to confess what she’d just been shown.
“Come on,” the kid said. “Cam is dying to show off his new toy to you.”
Zoe followed her outside and crossed to Amaros. What did you see just now, he asked.
Didn’t you see my vision, she replied. He shook his head as Camriel proudly showed off his midnight blue truck. I think Grace is going to have to wait a while for her knight to arrive, Zoe said.
How long, he asked. Her response was a grim mental shrug. She wasn’t sure exactly how long it would take for all of the knights to finally be released from the Void. She just knew Grace wouldn’t get her wish granted anytime soon.
“Now that the boys have their big trucks, the little red one is ours,” Grace said. She’d driven the smaller pickup back to their base.
“Awesome,” Zoe said, dredging up some enthusiasm. It was doubtful the warriors would allow them to go anywhere alone, but the vehicle would be there if they needed it.