Chapter Five
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RAHAB WAS SEETHING with quiet fury as he sat in the foyer of his base.
He was waiting for his men to report in.
Soldiers had scoured Manhattan for GG and the other females who’d escaped.
His former consort had played him like a fiddle, pandering to his ego while plotting behind his back.
Wynter, Berit’s offspring, had murdered her sire and another soldier.
Only Wynter’s inexperience and lack of killer instincts had allowed the other six victims of her magic to survive.
She’d only partially frozen their internal organs.
“I suppose I should be glad Fate severed our parental bonds with the cambions,” he muttered as he drummed his fingers on the gold armrest of the velvet chair.
Their younglings weren’t the unstable, bloodthirsty cambions like the ones from past eras.
These females had control of their emotions, if not their talents.
Wynter’s skills had been suppressed before Berit had forced a bond between them. Now they were fully operational again.
“What skill does my offspring possess?” he mused, impatience increasing by the second.
So far, he hadn’t even sensed a trace of his progeny.
They’d all been female so far. Xathan was certain Fate had engineered their genders.
Each cambion was apparently paired with a Knight of Order.
He’d witnessed Tolas and Wynter falling for each other during their very first meeting.
“Now they’re undoubtedly bonded, just like the other cambions our enemies have located,” he said with a scowl.
The ham radio in the maintenance room down the hallway crackled, then the human who’d been dubbed the ‘Mad Prophet’ spoke.
“Rise and shine, survivors of the apocalypse,” he said in an intense tone that reflected a hint of insanity.
“I had a dream last night that another good guy arrived in a blazing gold comet. He’s safe, far, far away from the once glittering and now dark city where evil lurks.
The devils with red eyes won’t get their hands on this one so easily. ”
His sly, mocking tone was enough to make Rahab’s blood boil. The commander knew that message had been meant for him. Fate was working behind the scenes even more than usual. She was determined that her knights would win this final war.
“We’re not going to just roll over and let you win without a long, bloody fight,” Rahab snarled, clenching his hand into a fist. “I’ll make sure we take down as many of your minions as we can, as well as their precious mates.”
The soldier in the maintenance room froze halfway through scribbling down the Mad Prophet’s message. It was wise to pretend not to exist when their leader was showing signs of instability. The pen resumed quietly jotting down the short speech when Rahab quietened down again.
Rahab almost wished he hadn’t ordered the glass walls and door in the foyer to be painted black.
His view of the expensive and exclusive buildings on 5th Avenue was now blocked.
He was tempted to head to the gym further up the road, but remained where he was.
Once GG was found, he planned to take her straight to the penthouse.
Her punishment for deserting him would be long, painful and creative.
He’d spent the past twenty-four hours fantasizing about how he would make her pay.
Sensing some of his men approaching, his anticipation turned to disappointment when he didn’t sense any humans with them. The door opened and Phul, Lachial, Xathan and Vetis entered.
“We have bad news, Lord,” Phul said. As his second in command, it was his duty to report in.
“Is GG dead?” Rahab asked, keeping his tone flat. While he wanted GG to suffer, he wanted to be the one to cause her pain. There would be no justice if someone else killed her.
“No, Lord,” Phul said cautiously. “We couldn’t find any traces of any of the females who escaped. We followed their tracks for as long as we could, but lost them in Morningside Heights. We searched the neighborhoods nearby, but saw no signs of them.”
Rahab’s nostrils flared as his instincts to rend and tear tried to take over. Xathan lowered his head first, sensing his change of mood instantly. The others followed suit, waiting for the explosion they assumed was coming.
“I want her found,” Rahab said, deliberately controlling his voice. “Search every building if you have to.”
“We can utilize the humans to assist us with the search,” Xathan suggested. “They’ll be visiting every building to shut down the power anyway.”
“Humans are useless,” Vetis said with a sneer, then cringed at the baleful look their boss gave him. “But even they have eyes,” he hastily added. “GG stands out, so she’ll probably be spotted by someone eventually.”
“Get moving,” Rahab said. He needed to be alone when he was in a foul mood like this. “I’ll be in the gym,” he added when they turned to leave.
Phul nodded in response, herding the soldiers ahead of him. Lachial put on a burst of speed to beat Vetis to the door, smirking at his old rival. Vetis flipped him the bird and the blond warriors cackled quietly as they exited from their base.
Rahab remained seated until the four men were gone from his senses.
He stood up and let himself out, glancing up to see storm clouds were beginning to gather.
GG was smarter than his minions gave her credit for.
She wouldn’t parade around in her usual gold clothing, since she’d left them all behind.
His former mistress would no doubt disguise herself so she could blend in.
“It will be difficult to find her,” he muttered beneath his breath. “But she’s not getting away from me that easily,” he added as his five guards fell in to surround him.
Phul waited until they were a safe distance from their base before stopping and turning to face the others. “Rahab’s a ticking timebomb,” he said, flicking his gaze around to make sure none of their squad were close enough to listen in.
“I don’t know why he’s so bent out of shape about this female,” Vetis said in derision. “There are plenty more beautiful women to choose from in our base.”
“GG outwitted him,” Xathan said, rubbing his hand over his bare scalp in a sign he was feeling stressed. “Rahab won’t allow her to just walk away from him. He’ll hunt her relentlessly until he finds her.”
“You mean we’ll all hunt her relentlessly,” Lachial corrected him with an eyeroll. “We should be spending our time searching for our offspring in the other boroughs. They aren’t in Manhattan. We would have found them by now if they were here.”
“Are you going to say that to Rahab’s face?” Phul asked him wryly.
“Of course not,” Lachial replied, placing a hand on the pale skin of his neck. “I like my head where it is.”
Xathan didn’t chuckle along with his colleagues.
He’d been on the receiving end of Rahab’s deadly wrath several times.
He knew their commander wasn’t going to let this go.
He was obsessed with Glory Gold. “I’ve never seen Rahab treat a female with the deference he gave to GG,” he said.
“Her betrayal isn’t something he’s ever going to forgive or forget. ”
Vetis let out a loud sigh. “We’re going to have to follow his orders and search every single building until we find her, aren’t we?” he asked in annoyance.
“Xathan’s right,” Phul said, to the advisor’s surprise. “Rahab is fixated on GG. He’s not going to be stable again until we deliver her to him.”
Lachial ran a hand through his white-blond hair. “Something tells me he’s going to be waiting for a long time,” he predicted. “Which means he’s going to be increasingly unpredictable.”
They shared worried glances, knowing nothing could be done about it.
GG needed to be located as soon as possible.
God help them if she perished, or if someone else maimed her.
The ex-wrestler needed to be in pristine condition to appease their commander.
Rahab wanted to be the one to ruin her beauty and make her hideous.
“I’ll send orders to the human troops,” Phul said with a grimace, reaching for his walky-talky. Fortunately, most people in Manhattan knew who GG was. They would recognize her on sight.
“Offer them a reward if they find her,” Xathan suggested. “Make sure they’re aware not to harm her.”
Phul nodded, then switched to the channel the law enforcement lackeys had been ordered to use.