Chapter Twenty-Nine
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VICTORIA WAS FEELING flustered with Camriel watching her like a hawk.
He was undeniably sexy and he seemed like a good guy.
Zoe and Grace trusted him and it was obvious they all cared about each other.
She wanted to give him a chance, but she was still reeling from finding out she truly was half alien.
The fact that he was a full alien was also something to consider.
This weird fudging bond they all kept talking about concerned her the most. She wasn’t sure the benefits outweighed the fact that she would be tied to this man for life.
“I’ll think about it,” she said to hopefully end the conversation.
It worked and Amaros turned to another topic. “How do you know there are ninety-seven soldiers?” he asked.
“I dreamed about them after they arrived,” Vic said. “I froze the dream and counted them.”
“Was that before Phul spoke to you?” Camriel guessed.
“Yeah,” she confirmed. “I didn’t want to believe he was my father, but the resemblance is too strong to deny.”
“I wonder why we don’t have a red tint to our eyes like they do,” Grace said in a pondering tone.
“It’s a sign of their allegiance to Chaos,” Amaros said. “Order chose to mark us in a different manner.”
“With the sword and wing tattoos?” Victoria guessed.
Amaros nodded and put his hand on the opposite shoulder to where Camriel’s mark was. “Each one is slightly different, but we all have one.”
“Amaros’ is different from ours to reflect his rank,” Cam said.
“What else did you notice about the soldiers?” Zoe asked. “Did you see one with reddish brown hair and a smug smirk?”
Victoria cast her mind back. “He was their commander,” she surmised. “He did all the talking and they listened like obedient minions.”
“That’s Rahab, Zoe’s pops,” Grace told her, hiking her thumb at her friend.
“Rahab is sly, vicious and a deadly fighter,” Amaros said. “We need to destroy him and wipe out all of his men in order to win this war.”
“Anarchy sent them all in to battle this time,” Camriel noted. “He’s never done that before.”
“Why not?” Zoe asked.
“To prolong the war,” Victoria figured. “He kept some troops in reserve and sent them in when their numbers became low, right?”
“Exactly,” Camriel said. His proud tone gave her a warm feeling inside. “You’ll be a find addition to our squad,” he added.
“Wait,” Grace said, holding up her hand. “You’re going to let Vic fight the soldiers with you?” Her tone was verging on being hurt.
“Victoria is a ruthless, experienced warrior,” Amaros pointed out. “How many people have you killed now?” he asked the newbie.
“I’ve lost count,” Victoria admitted. “Dozens, probably.”
Grace looked mulish. “Zoe and I have both killed people and you won’t let us fight. We can’t even go on recon missions with you to Manhattan. We have to stay here where it’s safe.”
“I’ll train you how to fight,” Vic offered. “Are you any good with weapons?”
“We’re pretty accurate with rocks, but we suck at shooting guns,” Zoe told her.
“I’ve never used a gun, but I’m good with a bow,” Victoria said.
“I bet you could hit the bullseye the first time you tried to shoot a gun,” Grace predicted in hero worship.
“We’ll set up a range somewhere more appropriate so we can all practice,” Amaros decided.
Vic lifted an eyebrow in enquiry.
“Zoe and I chose a really bad spot for target practice,” the teen said sheepishly.
“Some humans heard us and tried to attack us,” Zoe added. “We were forced to kill them all.”
“Then we rescued a bunch of women they’d been holding captive, after Amaros and Cam took them down,” Grace added.
“Where were they being kept prisoner?” Victoria asked, gut clenching at the ordeal the victims must have gone through.
“At the resort a few miles from here,” Cam said, gesturing further up the mountain.
“The same resort you stole all the furniture from?” Vic guessed.
“It’s been a treasure trove,” Zoe said. “We also grabbed all of the clothes from a nearby town for all the knights and cambions who’ll be moving in here eventually.”
Vic smoothed her hand down the brand-new pair of winter trousers she’d pulled on. “I’m really glad you have stuff in my size,” she said gratefully.
“Take whatever you need,” Cam offered. “We have plenty for everyone.”
As far as bribes went, it was a good one. They had books, food, shelter, furniture, generators and comfortable beds. They were even working on indoor plumbing. The lure of not having to use an outdoor toilet was strong.
“I have a question,” Grace said, directing the comment at Victoria.
“Hit me with it,” the wrestler said.
“Can you feel the bond between you and Cam?”
Startled by the query, Victoria looked at the big, blond warrior. “I’m not sure,” she hedged. “How am I supposed to know what the bond feels like?”
“I was drawn to Amaros even before I saw him,” Zoe said, taking her mate’s hand. “We had a strong mutual attraction that was hard for us to fight. I could feel him from a distance and I always knew where he was.”
“You feel that with me,” Camriel said in satisfaction at the spooked look on his mate’s face. “I knew you were in trouble from hundreds of miles away.”
“Is that how you found me in that town full of fudging psychos?” Vic asked.
He nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself. “I know you sensed me because you ran away every time I got too close.”
“I didn’t know what you were,” Victoria reminded him. “I felt something like that with Phul, too, but it was a lot weaker.”
Grace was instantly horrified. “I thought Fate severed their parental bond,” she said accusingly to Amaros.
“She did,” he said soothingly. “It’s probably just a fragment that remains.”
“What if it’s enough for our pops to find us?” the teen demanded.
“They’d have to be really close,” Victoria said, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. She liked Grace and she didn’t want to scare her. “There’s no way they could sense us all the way here,” she added.
“We’re safe at our base, Grace,” Zoe said. “No one will be able to find us once the knights erect their wards.”
“What wards?” Vic asked in confusion.
“They can use magic,” the kid said, still not mollified and looking shaken.
“What sort of magic?” Victoria queried.
“We’ll be able to show you, once more of our kind arrive,” Amaros said.
“They won’t tell us what they can do,” Zoe said with an eyeroll.
“I won’t let anything bad happen to you, little sister,” Camriel vowed. “Your sire will never get his filthy hands on you.”
Grace searched his face, then finally relaxed. Her trust in the warrior reassured Victoria and some of her natural suspicion melted away. “I believe you, Cam,” the teen said. “I just wish more knights would turn up, so you can get the wards up and running.”
“I believe Camriel and I could erect a ward if his power was boosted,” Amaros said, staring straight at Victoria as he spoke. “It might not be enough to conceal our entire base, but we could probably mask the entrance to our lair.”
“Nice try, boss man, but I’m not falling for your manipulation,” Vic said wryly. “It’s way too early for me to make a decision about something that will change my entire life.”
“My mate has a backbone,” Camriel said with an approving grin. “We were made for each other, Victoria Tudor,” he said, now sounding grave. “Fate has ensured all of the Knights of Order and their cambions will be a perfect match.”
Victoria’s gaze lingered on Amaros and Zoe.
They were clearly in love based on their body language and the fact that they were always touching and staring at each other.
Deep down, she’d always longed for someone to love her like that.
It had never seemed possible with her strangeness and being so different from everyone else.
Now, she had a chance to find happiness with a gorgeous man who wanted to worship her.
“I’ll let you date me,” she said grudgingly.
Cam whooped in joy and surged to his feet. He plucked Grace out of her chair and spun her around. “She said yes, shorty!” he crowed. Grace shrieked in laughter, then tripped over her own feet when he put her down.
Victoria lunged out of her chair to catch her, instinctively protecting someone smaller and weaker than she was.
“You people are fudging nuts,” she said, helping the unsteady teen back to her chair.
Vic’s tone was full of amusement rather than scorn.
Already, these strange people were worming their way into her heart.