Chapter Thirty
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PROUD THAT HE’D BEEN able to provide fresh food for his female, Nazab could still smell faint traces of blood beneath his fingernails.
He’d made a mess when he’d butchered the doe.
At least he hadn’t ruined his clothes or shoes.
The warrior had been skeptical that the venison would be edible until his cambion tasted it.
Her lack of enthusiasm had changed as soon as she’d had her first bite.
He figured not eating meat for almost a year had made it more palatable.
Kissing her to taste the meat had been impulsive and had affected them both equally.
Their mutual desire was growing stronger with each day that passed.
“You need to turn right ahead,” Monica instructed him.
Having his cambion beside him gave him more contentment than he’d ever experienced before.
Nazab and his brothers had lived to do battle in the past. Fighting had been the sole reason for their entire existence.
This time, it seemed they were being given someone precious to protect and cherish.
Keeping his female safe had become paramount now.
While he would still give his life to protect his commander and brothers, Monica Yamil was at the top of his list.
Part of keeping his cambion safe was to train her how to use a gun.
Even with just a few hours of practice, she was already improving.
Two rifles were on the back seat, just in case they ran into trouble.
He would take one with him and leave the other one with Monica each time he scouted a location.
“The shooting club is only a mile away now,” Monica told him. “We might be able to stock up on ammo there.”
“My thoughts exactly,” the knight agreed. “That’s the main reason why I chose this place first.”
He drove a bit further, then pulled off the highway onto a smaller road. The grass was long enough to partially hide the truck, but he parked beneath some trees. The shadows would help camouflage it from a distance. “The rifle is loaded,” he said as he reached to the back seat and handed it to her.
“I’ll try not to shoot myself while you’re gone,” his female said solemnly, then snickered.
“May I have a kiss for luck?” he requested. This was the only time they allowed themselves to explore the passion they shared.
Monica leaned towards him and they came together. Nazab wanted to show his cambion exactly how he felt about her, but he kept his kiss almost chaste. He was determined to pace himself and they had almost two months left to wait yet.
“Be careful,” Monica said when she broke off their kiss.
“I will,” he promised, then exited from the truck.
His mind was still spinning a bit as he raced to the shooting club.
“Damn it,” he muttered when he came to a stop beneath trees that bordered the property.
The door was hanging on its hinges and a skeleton lay in the entrance.
Someone had already raided the place, but he felt compelled to check it anyway.
No one was lurking inside when he scanned the large building with his senses.
Nazab entered through the broken front door and searched the place.
Metal lockers had been broken into and the contents were gone.
He lucked out and found a few boxes of ammunition in the office.
It wasn’t the stockpile he’d hoped for, though.
Whoever had searched the place hadn’t thought of looking on the top of a tall bookcase.
“How did you go?” Monica asked when he returned to the truck.
“Someone has already cleaned it out,” he reported. “I scored a few boxes of ammo, so it wasn’t a complete bust.”
He opened the door she’d just unlocked and handed her the boxes. She put them in the glovebox, then he headed to the next location.
By late afternoon, they’d searched four sites on the map. “This will be the last one,” Nazab decided as Monica stopped the truck. She’d taken over driving after the third location.
“Hurry back,” she said. “I’m dying for some coffee, even if I have to heat water over the firepit.”
Nazab chuckled at her cranky expression, glad he wasn’t addicted to anything. He raced to the large property that had a huge barn. It had been converted into a showroom for farm equipment. The nearby house had been added to over the decades and was easily large enough for twenty knights.
“They’re not here,” the warrior said in disappointment when he sensed a dozen humans. Their souls were gray, so at least they weren’t evil. One stood out from the others. The person’s soul was far darker and was bordering on turning black.
Nazab returned to the truck with a frown. “What’s wrong?” Monica asked when he came around to her window.
“I need your opinion,” he said, then told her about the humans. “I had the sense that the person with the dark gray soul could snap at any moment.”
“If they do, they’ll probably end up murdering someone,” Monica figured unhappily. “Can you use mind control on them to prevent them from snapping?”
He shook his head regretfully. “It doesn’t last forever. Once it wears off, their mind will become full of turmoil again.”
Monica motioned for him to move back so she could open the door. She closed the window first, then climbed out. “Let’s take a look at this unstable person,” she decided. He lifted her into his arms and sprinted back to the house.
Someone was shouting when they arrived. “I’ve told you a thousand times not to wear your muddy boots inside!” an older female exclaimed angrily.
“You’re not our mom!” a younger woman retorted. “This isn’t even your house! Who cares if we wear our muddy shoes inside?”
“I care!” the other female screamed in rage. “I’m the leader of this group and you’ll do what I say!”
Nazab heard a gun being cocked and Monica instinctively moved closer to try to help.
His female lifted a hand to point at the insane woman through a window.
Her soul had just turned black and she was about to kill her friend.
The knight felt his female harness her magic, then it zoomed towards the human.
The woman let out a gasp as some of her energy was drained away.
“Get that gun away from her!” a man called out and several people rushed towards their leader.
Monica was stunned by what she’d just done. So was Nazab. He’d never seen a stealer siphon energy from someone without touching them before. “I didn’t know I could do that,” she whispered.
“Neither did I,” he agreed. “What are you going to do with her energy?”
Monica looked through the window again, then raised both hands. She pointed at the crowd that had gathered around their former leader, who appeared to be having a heart attack. Energy whooshed silently into the group, who were too distracted to notice they’d just been given a boost.
“She’s gone,” the younger woman who’d almost been murdered said shakily.
“Good,” another female said grimly. “Now we can pick someone to lead us who won’t murder us for the crime of getting the floors dirty.”
The survivors laughed, still in shock but able to deal with it. They’d probably been through a lot worse than this close call with death.
“Let’s get out of here before they notice us,” Monica said.
Nazab picked her up again and returned to the truck. “I’ve never seen a stealer take energy without touching their victims before,” he said. “You have a remarkable talent.”
“I’m pretty sure the only reason I could do that is because of you,” Monica figured. She was too shaken to drive and chose to sit in the passenger seat.
“I didn’t do anything,” Nazab said in confusion.
“We’re both stronger now,” she reminded him. “Our strange link has boosted our skills. Maybe that’s why I can do things other stealers can’t.”
“We need to find Amaros,” Nazab said as he headed back to their base. He glanced at the ham radio they’d taken with them. The Mad Prophet hadn’t given them any tips yet and he was starting to think he never would.