Chapter Twenty-Four
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CATERINA WAS TEMPTED to use her magic to destroy her assailants.
Doing so would wear her out quickly, although she didn’t feel as tired as she should have after putting on such a show.
Ramiel was breathtakingly graceful as he slew his foes.
His sword sliced through them so quickly that most of the humans had no idea they were about to die.
Picking up two knives, she used magic to draw the heat out of the metal. Tossing knives was one of her skills and she knew how to wield them effectively. Dodging rocks, she swiped at anyone who came within her range.
The battle seemed to last forever as she cut down the shrieking, insane mob. She glanced over to see a man pointing a gun at her. Ramiel chopped his arm off, then beheaded him before he could shoot her. She nodded in thanks and the knight inclined his head slightly in response.
It was hard to concentrate on her enemies when her gaze kept trying to return to the gorgeous warrior. Far larger than any of their attackers, he moved like he’d been born to fight. His expression was detached and clinical rather than battle crazed. It was obvious this wasn’t his first rodeo.
Ramiel turned to assess the remaining mob, then cut his way to her side. “Why aren’t you using your fire?” he asked.
“I need to conserve my magic,” she replied, then ducked when a rock came sailing at her head. “I’ll burn myself out if I use too much at once,” she explained. She would only call on her fire if it became necessary.
“Then let’s finish these roaches off so you can recover your energy,” Ramiel said. With a roar, he leaped forward and rapidly mowed down what was left of the crowd.
Caterina stared at the bodies as the alien turned to regard her. “I can’t believe we survived,” she said.
“I owe you my life, female,” he said. “My name is Ramiel and I’m a Knight of Order.”
“I’m Caterina Blaze and I’m half human and half alien like you,” she said wryly. “I only just found out that I’m a cambion, by the way.”
“We have much to discuss, Caterina Blaze,” the warrior said in an almost disturbed tone. She’d noticed he was no longer hard. Fighting for his life had dampened his desire. She wondered if it had just been a fleeting reaction to her.
She was about to respond when a blinking red light caught her eye. It was coming from the top of the church steeple in town a short distance away. “I wonder what that light is for?” she asked, getting a bad feeling about it.
Right on cue, they heard the rumble of vehicles approaching and turned to the freeway nearby. “It’s a signal calling for reinforcements,” Ramiel said grimly. “Their cohorts must have been out scouting for fresh meat.”
“They’re hunting deer and other animals?” Caterina figured.
“Not that kind of meat, female,” the knight said. “They intended to chop me up and cook me.”
“Ew, gross,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “What’s our plan, Knight of Order? It’s too dark for them to see us. We could easily sprint away.”
“They have my belongings,” Ramiel said, looking away as if he had something to hide. “I’m not leaving until I’ve retrieved my gear. Besides, the cannibals will continue to hunt other humans if we allow them to live.”
“Good point,” Caterina conceded. Up close, she sensed his soul wasn’t black or gray. It was white, which was something she’d only ever detected in babies and young children before. Most teens and adults had at least some gray in their souls in her experience.
“Follow my lead,” he said, then began loping across the barren field.
The shackles were still locked around his ankles, clinking and dragging the short, broken chains behind him with each step.
Staying close on his heels, Caterina kept hold of the knives she’d stolen.
They reached the freeway and crossed it to skirt around the buildings.
“What happened?” a man asked as the new arrivals gathered in the middle of town.
“It was a massacre!” a male replied in a hysterical voice.
“I shot a dude who was trying to sneak around our town in the head, but he didn’t die!
I hit him in the shoulder and back next, then someone else plugged him in the temple.
I saw them string him up in the field to slit his throat, then some crazy chick appeared and started throwing fire around! ”
“You’re not making any sense,” a female snapped. “Why didn’t you shoot the girl?”
“She was moving around too much and it had turned dark by then,” the sniper said defensively.
“It was just a distraction for the weirdo we were going to gut. He somehow got out of his chains, then used a sword to murder everyone. The girl must be his partner. She killed a bunch of our friends with knives.”
“Are they still in the field?” the male who seemed to be in charge asked.
“I don’t know,” the sniper said. “I came down to meet you as soon as I saw you coming.”
“They could be watching us right now,” the leader said, peering around the darkness suspiciously.
“I count thirty humans, female,” Ramiel said quietly. He could sense them just like she could.
“They’re all clustered together,” Caterina noted. “I can probably take half of them out with a fireball.”
“Truely?” the knight asked skeptically. “They’ll spot a fireball of that magnitude and scatter before it will reach them,” he predicted.
“It’s not the size that matters,” the cambion said with a smirk. “It’s what you do with it that counts.” His brow furrowed and she realized he hadn’t heard that saying before. Brand new to Earth, it was a wonder he could even speak her language.
Using a tall wooden fence for cover, Caterina created a fireball on her palm.
She let it build up to be about six inches wide, then peered around the corner of the fence.
The humans were arguing right next to a pickup truck that had a bottle of gas in the bed.
The tall gray cylinder was strapped in place and she hoped it wasn’t empty.
“Here goes nothing,” she murmured, then stepped out from behind the fence and threw the fireball as hard as she could. It whooshed through the air, propelled by her magic.
“Look out!” the sniper had time to shout, then the fireball hit the gas cylinder. It exploded on impact and flames engulfed the truck and the closest humans. Ramiel was already sprinting past her with his sword in his hand. She raced after him, tossing fireballs at the fleeing cannibals.
Badly burned, the leader rolled onto his stomach and shot Ramiel in the side. Caterina flinched when she felt his pain. This time, she didn’t throw a fireball at her target. Instead, jets of fire burst from her palms, immolating the man and burning him to a crisp.
Ramiel fought on despite the agony that she shared. He cut down the last opponent, then turned in a circle to scan the town. “It’s clear now,” he said in relief. He took some keys that were on a chain attached to a corpses’ belt and unlocked his shackles.
“Thank God it’s finally over,” Caterina said shakily. She was surprised to find she wasn’t as exhausted as she’d expected after using so much magic. Her reserves should have been empty, but she knew she could have wiped out all of their enemies on her own.
Her gaze went to the hot alien who made her heart beat faster every time their eyes met. Somehow, her strength, speed and power had been boosted when he’d arrived on her planet and she wanted to know why. He was looking at her in wary wonder after her display of magic.