Chapter Seventeen
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URZRA COULDN’T BELIEVE he’d turned into a gigantic chicken. He was afraid of a five foot two female he could pick up with one finger. It would have been amusing if he hadn’t been so embarrassed.
Bria had stopped again. He hung back, peering at the distant town. He almost went to her rescue when he heard two vehicles speeding towards the cluster of buildings, but forced himself to hang back. He heard an altercation, but didn’t feel any pain from his cambion.
The sense that something bad was about to happen became lodged inside his head. He’d been feeling uneasy for the past couple of hours, but it was far worse now. A few minutes passed and Bria hadn’t moved yet. Then he heard more trucks coming and his unease turned to dread.
Pain roared through his left shoulder joint as a loud gunshot pierced the air.
Urzra roared in fury and sprinted towards the offending human.
Zeroing in on the man standing in the bed of the lead truck, the knight leaped into the vehicle moments after it came to a stop.
He grabbed hold of the lowlife holding a rifle with a scope on it and twisted his head to the side.
He used so much force that he almost tore the human’s head off with a sickening crunch.
Urzra locked onto his female and saw two enemies running towards her.
Bria’s face was full of fear and she didn’t seem to be able to use her magic against them.
Calling his sword from the Void, the Knight of Order sprinted to intercept the marauders.
Bowling them over, he flipped one of the men on top of the other, then skewered them both with his blade at the same time.
“Urzra?” Bria asked incredulously as the gunfight continued.
“I’ll be done in a minute, female,” he said grimly, then picked up a rifle and turned it on the invaders. He cut down half of them and the townsfolk who’d taken cover finished off the rest.
Bria sank down to the ground with her back to the tree, breathing in pained gasps. “The bullet is still inside me,” she said when he returned to her.
“I know,” the warrior said with a grimace. “I can feel it. The humans might have a medic who can help you,” he said.
She shook her head, then moaned. Her sound of agony pierced his heart. “I’ll be fine,” she said, determined to avoid people at all costs, even if it meant she would remain in pain. “I just need to rest for a minute,” she said.
Urzra shook his head at her stubbornness.
Scooping her up against her protests, he sped towards a distant house that he’d passed on his way to the town.
His sneaker smashed the front door open and he strode inside.
He deposited his cambion on a chair in the dining room.
“There should be a first aid kit in here somewhere,” he said.
“Amaros has tended to my wounds plenty of times. I’m sure I’ll be able to dig the bullet out of you. ”
Bria shook her head. “You’ve done enough,” she said in an accusing tone that cut him to the quick.
She blamed him for dragging her from her home and placing her in danger.
“I have a first aid kit in my gear. I left it a couple of hundred yards away from the town near the road where the trucks came from. If you retrieve it for me, I’ll fix my injury myself. ”
Sweat beaded her forehead and he didn’t want to waste time arguing with her.
He raced back to where Bria had been attacked and followed her slight trail through the long grass.
She’d gathered enough provisions to last her for a few weeks in the cart she’d appropriated.
He scrounged around in her duffle bags and found the first aid kit, then returned to the house.
Bria had torn her t-shirt open, revealing her bra strap. He refused to allow his body to react like a horny teenager. His cambion would be even less impressed with him if she knew how much she turned him on without even trying. “Put it on the table,” she requested.
“I’m not letting you dig the bullet out of your own body, female,” Urzra said firmly. “It will be far quicker for me to remove it.”
She was pale and was beginning to shake from shock, but her bottom lip stuck out belligerently. “Fine!” she snapped, trying not to move and jostle her shoulder. “Get it over with,” she said grimly.
Pleased that she trusted him enough to allow him to tend to her, Urzra opened the first aid kit.
He pulled on the thin gloves, then used disinfectant on the long pair of tweezers.
Inserting it into her wound, they both winced when her agony flared up again.
Fortunately, the bullet wasn’t deep, but it was stuck in her joint.
He yanked it out and she clenched her jaw in reaction.
“I’m sorry for causing you pain, Bria,” the warrior said, glad to see the injury was beginning to heal. He used antiseptic on it, then covered it with plaster.
“Why have you been stalking me?” she asked, beginning to recover her color. “I knew someone was following me, but I didn’t know it was you.”
He avoided her eyes as he stripped the bloody gloves off. “I told you I was sticking with you, female,” he reminded her. “I’m simply following my instincts.”
She rolled her eyes and his gut clenched. “How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want you around?” she asked. “I thought you’d get the hint when I used my magic on you again yesterday. What’s it going to take to make you go away and leave me alone?”
Urzra was surprised at how much her utter rejection hurt. “I encountered some humans earlier who told me of a male they call the Mad Prophet,” he said. “Apparently, my brothers and I are being paired up with females this time. I don’t know why, but we’re supposed to be together, Bria Janke.”
His cambion was staring at him like he’d grown an extra limb. “That’s nuts,” she said flatly. “And you’d have to be crazy to believe someone called the ‘Mad Prophet’.”
Urzra’s shoulders sagged. Just as he’d feared, she didn’t believe him. Out of all the scenarios that had played out in his mind, this hadn’t been one of them. “I botched this badly,” he said sadly. “I’ve never had to court a female before. I don’t know what to say or do to win you over.”
Bria shifted in her seat, then flinched when her shoulder twinged. He could feel she was rapidly healing and knew she would be as good as new soon. “You’re not the first guy who’s been obsessed with me,” she said.
“I’m not obsessed,” Urzra denied, sinking down onto another chair.
“You followed me all day yesterday and half the day today,” she reminded him. “Only someone who’s obsessed would keep stalking someone like that.”
“Who was this other male?” he asked. “I’m sure I’m nothing like him. Tell me about him and you’ll see my feelings for you are genuine.”
Bria gave him a long look, gauging the sincerity in his eyes. “We only met two nights ago,” she reminded him. “You shouldn’t even have any feelings for me yet.”
Urzra crossed his arms and watched her expectantly, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere. He wanted to hear about the man who’d obviously traumatized his female.