Page 17 of Amaros
“At least we have a big, strong knight to watch over us,” the kid said slyly, knowing the warrior could hear her.“Maybe you should forgive him for dropping the no-kids with human men bombshell on us.”
“Why should I do that?”Zoe asked, tossing her hair back in annoyance with a flick of her fingers.
“The sexual tension between you two is thick enough to chew,” Gracelyn said with a cheeky grin.“At least it was until he opened his big mouth and shoved both feet into it.”
Amaros turned his head to glower at the teen.Her response was to widen her smirk, then climb out of the car.“I’m going to grab some snacks,” she said.
“I’ll go with you,” Zoe offered.“I need to freshen up.”
Even after all this time, Amaros noted that some things never changed.Women still went to the bathroom in either pairs or in packs.Keeping his amusement to himself, he finished filling the tank, then washed the windshield.It was filthy from taking backroads that were sometimes just dirt tracks to avoid people.
Thinking back to when she’d ordered them to get out of her car, Amaros knew there was more to Zoe Zayden than there seemed.Still young for her kind, she’d spoken with an authority that he was used to using himself.His men obeyed his orders without question because they knew they could trust his instincts.Did this alluring cambion possess the same leadership qualities that he did?If so, then maybe that was why Fate had tossed him into her path.
The keening noises Zoe had made between her screams of rage still lingered in his mind.Her anger and sorrow had chased away every living creature within hearing distance of her car.The knight had wanted to vanish into the ether for causing her so much grief.
“Did you see how fast Amaros moved?”he heard Grace whisper from inside the gas station.
“Yeah, it was kind of impressive,” Zoe said grudgingly.
“Do you think he could teach me how to fight?”the kid mused.
“Aren’t you already stronger and faster than normal humans?”Zoe asked.
“Of course, but I don’t have many fighting skills,” Grace told her.“I’m good at stealing and slinking around in the shadows.Punching and kicking my enemies isn’t in my skill set.”
“I’m sure he’s listening to us right now,” Zoe said sourly.“Will you teach Grace how to fight?”she asked without raising her voice.
“We’ll see,” Amaros replied, climbing into the front passenger seat.He could no longer feel the same level of anger emanating from Zoe.With luck, she would tolerate him sitting next to her again.It was far more comfortable to sleep reclining in the front seat than scrunched against the door in the back.It wasn’t easy to ignore the fact that he simply wanted to be closer to her, but he managed it.
“He sounds like a dad,” Grace said glumly.“Everyone knows ‘we’ll see’ always means no.”
Amaros sighed loudly enough for them to hear him and was rewarded with twin giggles.The females returned a short while later, carrying more provisions.Zoe placed her pilfered goods in the back, then slid behind the wheel.Giving him a sidelong look, she didn’t order him to return to the back seat.He was careful to hide his relieved smile as she took off.
“How much longer will we have to drive before we get to wherever we’re going?”Grace asked.She tore open a packet of chips and dug in.
“I think we’re getting close,” Zoe replied.“If we keep going in this direction, we’ll end up in the mountains.”
“That would be ideal,” Amaros mused.“We need a base somewhere secluded, so humans won’t easily discover us.”
“My intuition knows what it’s doing,” the cambion said with a slight scowl.
“I don’t doubt your instincts, Zoe,” he said.“I’m simply thinking out loud.”
“Uh, oh,” Grace said cheekily.“I can feel the sexual tension returning.”
“Shut up back there and eat your dinner,” Zoe ordered without any real heat.
“Okay, mom,” the kid retorted.“Do you want some food?”
“I’ll have cookies,” Zoe requested.She’d placed a bottle of water in the cupholder to sip from as she drove.
Traveling with two females was a new experience for Amaros.This must be what having a family felt like.Zoe was nowhere near old enough to be Gracelyn’s mother, but she had maternal instincts.The thought of her being his wife thrilled him more than he’d expected.They could be joined in every way possible if she accepted their bond.
Zoe picked up on his mood change and he felt her shifting to peer at him.His eyes were closed and his seat was reclined.Willing his groin to behave, Amaros banished a picture of her naked and beneath him before he could get hard.
“Tone it down, dude,” Grace said.“I know I’m technically an adult, but I’m too young to be subjected to the sexual pheromones that are pouring off you right now.”
Zoe snickered, then they both burst into laughter.Amaros muttered beneath his breath, wishing the females weren’t quite so intuitive.
