Page 86 of Amaros
The warrior moved so fast that Grace could barely keep up with him.His massive hands grabbed the men by their necks, then he bashed their heads together.
“Gross,” she complained softly when their skulls cracked open.Blood and brains dribbled out of their heads as they collapsed.
Camriel was on the move again even before the corpses hit the floor.One of the two remaining humans entered through the back door.Spotting a huge blur racing towards him, he shouted in terror and reached for the gun in a holster that was strapped to his belt.He never got a chance to pull it.Camriel smashed his face in with one punch, then snapped the final thug’s neck.
“I wish I could move that fast,” Grace said enviously as she emerged from the closet.She bent to rummage in the driver’s pockets and pulled out his keys.“Here you go, Cam,” she said and tossed him the keys.
“Cam?”he asked, deftly catching them.“I like it,” he decided with a grin.“I’ll drive my baby around to the back of the office, so we can start loading the supplies into it.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”she reminded him.
Camriel’s mood soured a little.“Let me clear the bodies from here and move my truck, then we’ll talk,” he promised.
Grace was strong enough to help carry the bodies into the woods.Other people might need medical supplies, not that there were many left now.It seemed rude to leave the dead men to rot inside the building.
When they were done, Camriel retrieved his brand-new pickup, then eased it onto the narrow road behind the stores.
Waiting until he’d climbed out, Grace rounded the truck to join him at the back.“Tell me what this big secret is that you and Amaros have been hiding,” she ordered him.
Half his size, she looked about as dangerous as a kitten.Camriel knew she could be fierce when she was pushed, but he doubted she would actually shoot him if her anger got out of hand.
Holding up his finger for another short delay, the knight lowered the tailgate of the truck, then heaved himself up onto it.“Let’s sit and talk,” he said, patting the space beside him.
Grace was done with waiting, but she complied with his request.The gun was digging into her spine, so she pulled it out of her shorts and stuck it in her sweater pocket.One of her thick black tights had a run in it.She poked at a small hole that had formed as she waited for him to speak.
“Fate gave Amaros a choice when we were still in the Void,” Camriel began.“She told him that this will be our last war.Once we either win or lose, Order is going to decommission us.New warriors will be created on both sides.”
Grace’s eyes widened in horror.“What the hell?”she said, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes.“You guys don’t deserve that after all the battles you’ve fought for Order.”
“It was a kick in the guts when Amaros told me,” he agreed ruefully.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to get Order to change its mind?”she asked.
“Fate already stepped in for us,” he told her, touched that she was so upset.“She bargained with Order to allow us to remain on Earth as its guardians if we win this war.”
“That’s great,” Grace said in relief, then scowled.“You got me all worked up for nothing.”
“There’s a pretty big catch,” he said, hunching his shoulders.This was the part he dreaded telling her about.“Fate did more than just sever your bonds with your sires,” he said.
Grace became suspicious when he couldn’t meet her eyes.“What else did she do?”she asked ominously.
“She altered things so the Knights of Order can become bonded to the cambions, but only if you want us to.”
Grace gaped at him speechlessly for a few seconds.“What does that even mean?”she asked.“Are we supposed to be your slaves instead of our pops’ slaves?”
“No,” he denied, shaking his head.“It would be more like being married to each other.”
Her brow furrowed as she looked him up and down.“Are we supposed to become bonded?”she asked doubtfully.
“I don’t think so,” Camriel replied.“Amaros and Zoe felt their bond from the moment they met, or so I understand.”
Grace nodded in agreement.“They’re definitely going to knock boots.”
“They’re knocking boots right now,” he said with a smirk.
“How can you possibly know that?”she asked.
“Amaros told me they were going to accept their bond,” he explained.“He asked me to delay returning to the base for an hour or so.”He tapped his head to remind her that Amaros could use telepathy.
