Page 61 of Nazab

Nazab exchanged hugs with his brothers, getting their shirts bloody. “I thought I was never going to find you,” he said with a grin.

“You were getting closer,” Amaros said and pointed at the mountain range. “Our base is just up there,” he said.

Kochab examined the bears and shook his head. “Zoe said Anarchy was about to send someone to kill you, but we didn’t know they were bears.”

“That’s why we sensed danger,” Nazab said. “Anarchy was watching us through his puppets.”

“Can we get the hell out of here?” Monica asked. The danger was gone, but she never wanted to see this house ever again.

“Do you need to bring anything with you?” Amaros asked, glancing at the house and the truck. “We have clothing, food and beverages.”

“We’re good to go,” Nazab said. “Do you have somewhere I can get washed up?” he asked hopefully.

“Brother, we have everything you could possibly want or need,” Kochab said. He put his arm around Qiana, then Amaros teleported them to their base.

Monica lost her balance and staggered and her prosthesis came loose. Someone caught her as she fell, but it wasn’t Nazab, his brothers or the doc. “Holy crap, you’ve got a metal leg!” a cambion who looked about fifteen or sixteen exclaimed in shock.

“Grace,” Amaros said in a chiding look.

The kid looked abashed as she bent down to pick it up. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I’ve never met someone with a prosthetic limb before.”

“I’m not offended,” Monica said with a grin. Grace steadied her as she reattached the device. “I’m Monica,” she said when she was done. “This is Nazab, my knight,” she added.

“I hereby dub you Mon and Naz,” the teen said with a grin. “Naz needs to get cleaned up. I’ll take you to the north wing so you can choose a bedroom.”

Feeling a bit bemused, Monica glanced at Nazab and he smiled at her. “I’ll find you when I’m done, female,” he said.

“What happened to Naz?” Grace asked as they walked down the hallway to a short passageway.

“He was mauled by two black bears,” Monica said with a shudder. “He would have died if Qiana hadn’t turned up just in time.”

Grace gave her a wide-eyed look. “I bet that hurt,” she said in commiseration. “It kind of sucks that the cambions and knights can feel each other’s pain.”

“It’s not just us, then?” Monica asked, relieved that they weren’t abnormal after all. She could sense a bunch of cambions and knights in the main building.

“All of the couples have been the same so far,” Grace confirmed. “There are four spare bedrooms here,” she said. “Our kids will live across the hall from us,” she added. “We have two babies so far, but I’m sure more will come along eventually.”

This was a lot to take in and Mon felt like she was dreaming. They walked past doors that had carvings of birds and animals on them. She chose a room near the end that didn’t have anything engraved on it yet. From the way the carvings moved, they were magical. “This room will do,” she said as she glanced inside it. The rug had a picture of a huge strawberry in the middle of it. “It matches my hair,” she said with a laugh.

“You have really beautiful hair,” Grace said enviously. “Mine looks horrible now.” She batted the split ends with her fingers.

“Is that an ensuite?” Monica asked when she saw a walled off corner with a door.

“Yep,” the teen said. “We all worked together to turn this shabby old base into a home. It was just a shell when Amaros, Zoe and I first arrived. Now we have everything we need.”

“How long have you been here?” Mon asked. She crossed to the ensuite and opened the door.

“We found this place not long after the Rapture,” Grace said. “So, we’ve been here for over ten months now.”

Monica washed her face and hands, glad her tears had stopped. Another cambion was standing next to Grace when she left the small bathroom. “Hi, I’m Zoe,” she said, smiling and holding her hand out.

Taking her hand automatically, Monica felt power sweep through her. “What did you just do?” she asked curiously.

“Zo just scanned your memories,” Grace explained. “She does that to make sure none of us are harboring secret evil in our hearts.”

“My mate scanned you when he first met you, as well,” Zoe said. Not just pretty, she had a kind face and seemed wise for someone so young. “We both welcome you to our family.”

“Thanks,” Monica said, eyes almost welling up again at the warm sense of belonging. Zoe left and she sensed Nazab coming.