Page 11 of Ramiel

Chapter Seven

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LACHIAL LINGERED NEARhis spawn’s apartment building, making sure he was just close enough to sense her on the edge of his radar.Jazmine was always in her apartment when he checked on her, but he suspected she’d been sneaking out at night.He and his guards kept watch for a few hours, hoping they were wrong.

“It could be another cambion we haven’t discovered yet who’s killing the mercs,” one of his guards murmured.

“One of us would have sensed another cambion if they were in this area by now,” Lachial refuted.“Besides, the corpses all looked exactly like the aftermath of what Jazmine did to our squad member in the police headquarters.”

“The humans that were found in the dumpster had been reduced to chunks of meat,” his other guard agreed.“All of the militants who saw that mess puked their guts out.”

Lachial grinned a bit at that memory, then his mirth faded.He didn’t know how it was possible for Jazmine to defy him.Both Rahab’s mind control and his parental bond should have been enough to keep the cambion in check.He wasn’t sure what he would do if she truly was roaming around Brooklyn, randomly murdering people.

How could he punish a shadow wielder who was mentally unstable?Taking away her precious painting would probably be a very bad idea.It could make her turn against him like his feral spawn had in past eras.Jazmine had displayed her ability to use shadows even in a well-lighted room.She’d successfully held Vetis at bay after he’d attempted to have sex with her.Even Rahab had been disturbed when Lachial had told him about that episode.

“A knight has been spotted near the Henry Hudson Bridge!”a soldier reported in.“Alpha Team are to head there asap!”

Lachial rolled his eyes at the human terminology they were using now.He took off with his guards in tow, heading northwards, then cut westward to reach the bridge.Seventeen soldiers who’d sired cambions converged together with their entourages.Rahab was the only one who didn’t show up.Their commander was probably in his unofficial office in the gym, endlessly and pointlessly working out.

“I see him,” Phul said as he peered through binoculars.“He’s alone,” he added.

The human militant who’d seen a large male approaching puffed out his chest.“We’re here to back you up,” he said.

Phul glanced at the puny idiot and nodded, hiding his derision.He put the binoculars to his eyes again, watching the potential knight try to sneak across the bridge.Only one lane had been cleared.He was using the traffic in the other lanes for cover.

“What are our orders?”Xathan asked.Even he’d left the Empire State Building to join them on this hunt.

“We’ll move back and let him reach Manhattan Island,” Phul decided.“Once he’s several hundred yards from the bridge, we’ll move in and surround him so he can’t get away.”

“Can we shoot him in the legs so he can’t flee?”Vetis asked with a grin of anticipation.The opportunity to maim one of their enemies was too good to pass up.

“I’lldo the shooting, if it’s warranted,” Phul said with a stern frown.As Rahab’s second in command, the other soldiers deferred to him reluctantly.Phul didn’t want any mistakes to occur that could potentially end up with the knight dead.

“I never get to have any fun anymore,” Vetis grumbled as the soldiers backed away from the bridge.

“Tell me about it,” Lachial agreed sourly.“It would be nice to have just one day off so I can slaughter a whole bunch of helpless humans.”

The other soldiers gave the pair wary looks when they giggled together.Both of the males always had been insane and unstable.

“Move over to that building,” Phul ordered the militants who were guarding the bridge.“Pretend you don’t see the knight if you catch a glimpse of him.”The humans thought the Soldiers of Chaos and Knights of Order were just their motorcycle club gang names.

“This rival biker gang must be stupid to try to sneak into Manhattan,” a human scoffed.“Don’t they realize we’re watching every bridge and tunnel?”

Phul didn’t bother to respond and loped away from the bridge.He and his guards hid behind a building and he raised the binoculars to his eyes again.

Xathan was glad he’d decided to join the hunt this time.He wasn’t used to spending all day sitting behind a desk or having meetings with his lackeys.Part of him enjoyed the new role he was playing.The more savage part of him longed to call on his sword and go into battle again.It was good to get a break from his daily drudgery for once.