Page 2 of Ramiel

No one argued with Granny Blaze when she used that stern tone of voice.Caterina quickly got changed into shorts, a t-shirt and hiking boots in the bathroom.Putting her long curly black hair in a ponytail, she instantly looked like a teenager and rolled her eyes.She packed clothes into a duffle bag, then stuffed toiletries into it as well.She hoped she wouldn’t be gone for long, since she could only take a backpack of provisions with her.Her instincts told her to pack light and she obeyed them.

Her great-grandmother stood up when she was ready to go.She held her frail arms out and Caterina bent to hug her.At five foot seven, she towered over their matriarch.“I’ll miss you, Caterina,” Granny Blaze said.“You’ve always been my favorite.”

Caterina chuckled at that truth.“That’s because I’m the only one who has magic,” she joked.

Pulling away, the oracle shook her head in denial.“Your magic isn’t what makes you special,” she said and tapped her great-granddaughter’s chest.“It’s your spirit and kindness that set you apart.”

Tears tried to form, but Caterina forced them back.She wasn’t always kind, which was why she’d been left behind during the Rapture.A quarter of their clan had vanished that horrible night.The rest had gray souls like hers.“How long will I be gone?”she asked.

Averting her eyes, the mystic fussed with one of her gold charm bracelets.“You should remove your jewelry,” she said, avoiding the question.“The noise they make might give you away.I’ll keep them safe for you.”

Stripping off her bracelets, anklets and necklaces, Caterina kept her gold and silver rings on.She felt strangely naked without her jewelry as she handed it over.“I’ll be back as soon as I’ve fulfilled my destiny with the alien,” she joked.

With a nod of satisfaction, Granny Blaze turned to the door, but not before Caterina saw the moisture in her dark eyes.An ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen became lodged inside Caterina’s mind.She left her caravan, closed the door, then squeezed through the gap again.Staying in the shadows, she loped away from the only life she’d ever known.

Her senses picked up on someone following her a few minutes later.She cursed beneath her breath, already knowing who it was.Caterina could run much faster than normal humans and it would be easy for her to evade him.“That’s because I’m a cambion,” she murmured, then decided to face her pursuer.Luca would just keep trying to track her if she didn’t confront him now.

Luca jogged into view and spotted her in the clearing.“Where the hell do you think you’re going, Caterina?”he demanded, putting his hands on his hips.

“I’m following Granny Blaze’s orders,” she said even though she didn’t owe him an explanation.Her distant cousin had been obsessed with her for years and she’d always refused his advances.His soul had always been gray but it had been getting increasingly darker ever since the Rapture had struck.

“It’s too dangerous for you to be out here alone,” he said.“I’m going with you.”Unlike her, he wasn’t carrying any supplies and he wasn’t prepared for a long journey.

“No, you’re not,” she denied in annoyance.“I have to do this alone.”

She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm in a grip tight enough to bruise her flesh.“Don’t turn your back on me!”he snarled and shook her in rage.

Caterina yanked her arm free and turned on him as her own anger rose.“Go back to the others,” she said coldly.“You know what happens when we ignore our matriarch’s visions.”

He sneered and moved closer until he was looming over her.“That old witch will croak soon and someone else will take charge of our clan.”

While most people thought Luca was handsome, she’d always been repulsed by him.Scanning him with her magic, she saw something disturbing.His soul was changing while they spoke and was becoming even darker.“Who’s going to be in charge?”she asked.“You?”she said in an incredulous tone.

Her scorn made something inside him snap and his soul turned as black as his hair.Luca lifted his fist as his lips drew back from his teeth.Caterina obeyed her instincts yet again and put her hand on his chest, directly over his heart.Her magic rose and she poured it into him as his fist came rushing towards her face.She stepped backwards before the blow could land.The cambion wiped her palm on her shorts, fighting down the urge to throw up.

Agony contorted Luca’s face as he dropped to the ground with smoke wafting out of his mouth and nostrils.She’d sensed his life being extinguished and cold sweat broke out at what she’d just done.

Backing away from the unforgivable crime of killing one of her clan members, the cambion turned and fled.