Page 37 of Ramiel

“Look at the size of him,” a man replied.“He’s jacked up on something.He’s probably been taking steroids for years.They must have slowed his blood down so he can’t bleed out like a normal person.”

“Don’t be stupid,” another male said in derision.“He’s obviously not a human.No normal person could have survived being shot in the head, let alone the other wounds we gave him.The bullet holes are already healing,” he pointed out.

Right on cue, the small slug that was embedded in Ramiel’s temple was ejected from his head.It landed on the huge pool of dried blood lying on the ground beneath the pole.The humans gasped and one of the dogs bayed in reaction.That set the other hounds off and a ruckus began.

Ramiel pretended to be unconscious, watching his captors through his lashes while they debated about his origins.They also had a ham radio and had heard everything the Mad Prophet had been saying.

As the chains he was swinging from spun him slowly around, he saw he was hanging in a barren field from a tall pole that was several yards away.He counted nearly sixty humans who all looked gaunt and ravenous.It was obvious they’d hunted him for his meat and he had to suppress a shudder.He knew he was in a predicament that he might not be able to get out of.His sword was sharp, but it might not be able to cut through metal shackles.

“I don’t care if he is an alien from outer space,” someone shouted over the noise.“I vote we cut him up and cook him for dinner!”

Roars of approval came from the others, setting the dogs off barking again.

“What if his flesh is poisonous to our kind?”an older male pointed out.

“Someone will have to try it and see if he’s edible,” another person responded.“I vote for you to test it first,” he said with an audible smirk.

Despair began to sink into Ramiel.How the hell was he going to get out of this?Sending out his senses, some of his agonized grogginess faded when he realized the strange presence was a lot closer now.From what Terry and his friends had told him, it was most likely his mysterious mate who was heading towards him.The Mad Prophet had told Ramiel to locate and protect her, but instead he was potentially leading her directly to her death.

Chapter Twenty-Two

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CATERina felt a mixture of anticipation and nerves when she got up.Her alien had stopped for a few hours yesterday before resuming his journey.He’d been moving far faster than before and he was a lot closer now.She knew they would finally meet today, but she had no idea what to expect.

“What if he hates me?”she asked as she opened a jar of pickled eggs.“What if I hate him?”she asked next.She didn’t know anything about the man, except he was supposed to be a good guy and he came from another world.“At least he won’t have a black soul,” she reminded herself.

Scoffing down her breakfast, she gathered her gear and got moving.She began to feel uneasy as the hours passed, but she didn’t know why.Her alien was rapidly moving towards her and her nerves increased even more.

Taking a late afternoon break, Caterina had just finished her snack when she felt something sting the back of her head.“Ow!”she cried out, slapping at what she thought had to be a huge wasp.Her hand didn’t encounter anything and dread suffused her.

A minute or so passed, then agony tore through her left shoulder, almost rendering it useless.Staggering forward, she almost dropped her bags, but managed to keep hold of them.The next phantom shot hit her in the back and she let out a scream of pain.Finally, a smaller bullet felt like it hit her in the temple.

Caterina’s legs collapsed and she shuddered at the pain that didn’t belong to her.Someone had attacked her alien.He was probably dying right now while she cowered on the ground.The cambion couldn’t return to her family now that she’d murdered Luca.Finding the man her destiny was entwined with was the only thing that was keeping her going.“You’re not dying yet,” she said in grim determination.“I’m not letting some twisted humans kill you.”

Climbing to her feet, she shouldered her bags and took off running.Two hours later, she closed in on the alien’s location.Her link with him tugged her towards a field close to a town.The danger she’d been feeling all day was far stronger now.Caterina angled towards some trees and put her gear down.She rummaged for a bottle of water and pulled it out, then left her belongings behind.