Page 66 of Ramiel

“That’s like an ancient rhino, right?”Tori asked, eager to hear this tale.Her mate crossed his arms, already sulking.

“Exactly, but they were much bigger,” the Mad Prophet said.“The one Jac teased was thirty feet long.”

“What did it do to him?”Tor asked, already giggling in anticipation.

“It gored me,” her mate said sourly.“One of its horns punched through my side and Amaros had to pull me off it.”

Grace laughed so hard that tears blinded her.She fished a tissue out of her pocket to wipe her eyes.Angel must have thought she was upset, because the kitten leaped up onto the couch and curled up on her lap, purring loudly.

One by one, Queegly came up with embarrassing examples of accidents and injuries that had befallen the knights.It bruised their egos having their mates laughing at them, but they didn’t put a stop to his tales.None of them had heard the cambions laughing this hard for so long before.It was a small price to pay that their mirth was at their expense.

Zoe’s stomach was hurting when her giggles finally ended.“How is your insight so much stronger than mine, Queeg?”she asked.Once again, she envied him for his abilities.

“I earned this talent the hard way, mama bear,” the Texan said ruefully.“I came very close to dying when I fell off that oilrig.Fate had to put my brain back together when she infused me with the ability to see visions.”He tapped his temple for emphasis.“I’m pretty sure it’s her magic that’s keeping me alive right now.I’d be braindead without it.”

“Why do we all have to go through so much pain and anguish before we end up here?”Qiana asked with a shudder.She’d scanned the human and knew how badly his skull had been fractured.

“It’s character development,” Grace joked.“We’re all the heroes and heroines of our own stories, just like the alien warrior romance series we all love.”

“Except this is real life, girl,” Tori said.

“None of us would have survived without Fate’s guidance,” Xan said.“The humans eventually would have broken into the mall I’d claimed.My escape plan that I thought was so ingenious was pretty crappy.”

“It would have worked fine against humans, babe,” Semi said.“I only caught you because I’m a knight.”

“And Xan’s athletic abilities are almost nonexistent,” Vic joked.

Queegly could see Zoe was still thinking about why his talent was so much stronger than hers.“Fate gave me one skill,” he reminded her.“Some of you have multiple abilities, so your magic is divided.You have a tremendous amount of power locked inside your mind, Zoe Zayden.”

They all knew he was talking about the rage that was banked inside her, simmering just below the surface.Their matriarch didn’t like to be reminded about the fury she’d inherited from her sire.She scowled darkly and the mood in the room instantly became morose.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

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GRACE COULD SENSE THEtension more acutely than the others.She knew how upset her best friend was.The silence was thick enough to chew on and no one knew what to say.The teen poked Angel in the side, waking the kitten from her nap.Opening her mouth, Angel yowled loudly.“Aww, someone’s hungry again,” Grace said.