Page 32 of Nazab

“Aunt Pansy didn’t really care about me, but she was the only family I had,” Monica said.

Nazab turned to her and pulled her into his arms. Her arms went around him, being careful to avoid his injuries. Her head came to rest on his chest and she leaned against him. The knight had never felt contentment like this before. Just holding his female platonically filled him with quiet joy.

“I’m okay,” Monica said, drying the few tears that had escaped her with a tissue she pulled out of her pocket. Blowing out a sigh, she set out the items she intended to use on the table. “The wound has closed over, so I’ll have to cut you open first,” she said. Neither of them were looking forward to this, but it needed to be done.

Nazab turned his back and clenched his fists at his side. He heard his female pull some gloves on, then she swabbed his back with something she took out of the kit. He braced himself and she hissed in pain when the scalpel sliced him open. His cambion worked fast and inserted tweezers into the injury. She knew exactly where to look, since she could feel the slug inside her own back, and yanked it out.

“At least I won’t need to stitch you back together,” Monica said in relief as she wiped the blood away. “I’ll put a plaster on it, but I’m sure you’ll heal quickly.”

“Thank you, my female,” Nazab said, loving the way her eyes lit up at his claim on her. “I feel much better now that the bullet is gone.”

“So do I,” she agreed ruefully. “The pain is already fading.”

The one thing about their mysterious link that bothered him was the fact that she could share his pain. Their wars with the Soldiers of Chaos were fraught with injuries. He hated the idea that his mate would feel it if he was slaughtered in battle. First, he needed to find his brothers. He had a feeling that wasn’t going to be easy.

Chapter Twenty-Four

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MONICA COULD FINALLY relax now that the operation was over. Feeling the phantom bullet wound in her back had helped her dig the slug out of her knight, but it had hurt like hell. Remembering the warm hug he’d given her just before the procedure had helped ground her. No man had ever made her feel so safe and desired before. Then again, they’d all been puny humans. Nazab was an actual knight who’d been created by Order, whatever the hell that was.

“Where do you want to search first?” Monica asked as she cleaned up the items she’d used. Nazab ambled over to the map on the coffee table while she sterilized the tweezers and scalpel. They could come in handy again, so she wasn’t about to throw them away.

“We can probably search a couple of locations this afternoon,” her warrior decided. “But you should eat some lunch first before we get back on the road.”

She wasn’t the least bit hungry, but nodded anyway. Her nerves needed to settle down a bit after what had happened in town. She ate the snacks and drank the water she’d packed, then replenished her backpack. “I’m good to go,” she said.

Nazab had chosen two areas to search and took the map with him. “I’ll direct you to the first location,” he said.

“Don’t you want to drive?” she asked. She’d been aware of him watching her every move when she’d driven them back to their base.

“You can take the first turn,” Nazab said. “I’ll drive to the second location.”

Monica drove back to the road and followed her sexy companion’s directions. The more she got to know the knight, the more amazed and impressed she was by him. He was nothing like the guys she’d dated in the past. He had enviable patience, probably because he was so damn old. Her warrior hadn’t complained about needing to wait for two months before she would sleep with him. Some guys had bailed as soon as she told them about her rule. One guy had told her she wasn’t worth the wait because of her missing limb. That had hurt, but she was better off without a toxic person like that in her life.

“What are you thinking about that makes you frown so hard, female?” Nazab asked.

“I was just thinking about a guy who didn’t want to wait to get me in the sack,” she said. “He told me I wasn’t worth waiting that long because of my leg.”

Just as she’d figured, he was instantly indignant on her behalf. “Why would it possibly matter that you’re missing part of your limb?” he asked.

“You know what people are like,” she said with a shrug. “I’m kind of amazed so many guys asked me out even after they learned I’m not whole.”

“They were drawn to your beautiful face and form and your even more beautiful soul, Monica Yemil,” he said solemnly.

She liked the way he said her full name. Everything about him was adorable. “My beautifully gray soul,” she joked.

“I think the only reason your soul is gray is because a Soldier of Chaos is your sire,” he mused. “I can’t detect any evil inside you, female. I watched you befriend an entire town of survivors just by cutting their hair and being your charismatic self.”

“To be fair, they would have worshipped anyone who can wield a pair of scissors,” she joked, then snickered. “But I’ve always been able to make friends easily,” she agreed. “Even if none of them were really close.”

“Why weren’t they close friends?” he asked, then pointed at the next road to the left.

She thought about it as she turned the corner. “I was always different from everyone else,” she said. “Aunt Pansy slapped me hard on the cheek when I told her I could sense people from a distance when I was a kid,” she said.

“Why did she do that?” he asked.

“She assumed I was lying,” Monica said. “I was only five at the time, but I learned to keep my mouth shut. I had to pretend to be normal and that meant keeping my secrets to myself. It was safer to keep people at arm’s length and not to form deep connections with them.”