Page 45 of Nazab

Nazab nodded in reluctant agreement. “I’ll draw them towards the building where the captives are being held, but I need to take the sniper down first.”

“I’ll move closer to the prisoners,” Monica said. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of sight.”

He hated to leave his female vulnerable, but the warrior knew how determined she was. Racing towards the church, the knight didn’t bother to enter the building and use the stairs. Instead, he leaped up and grabbed hold of the roof and heaved himself onto it. He scaled the steeple before the human even knew he was in peril. Snapping the sniper’s neck, Nazab climbed back to the ground and took off. He fired his rifle into the air to gain the bandits’ attention, then shot two men who exited from a house.

Shouting a challenge in a long-lost language from a bygone era, the Knight of Order drew the humans towards the town hall. Monica was waiting in an empty store across the street. Her magic rose and hovered in the air, then settled on the marauders. The males and females staggered drunkenly, unable to aim at their target when their energy was siphoned from them.

Nazab’s mind control had also been enhanced. He enthralled the mob and kept them still as he entered the town hall. Monica stayed out of sight as he went from room to room, unlocking the bolts that had been installed on the doors. Bars had been added to the windows from the outside to imprison the townsfolk.

“Who are you?” a starving, badly beaten male asked fearfully as the survivors shambled out into the hall.

“I’m just someone passing through,” Nazab said. His mind control sank into them and they became enthralled as well. “Take the weapons from your captors and cut them down,” he ordered. “Then gather all the supplies you can find. Drive to a town that’s safe. They’ll take you in as long as you have your own food.” He gave them directions, then sent them outside.

Monica’s magic went to work again and she expelled the energy that suffused her. It sank into the survivors, reviving them enough to follow Nazab’s orders. With screams and shouts of victory, the prisoners stripped the weapons from the bandits and slaughtered them all.

Nazab loped across the street to find Monica smiling widely. He leaned down and she went up onto her toes to kiss him. Her hand came to rest on his bearded cheek. “Thank you for your assistance, my beautiful female,” he said. “It was pleasant not to be shot in the back this time.”

Monica laughed huskily, which instantly made him hard, although their kiss had already sparked his desire. “I’m getting better at wielding my talents,” she said proudly.

They were both back to normal now, which was a relief. “Tell me about the first time you used this skill,” he requested after he’d carried her back to their ruined truck.

“I’d just reached puberty and a boy was bullying me at school,” she said. “He shoved me against a wall and I tried to push him away. The next thing I knew, I was pulling his energy out of him. It was only a bit, but it shocked him into letting me go. I felt invincible and I punched him in the nose. He left me alone after that, but I had no idea what I’d done. I didn’t sleep for three nights until it finally wore off.”

“Everyone needs to sleep or they pay the price eventually,” he said, now aware of how dangerous it could be for his female if she assimilated too much power. “Which truck should we take?” he asked.

“The black one,” Monica decided. “It’ll be easier to hide behind trees than the white one.”

They transferred their belongings to the vehicle, which had a full tank of gas. The ham radio had survived the onslaught of bullets. It continued to play static as they headed to their next location.

Chapter Thirty-Three

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XATHAN’S RESTLESSNESS had grown stronger and he knew he needed to blow off some steam. Creel Lawson got on his nerves every time he had a meeting with Governor Giamano, Rahab and Xathan. The ginger-haired prepper glared at him with loathing written all over his face. Their feud was increasing and it would end in violence sooner or later.

Speaking of violence, Xathan had always thought of himself as being above his fellow Soldiers of Chaos. He was finding out that maybe he was just as savage as they were deep down. The constant inactivity was getting to him. Their infrequent skirmishes with unruly survivors were few and far between. The militia took care of most of the threats. Xathan was usually stuck in his office when Rahab sent his troops out to assist the humans with any problems they couldn’t handle.

“I need to breathe fresh air,” Xathan muttered, sitting behind his desk as usual. “I need to get out and do something other than dealing with bureaucracy for once.”

It was late in the afternoon and the staff would be heading to their homes soon. Ivy Roche had visited his office an hour ago. He’d used her body for pleasure, but not even sex was enough to quell his need for action.

Getting up to pace, Xathan saw the streetlights come on at dusk. He waited for night to fall before leaving his office. His two guards fell in behind him as he left the Empire State Building.

“Where are we going?” one of the males asked when they walked past their base and Rahab’s gym.

“Not much further,” Xathan replied. He spotted Lachial and Vetis standing near the apartment building where Jazmine Sedaka was living. The two blond warriors were chatting quietly when he approached them. “Is something wrong with your youngling?” Xathan asked.

“You mean apart from her being utterly insane?” Lachial asked wryly. “Jazmine’s the same as always. She just sits there, staring at the stupid painting I gave her.”

“That’s when she isn’t sneaking out at night to slaughter people,” Vetis said slyly.

Lachial scowled at him. “You can’t prove it was my offspring that killed all those mercs.”

Vetis rolled his eyes, as if they’d had this argument many times already.

“I thought I might take a trip to New Jersey,” Xathan said in a casual tone. “Do you want to accompany me?”

“New Jersey?” Lachial asked with one pale eyebrow quirked in surprise. “Rahab hasn’t ordered us to search for our progeny there yet.”