Page 60 of Nazab

“Be wary of that man,” Nazab said when the shouts and cheering died down. “He has evil in his heart,” he warned them.

“I think he might have killed your last Mayor,” Monica said. “How did he or she die?”

“He had a heart attack, or so it seemed,” the female Nazab had saved said. “But I saw green foam on his lips, so he might have been poisoned.”

“If we see him again, we’ll shoot him,” a male said grimly.

“We need to get moving,” Monica said now that her job was done. Once again, she’d swayed the mob in her favor. “I’m sure we’ll all see each other again,” she added.

Some of the women hugged her, but the men kept their distance, since Nazab hovered near his mate protectively the whole time. They returned to their truck, then drove through the town, returning the waves from the survivors.

“I’m surprised neither of us got shot by that creepy evil dude,” Monica said in relief.

Nazab tensed up, expecting gunfire to come in their direction. “I was worried you’d jinxed us for a second there,” he said with a grin.

“So was I,” she replied, checking the mirrors to make sure they weren’t being followed.

Chapter Forty-Three

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PLEASED THAT THEY’D made it through the day without getting shot at, Monica had never been so glad to have the gift of the gab before. In the past, she’d used it to persuade clients to buy hair products they needed. Now, she was using it for a far greater purpose. “I’ve always wondered why people listen to me and let me persuade them so easily,” she said as they neared their base.

“Perhaps it’s a secondary talent,” Nazab said. “Some cambions have more than one skill. They would have used it for evil in the past, but you’re utilizing it to aid our cause.”

“I could have sold things to my clients they didn’t really need,” Monica mused. “But that would have made me feel horrible, so I never did it.” She was glad she hadn’t now, because it probably would have stained her soul.

Nazab was driving and parked the truck near the house. They climbed out and her sense of danger became overwhelming. Strangely, her senses didn’t pick up on any intruders as she scanned the house.

“Something’s wrong,” Nazab murmured.

She turned just in time to see the two black bears racing straight towards him. “Look out!” she shouted, but it was too late. Huge claws raked her knight’s left side, then he was knocked to the ground. She felt teeth latch onto his right calf and screamed when one of his bones snapped. The other bear clawed his chest open.

Nazab called on his sword, since his rifle was trapped beneath his back. He stabbed one of the bears and it collapsed on top of him, pinning him down.

Monica fumbled for her rifle, but she knew she wasn’t going to be fast enough. The second bear was already swiping a gigantic paw towards her warrior’s head. Her magic engulfed the animal and she siphoned its energy out. Its paw slammed against Nazab’s face, digging furrows in his cheek and jaw, but the blow wasn’t as strong as it would have been without her intervention.

Sobbing in anguish and feeling his pain, Monica blasted the bear with her gun until her magazine was empty. Nazab had passed out and she could sense his life ebbing from him. She dropped her weapon and staggered over to pull the heavy carcasses out of the way.

“Don’t die, Nazab,” she begged, horrified by his injuries. “Don’t leave me,” she pleaded as she infused him with the energy she’d stolen from the bear.

Nazab’s eyes snapped open, but his wounds were healing too slowly. She took his hand and he feebly squeezed her fingers. Then his gaze moved past her and his face lit up. “Amaros and Kochab!” he croaked.

Monica turned to see three strangers had appeared behind her. The two knights were accompanied by a beautiful blonde woman. She was a cambion, just like Monica.

“You’ve looked better, my brother,” Amaros said gravely. “Qiana is a healer and she’s going to fix you,” he added.

Desperate hope filled Monica as the tall blonde crouched next to her warrior. “You’ll be as good as new in a second,” she promised, then put her hand on his chest.

Monica sensed power well up, then she saw and felt Nazab’s horrific wounds vanish. Not even a scar remained and he was flawless again. Her tears turned from horrified to relieved, but they didn’t stop. She knew how close she’d just come to losing the man she loved.

“Brothers, this is Monica Yamil, my mate,” Nazab said proudly as Amaros helped him up.

Qiana assisted Monica to stand, then did a double take. “Is that a prosthetic leg?” she asked.

“How did you know?” Monica asked, trying to regain control of her emotions.

“I just scanned you and sensed part of your leg is missing,” the healer explained. “Also, your left shoe is larger than your right one and the colors don’t match.”