Page 15 of Asmodel

Shit. Just great. Looked like he wasn’t going to leave this goddess-forsaken planet any time soon. “Yeah, I did. We’ve got to go somewhere else in the village.”

“That should be interesting.” the bot replied. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Asmodel snorted and glanced at his brothers.

Azazel stood with his hands behind his back, a serene expression on his face. His gentle eyes softened as he gave a slight nod.

One thing Asmodel admired about Azazel was how hard it was to get him riled up. The man was as unflappable as a statue in a windstorm, no matter how hard Arakiba tried to get under his skin.

Speaking of Arakiba, the man was rapidly blinking as if coming out of his own vision.

Asmodel went to him and wrapped his hand around his brother’s upper arm just in case he had a hard time coming back to reality. “You okay?” Despite Arakiba’s laid-back, carefree attitude that often drove him nuts, he couldn’t help but worry about the guy.

Arakiba shuddered, his gray eyes still unfocused. He blinked and patted Asmodel’s hand on his arm. “Yeah, I’m okay, bro.” He smirked and gave him a wink. “It’s all good.”

Asmodel dropped his hold. He hated being called bro.

“Were you able to get a link on any of the women?” Azazel asked in his serene tone with his hands behind his back.

“Yeah, shot right to one of ‘em.” Arakiba’s hand whooshed upward. “I know just how to get to a gal named Morgan. You guys?” He crossed his arms with a smile.

“I did.” Asmodel nodded. “I even think I know how to get to the woman named Izzy.”

“The woman who called to me is named Tony.” Azazel nodded. “Since we’ve all had visions of different women, I believe it’d be best if we split up to search for them.”

He glanced at Abalim’s still form. “I wonder why he’s still in a trance.”

Arakiba frowned. “Think he’s okay?”

Abalim groaned and shuddered.

Ah, looked like the man was coming out of his trance. Asmodel crossed his arms with a frown. It wasn’t like Abalim to get lost on the psychic plane. What if one of those crystal aliens from another dimension somehow grabbed him?

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Abalim narrowed his eyes and growled at them.

“What took you so long?”

Asmodel couldn’t help the harshness of his words. The habit of worrying about all his brothers was hard to break. It was a deeply ingrained result of being raised as slaves by those sadistic Akurn scientists.

“Our visions weren’t nearly as long.” Asmodel waved between himself and his other two brothers. “We don’t have all day to wait for you, you know.”

The indulgent expression on Abalim’s face made his own heat. He lowered his arms.

“The three of us have locked onto the psychic trails of the other women who were here. We need to separate and find them before the trail grows cold.”

Asmodel didn’t like it when Azazel and Arakiba teleported out of the cell on their own. The entire situation was nerve-wracking. The only reason he didn’t stop them was he’d kept a small thread of their psychic connection embedded in the back of his mind. Without another word, he followed Abalim out of the FiPan prison.

Once outside, he maintained a vigilant eye on their surroundings. Despite not displaying any weapons, he and Abalim still caused the natives to keep a wide berth. The most threatening thing they came across was a pack of canid-looking animals. Their fur, matted and patchy, bore the signs of the village’s pervasive filth. With eerie synchronization, they prowled in silence, following the two of them. With a gentle psychic push, he sent the leader a wave of calm, giving him a suggestion they hunt elsewhere.

The alpha narrowed his white eyes with a snort. With a threatening growl showcasing dull fangs, he gave a brief nod before running away, his pack close behind.

Maybe when all this was over, he’d come back to help the abused and neglected animals on this planet.

“I believe there is an establishment ahead that might aid you in finding the transportation you seek,” JR13 offered.

“If not, at least we can ask someone.” Asmodel mumbled.

As they approached the only lighted building on the street, Asmodel paused. “With any luck, this is the place.”

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