Page 34 of Stealing Jia

“A story for another time. The point is Adoz and Pepe joined in the fun too.I gestured around the room. “And wa-lah! Mass destruction.”

“The blood in the shower came from you bathing them?”

I plucked a piece of blood worm off LeeLee’s head and fed it to Cason.“More like my attempt to bathe them. Adoz’s not fond of water either. As I was chasing him down his wings flung bloody gunk in every direction. At the same time, Pepe was having the time of his life rolling around in the crud.”I dropped my head back on the bed.“Not fun and I never, ever want to do that again.”A worm smacked my pillow.

Cason pounced on it.

I patted his back. “Good baby.”

He looked at me hopefully. “More?”

Ugh.“Later.”

Trayon typed away on his gauntlet. “I have summoned Bey. He needs to take charge of LeeLee and LooLoo.”

“You no fun,”LeeLee groused.

Trayon picked up the evil twins and held them at eye level. “You, Adoz, Pepe, and Chiara are cleaning this mess up.”

My God, he sounded like a dad.

“I did not participate,” Chiara protested from her spot on the pillow.

“Nor did you try to stop them.”

Chiara curled into a little ball.“I did not. I have never been around alien lifeforms before and had no idea what the proper etiquette was.”

“Webbing blood worms to the walls is wrong in any culture,”Trayon replied and pointed to the baby Draconic that was perched on my head. “You will instruct Adoz on what needs to be done.”

“Yes, Father Trayon.”

His paws over his head, Pepe whimpered, “Me sorry.”

I rolled my eyes. Now he was sorry? The little scamp had led me on a merry chase.

Placing the Tabors on the walls, Trayon turned his attention to me.“Have you eaten?”

“Too tired to eat.”

“You will go to the mess hall and eat. I will deal with this.”Trayon removed Adoz from my head.

Sitting up, I gestured at my wet and bloody clothes.“I look like a refugee from a zombie attack.”

Trayon touched his gauntlet. Click. A wall slid back to reveal an assortment of tunic tops, leggings, underwear, and boots. The colors ranged from black to blue to purple and a lovely green.“I have provided you with the proper clothing.”

“You know my size?”And when had he bought them?

“I know everything about you.”

God, I hoped not. “How?”

“Our minds our linked.”

Okay, now I was freaked out. I scrambled off the bed. “Then why don’t I know everything about you?”

“We must do a mind meld for that to occur.”

Alarm knotted my stomach.“And when is that going to happen?”

---