Page 26 of Abraxas

“Zepar, why don't you take our brother to a nice room. Get him some clothing and other things that he needs. We'll try to talk to him more in the morning if that is all right?”

Everyone looked at Stolis.

“That will be fine. I can smell the lovely aroma of females. Are there any available?” Stolis asked.

“Only if they want to be. None of them here are professionals. They have jobs. Some are mated, and some have children. Some doctors here are from Origin and were allowed to work to make up for their crimes. It would probably be best for you to stay away from them for now," Abe explained.

He hoped after Stolis left that Lu would let the rest of them leave too. Now that the emergency was temporarily in hand, he was ready to return to his room and rest. It was a shame that Gloria wasn't there waiting for him. Now that they had moved forward in their relationship, he hoped he could convince her it would be good for them to live together. Kiki was nearly an adult. She would understand that Gloria and he needed privacy in their bedroom. That was only normal.

Stolis was gone now, but it looked like Lu wanted to talk.

"Anyone have anything to say? No? Someone needs to keep an eye on him. Any volunteers? I'll wait until the morning and find someone willing to do it," Lu offered.

Everyone seemed to be glad to leave. Some might have plans, but Abe was pretty sure most just wanted to get some rest so they could be prepared for tomorrow. That was what he waslooking forward to. He'd finally pushed past that imaginary line in his relationship and wanted to be all in.

Abe went back to his rooms, which felt very empty. He didn't need so much room without a family to fill it. After taking a shower, he lay down and got some sleep so that he could meet Gloria at the right time in the morning.

It seemed like he had just laid down, and morning was there. He felt tired and a bit irritable. Last night's interruption had not been welcome. He dressed quickly and headed to the cafeteria. Gloria was not yet there, so he got their plates and drinks and waited. It wasn't long before she came through the door. Damn, she looked so beautiful. He wished he could take her back to his room and ravish her.

“How did things go last night?” Gloria asked.

“Someone did wash up on the beach. Turns out it was a demon. We talked to him briefly and then assigned him a room. Hopefully, he will do well now that he is free.”

“That's so exciting. You didn't even have to go to free him, and he made it here.”

“It wasn't that easy. Origin intended to kill Stolis as a distraction. He almost drowned when the small boat they had him in broke free of the larger boat. He's truly lucky to be alive. Maybe he can start healing now," Abe explained.

“Did they damage him?”

“There are signs of past torture. He also has injuries on his wrists and ankles where he was tied. Also, he needs to be fed well and get nutrients because he doesn't look cared for. It's just a reminder of what we all went through when they had us.”

Abe was aware that many of the demons heard what he was saying. It wasn't a secret, and Lu would check with the other demons to see if they knew Stolis. He hoped the demon was truly one of them and would not cause any harm. Only time orsomeone who knew him and could vouch for him would stop him from worrying about what could happen.

“Is that him?” Gloria asked.

“It is. I'm glad to see he's getting out quickly.”

“Do you have any plans today?”

“Not until Lu calls me in, and I've come to expect that. I hoped we could go to the beach and pick up some seashells. If we do, we'll have to have someone else come along for protection," Abe explained.

“Why don't you see if you can get someone to come with us? I wouldn't mind learning how to use a gun sometime in the future.”

“If you want to learn, I'd happily teach you. The next time we find time, I'll ensure we can do it.”

“Why don't we see who will go to the beach with us? You need to get those seashells together.”

Abe checked out a few of the demons to see if any of them were willing, but they all seemed to have plans. Dori said she would go and that she had weapons training. There was no reason not to take her, so he left with two women instead of the usual one. Both ladies were a lot of fun, and he saw some jealous looks sent his way. Had Homer been in the cafeteria, they would have probably all gone. He wasn't there, so it looked like he was going to miss out.

Chapter 10

Mated

Gloria was pleased that she had been asked to hunt shells with him. The last time he had gone, she'd felt left out even though she knew she hadn't been available. Bringing along the extra person just made her feel safer. She never considered the island dangerous, but things had changed, and now she did. Dori was wearing a holster, making her think of cowboy days. It would be cool to have a holster and the gun and know how to use it.

Abe and Dori were just wearing their guns. They weren't ready to use them. With the three of them hunting, they were getting many shells. Once they each had a bag full, the hunt would be over for the day. There had been a storm a couple of days ago, and the beach was just littered with shells of all kinds. It was the most difficult part of getting shells, but they had a dozen already.

“We don't seem to talk much," Dori observed.

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