Page 67 of Aleko
Pellos stopped, a hunk of meat in each hand. “You’re freaking out,” he said around a mouthful. “Why are you freaking out?”
“I’m going out in the boat,” said Sebastian, appearing in the doorway.
“What?” demanded Alex. He felt like he’d been simply reacting to things since the moment he’d seen Pellos covered in blood.
“We need to find the Greens,” said Sebastian.
“Their mum told them to take the jar and run,” said Pellos. He’d said it before and it didn’t make any more sense this time around. “They took a swan dive off the cliff. Well, seal dive I guess.”
“I don’t understand,” said Alex.
“This lamb is so good. I did such a good job. I am agreatcook,” said Pellos, tearing off another hunk and Alex could see that his teeth definitely weren’t human.
Sebastian came around the island and picked up Pellos from behind in a bear hug. “Yeah, you are, buddy!”
“Bastian,” Pellos paused to swallow. “You’re being a weird.”
“I know!” Sebastian ruffled Pellos’s hair and hugged him again. “Don’t care. Going to keep being weird. Love you! So glad you’re home!”
Pellos looked at Alex, his expression torn between amusement and annoyance.
“Bastian, don’t go out on the boat,” said Alex. “I’ll go down to the beach and send a message in a minute, but we need you here.”
“Yah,” said Pellos, chewing. “Need to get Lia.”
Sebastian looked between the two of them, clearly feeling awkward. “I tried. I thought with Luca gone that I could at least ask her what the fuck happened. I followed her scent trail. She slept in a garden shed and then went into town. I lost her at the homeless center. One of the volunteers said she got food, but took off when she saw the cops. I lost her scent after that—there were too many cars and people.”
Every word was like a knife in his chest.
“She didn’t have anything,” said Alex. “She didn’t have her bag or anything.”
“I tried the refugee camp by the warehouse, but nothing,” said Sebastian.
“I don’t understand why you threw her out,” complained Pellos. “Didn’t you see Brynn’s ghost?”
“All we saw was you in a pool of blood,” said Alex. “Luca yelled,You shot Pellos,and when we came in Lia had a gun and was going to shoot Luca.”
“That little fucker,” said Pellos. “Big fucker. Whatever. Pass that pear. What kind of healing spell did you guys do? Everything smells so fantastic.”
“Um…” said Alex. “Uh…” He looked desperately at Sebastian.
“Why don’t I get Hudson and Yazmin to explain it,” said Sebastian. He stepped out in the hall to basement door, but was back a moment later. “Yeah, they’re going to need a few more minutes. They’re…” He hesitated and then shrugged. “Shagging like bunnies.”
“Hopefully, the shot works for them,” said Killian, entering. He was dressed similarly to Sebastian.
“What shot? What the fuck is going on?” demanded Pellos.
“I sent Killian to the Library of Alexandria,” said Alex. “He brought back the spell we used and a vaccine of some kind from the Oregon pack that might be the cure for mating.”
A smile bloomed across Pellos’s face. “Hudson and the Egyptologist?”
“Maybe,” said Killian. “We’ll see.”
“So, the spell from the Library is the one you used on me?”
“Yes,” said Alex and cleared his throat. “I would have asked you first, but you were…”
“You were going to die,” said Killian.
