Chapter 9

Samantha

Abe sat with Gloria in the cafeteria, where they planned to bring Samantha, the new doctor. He saw Lu sitting with Cirrus and talking casually. The guy must think that the demons were complete idiots and would believe any story that he would pass to them. It was time to start testing him and see how he would react to what could only be stress. The plane had circled and was now landing, and she would be in here quickly.

He had to admit that he wasn't sure what she would look like or how she would act. Abe would have asked Risa about her, but Lu didn't want him to. He wasn't even sure their doctor knew her, so it might not have mattered. There was a feeling of excitement running through the cafeteria because everyone knew what would happen, and they were all wondering what the reactions would be. The single guys wondered if she was pretty and interesting enough to go out with. The others were just wondering if some problems were about to be unleashed.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for their pilot to bring her through the door. The door opened, and a gorgeous redhead walked through first, followed by their demon pilot. She looked about thirty, but sometimes it was hard to tell. Cirrus glanced up, and Abe would swear he looked like he was hit in the gut. He began looking around like he was looking for exits to make his great escape. There was no way he could escape and still have the respect of anyone in the cafeteria.

While he didn't know what they were saying, he could tell Lu was feeling him out about the new doctor. Samantha looked pissed and as if she couldn't believe that he was there. That made sense, considering she had been abused, starved, and isolated, and he was probably the one who had put forth the order. No one seemed to like Cirrus, and he wondered how the guy would explain that to Lu. Maybe he wouldn't even try. It was a hopeless cause. In a week, another doctor would show up, and there was no way she was going to like him either.

Lu greeted Samantha, and Cirrus hurried away, probably going to the lab or his room. Abe had a feeling that the guy's whole day had been ruined. Lu led Samantha around and began to introduce her to some of the demons. It seemed several knew her, and they gave her hugs. None of them had given Cirrus a hug. He didn't know what they could have done differently, but he was beginning to think that they needed to get more information from their own people and put it somewhere where it was available to be referenced.

Gloria had watched everything intently. "No one likes that guy. I believe some demons resent him being here," she admitted.

Had they? None of them said a word, but now that she mentioned it, they shot him with ugly looks. Maybe he needed to talk to them more and let them know that if they knew anything about anyone brought into the facility, that information needed to be passed on. Zeus and the gods had information like that, but that wasn't good enough. They needed that kind of information, too. Both groups could share their information, but they needed to have all of it. It was just another place where they were playing catch-up with the gods.

"Really wasn't as exciting as I expected it to be." Gloria offered. "From what I've heard of Samantha, I thought she would jump on him and start beating the crap out of him."

"I think she was tempted, but she was trying to control herself because she was new here," Abe chuckled. The two of them may come to a breaking point, and if they do, we'll all get a show. I wonder which one will be the toughest and when the fight will be?"

"I'd put money on her. She's got a lot of anger locked away, waiting to be released. It's like a volcano when it gets ready to blow."

"I have a feeling they might try to settle this privately. We'll have to keep our eyes out for bruises, black eyes, that kind of thing," Abe observed.

"You really think so?"

"That's what I would do if I was her. I'd sneak up on him at work and handle things."

"I bet some of the demons will tell her anything she needs to know. She probably already knows where Cirrus works and his hours," Gloria said.

"Wish I knew what he said to Lu when he saw her."

"When you find out, you tell me. This is like a soap opera. The TV doesn't get any of those here."

"Are you an addict?" Abe asked.

"I am. It's hard that I can't see any of my shows anymore."

"I guess I'll get back to work. Lu will get there eventually."

"Yeah, the show's over, and it hasn't been much of a show yet. Maybe some of the demons will tell me something, and we can compare notes at lunch."

He headed back to the office, where they were working on a broad range of things with the grand opening less than a week away. This was not the best time for this kind of drama, but Lu's timing was also not the best. He tended to throw a bunch of stuff in the pot, mix it up, and see what happened. The results could be explosive, and it looked like that was going to happen now.

It wasn't long before Lu showed up. Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to explain, but he said nothing.

"So don't make us wait. What did Cirrus say?" Abe asked.

"He was stunned. At first, he couldn't say anything. I asked him what was wrong. He said, 'That woman,' and he pointed at her. I asked him what was the matter with that woman. He could only say she was difficult to work with and very stubborn. He never communicated clearly after he saw her. I strongly hope her being here will knock some information out of him. Now that we can record his communications going out, you'll have something to say, and I have no doubt about it."

"Doesn't he know his messages aren't getting through?"

"No, we've been sending him answers. Maybe not ones he likes, but he's getting answers from his boss. The boss keeps telling him the heat is on, and things are difficult, so we shouldn't surprise him. They are telling him to wait before trying to take action or approach Risa. So far, he seems to think that he's talking to his boss and getting the answers that he's getting because they're on the move and being chased," Lu replied.

"We've not been able to track the outgoing messages?"

"Only in a limited way because we aren't allowing them to go where they're supposed to go. We did let one limited message go through that didn't have anything in it that we felt was a problem, and it went to Antarctica. The com specialist believes it's a relay point."

"It doesn't sound like having him here is as helpful as you hoped."

"We did get a name but only a last one. Booth, that's his boss's last name. Now, we need to try to connect it with somebody who worked for Origin. Once we do that, we'll track them," Lu observed.

"I was thinking about the information we have been gathering, and I think we need to expand it. When Risa came, several of the demons had known her previously, and we had no clue. Some of them knew Cirrus, too. It would have helped us make the decisions we needed to make had we had more information. We need to start a database that anyone can contribute to if someone comes here that they know, good or bad."

"Who do you intend to put in charge of that?" Lu asked.

"Why don't we ask for a volunteer. This is a subject that is important to all of us."

"You're right about that. Send a message out to everyone and see if you can get a volunteer."

The meeting was over, and it hadn't taken as long as he thought. It wasn't supper time yet, so he had a little time to kill. He planned to gather a few shells and saw his buddy Art hanging around in the hallway.

"Hey Art, do you want to do some shell collecting? Lu, is not letting anyone go out on the beach alone," Abe admitted.

"Why not."

They headed outside and down to the beach. The walk was relaxing. Abe hadn't spent much time with his friend in a while. He was called Art, but no one knew what it stood for. Everyone assumed it was some crazy demon name that was hard to pronounce. Abe didn't try to hide his name, nor did he make an effort to announce it. Everyone knew it, or at least he thought they did.

Abe felt guilty because the whole time they were out finding shells, he thought of Gloria and missed her. He tried to talk to Art, and they usually found a lot to discuss. Art was interested in the hotel opening, and even though he hadn't chosen a job yet, he wanted to learn hotel management. It was a good time for him to decide because he could work as an assistant manager and learn the job while they had someone in charge. Abe urged him to talk to Lu, begin taking college classes, and take on an assistant job at the hotel. If he didn't like it, he could change his mind easily when someone else was still in charge.

They finished their collection, and each had a huge bag to carry back to the cafeteria. When they entered, the first person he saw was Gloria. Guilt washed over him, especially with the look she gave him. Clearly, she saw what they had been doing and felt left out. Abe knew no good way to explain it. Clearly, he should have tried to figure out where she was and ask her if she wanted to go too. Now, he would have to find a way to make it up to her, or she would be mad at him again. This dating was difficult, and he wasn't sure he would ever get the hang of it. Abe supposed that it was easier on human men because they learned about it as they were growing up. Maybe their moms taught them or their dads. It was true that he'd seen a lot of romantic comedies, but he didn't believe the situations with relationships could really get that crazy.

Art was no dummy. As soon as he saw Gloria, he disappeared. "Hey, sweetheart. I saw an old friend with whom I had not spent time with in quite a while. We decided to pick up some shells since Lu doesn't want anyone to go on the beach alone."

"Is that what you were doing?" Gloria asked.

"Yeah?" He really had no idea how to answer her or how upset she was at him.

All he knew was that he had finally gotten on the right track and didn't want anything to come between them. Abe honestly wasn't sure what the right and wrong things to do were when you were dating someone. Maybe he should have spoken to Stef to find out the ins and outs of dating. It was too late for this situation, and he would have to deal with it himself.

Gloria giggled. "You really don't know much about relationships, do you? It's alright to do something with someone else. It does depend on what it is and the situation. In this case, it was all right because I wasn't available. I have friends, too. Sometimes, I might want to do something with one of my friends, and I'm sure you'll understand."

He felt relieved that he wasn't in the doghouse again. Maybe he would begin to learn how to deal with the relationship with a woman. He wanted to be fair and didn't want to upset her. Abe hadn't even thought about the fact that he hadn't invited Gloria along, and she probably wouldn't have been that hard to find. Regardless of what she said, he thought he would ask her next time. It was supper time. They would have a nice meal, and then he intended to take her to his room and ravish her. No joke, that was what he intended to do if she let him. He had waited long enough, and it was time for their relationship to take that final leap.

They both filled their plates, and he didn't even notice what they were eating because he was so concerned about how he would work this out. Would Gloria let him, or would she say she wasn't ready yet? Abe had thought she was ready the night they were attacked, but now that she had had time to get over it, wouldn't she be ready now? The meal was finally done, and they cleaned up their area and dropped their plates off in the bins. He took her hand, and he led her away. She knew they were heading toward his room and didn't seem to mind. His mind was on seduction, and he hoped her mind was on giving in.

They opened the door, and as soon as he pulled her through it, he pulled her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss as his hands roamed over her body. She felt so right as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Nothing had ever felt better. Abe had never been so sure of anything. He knew if she gave in, it meant she was sure, too. He began to undress her, starting with her shirt and then working on her pants.

She pushed his hands away. Was she going to stop them? No, she was going to undress herself, so he started on himself. He didn't know how he had waited so long when she fired such passion in his blood. They were both naked. As he looked at Gloria's body, desire hit him like a punch in the gut. He lifted her and carried her to his bed, where he lay her down. Abe rolled on top of her, leaning on his elbows to keep his weight from crushing her. The heat between them was unbelievable, and he was awed at the thought that she could be his.

Leaning down, he claimed her mouth with a soft kiss first. The kiss gathered intensity and became an urgent, needy thing. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest and was determined to give them the attention they deserved. Abe used his tongue to slide down her neck and then stopped at the place where it joined her shoulder to give her a kiss and mark the spot that he would go back to when they mated. Abe already felt connected to her, but he knew it would be so much more when they mated.

Moving down, he wrapped his lips around her pink nipple, sucking it in and making it hard. Then he moved to the other one and did the same. Next, he ran his tongue down the middle of her body as he moved ever lower. Gloria moaned, and he thought she had some idea of what he was about to do. The thought of tasting her made his mouth water. Her arousal scented the air and only increased his need for her. Abe moved down between her legs and stared at her blonde curls. Her hair was thin and fine and curly at the bottom. He spread her lips apart and ran his tongue from gate to clit, then stayed at her clit and began to circle it. A finger slid into her channel and began pumping. Her fingers slid through his hair and massaged his head. Occasionally, Gloria would moan.

He added another finger, and this solicited another moan from her, and she lifted off the bed, meeting his thrust. Abe added another finger, so there were three. His tongue continued swirling around, and he was sure she was close. Even though he had expected it, her orgasm hit hard, and she began to thrash. There was no hesitation as he slid up her body and his cock slid inside her. Nothing had ever felt better. He doubted that anything would.

"Ohh, Gloria!" He whispered.

Abe drove into her fast and hard. In moments, he was pounding into her, and her legs wrapped around him as she encouraged him to go faster and harder. He went so deep it was hard to say where he ended and she began. His female continues to amaze him. It was a tingling sensation low on his back, and he knew what that meant.

"Come for me, Gloria!"

He needed her to come one more time before he did. The demand did the trick, and he could see that she was starting to go into her orgasm. That was a good thing because he was also starting to go into his. His teeth itched, but he held back because she had not agreed yet. Everything exploded. They thrashed together as their orgasms eased, and then he rolled to the side as they both struggled to catch their breath. Abe had never felt anything as magnificent as joining Gloria. He could only hope that it had been as good for her. Pushing up on his elbows, he looked to his side where she lay. She was still struggling for her breath.

They were relaxing. Abe was sure they would have both fallen asleep without a pounding on his door.

"Someone's about to die," Abe growled.

He pulled on his pants and hurried to the door, ready to make someone feel sorry for interrupting him. Basilisk stood there with a knowing smile.

"I'm just the messenger. Lu sent me to tell you that someone else washed up on the shore alive. He wants you with him so you can both interrogate him. By the way, the guy claims to be a demon."

"Shit!" The whole world seemed to be going crazy. He headed back into his apartment. "I'm going to have to go meet up with Lu. We have another visitor from the ocean. This one is alive and seems to be a demon. I'm so sorry."

"I understand. Everyone has a job, and yours can be very demanding. It's late, so I'll just see you for breakfast in the morning?"

"Thank you, sweetheart." Abe leaned forward and kissed her thoroughly before dressing more completely.

Gloria headed out the door before he did and headed in the opposite direction. She had no idea how bad he really felt about this. They had finally gotten intimate, and he had been pulled away from her. Why the hell would a demon be in the ocean near their island? Abe headed to what some fondly called the war room. It was really more of a meeting room and sometimes a writing room when someone needed to kick out a song. The whole band was waiting for him. They were all in management positions, so this affected every one of them.

"Catch me up, anyone?" Abe asked.

"Some of the other guys were walking along the shore patrolling, and they saw what looked like a pile of trash, but it started to move. He was in bad shape. He hasn't been fed in who knows how long, and he has marks on his wrist and ankles where he's been restrained. I believe he was a prisoner, but I don't understand why they would take him along for the ride. The guy says he's a demon, and his name is Stolis. That's a solid demon name, but I don't remember anyone with that name. Now you are all caught up," Lu explained. "Since he is hungry and thirsty, someone's been feeding and caring for him. They will bring him in here as soon as he feels better. Hopefully, he won't just roll up and go to sleep."

That could be the effect of being well fed and getting fluids right after you were terribly starved. All your body wanted to do then was sleep. It was becoming a real concern because they thought they had security out in the water, but somehow, this guy had managed to make it to shore. A possible demon, no less, so what would they do with him?

"Will we keep him? If he's really a demon and we have no proof that he's a spy, he is one of us," Xap observed.

"Yes, Mr. Obvious, that was my thought as well. I don't see how they could turn him unless they messed with his mind, or he's not really a demon, and they're just making him look like one," Zepar explained.

They sat around nervously, looking at each other, wondering what it all meant. A knock at the door made them all jump. The door opened, and the demon they were discussing was brought in and put in a chair.

"I see I'm in the presence of royalty. Prince Lucifer and his Royal Court of Demons." Anger and bitterness spewed from Stolis.

"You blame us for your situation?" Lu asked.

"You were freed while many of us were not. Even now, I am still not free," Stolis said, poking at the fact that he had not been assigned a place to stay and instead was being interrogated.

"We have freed those demons we could find," Lu offered.

"So, you say," Stolis observed,

"Why were you on that boat?" Abe asked. He was tired of playing around.

"Smith said at the right time I would be a sacrifice, and it would throw you off having a demon wash on shore. I told him you wouldn't care, but he didn't believe me," Stolis admitted.

"Where were you after Smith died and we took Carson into custody," Zepar asked.

"How the hell would I know? They had me tied up in a small boat. They covered me with some kind of tarp. The small boat was attached to the larger boat. It must have broken free at some point because I woke, and water was coming in. I struggled to get free. Eventually, I got free enough to make it to the shore. I was exhausted. My thought before I went to sleep was that I was finally free. What a joke," Stolis admitted.

His story made sense. They probably had him in another boat so they could kill him and just push the boat to shore. That sounded just like something Origin would do. He wasn't trying to explain everything, and there was no way he could. The guy looked rough like he had been through the wringer, so maybe he had. It would be hard to be sure if they were doing the right thing or not, but they felt like they needed to let him go and get him in a room, and maybe some of the other guys might actually recognize him. Lu seemed to have decided, and his decision was the same.

"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 was looking 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 or someone 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.