Chapter 29: Money problems.Place: City, Anywhere United States of America.Rolling over in bed, Sloan berated himself as he slid away from his sleeping ex-lover. Ex, as in, he shouldn't be with him again. Ex like the former. Ex as in, how could Sloan be this stupid? He had broken up with Reese, but when Sloan's loneness had gotten to him, he accepted meeting the man in this seedy motel. What did people say about insanity? Craziness was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well… no more. Sloan wouldn't keep making the same lapses in judgment. This was it. He was done.Swearing in his head, he spotted his pants in a crumpled pile on the floor. Fuck, Reese couldn't even get it up last night. Sloan was still wearing his underwear.As silently as he could, Sloan dressed in his torn jeans, a white shirt, and an old flannel that had missing buttons. The fabric of his clothes smelled of the bar last night and spilled beer. Reese had gotten so drunk before
Chapter 30: Job number one.Sloan reached the little corner coffee shop and parked his bike. He took off his helmet and inhaled while he prepared for Elijah's irritation at him. As he walked into the building, the chime on the door made a slight ring. Elijah glanced up from filling a coffee craft and smiled."I covered for you." His chubby dark-haired roommate set the air pot aside and started to fill a second container. "I told the boss you had a dentist appointment.""Boss here?""Gone.""Cool." Sloan headed straight to the storage room where he could dump his stuff. He set his helmet aside and then stripped off his leather jacket. After he hung the garment, he then grabbed his apron. He was clocked in and brewing coffee in record time. "You told me that if you went with Reese again, I should punch you in the downstairs." Elijah grabbed the milk and began to steam the liquid. He kept his voice low, so the young couple congregating around the counter didn't hear him. As Elijah worked
Chapter 31: Halt.Elijah walked to the other side of the room with JP. After he shook hands with the stranger, his friend sat at a corner table with the good-looking redhead. Sloan watched them for a minute to make sure everything was okay, but once they started chatting, he figured he could get back to work. Maybe Sloan would ask what the Learning Institute was all about later. Maybe JP was an art teacher or something. Elijah loved to paint so that could be it. For now, Slown figured his friend would be fine. He picked up a rag and cleaned around the espresso machine.While the two men spoke in low tones, more people walked out of the coffee shop. Only a guy on his phone and a girl bent over a textbook and laptop remained.The fat man with green eyes didn't seem interested in JP, Elijah, or anyone left in the shop. Now he turned all his attention on Sloan cleaning. Since it was creepy to be watched by the fat stranger with pretty eyes, Sloan turned his back and brewed a fresh pot of
Chapter 32: That just got weird."Where are you going?" the fat man asked when Sloan tried to walk to the stockroom.Slowly, Sloan turned around and grinned at being told to halt. Who did this guy think he was? The stranger sounded like he was the king-of-the-world or something."I'm not making drinks, so I'm going to refill napkins." Sloan held in his laugher as his eyes took in the counter. His amusement wavered when he spotted the cash. The man didn't pick up his drink or the money. That was a lot of bills to leave on the counter, and he wasn't even watching it. "You should put that money away."The fat man ignored his suggestion and waved to the menu board on the wall. "What drink is complex?""Nothing is complex." Sloan glanced at the items. "But with the strawberry banana smoothies, I have to cut up the banana.""Excellent." The fat man nodded, and again, his jowls flopped. "I will have five of those. You will stay here now. You will keep talking to me."Sloan scratched his whisk
Chapter 33: Job number two.Sloan gave Elijah every cent he had in case Hugo found him again. After he left the coffee shop, he stopped at home. Once in his shitty apartment, he tossed on a pair of pajama pants and then slept on the couch for a few hours. When his alarm rang signaling he had to get his ass up and going, Sloan had enough time to eat a few slices of cheese from the fridge and shower before he headed to his second job.As he entered the bar that he tended to every night, Lindsay waved to him as she mixed drinks. The beautiful brunette was fast and efficient so Sloan didn't have to worry about helping her make drinks. They both began serving up beer, wine, and mixed drinks without talking. The bar was filling up faster than usual, but he didn't mind. Sloan might actually make good tips tonight.As the dance floor was turning into a sea of jumping bodies, he slowed down to wipe off the counter. The night was taking off as the music blasted. It was well after one in the morn
Chapter 34: His ex-boyfriend is back.When Sloan's ex-boyfriend stepped up to the bar, he stopped next to the handsome stranger. Once the two of them were side by side, Sloan could see how awful Reese looked. Seeing them together was jarring. Reese's eyes were red and bloodshot. Bags surrounded his brown eyes, and his cheeks were flushed. That mostly came from his constant drinking to forget he was gay. His beer belly hung over his pants, and for the first time, Sloan saw how much his unsatisfying life took its toll on his former lover. "You want me to say sorry for last night?" The question was belligerent and not an apology. Typical Reese. His Ex made everything Sloan's fault, and his unhappy life was always because of everyone else. Sloan wanted someone who could face life as it was, not hide from reality in the bottom of a bottle."I'm busy." Sloan grabbed an imported beer and popped the top. While smiling, he slipped the drink to the gorgeous stranger. "Whatever." Reese didn't
Chapter 35: Drug dealers can be a problem.When he was finished with work, Sloan stepped out into the night air. Scanning the parking lot, his heart dropped to his stomach. Reese leaned against his mini-van, waiting. No sexy-as-fuck Octnavin.True, Sloan didn't know if meeting the stranger was a good idea, but that changed nothing when it came to his ex-lover. He still wasn't going with Reese. "I said no." Sloan started walking toward the side of the bar. His bike was parked in the back alley. He would just go home and look up the Learning Institute and see if Elijah knew if JP was a vampire. Maybe Elijah would tell Sloan that the fat man and the young man thing was all a misunderstanding. "Don't be like that." Reese grabbed Sloan's arm. "Are you going to make me hit you?" Sloan glared at Reese's hand. The other man let go. "We've been over for a long time, and you know it.""You're God-damn exhausting." Reese ran his fingers back and forth through his hair. "Call me when you get yo
Chapter 36: Excellent. Holding his breath in the alleyway, Sloan stared at the sparkling rock that Octnavin had sitting in the very center of his palm. Suddenly, the gem burst with the most beautiful rainbow of light he'd ever seen. The fireworks display was mesmerizing and hypnotic. He couldn't look away even if he wanted to. After the magical light show, the stone flashed brighter than the sun glinting off a mirror. And then his vision went awash with white. Sloan was blind. "Fuck." Hugo snapped. "I can't see shit."A gun was fired, and it sounded like there was a punch thrown. Sloan thought that crunch was maybe bones breaking."Hey, Boss?" That must be one of the thugs who couldn't see either. Clearly, Sloan wasn't the only one who had currently lost his sight. "I'm blind, Sloan." Elijah sounded panicked. "What the…?" Before Sloan could get out a word out to comfort his frantic friend, he caught the thump of someone hitting the concrete. Maybe Octnavin? He hoped to hell that i
Chapter 136: The end of... Life and Death.Standing between his grove of apple trees and his rows of orange trees, Ike stopped and inhaled the blossoms in the wind. The bright star of the Dagerstanteen planet had him closing his eyes and sighing in delight. He'd never been outside this much, and he was addicted to the warm fresh air. He grinned. There were a few things he was addicted to now, one of which was the three humans laughing, chatting, and strolling toward him.Ike opened his eyes and smiled at the three men walking between his carrots."Ike," Chasm called. "We are here to learn.""Thank you for agreeing to take care of my plants while I travel with JP." Ike nodded."Caveman." Sloan approached him using the nickname he'd given Ike after they met. Sloan held up his hand, and Ike slapped Sloan's palm before his new friend jogged over to where the row of raspberry bushes was growing. "This is badass."Ike glanced at Chasm and raised an eyebrow."It means good," Chasm translated.
Chapter 135: Taking the fire back.JP didn't make a sound after Lee's announcement, but Ike could see his thoughts moving in a whirl. JP was making plans. The alien was rigging up a way to pull him from the fire if he said yes. The alien was also simultaneously trying to figure out how to keep Ike alive for a long time if he didn't hold the fire and if they didn't get the lifesaving water. Ike was very old and his Dagerstanteen blood would only do so much. Plus, all the humans needed the healing water. It wasn't just his life they were talking about here."I…" Ike pictured going back to the rain planet. He would have to watch time tick by while he held the fire again. The loneliness would eat at him. "I will have to return to the sanctuary," Ike murmured."Never," JP snapped."You do know that you burned that to the ground, right?" Keltrix asked."I will forbid you from returning to your old home." Octnavin's sentence was unmovable stone. "If you were to take the ember and regrow the P
Chapter 134: Life after the fire.As soon as Ike had the sensation of being set on a cold table, his eyes opened wide. It had been a long time since Ike felt the sensation of cold."JP?""He is here."Ike looked into Keltrix's eyes and then pushed away from the tentacles holding him. He sat and swung his legs until he was on the edge of an exam table in a laboratory."Where am I?" Ike glanced at Keltrix and then at Octnavin. Next to him on a second table was JP. The alien looked burned from head to toe. He wasn't moving, and Ike felt panic. Did the fire kill JP? Why was everyone acting like it didn't matter?"JP?" Ike set his hand on his blackened skin. The hard surface was rippled and rough."What is that thing that Sloan likes to say?" Keltrix asked Octnavin."He bounces back fast." Octnavin crossed his middle tentacles over his chest."Yes," Keltrix agreed. "That's it.""Where are we?" Ike glanced at the leader of the Dagerstanteens. "Is JP dead?""This is our ship, and we are parke
Chapter 133: At the fire temple.Ike kept himself conscious by listening to the Dagerstanteen that carried him. JP found the most boring things to list in Ike's head until he had to fight not to sleep. Although Ike struggled to stay awake, he did agree that JP kept his emotions and the fire calm.As the air got colder, the cooler air had him focusing. The six of them started to climb up a wide rock staircase on the closest side of a small mountain. The guards that had followed them stayed at the bottom. All around them was water, and there were no sides or railings to the steps. One move to the left or the right, and they would fall into the dark, murky moat.Ike lifted his chin and tipped his head as they marched. His heart beat a little faster when he spotted the Panchen Fire Shrine.This is where he would die.When they reached the end of the staircase, JP stepped onto smooth marble. Ike noted that the water lapped at the highest point and splashed like the liquid wanted to take ove
Chapter 132: Albeon.When Ike awoke, he was cradled in JP's tentacles, but the skin was not soft and silky. The tentacles that held him were stiff and hard and throbbing with heat. The alien had turned his skin into armor, and Ike didn't know why.Blinking rapidly, Ike was about to explain again how he was heading to Albeon no matter what JP said, but as he focused his eyes, he was shocked and speechless at what was happening around him.JP stood in front of Princess Lee and three old Albeon women. Ike knew who those women were. Shay had told him about the three elders. There was Dilma, Payson, and Rolla. He was finally on the planet Albeon and besides the women in front of him, all around the open field, stood male Albeon guards of every shape and size. The number of weapons pointed at him was concerning, and he found himself holding his breath.On the right of JP stood Octnavin holding a sizeable pink bundle in his arms. On JP's left side stood a fully armed Keltrix like a silent sen
Chapter 131: Out of control. Fenton and Shay stood in his living area. As Ike walked out of his bedroom, he began to roll a cigarette. He felt nauseous and wanted to curl up and cry and rail against the unfairness of life. But he wouldn't do that in front of anyone. He could fall apart later when he was alone. Right now, he had to get dressed and leave with some dignity. He could hear Baja in his head. He needed to get it together and keep the fire calm."Ike—" Fenton stopped when JP strode out of Ike's bedroom. "JP? What are you doing here?""Greetings," Shay murmured as her eyes went from JP to Ike. "I didn't know he was...." Shay lifted her eyebrows and then grinned. "What were you doing in your bedroom?""Talking." Ike gave Shay a warning look to let it go and then brought his cigarette to his lips."Arguing," JP said at the same time."Did you bring me a new ship?" Ike asked as he lit his cigarette and ignored the Dagerstanteen."I brought mine. I will escort you." Queen Shay nod
Chapter 130: Time to leave.Ike used JP's tentacle as a pillow as he stared at the ceiling above his bed. For the last two days, he'd had sex, talked, ate, laughed, and had more sex. In the end, he did everything he could so that he wouldn't have to tell JP that he was going to his death. He'd never been this happy, and he hated to end his relationship with the Dagerstanteen but....He knew he had to, and soon.Any moment Lee or Shay would show up with a ship, and he was leaving to fly to Albeon. He must get rid of the fire. The flame was staying calm right now, but the blaze could get out of control, and it was only a matter of time before the fire burst from him. His exhaustion was rising from trying to keep the fire from blowing, and he was scared to find out what would happen if he ran out of energy. He would not be responsible for that kind of destruction. Ike had to tell JP and explain. It was the right thing to do.Ike rolled over and cushioned his cheek against JP's shoulder. H
Chapter 129: Playing."I cannot believe I am about to make a fool of myself." Ike sat in the middle of the bench and stared up at the massive instrument. The strings were on the right and left and came down from a long bar across the top. He couldn't even reach some parts of the instrument unless he got up and ran around. He refused to be that ridiculous.Cracking his knuckles, Ike paused as he decided he would play the easiest song he knew, and even though he couldn't hit all the notes, it would probably sound good enough that his ears wouldn't bleed."Any time," JP teased."You'll regret this." Ike glared at the alien and then reached his hands outward and wiggled his fingers.JP made a slight giggle under his breath.Ike ignored the alien and began the song. He plucked at each string until the notes shimmered in the air. The sound waves rolled off the loominairin, and he grinned at the beauty of the music. The song was simple, and he had just reached halfway went JP moved behind him
Chapter 128: Flying back home.When Ike awoke, he pulled himself into a sitting position and leaned against the front window of his ship. He was naked and covered in a blanket. After he rubbed his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder. His home planet was coming into view."What happened?" Ike bounded to his feet in shock and then wrapped the cloth around his waist. He hunted for his armor and picked up the pieces of clothing strewn all over the command deck."I do not know what you are asking me. Nothing happened." JP gave him a quick look before he went back to flying his ship. "You fell asleep after you reached your third climax. You have quite the stamina. I think that is your Dagerstanteen blood." The alien sounded amused. "When we were free to leave the ocean floor, and there were no threats to the ship, I took over flying and let you rest. I said goodbye to Tullie for you.""I bet you did," Ike muttered as he pictured what JP probably said about Ike being placed in a sexual stupor