Page 26 of Training my Human

And when he ran out of toast? He started scooping it from the jar and stuffing it in his maw.

Guess I’d be visiting the grocery store. Again.

I’d just cleaned up the messy paper when I heard several vehicles pulling in. Unusual. I rarely got company.

I glanced at Abaddon and mouthed, “Hide.”

While people could own lizards, mine being of a non-local variety could cause issue. Not to mention, I didn’t trust my Little Fella to keep his trap shut.

He scurried off to the bathroom and I opened the front door to find a pair of red-jacketed RCMP officers—the shortened term for Royal Canadian Mounted Police—on my doorstep.

ChapterNine

“Can I help you?”I politely asked, wondering why these officers would be outside my door. While I might be a tattooed girl with a filthy mouth and indigenous heritage, I obeyed most laws. I didn’t murder or steal, but I did like to speed. However, I doubted that brought them knocking.

“Hello, ma’am. Pardon our calling so early. We’re here to advise you that there is a health department order decreeing that any debris spewed by the volcano found on your premises needs to be handed over immediately.”

I blinked. “Er, what? Why the fuck would the health department give a damn about rocks?” My mouth spoke before I could stop it.

“There is concern about possible toxicity in the stones recently emitted by the volcano. As such, the health department created a task force whose job is to collect all samples and remove them for your safety.”

I glanced beyond the chunky officer’s shoulder and noticed people in hazmat suits in my yard, poking around. Two of them were bent over the fire pit.

My stomach tightened as I immediately wondered if they were looking for Abaddon’s egg. Wouldn’t matter if they were, since his emergence had shattered his shell into tiny little chunks.

“Wow. I never knew lava rocks could be dangerous.” I clutched my hands to my chest and opened my eyes wide.

“This is just a precautionary measure, ma’am. Do you have any of the debris inside your home?”

“Goodness no. My place is too tiny for me to be storing rocks,” I scoffed. Then, because they were already poking, I admitted, “I did find a few and threw them into my firepit which I’ve been burning. Will the smoke I inhaled harm me?”

“Most likely not, but you might want to schedule a physical with your family physician just to be sure.”

“Oh, I will.” Not actually, but I pretended to play along.

“While we’re here, have you seen any strange animals lurking around?” the officer asked.

“I see all kinds of creatures seeing as how I live in the boonies,” I admitted with a laugh.

“This wouldn’t be your usual run-of-the-mill wildlife. It may have looked like a lizard. A local man had one escape from a tank and is eager for its return.”

My blood ran cold because he obviously lied. The RCMP wouldn’t be going door to door looking for a regular pet reptile. They sought Abaddon because he was special, but no way would I hand him over. I’d seen enough movies to know what awaited Abaddon if the government managed to capture him. “You’re looking for a lizard? I haven’t seen one. Is it dangerous?”

“We would recommend caution. If you do see it, you can call this number.” He handed over a white card with a number embossed on it and nothing else. Stranger and stranger. Shouldn’t it have a name and the logo of the agency on it?

“What’s this lizard look like?”

“Four legs. Tail. Scales.”

“That’s a pretty generic description.” Once more my tongue ran away before I could stop it.

The officer shrugged. “The owner didn’t have a picture but figured we’d ask since we’re already doing the rounds.”

“I will keep an eye out,” I promised, keeping my hands clasped to ensure he didn’t see them shaking.

“If you could stay inside while we look around and gather any stray chunks. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Not long being an hour of them hunting.

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