Page 58 of Training my Human

A still-grumpy Abaddon joined me around ten.

“How was the flying?” I asked.

“Better. I managed to do eight laps of the barn before I tired,” he proudly stated.

“Damn. Look at you. Getting so strong.”

His chest puffed. “This is only the beginning. Eventually I’ll have the stamina and size to bring you on flights with me.”

My jaw dropped. Me? Riding a dragon?

Fuck, that would be cool.

Abaddon yawned, his jaw dropping open wide enough to eat a cat—which made me thankful they’d become friends.

“Seems like we’re both tired.” Most likely because of our shitty week of restless slumber. “Shall we hit the sack early?”

“Let me place the trap first,” Abaddon said.

I saw no harm and even helped him create the tower of cans that would be knocked over if anyone opened the door. That night we both fell asleep, deeply and soundly. So deep, we never heard the stacked cans toppling.

The next morning, I eyed the scattered mess on the floor. No Princess to blame. It definitely wasn’t me. Might have been a rodent, although I’d seen no sign of any. Abaddon remained abed and I wondered if perhaps he’d done it given my statement the previous night.

I picked up the mess before heading over to the computer to pull up the previous night’s footage. I got a pop-up message.

Unavailable.

No matter how I tried to access it, none of the camera feeds would load. I fired a text to Leo.Are the cameras doing maintenance again?

His reply arrived not long after.Network glitch. Apparently, my IT guy forgot to offload the files and the server ran out of space to store recent security videos. Should be fixed later today. After which I’m firing his ass!

Plausible, but suspicious, too. Little Fella wandered from the bedroom and grabbed a box of dry cereal which he then proceeded to eat in front of the television. The weatherman waved his arms around as satellite predictions played behind him showing an approaching snowstorm. Only October and way too early for the white stuff, but tell that to Mother Nature, who was about to blast us.

Now you might wonder what a motorcycle-riding gal did when the weather turned to shit. It depended. Rain? I had gear to keep me dry. Cold? I wore layers. But snow? That shit always kept me home, hence I fired off a text to my boss.

Snow in the forecast. Think I’m gonna stay put today.

Blinking dots appeared as he typed back.I can give you a ride. You’ve got the final touches on Bruno’s tat today and I know he’s leaving soon to visit family out east so he’ll want it done before he goes. We’ll leave the shop early though so we don’t get screwed on the roads.

Fuck. I’d forgotten about Bruno. At least I had a ride. The Suburban could easily handle a storm.

I’ll meet you at the house in twenty,I texted back.Enough time for me to change and make sure Little Fella had enough food for the day before I rode my bike over and parked it.

“Don’t leave.” Abaddon didn’t turn his head but knew I readied to go.

“I won’t be gone more than a few hours. I’ll grab some pizzas for us on the way home.” Although how I’d explain to Leo why I needed four for just me would be interesting.

“Stay. I have an ominous feeling.”

I crouched by his side. “I know you hate it when I go to work, but given the favor Leo is doing us, I can’t screw him over by refusing to do my job.”

“You wouldn’t need a job if I had a hoard.”

“I look forward to the day I can retire on your dime, but until then, I’ve got to make money to feed you or we’ll be stuck dining on ramen noodles and lentils.”

“I like the noodles.”

“You’d hate them quick if you had to eat them multiple times a day. Now give me a hug.”

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