Page 46 of Free for Adventure
Thera looked around and rubbed her ear. “You don’t say.”
Orc grinned. “Is that about to change?”
“Maybe. Wait a few days and find out.”
He nodded. “It will be good to see her again. The village has seemed empty without her laughter.”
Thera blinked. “She laughs?”
“Yeah. She was always laughing and making people smile. She was good at it.”
“Well, I don’t know that Serin. I know the serious lady who took no shit and used her crutches as a deadly weapon when alphas tried to intimidate her. It didn’t happen often, and for each one, it only happened once.”
Orc frowned. “Was she injured?”
“No. Her body is giving out on her, so she uses the crutches to walk. She will explain what she wants you to know when she gets here. She’s going to be here by the weekend.” Thera cleared her throat. “Is there somewhere I can get something to eat? I will set up my card to my account tomorrow.”
He nodded. “We made you some sandwiches.”
She smiled brightly, and they headed to the kitchen. He brought a plate that made her laugh, and she said, “I eat about half of that.”
“Noted. Kayak made the sandwiches, and I think he got carried away. We know your stomach is set for mainland food, so we will stick to that for a while.”
“I can eat just about anything. Most of it cooked. I eat a lot of food grilled on boats.”
He cocked his feet and then nodded. “You go spear fishing?”
“Yeah. I waited until Dad was off doing things, and I snuck down and introduced myself to my lunch.”
“He forgot to feed you?”
“Yeah, well, he had alternative methods to get food.”
“Did you run into pirates?”
“A few times. They wanted the equipment, so I had to get them off the boat so that he could deal with them.”
“You faced pirates alone?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t really call anyone for help because no one had a full mask on.”
“I am irritated.”
She laughed. “I can load a speargun really fast.”
“It is good to know, but the inference is that you were alone on the boat with divers below you and pirates on board.”
“Yeah. I also prepped the kits when we had students on board. I have taken enough chunks out of sharks to make a whole one.”
“I really want to give you a hug right now.”
She set the plate down and stood up, giving him the hug that he needed. His arms came around her, and he held her close. “When you are with us, we won’t leave you in danger.”
She nodded and sighed. “He was a great man and a meh dad.”
He chuckled. “He was an excellent mentor, but you are right about his caretaking skills.”
“Do you want to hear something chilling?”