Winning Souls Read Online Free PDF Page A

extremely strong.”
    She snorted. “It comes with the genes.”
    “What are the other effects?”
    She chuckled. “If you are still speaking to me at the end of the day, I will let you know.”
    “Why would I not be?”
    “Some men don’t like to be outstripped when it comes to making money.” She winked and headed for the dim interior with its bright lights. She went to the token kiosk and got a few thousand credits to play with. Ulises did the same, and he took his chit to the machines that sang happily to all around them.
    She followed him for a moment and said, “I will meet you back here in three hours. Enjoy.”
    She headed for the card, dice and other games of chance. By the time she was ready to stop, she had accumulated four hundred thousand credits and had been asked to leave all the tables she had played at.
    Enher looked around for Ulises and found him surrounded by a group of females who were admiring the win that was still accumulating on the machine.
    He must have noticed her, because he extended one wing and cleared a path for her. To her surprise, he pulled her in and settled her across his lap.
    She watched the numbers ticking over and laughed. “I think you have me beat.”
    “Did you play any of the games?”
    She shook her head. “I prefer to play against people. It adds to the fun for me.”
    He inclined his head.
    She looked over his shoulder, and the crowd of admirers was thinning out. Only those who were interested in the final payout remained.
    She spotted a game behind him and to the left that glowed with promise of paying out. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me for a moment.”
    He looked surprised. “Where are you going?”
    “To test a theory. I will be right behind you.”
    Enher eased from his lap and looked at the machines. They all glowed with different intensities, but the one she was focused on flared and flickered like it was about to blow.
    She sat at the machine, put her card in, set it to maximum bet and watched the images of half-naked Oefric scrolling around and around until they settled and an alarm went off.
    Enher’s vision had been right. She won the progressive, the full jackpot, and all funds were loaded into her credit chit. As fun as it would have been to watch the accumulation, she hit the buttons and ejected her slip. The machine’s aura was now a subdued glow.
    She returned to Ulises’s side and watched as he continued to play. She chuckled. “Well, I am done. Shall I meet you on the tour tomorrow?”
    He ejected his credit slip and turned to her. “I think we have earned a well-deserved lunch.”
    She laughed, and they went to the kiosk, uploading their winnings to their personal accounts.
    Enher walked with him, back toward her hotel. “I think we will skip noodles today. I found one fused to my pillow this morning.”
    He grinned. “You started it.”
    “My sticks slipped. You didn’t have to fight back.” She gave him a dark look.
    Ulises laughed. “My instincts kicked in.”
    She snorted.
    “I promise that today’s lunch will be much more sedate. The shop specializes in finger sandwiches.”
    They entered the shop, and the women waited on them, bringing tea, tall trays of sandwiches and a matching tray of desserts.
    Enher gave Ulises a sober look. “Where did you learn about this place?”
    “I asked at my hotel. The concierge is very helpful when it comes to finding places for ladies to lunch.”
    It was a suitable answer, but the energy that was embedded in him was pulsing in a way it had not been doing the day before. Enher could see the change, but she didn’t know what had brought it on.
    It was time to focus on her tea party. The alteration in energy could be dealt with later. Tomorrow, they had trips to the craters planned, and she could investigate the changes then.
    Desserts were waiting.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    After lunch, they walked through the commercial sector, and she did some shopping for friends and family.
    “How