Page 30 of Blood and Bone
Chapter Eight
“You know, it’s really sad,” Ari said, glancing over at Eoghan who’d been driving for about a half hour. They’d driven out of Gilroy and then pulled off the freeway at a rest stop so Eoghan could call the chief on her burner and let her know what they’d talked about with King John. She’d agreed that it was a good idea to bring in a helpful clan, but she honestly couldn’t think of one—shifter, vampire, or werewolf—who’d be willing to help. Other kinds of supernaturals like ghosts and ghouls wouldn’t want to offer assistance with this type of thing and she could only think of a couple of witches who’d ever been very helpful. Eoghan had agreed that he’d never met a witch he liked, male or female but he’d asked her to reach out to them regardless.
The discussion that had followed the revelation that the world they dealt with also included those entities, had freaked Ari out even more. Some days, he was pretty sure he’d be better off not knowing and leaving the I.S.R. but then he’d look over at Eoghan and his heart would melt. He seemed to do a lot of that these days. That was probably a good idea since this job entailed them spending a hell of a lot of time in the car together, not just sharing an office space.
“What’s sad?” Eoghan asked, reminding Ari he’d asked a question. He glanced over at him as they drove down a straight stretch of the 101 Freeway, headed back down south. They’d already discussed driving as far as they could tonight or until Eoghan was too tired. They knew they wouldn’t make it all the way to L.A. without having to stop for the night somewhere. Though, Eoghan preferred to drive, Ari had noticed how herubbed his hand over his face and sighed every now and then. He’d almost forgotten they’d been woken bright and early before sunrise by some asshole who’d set off their motel’s fire alarm.
“The fact that the king is all alone out there in that awful smelling garlic field wondering what will happen to his people…constantly worried about them,” he replied.
“Okay, hang on before you start lamenting his situation,” Eoghan said. “Don’t get me wrong. I feel bad for him too but there’s something more important we need to talk about first.”
Ari wondered what he’d missed. “What’s more important than the way his clan is being wiped out?”
Eoghan scoffed. “Nothing. I’m not talking about that.”
“Then, what’re you talking about?”
“The very real fact that you just called the smell of garlic awful,” Eoghan deadpanned.
It took a second for Ari to replay what he’d just said before he grinned over at him. “For the record—and you’re a witness to my cooking and its smelly aftermath between the sheets—I adore garlic.”
“Oh, my God, you’re so gross,” Eoghan said, laughing. “And, for the record, I adore your cooking, garlic or not.” He paused, sobering. “But, yeah, I hate the fact that he and his clan are in this situation. I really hope we can find even one shifter clan willing to help because the werewolves are hopeless and—”
“Two Trees!” Ari shouted, suddenly sitting forward in the car.
“What?” Eoghan asked, sounding alarmed as the car wobbled only a fraction in his hands as he put both hands on the wheel. “Chief of Police Two Trees?”
“Yes! They’re grizzly bear shifters, clearly living on a mixed-shifter reservation.” Ari shot him a glance. “Is mixed-shifter even a term?”
“Yes, it is. And, yes, they are, Ari,” Eoghan replied. “Actually, that’s—oh, my God, that’s actually an amazing idea!”
“He liked us, right?”
“Not only didhelike us, but even Alo Uwaite, his deputy, liked us in the end. I think you may be onto something. I think he was feeling indebted to us for not only exposing Colt Wilkins but for seeing to it that Riversong and her children were being escorted home safely.”
Ari noticed that he looked down at the dashboard. “If the chief gives us the go ahead to speak to them again, we’d need to gas up before we go back to Tahoe.”
“Okay, so pull off the freeway when you can and we’ll call her. If we get the go ahead to turn around and go back, then we’ll find a motel for the night and drive back in the morning,” Ari said.
“Why wait? We should drive back now.”
“Because you’ve yawned three times in the last five minutes, that’s why, Eoghan.” As if on cue, he yawned again making Ari chuckle.
“Okay, you might have a point,” he grudgingly agreed. Eoghan drove until he located a rest stop and pulled off in a remote area, parking in the large, well-lit parking lot close to the facilities. He pulled out his phone while Ari got out of the car and used the men’s room before returning and climbing in beside him.
“Will do, Chief. It probably won’t happen until morning, though. Ari and I will bring him and his deputy some coffee. That might help smooth over our request.” He paused, listening. “Yeah, okay, boss. Will do. Good night to you too,ma’am.” He swiped the phone, looking over at Ari with a smile on his face. “She agreed. Her exact words were, ‘You should do whatever you can to keep that smart partner of yours around, Sapphire.’” He grinned as Ari smiled at him, leaning in to kiss him silly.
When Ari pulled back, he stared down at Eoghan’s plump lips, swollen from his kisses, feeling the growing bulge in his pants. “We should find a nice motel with clean sheets and smoke detectors that actually work. Do you know of a place around these parts?”
Eoghan grinned. “In fact, I do know just the place. Come on. I need to stop and fill up because it’s about seventy miles back the way we just came.”
Ari groaned as Eoghan broke eye contact and started the car, revving the engine, and pulling out of the parking space. “Nothing like driving around in circles in the damned middle of the night,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his head against the window as Eoghan muttered something about him being the one doing all the driving. In seconds, Ari had drifted off to sleep.
He woke with a start when the car came to a halt. Disoriented at first, he got his bearings quickly as he looked around and noticed a large convenience store and six gas pumps under a well-lit canopy. He glanced over at Eoghan who yawned loudly and turned to look at him. Dark circles were prominent under his eyes, and Ari instantly felt bad for sleeping while Eoghan drove. He reached over and took his hand.
“I’m sorry for falling asleep, Eoghan. I just closed my eyes for a second and boom…out like a light.”
Eoghan smiled. “That’s okay.”