Page 32 of Blood and Bone

“You can’t get it out of your teeth, can you?” Eoghan asked with a grin.

“Not for a fucking second.”

“Fine. Come on. I need to use the facilities, pay for gas, and grab an energy drink,” Eoghan said, opening the car door.

Ari got out beside him and joined him on the other side of the car. They began walking across the lot, and Eoghan reached over, stopping him with a hand across his belly.“What? No. Let me guess. There’s something else you haven’t told me about this place, right?”

“Just a little thing,” Eoghan said, eyes flashing with amusement. “Laycee’s twin, Kaycee, runs the convenience store.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Ari muttered, standing still as he kept going. When Eoghan stopped and turned around, he was still standing in the same spot.

“Are you coming?”

“I don’t know,” Ari grumbled. He pointed at the convenience store door. “Are there any more surprises you want to tell me about?” He looked around at the empty parking lot nervously.

“Yeah, they have a brother and he patrols the lot as security,” Eoghan said.

“Fuck!” Ari shouted, jogging to catch up to his lover. He took him by the arm and propelled him even faster toward the door. “Let me guess. His name is Jaycee or something equally as rhymey, right?”

“No, smart ass. His name is Bob,” Eoghan said, sounding way more amused than he should. “Let’s go, Ari.”

Ari shook his head as Eoghan began laughing again. He leaned down and whispered in Eoghan’s ear, “Laycee was right. You’re the world’s biggest asshole.” He practically dragged him into the store which announced their presence with a tinkling bell over the door. The store was large with floors so clean you could probably eat off them. He glanced around nervously, searching for anything alien. Then again, Ari probably wouldn’t know anything alien if it walked up and bit him in the ass, which ironically, was what had almost happened right outside in the parking lot. When he spotted a pretty red-haired girl sitting behind the counter at the back of the store, he flinched. “Oh, fuck.”

The girl behind the counter pointed outside. “No, sssugar,” she hissed. “The fuckin’ is done out thea.” Her southern accent would have been adorable if Ari hadn’t been on a hair trigger and her looks hadn’t been more fucking adorable than a child in an Anne Geddes photo. Unfortunately, this alien creature had a goddamned snake draped over her shoulders like a mink stole. The girl smiled at them as they walked up to the counter. Ari hung back making sure he kept his head on a swivel so he could get a good look around, even beyond the periphery.

“Well, if it ain’t Eoghan Sssapphire,” she hissed. She smiled seductively at him before turning to look at Ari whose gaze was darting between her bright green eyes and the spotted brown and white snake coiled around her shoulders. “Who’sss your friend, Sssapphire?”

“This is my new partner, Kaycee. His name is Ari Brown.”

“Nice to meet you, Marssshal Brown,” she said, holding a manicured hand out toward him. He noticed she had the same red painted nails as he reached out slowly to shake. When he did, the snake lowered his head, seeming to examine him with beady, black eyes as he moved closer, darting a black tongue out of his white mouth as if testing the air, trying to pick up his heat signature. Ari had to admit, his coloring was beautiful with an almost white underbelly, covered in irregular brown spots that gradually got darker from his belly, up the sides, to his back where they were darkest. He shook her hand slowly, eyes fixed on the snake whose head hovered over her shoulder, close enough to their clasping hands to make him nervous as hell. He let go of her cold hand, slowly pulling his own back, and breathing out a sigh of relief when he realized he still had all his fingers.

“Nice to meet you, Kaycee. What’s his name?” He pointed at the snake.

“Kevin the boop noodle.”

“Of course it is,” Ari said.

Eoghan laughed, reaching out and rubbing under the snake’s chin slowly. “Kevin the boop noodle is a spotted python, one of the smallest varieties of python,” he said. “They only grow between three and four feet.”

Ari gulped. “Sorry, did you say three or four feet?”

“Yes.”

“That’s small?”

“For a python it is,” Eoghan said. “They have a slower metabolism in winter when they go into a semi-hibernation.” He lowered his face as if expecting an answer when he spoke to him. “Who’s a good boop noodle? Is Kevin a good boop noodle? Yes, I am, yes I am,” he cooed.

Ari looked at him like he had two heads and when Eoghan glanced back at him, he smiled so shyly and openly, Ari felt his heart squeeze in his chest. This man…this amazing man…was completely insane and he loved every single thing about that.

“Ssso, Sssapphire, what bringsss you out our way?” Kaycee drawled as he straightened, dropping his hand from where he’d been scratching the snake.

“We’re on a job, Kaycee. I just needed to stop in to grab an energy drink and use the restroom,” Eoghan said.

“Well, you know where they are,” she said, pointing to the back.

Eoghan turned to look at him. “I’ll be right back. You gonna be okay all alone?”

“We’ll keep Marssshal Brown company, Eoghan,” Kaycee said, petting the snake.