Page 71 of Tooth and Nail

Eoghan sighed and then offered his partner a small shrug as he poured more coffee from the carafe their waitress had left. After waking in each other’s arms that morning, and exchanging extremely satisfying mutual blow jobs, they’d showered together. When they got out, he’d reached for his phone to check messages, and found one from the chief which hadn’t been there earlier. Sure enough, she’d wanted them to check in. Their stomachs had been empty, and they’d worked up quite the appetite getting to know each other between the sheets over the last twelve hours. So they’d headed out to the nearest Denny’s for breakfast, ordering from their waitress before he’d returned the call.

“She knows we’ll be cautious. She’s just mother henish when it comes to our protection. She says the Agency doesn’t want us walking into a booby trap…some claptrap about not wanting to risk another pair of dead marshals, that’s all,” Eoghan said. “I think the worry is coming from the chief, not the Agency, and to be honest, her concern about our welfareisn’t entirely misplaced. As I’ve already told you, dealing with Titania and Oberon’s rival space fairies will be dangerous, Ari.”

“Well, if it’s Priest looking after our welfare, I guess that makes me feel a little better because if it’s not, it’s slightly jarring to be second guessed by this mysterious ‘Agency’ I’d never heard of until a few days ago,” Ari said. “Did she mention whether there was any progress in the King John Townsend case? She was going to talk to the Agency about that one.”

Eoghan raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t put his finger on that situation at all. And since she hadn’t mentioned anything about it over the phone when he’d probed, he had a feeling the chief either didn’t want to risk being overheard or listened in on by someone in the Agency, or that she truthfully had no news.

“She avoided answering the question, changing the subject when I asked,” Eoghan said. Between what was happening with King John, and the way they suspected someone at the Agency had deliberately helped the king’s replacement, Tillis Bradshaw, plus his boss being very tight-lipped about everything, he was perplexed. He tapped his chin, thinking about it when he spotted their server heading their way with two plates laden with food. “Food’s here. While we eat, we can talk about it.” He smiled at the young server as she set two large omelets down on the table in front of them.

“Here you go. Let me grab your toast. I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you,” Ari said. “Would you bring me some Tabasco also?”

“Sure enough,” she replied, preening. When she spoke again, her voice was almost coquettish. “I hope you don’t mind me asking but has anyone ever told you that you have verypretty eyes?” She giggled, and Eoghan studied Ari’s face as he returned her smile.

“That’s very nice of you. Thank you so much,” Ari said cordially.

“Of course.” She pointed to the star he wore around his neck. “You know, my brother is a CHP officer.”

“I’m not—”

“Thank you so much,” Eoghan said, speaking up. She turned and smiled vacantly at him before nodding and looking back at Ari.

“I’ll just get that toast and hot sauce. Be right back.” She floated away after another smile, and Eoghan watched her go before glancing across the table at Ari who was watching him curiously.

“What? She has a crush.”

Eoghan pointed at Ari’s chest. “You know, my brother is a CHP officer and I want to sit on your lap,” he said, imitating her voice as he batted his eyelashes.

Ari burst out laughing. “Don’t be jealous.”

“Why not?” Eoghan asked, lifting his own badge which hung on a chain around his neck. “I have a star too.”

“You also have all those special parts I like. I promise you, she doesn’t.” Ari grinned. “You’re not really jealous, are you?”

Eoghan got thoughtful. “Well, we’ve known each other less than a week. I doubt I have reason to be so presumptuous.”

Ari reached across the table and took his hand, looking deeply into his eyes. “I feel like we’ve known each other a hell of a lot longer. Maybe our souls have?” He posed the question.

Eoghan felt his heart slamming in his chest. The man simply took his breath away. “Maybe.”

“You’re not really jealous, are you?” he repeated.

Eoghan looked down at their joined hands before looking up with a little smile. “Of her? No,” he said, smiling as Ari let go of his hand. Eoghan picked up his fork and cut into his Mexican omelet. “Maybe I would be if it was her brother—the CHP officer—doing the flirting.”

Ari chuckled as she returned, set down their toast and the hot sauce, wiggled her fingers in a flirty wave, and walked away again. They tucked into their food, only coming up for air five minutes later when they’d polished off two massive omelets drenched in chili, cheese, and spring onions, with toast. Ari sat back, patting his belly as he sipped his third cup of coffee.

“That was amazing. We’ll have to remember this place the next time we come up here chasing space fairie offspring.”

Eoghan smiled, sitting back in the booth. “You’re taking this whole I.S.R. thing in stride. Any other marshal would have freaked out and walked away the second they got a look at Derwin, but you just took to it like a fish to water, Ari. I must say, you’re not just a pretty face.” He lifted his coffee cup and saluted him.

Ari saluted back. “Thank you.” He set his cup down and checked his watch before glancing up. “We should go, yes?”

“Yeah.” Eoghan slid out of the booth and grabbed the check, waving at their perky server as he fished his wallet out of his pocket. A few minutes later, they were in the car, headed for the forest where they hoped to find Oberon and Titania’s five-hundred-year-old kids.

The Sequoia Forest which bordered the vacant land where the space fairie orgies took place was vast and wild. They were most interested in an area located far enough away from hiking trails where their parties wouldn’t be crashed. Yet close enough to public parking for the partygoing fairies to leave their cars while they had fairie sex. Both Eoghan andAri had three sleeves of sugar netting packed in the trunk and when Eoghan found a place to park, they removed the umbrella-shaped packs and set off in search of their quarry.

“How do you want to proceed? Can we sneak up on these things?” Ari asked as they hiked from the parking lot. “If I recall, space fairies have incredible hearing.”

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