Page 28 of The Naga

"Want me to get us some snacks?" I asked between games, and his eyes lit up.

"Yes, please."

"Popcorn?"

Khush's enthusiastic nod was all the answer I needed, and I left him playing the game to go get the popcorn.

When I returned with a bucket, he was engaged in a race with a teenager, and I held back, watching as he completely annihilated the kid. What the fuck? Where did that sudden expertise come from?

The kid scowled, smacked the booth loud enough to make a few people jump, then took his leave with his tail between his legs, his friends falling in line after him as they beat a hasty retreat.

I approached Khush with my brows raised, handing him the popcorn like you would a trophy. "Ladies, Gentlemen, and Gentlebeings, the undefeated winner of the race, Khush!"

Khush chuckled as he took the bucket from me, and I nudged his arm with my hip. "Where did that come from?"

He shrugged, then pursed his lips. "The kid was being an asshole. It made me angry."

"Angry Khush is a brilliant gamer, duly noted," I said with a grin, and he rolled his eyes.

I didn't ask what the kid had said or done to make him angry, mostly because it didn't matter. Teenagers were little shits, and that one had looked like an exact copy of my high-school bully. Kids like him deserved to be taken down a peg or two. No, I wasn't being petty at all.

We snacked on popcorn as we roamed about the place, checking out the other games and trying to decide what to play next.

"Oh, that one looks fun!" Khush said, pointing to a multiplayer game.

I started to agree when something caught my eye, and I changed directions. "Oooh, come check this out first!"

The claw machine was a cash grab and rigged, and every arcade regular knew that. I'd sworn to myself that I'd never be dumb enough to waste money on it. But that was before I met Khush. Before I saw that cute little green snake stuffie just waiting there for me to pick it.

"The claw machine?" Khush asked somewhat dubiously. Clearly, he was well aware of their reputation too.

"Yeah. I need that one." And just like many before me, I fell into the claw machine trap. I'd heard that love made people do dumb things, but I hadn't believed it until now.

I spent more coins than I was willing to admit to get that snake, but I didn't give up until I had the fuzzy little thing in my hands. It was as cute as it'd looked from outside the case, and I showed it to Khush.

"I know usually people win the gifts for their date, but I'm keeping this one," I told Khush, and he chuckled.

"Sure, as you wish," he said, then asked, "Why that one, though?"

I shot him a puzzled look, unsure if he was teasing me or just being an oblivious doof. Realizing it was the latter, I shook my head with a soft laugh.

"Because it looks like you," I said in a tone that said it should be obvious to him.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, and when his ears turned that delicious shade of pink, I couldn't stop myself from leaning down and kissing him. I felt full of joy in a way I didn't think I'd ever felt before, and it was all thanks to this sexy, magical man.

Twelve

Khush

I'd be the firstto admit that I had absolutely no clue about any kind of construction work. I could also be clumsy as fuck—you try slithering around an active construction area and tell me how it goes—which was why I was allowed nowhere near the actual site.

Instead, I'd been relegated to the task of keeping track of the stock, and getting everyone snacks every few hours. I didn't mind, because at least it allowed me to be a part of the whole thing. Even if I wasn't directly contributing to the renovation, I was still doing my part.

"Hey," Silas said as he trundled over to me in his troll form, sweat dripping from his brow, and I handed him a bottle of water—the reusable kind. We didn't bring the plastic crap to the Sanctuary—without a word.

He drained the whole bottle in one go, and I shook my head.

"You need to take breaks more often," I said, and he shrugged. Typical troll, unwilling to admit he was tired even if he was literally falling apart. "If you don't, I'll tell Touya."

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