Page 40 of Dark Stars
"Lock him up somewhere secure until I cancome back and deal with him. Get more out of the cultists if youcan." He looked at Jones, then Harold. "Be careful, both of you.This isn't a twist I was expecting, and where my kind go, there'snever just one twist."
"As you command, Lord of the FlickeringLights," Harold drawled.
"Shut up." Bobby rolled his eyes and headedoff to his bedroom to get dressed in clothes more suited to hikingin the woods. "I hate camping."
Alejo snickered. "The only camping I ever dois the kind where you bring so much civilization with you that itcan't even be called camping. We have a camper and everything. Mydad claims he learned to camp that way from white people, but mymom's family has been doing it forever, so I dunno if it's really awhite people thing. Never investigated though."
"That's still more camping than I tend todo."
"I mean, I definitely have roughed ithunting down things in the woods, but it's not a preference. Idon't think it's anyone's preference unless you're one of thosesurvivalist dudes I see on YouTube sometimes. They callthemselves…" Alejo's brow furrowed. "Bush something. I'mblanking."
Bobby snorted. "Indeed." He shrugged into acorduroy jacket and shoved various and sundry things into variousand sundry pockets. "Shall we get going?"
"What about our vehicles?"
"I'll deal with those when we're done withthis whole adventure."
"Okay."
In the kitchen, he filled a bookbag withvarious essentials, thinking carefully on all the things a humanmight need if they got lost or trapped in the woods. Lost wasn'treally a concern, though it paid not to get cocky, but trapped wasvery much in the realm of possibility.
When he was done, he turned to Jones andHarold. "Behave while I'm gone. Don't let the fish off theirhooks."
"I think they're more in the cooler than onthe hook at this point, but I take your meaning," Jonesreplied.
Bobby laughed. "See you when I see you,Sheriff. Witch."
Harold lifted a hand in farewell. "Becareful."
"Always." Bobby pulled Alejo in close andvanished them away.
Barely a breath later, they re-emerged atthe edge of the woods south of Marsh. Given it was about four inthe morning or so, everything was still dark and ominous—normally,he'd call that perfect, especially with a lover by his side.
He offered his hand, a thrill runningthrough it at how immediately and unthinkingly Alejo took it.Lifting their joined hands, Bobby kissed the back of Alejo's."You're a good human. I like you."
Alejo laughed, cheeks flushing. "Neverthought I'd have a demigod of the primordial dark as a boyfriend,but I gotta admit, you're pretty okay yourself, Lord of theFlickering Lights."
Bobby groaned. "Shut up. That's sostupid."
"Honestly, you should be grateful you gotoff so lightly, because I totally would have guessed something morealong the lines ofLord of the Dancing Lights in the EternalDark.Or maybeMistress of the Fractured Sunor,orhow aboutThey Who Walks Eternally Between Light andDark."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Bobby said,smothering both their laughing with a messy kiss that didn't reallysmother anything at all.
The way Alejo's eyes shone with amusementand affection was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Comeon, Flick. Let's get to work."
Bobby sighed in resignation, but didn'totherwise protest what was clearly his new nickname. As long asnobody but Alejo used it.
As they got well into the woods, hereluctantly let go of Alejo's hand, focusing on navigating thedense woods in the dark. Alejo followed close behind, until the sunbegan to rise and light slowly began to fill the forest.
He called for a break once the sun was fullyrisen, digging snacks out of the bookbag before sitting down on aboulder that was the perfect height. Pulling out a water bottle,some forty-dollar thing he'd gotten in a giveaway at the bookstorethat didn't seem to work any differently from the five dollar onehe'd gotten at some dollar store or another, he took periodic sipsof cool water while he kept an eye on the woods while also watchingAlejo eat.
"Where did you get this trail mix?" Alejoasked. "This stuff is usually bland as hell, or relies way too muchon things like honey to carry the burden of flavor. But someonemade this with tajin."
"I don't know what tajin is, but it was aMexican lady who made it. She and her family moved here aftercrossing in Texas. She has a little shop where she makes all kindsof stuff, including the trail mix. Also some sort of like…triplemilk cake?"
"Tres Leche?" Alejo asked with asnicker.
"That's it. She does whole cakes on order,and makes a batch of these cute little single serve ones everymorning. They're usually all gone by lunch."
