The python flows over Morgan’s shoulders like living oil, pausing to flick its tongue at me before continuing down to dip into the pool, though she’s so long her mid-body remains on Morgan.
“Does she eat the fish?”
“They’re much too small for her,” Morgan says affectionately, running her hand down the reptile’s side.
“Whatdoesshe eat?”
“My exes.”
She’s kidding, right? She has to be kidding.
Morgan sees my face go pale and laughs again. “Oh, you’re too easy to tease. Rabbits, chickens. A young goat when I want to spoil her. She eats once a month, so I make it here most times.”
“How long have you had her?” I venture a step closer.
“Since I was sixteen. So… twenty-two years or so?”
“Oh, wow. How long do they usually live?”
“Twenty five, thirty. But she’s still going strong. People coddle their snakes too much. A creature like Kaa needs space, challenges.”
Five minutes ago, I wasn’t aware that ‘coddling’ a snake could even be a thing, but I’ll take Morgan’s word for it.
Kaa lifts her head from the pool and sweeps it around towards Morgan again, lifting half her length with the strength of her own muscles.
Morgan crooks a finger at me. “Come here. Say ‘hi.’”
Morgan’s words make me braver, and I step closer, approaching as Kaa rests her chin on Morgan’s hand.
I take a deep breath, then gently slide my fingers down the snake’s neck, just behind her head.
Kaa’s scales are cool and smooth, refracting every color in the sunlight. I can see now that she’s not fully black—her face is a softer grey, and there’s a subtle pattern down her sides near her head.
“She’s beautiful.”
“My oldest friend,” Morgan says quietly.
“Do you spend a lot of time here?” I ask.
Morgan nods. “My home away from home. I would keep her back by headquarters, but… a property with space for her like this doesn’t exist there. And Kaa and I don’t compromise.”
Kaa flicks her tongue at me and approaches, pressing her nose under my hair and resting her weight on my shoulder. Only then do I realize just how heavy she is, because Morgan has been supporting her effortlessly.
Morgan sees me struggling and gently lifts Kaa’s weight from my shoulders, looping the snake back over her own.
The sight of this massive, deadly creature draped so easily from Morgan’s shoulders, and the quiet, easy affection between them… This place is like Eden, and Morgan is Lilith.
And she’s looking at me like I’m a pomegranate ready to pluck from the tree.
And it’shot.
So this is why rich people love dangerous pets.
Morgan’s violet eyes shift towards me, bright in the sunlight.
“Oh, do you like this? I can smell it.”
I shuffle and bite my lip. “You’re showing off on purpose, aren’t you?”
