I hold my breath as Zeus slithers closer to us. “He’s coming at me, Atlas.”

“Aw, he just wants a closer look at my pretty girl.”

Fuck. There’s something wrong with me. The closer this deadly snake gets to possibly sinking its poisonous fangs back into me, the more my pussy throbs and aches. The harder I want Atlas to fuck me.

I go completely rigid when Zeus slithers over my back. “Atlas,” I squeak out.

“Relax, pretty girl. Doesn’t the threat of danger make you wet?” He groans.

I’m fucking soaked. “Yes,” I pant.

My heart pounds in my chest as the snake slowly slithers over my body. Atlas slows his rhythm as he rocks into me more gently. “Fuck, so deep. I’m cumming, fuck.”

I feel the warm gush of his cum shoot forward and it sends a ripple of spasms to my tender nub. I cry out and rub my pussy back and forth against the table. Zeus slithers across my lower back and down around my thigh.

“Just let him do his thing, pretty girl. He wants to feel your skin,” Atlas quips as he pulls out of me and backs up, leaving me bent over the table with my wrists still tied.

The fear in my belly makes my pussy spasm harder. I never knew I could feel so terrified and turned on at the same time. I shiver as Zeus slithers over my raw ass cheeks and up my back before disappearing back down into his habitat.

“Trust is a beautiful thing, Firecracker.” He rubs some kind of ointment on my ass cheeks, and it instantly soothes the burn. “Seeing you in pain right before you cum makes me feel so fucking alive. Your tears are my trigger. Do you like being my pretty little doll?”

I let out a quivering sigh. My soul is already black. There’s no redemption for me. I’m a killer, a slut, and a glutton for punishment. I turn my face to the side to look up at him. “Yes, Daddy. I like letting you play with me.”

Maureen

There is an eerie chill on my skin. I feel like something is coming. I didn’t plan on spending the night with Atlas at Nocturnus House, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. My blood mixes with small traces of poison now. My veins have made room for it. It’s like a drug. I crave more of it.

When I wake, I find myself draped across Atlas’s naked body. Riot and Valentin sit across the room by the window. I wonder how long they’ve been watching us sleep.

I lift my heavy head and lock eyes with Riot. He glares possessively at the way Atlas’s arm rests on my lower back. “You’ve unsettled this house,” Riot seethes. “Ever since you got to Raven’s Gate… it’s been chaos.”

Still sound asleep, Atlas rolls over and mumbles something incoherent. I sit up and pull the sheet up around my breasts. “I never asked for any of this,” I murmur back.

“I know,” Riot replies softly.

Valentin leans against the floor-to-ceiling window and looks down at the hallowed grounds below. “We’ve all been played. By the Blackwells, the ravens, our own initiates, and even the Graves. We can only trust each other now.”

My voice cracks, and I almost cry. “So, you believe me now? That I had nothing to do with your curse. Or do you still hate me?”

Riot stalks toward me. His hand feels like ice as he caresses my hot cheek. “I think a part of me will always hate you. But I will not allow anyone to touch you but us.”

My breath catches at his sudden gentleness. His power over me grows, and I practically crumble at the slightest praise. “So, you didn’t brag about fucking me to anyone?”

His eyes darken. “Fuck, no. You’re ours.”

I’m more confused than ever. I don’t understand the way they are. “But you let them watch…”

Valentin sighs and walks over to the bed. “That was a sacred ritual. It’s different. But someone betrayed us. Someone else was in the room that wasn’t supposed to be.”

Atlas yawns and stretches out, then freezes when he sees his friends. “Good morning to you too, fuckers. You just couldn’t wait to get in here, could you?” He laughs.

A sick feeling churns in my gut. “I think I know who,” I whisper.

Riot’s fingers tighten around my neck. “Tell me right now.”

“Go on, pretty girl. Let us know so we can take care of it,” Atlas urges.

Fuck. The second I say his name, he’s dead. But would that be so bad? He’s tried to assault me twice now. I might not get so lucky if there’s a third time. I blow out a deep breath. “It was Zeke. He cornered me in the elevator the other day after Val dropped me off. He knew things about the ritual. About what you did to me…”