Page 81 of Viper

“We’ll keep working to track them, and we’ll eat at their numbers until they’re all gone.”

“They really go after little kids?”

Viper gave her a grim look. “They prefer the blood of children.”

“Then they definitely need killing.” She took stock of him. “You aren’t hurt?”

His expression softened. “No, baby, I’m good.”

“I’d rather see that for myself.”

“Yeah?” His lips tipped up. “Feels more like you’re just trying to get me naked so you can take advantage of me.”

Busted.“You have a problem with that?”

“No.”

“Good.”

He lowered his head to hers. “Turn around. Bend over. Hold onto the arm of the sofa.”

Gladly.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Neta’s glare bounced from Viper to Dice, a hint of wariness there. “Just to note, I don’t appreciate being summoned like some minion at your beck and call.”

Well, Viper didn’t appreciatehergoing near his woman, so …

“What’s this about?” she demanded, trying for indignant.

Twisting on his stool at the not-yet-open dive bar, he arched a brow. “You can’t guess?”

Neta sighed and pulled a face. “I wasn’t a bitch to the incantor or anything, I just talked to her.”

His entity narrowed its eyes, annoyed that she’d attempt to downplay it. “You told her that our kinds have secrets.”

“It’s not like she won’t have already picked up on it.”

“And how would you know?” he challenged. “Do you spend a lot of time around Ella? Is she someone you’ve spoken to before yesterday?”

She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder in a nervous gesture. “I just think it’s unlikely that she isn’t aware you keep things from her.”

Which wasn’t the pointat all. “You basically prompted her to ask me uncomfortable questions. You wanted her to think that anything with me is a dead-end.” That infuriated his entity most of all, because they weren’t yet in a position to make Ella thekind of promises that would prove otherwise—she wasn’t ready to hear those yet.

“You can’t exactly claim a mate outside of your own kind. Not when you have secrets to protect from outsiders.”

“Why? Your kind does it sometimes. What’s the difference?”

Neta blinked. “Wait, so you’re saying youwillclaim the redhead?” It wasn’t a question, it was a query that demanded justification.

Viper gave her a hard look. “Tell me howanythingI do is your fucking business,” he said, the words rough with a faint growl.

She licked her lips. “I just … ”

“My guess is that, for whatever reason, you want to leave your lair. You thought joining our club would be as good as joining another lair. You wouldn’t have to hide the curse, and you wouldn’t have to keep secrets from whoever you took as your mate. Butyou, Neta, wouldn’t be content with mating one of my brothers. You want to have status. And that would mean being taken as my mate. That’s what this is about.”

Her eyes flickered.

---