Page 59 of The Syphon King

“When he bites me,” she began so quietly they had to all press in close. “It feels...like I’m getting struck by a viper. Only his fangs have hot... lightening in them, this agony that’s pure ecstasy. And when his saliva mixes in...” Her eyes fluttered and rolled up in her head. “It’s just...some kind of freak miracle that turns me into this...indestructible vessel that he unleashes his furious hunger into without...”

“Killing you,” Tegan said in awe. “Holy farkle.” She looked at Tully. “You need to get your husband to create us some of this janky juice. I wanna dadgum ride!”

“I’ll stick to my vanilla cookie,” Cherie said with big eyes that Beth agreed with.

“Look at our Belle Eveque,” Maggie giggled. “No janky juice for you?”

“Oh hell no,” she hissed. “My husband needs no extra janky anything. He’s The Bishop. I think that’s Cajun for psycho swampy sex creature.”

She had to giggle at the howls of laughter that brought.

“Ohhh, look, Spar’s pissed,” Juliette said, discreetly pointing.

They all looked, seeing him glaring at Jek still talking to his wondering Wanda.

“We need to do something about that,” Juliette muttered.

“Uh-oh, somebody smells like Bat-tie,” Cherie mumbled.

“It just pisses me off that we’re all killing ourselves in this expansion and this mud-slut is treating one of our top guns like gator gizzards.”

“You trying to get Kaj jealous or what?” Tegan cried.

“Oh my God,” Beth said at the sudden lightbulb look on Juliette’s face. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I love a jealous husband. I’m also thinking our dear Spar needs our help.”

“Our?”

“I can’t help him by myself,” Juliette sputtered with a mischievous grin. “My Kaj would shit a whole Viking if I tried that.”

“Oh, there’s Trap’s girl,” Tegan said. “What’s her name again?”

“Gretchen,” Phelony said. “She is one firecracker. Gives that man no rest or peace orany form of cooperation.”

Beth sighed. “They need my classes.”

“They need a lot more than your classes,” Phelony muttered.

“She still rolling her Farkle dice?” Juliette wondered with a giggle. “That shit is so fuuuunnnyyyy.”

Beth agreed one hundred percent there. “I get her point but she’s stretching it for a mile.”

“That’s because she’s got baggage.”

Everybody eyed Phelony again.

“Well, it’s not my business to spread, but...”

“Honey, we just wanna help,” Tegan assured smoothly.

It was true, even if there was nosy gobbed on top of that.

“Well, she’s the one with those burn scars covering half her body under her clothes,” she whispered. “From that house fire. I was like six when it happened. They found out it was her fault. Lost a young sibling in it.”

“Oh hell,” Juliette mumbled, her tone matching their faces.

“That’s so awful,” Tegan said sadly.

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