Page 22 of The Vipers and Their Venom

“I don’t smoke,” I reply. “Smoking is gross.”

Zane’s expression lights up with laughter, but the sound he makes is rusty, as if the air has passed through weathered rock. He signs something, and Saint smirks.

“Fine, goody-two-shoes with the bad girl ink. We won’t smoke. Does that suit you better?”

I scowl at him. Still, I can’t back down, as I need to befriend some upperclassmen, and these bastards might be my only hope. I’m new here, but I know how hierarchical colleges are. It’s rare for people from different years to hang together.

“Do whatever you want.” I force a smile. “So, where is this place? How will I find it?”

“I’ll drop a pin in a map and show you,” Saint says. “You got your cell phone?”

I do. I take it from my pocket, open the screen, and hand it over to him. Instead of plugging a location into a map, he drop calls himself.

“There,” he grins like he’s won something, “now I’ve got your number, too. I’ll send you that pin later.”

He hands my phone back to me. Of course, it means I’ve also got his number now, though I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.

I nod. “Okay. Fine. I mean, great. See you tomorrow.”

With my heart pounding, I turn and walk away from them, back to my room before I can second guess myself and the insane thing I’ve just agreed to.

I must be fucking crazy. Going out to some house in the woods alone, with three men? Am I really so desperate for company? For connection? Yes, it would seem I am.

Once I am back in my room, I check the schedule on my laptop and see that Mr. Rossi is teaching a class in an hour. I flop down on my bed, one arm over my eyes, and try to relax. It’s been a hell of a week. I’ve agreed to meet up with some clearly dangerous men at a house in the damn woods, and if I was a heroine in a horror movie right now, I’d be the next to die.

On top of that, I’m contemplating breaking into the dean’s office to search for documents. Another frankly crazy move on my part.

I can’t explain this driving need I have to meet my sister. I don’t know her, but she shares my blood. My DNA. More, she is a mystery and, ever since I found out about her existence, thoughts of her have consumed me.

I’m not stupid. I’ve enough self-awareness to understand I’m probably trying to find my sister as a form of therapy for what happened to Mom. I lost a parent and found out I had a sister all in the space of a few days. That’s more than enough for anyone to cope with. Add in me living at a biker bar, with no real friends,and a dad who is protective but controlling, and it’s not hard to see how my sister came to be my new obsession.

I feel that by doing this I get closer to herandto Mom. While I’m trying to find her, in a small but very powerful way, it feels as if Mom is still alive.

They say a person shouldn’t make any major life decisions following a big loss, so me doing this is probably not the best plan, but I’m here now, and I feel closer than ever to finding my new family.

Once I find her, will I just leave? Turn my back on this place and go home? To what? The club? My father being there in physical form but distracted by business. My very few friends—more like acquaintances, really—scared to visit the bar.

My phone buzzes with a message from Saint. True to his word, he’s dropped a pin into a map to show the precise location of where I’ll find their hangout spot tomorrow night.

Closing my eyes, I drift into a half-sleep, the afternoon sun through the window warm on my skin…

“Do you want to see it?”

Zane is staring down at me, his gaze molten. We’re in a grand house. It’s like something fromGone With the Wind. This is not what I had imagined when they’d talked about the mansion. I had thought they meant something a little more …derelict.

Zane waits for an answer as he runs his fingers over the powerful bulge behind his zipper.

Why am I on my knees?

“You want to see his monster cock, don’t you?” The voice from behind me is darkly seductive. “You don’t have to touch. You can just look.” I glance behind me to see one of the twins, but I can’t tell which.

I nod and turn back as Zane unzips. He doesn’t hurry, in fact, he takes his time. Drawing it out, and teasing me, heslowly pulls the zipper through the teeth, and when his jeans are all the way undone, he hooks his fingers in the waistband and pushes them down.

I gasp when his cock breaks free and slaps against his stomach. What the hell? He wasn’t wearing briefs?

He’s so damn big.

“Like what you see?” he asks, a devious grin on his face.

---