Page 27 of The Vipers and Their Venom

Where the hell did she think she was going at this time of night?

I gave it a moment, just long enough that I could follow her without her noticing me, and then took after her. I watched her stop at the dean’s office, pick the lock, and then slip inside.

Now I’m itching to follow her.

What the hell is she playing at?

I’ll begrudgingly admit I have some respect for the way she picked that lock. It’s not as easy as all the movies and televisions shows would have someone believe. So now I know she’s gotbeauty, brains, and skills…plus, I’m also wondering if perhaps she’s not the good girl I thought she might be.

She’s not been here even twenty-four hours, and already she’s breaking into places? What possible reason could she have for doing that? It’s not as though any of us attending Verona Falls walk the straight and narrow, but these are supposed to be our people. We shouldn’t be breaking into their shit. But then again, I’m not exactly Dean Rossi’s biggest fan. That bastard really has it in for me and Saint. He wants to be careful. Our family is so powerful they practically run an entire region. We have mayors, councils, and other officials in our pockets. My father can’t go anywhere back home without the red carpet being rolled out for him.

Nathaniele seems to think he’s somehow a cut above us, but he’s not. Sure, he runs this place, but we students are what make this college so unique and successful. Without us, there would be no Verona Falls.

Giving Vani time to move away from the door, I walk to it and pause. I press my palm against the worn wood, and for a moment, I let the history of this place wash over me. Then I brush it off because I’m not about to get all nostalgic about a past that is probably mostly invented.

The sight that greets me when I push the door open has me almost laughing out loud. She’s too caught up in rifling through the filing cabinets at the back of the room to even notice she’s been busted.

Well, well, well. Sheisan interesting one, isn’t she?

“What the fuck are you doing?” I demand.

I make sure I’m putting enough outrage in my tone that anyone would think this was my office. I’m just fucking with her, but her reaction is something else.

She jumps and swipes some papers into her backpack. She zips it shut and spins to face me. Her cheeks are bright red, despite her attempt to remain nonchalant.

“Nothing, just picking up some papers left here for me.”

“Really? In the middle of the night?”

She shrugs. “I couldn’t sleep.”

I take a couple of steps deeper into the office, closing the space between us. “You know, Nathaniele is very particular about students being in here when he’s not.”

She shakes her head, laughing with a bitter edge to it. “That’s funny, because I thought you were a student, too, yet here you are.”

She’s bullshitting. Trying to brazen this out. I can tell she’s terrified.

“I followed you here,” I admit. “I saw you picking the lock.”

The color that was in her face drains away, leaving her pale. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

It’s my turn to laugh. “Are you saying I hallucinated you crouched down by the lock with a hairpin or something? Because if you didn’t pick the lock, how did you get in? Everyone knows the dean keeps his office locked when he’s not here.”

Her gaze darts to the left, and then the right, like she’s looking for an escape. Her lips part, and her small white teeth appear, nibbling on the skin on her lower lip.

I haven’t finished. “If I tell the dean you were in here, he’ll make you leave. Is that what you want in your first week?”

Some of the defiance drips out of her, leaving her somehow smaller and sweeter. “No,” she says, real fear in her tone. “Please don’t tell him.”

She’s clearly more worried about having to leave this place than anything else, and no way is she collecting papers left for her. I’m curious. What exactlyisshe doing in here?

Fuck being nice to get what we want. This girl willgive it to us,and on a silver platter, because if she doesn’t, we’ll bust her.

“Maybe I won’t. We’ll have to see. I’ll tell my fellow Vipers about this, and perhaps we can come up with a deal to keep it between ourselves.”

“Deal?” Her brow furrows. “The Vipers?”

“Yes, you’ve already met us, and I am sure we can work this out.”

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