Page 32 of The Vipers and Their Venom

His lips tweak in a smile, and he steps back, allowing me through. But he keeps his hand on the doorframe, so I have no choice other than to duck beneath it. I brush past his muscular chest, inhaling the scent of sandalwood and leather. Damn, he smells good. It takes every drop of my self-control not to turn my face and press it to the front of his t-shirt.

I walk through into a living space. It’s tidier inside than it is outside. In fact, it’s almost luxurious. There’s painted wall paneling, and furniture that appears to be handmade. A small chandelier hangs from the ceiling—perhaps an ironic nod at the nickname of “mansion.” On the wall is a framed image of some lines of poetry.

Hot blood,

Hot thoughts,

Hot deeds.

Why, they are vipers.

I recognize the first line as being from a tattoo that Zane has. They must have adopted the phrase for themselves.

One of the twins is lounging on the couch, his arm thrown casually over the back of it.

He glances over at me. “You came, then?”

Which one is he? It unnerves me not knowing how to deal with them. Saint is by far the friendlier one. He’s also not a fucking stalker. It’s bugged me all day how Lex managed to just happen across me picking the dean’s office lock. It can’t have been a coincidence. The bastard must have been following me. I wonder how differently things would have turned out if it had been Saint who’d found me. Would I be standing here now?

But then I realize he must have agreed to this, too. All three of them did. Sure, it was Lex’s idea, but they didn’t exactly manage to talk him out of it.

“Yeah, I came,” I reply, still unsure who I’m talking to. “I didn’t think I had much of a choice.”

I’m aware Zane has followed me in here and is now blocking my escape route with his body. My pulse races, and I try to calm my breathing.

“You had a choice. Come here or let the dean deal with you.”

It’s definitely Lex I’m talking to. I know them well enough by now to decipher that much.

“You chose to come here,” he finishes.

He’s right. I’m hardly innocent in this. I was the one who broke into the dean’s office on my very first day. That was pretty fucking dumb of me. I should have waited, gotten the lay of the land better. Made some real friends, maybe—not that doing such a thing has ever come easily to me.

Movement comes from the doorway on the opposite side of the room, and Lex’s twin appears.

Saint greets me with a wide smile. “Bon soir! Our guest of honor is here! Welcome to our humble abode.” He gestures around lavishly.

I can’t help but smile in return. He’s so extra. I’m pretty sure the clothes he’s wearing cost as much as my bike.

I also know they don’t live here. They have rooms in the halls, just the same as the rest of the students. This is just their hangout spot. I wonder how many other girls they’ve brought here, and an unexpected stab of jealousy goes through me. I shake it away. I don’t give a fuck what they’ve been up to in their pasts, and I don’t care about their futures either. I’m just here to get this deal done so I can get on with finding my sister.

“What can I get you to drink, Vani with a V?” Saint says. “We bought you some very expensive white wine, though I don’t know if that’s what you like.” He suddenly seems troubled. “We probably should have asked.”

“I wasn’t expect—” I start, but he cuts me off again.

“There is food, too. I mean, not a whole meal, but there’s charcuterie if you’re hungry.”

I wasn’t expecting this. Wine and food make me feel like this is more of a date, and that wasn’t the impression Lex gave me of the situation at all. Besides, there are three of them, and only one of me, so how the hell can it be a date? Unless Saint thinks I’m just here for him? Is that what Lex told him? But then why is Zane also here?

I’m so confused.

Before I’ve had the chance to probe any further, Saint has already vanished back into the kitchen. He returns a moment later with a glass tumbler filled with chilled, white wine, which he presses into my hand.

I’m more of a beer drinker, but right now I need something to loosen me up. I have no idea what’s going on here. I take a biggulp. It’s delicious—crisp and tart—but while I want to relax, I also need to keep my wits about me.

“Are we going to talk about why I’m here?” I say, deciding to get it over with.

Lex gets to his feet. “Yeah, the deal.”

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