Page 44 of The Vipers and Their Venom

I look between them. “Like what?”

“You don’t want to know. You just started here, and I don’t want to scare you off. Hey, have you had any lunch?”

I shake my head. “No, I abandoned it.”

I do want to know what Zane did, but asking will make them suspicious, and I can’t have anyone find out I’ve been messing around with those men.

Angelica links her arm through mine. “Come with us, then. We’ll order something in from one of the delis in Arbington.”

“Arbington? Is that the town nearby.”

“Yeah,” Jarena says, sliding herself in on the other side of me. I notice Faith is hanging back a little. “There’s not much there, but you can get food, and there’s a small movie theatre. It helps break things up when you get sick of looking at Verona Falls’ four walls.”

She’s helped answer some questions for me without me even needing to ask them. “We’re allowed to leave the grounds?” I check.

The thought of having the freedom to get on my bike and ride the roads around here lightens something inside me. The Adirondacks are known for their beauty, and what better way to take in the scenery than on my bike?

Jarena gives a light laugh. “Of course, dummy. We’re not prisoners here. The high fences and security are to keep people out, not keep us in.”

Angelica arches a perfectly laminated eyebrow. “I don’t know. There are a few people in here who I think should be locked up.”

Jarena giggles. “Let’s go and find a bench in the sun and wait for our food to arrive.”

“How will the delivery person get past all the security?” I ask.

“They won’t,” Faith says from behind me. “They’ll have to leave it at the gate. One of the security team will inspect it, and then have it brought to us.”

“Oh, right.” I’m not sure how I feel about someone pawing through our food before we get it, but now I’m hungry enough not to care.

We step out of the building into the sunshine. Thoughts of Zane defending me, and also what Lex said to me just before everyone ran, threaten to crowd my mind, but I push them away.

I glance around at my new friends and find myself smiling. I’ve never been one to have a group of girlfriends, and now Angelica and her gang seem to have taken me under their wing. I wonder if they know Reagan but decide not to push things too quickly. I need to know I can trust someone before I start asking questions. I can make sure I do this right.

I have plenty of time.

25

ZANE

My knuckles are fucking cut from where I hit that shit stain. Why I lost it so badly, I don’t know. Little Venom is our plaything, not our girlfriend.

But damn, her body is smoking, and the doubt and hurt I saw in her gaze when that fucker called her fat made me see red.

She’s not remotely fat; she’s gorgeous. Jesus, her ass. Her hips. Those pretty thighs. I want to lose myself in her all over again. Even her pussy is pretty and plump, and I long to sink into it.

I can’t stand that kid who insulted her, anyway. He’s such a preppy, arrogant bastard. The sort of boy I imagine graduating from Harvard and getting a job in finance, with a trust fund in case it doesn’t work out. In fact, the rumors say his daddy is a disgraced hedge fund manager who did time in prison for insider trading, so he looks the part. He’s not really one of us.

I’m pissed at Vani now, too. I’d have expected more gratitude instead of the way she looked terrified as if we’d get her into trouble. Not that I had any ulterior motives when I did it. I just acted on instinct, but like Lex says, she owes us now. That means I get to taste her again. I can’t wait.

The math professor is still droning on about the fight, and I force myself to pay attention.

“So, you won’t go to Nathaniele if we apologize to him,” Saint says, nodding at the bloodied kid.

Saint’s expression is hilarious. He looks like he just drank sour milk. I expect he’s looking forward to apologizing to Trust Fund Ken as much as I am. Still, if it means we don’t get any more crap from Nathaniele, I can do it.

“Go on. Get out of my sight. It’s always you three, isn’t it?”

He’s not wrong because these days it really is. The Devils used to give us a fair run for our money, but now they’re all whipped and playing house. It’s like some fucking messed up sitcom. Them, their trashy baby mamma, and the kid they’ve just had. Fuck knows who’s the daddy. They’ve all been swimming in her.

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