Page 57 of The Vipers and Their Venom

My room tilts on its axis. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

He shakes his head. “Nope.”

“What does she want with Regan’s file?” I demand. Fear squirms in me. “This could be bad.”

“Nah. Venom is a nobody here, and we own her now.”

“Not really. We’re fucking with her ’cause her daddy’s crew threatened Zane, so we don’t exactly own her. If we keep on fucking with her, she might turn against us.”

He laughs. “Well, then, we need tofuck her, and claim her. Then when she’s all head over heels, we screw with her all over again, until she’s browbeaten and ours entirely. I want in her cunt, and she’s going to let us.”

“Si vulgaire,” I mutter.

He grins and pushes off from my desk. “You love it, and so do the whores.”

“You don’t really think they’re whores,” I say. “You just hate them a little bit because you can’t get it up without insulting them.”

I brace myself for the strike. I’ve gone too far, but to my surprise, he merely shrugs. “Au contraire, I can because I can get it up when I pretend to be you and mutter sweet nothings to them. You, however? You cannot perform unless you think you’re their knight in shining armor. Except you’re not the knight in this equation, Lex.”

“What am I, then?”

“You’re thepimpbecause you delivered Venom to us. I will taunt her if I want to. Soon, I will fuck her. I will find out why she’s got Reagan’s file, and then, when we’ve had enough, we will destroy her, and you’ll be the one who facilitated it all.”

He blows me a kiss and saunters across the room. At the door, he pauses. “I’ll return your pauper’s clothes tomorrow.”

I give him the middle finger, and he shuts the door softly, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Ididdeliver her to them, and I have a feeling things are getting unpredictable and dangerous. Saint might be a callouscharacter, but something about this feels way too personal. It might have started as a game set in motion by Zane, but it’s taken on a life of its own.

Anything that happens going forward is ultimately on me.

32

VANI

I’ve been here for almost ten days now. I’ve avoided the Vipers like the plague ever since Saint’s little stunt a few days ago. I saw the twins yesterday and did an about turn to avoid them. At night, as well as locking my dorm room, I push the heavy chest in front of the door for added protection. I wouldn’t put anything past Saint right now.

My stomach rumbles. It’s been a heavy morning of lessons, and this afternoon I have calculus, which means I will have to face the twins. I need food first.

Heading to the cafeteria, I walk in and pause. Sitting at a table, near the far corner, are the three girls I met. Angelica, Jarena, and Faith. Faith is gorgeous and could be a model, and Angelica and Jarena have that preppy girl look going on. Angelica spies me and waves, her big grin lighting up her face.

Nervous, I stroll over to them. “Hi,” I say shyly.

“You’re so cool,” Angelica gushes.

I glance down at myself, wondering what she means.

“Your whole vibe is so out there. Like, look at your ink. I love it. I mean, I could never, but I love it.”

Is that an insult covered in a sickly pretend compliment? I’m not sure, so I shake it off and smile at her. “Thanks,” I say.

Her smile falters just a little. A tiny slip but I see it. Yeah, she meant to land a barb, and she didn’t like me brushing it off. It seems maybe these girls are just as nasty as everyone else, but then Jarena laughs.

“Ignore her. She’s got her period. It makes her cranky.”

I nod. “Ah, I see. I can relate.”

“I love your work,” Faith says. She’s quieter than the other two, and she seems a little more genuine. “I have one, on my hip. I’ll show you one day. I had to get it where you can’t see it, but it’s my secret and I love it.”

---