Page 41 of Snake

Nim

Ican’t find a single one of the Serpents after my run-in with Grace. Which is probably a good thing, because I’m so pissed off, I don’t know what I’ll do if I lay my hands on them.

Trust them to do the exact opposite of what I asked. Leave me alone? Why would they? No, instead they’ll stalk me, and pay for tutors for me, and...

And what, Nim?

A hug never hurt anyone.

Is it really a crime to hire a tutor for someone who desperately needs one? Well, if you’re blackmailing them, then maybe. Is that what this is? Did Mason tell the others that he fucked up, and they came up with some kind of arrangement to keep me quiet?

I don’t want Grace to tutor me. She seems like a nice...her attitude was very...Okay, she’s definitely a person, but not the person I want to spend any time with. Now Silas, on the other hand, I don’t know how he did it, but he could always explain something to me so that I could understand it. Not an easy feat, especially when numbers have such a sneaky way of jumbling themselves up in my head.

What do I want?

I thought I wanted lunch, but now I need fresh air.

There are dark clouds on the horizon. Could be snow. Hopefully I’ll be waking up to a snow-dusted Cinderhart Academy tomorrow morning.

Snow has never excited me before, but back in the city it made more of a mess than anything else. Out here, the thought of seeing everything coated in pristine, fluffy white snowflakes brings out goosebumps on my flesh.

It’s crisp outside, but not chilly enough to intimidate me or the handful of other students roaming around in the courtyard.

Most of them turn to watch me as I make my way over the cobbled pathway, so I decide to find a quieter spot between the clump of oak trees. There’s an ornate metal loveseat here that someone keeps oiled, because it doesn’t squeak when I settle my weight on it and push off with my feet.

Closing my eyes, I lose myself in the feel of the breeze on my cheeks, the smell of fresh air with that bite of coming snow—

“You shouldn’t be out here all by yourself.”

I jerk forward in my seat, blinking at Mason as he sits next to me. There’s more than enough space, but he shuffles in until our thighs are touching. “I can look after myself, thank you very much.”

His amber eyes drill into mine. “Can you?” There’s a deep timbre to his voice that I’ve never heard before. It worries me, because like an idiot I’ve gone and placed myself in an isolated spot where I doubt anyone could see if Mason tried anything.

But the eternal optimist in me is hoping that all that shit is a thing of the past. He must have gotten the message earlier, right?

No, he didn’t. Else he wouldn’t have followed me here. Wouldn’t have approached me. Wouldn’t have sat down right fucking next to me.

Is space a foreign concept to these guys?

“I’m sorry about earlier. You set very clear boundaries, I totally ignored them.”

My mouth moves into a surprised pout before I can get control of my facial features. Mason reaches into his blazer, and there’s this moment where I expect him to hug me again.

Then there’s another moment filled with internal struggle where I can’t seem to decide if I want him to or not.

Thankfully, he pulls out a small gift box instead of wrapping his arms around me. “Here. I’m supposed to be watching my sugar intake, and I didn’t want to throw it away. It was meant for you, anyway.” As if he’s run out of reasons, he drops the box in my lap. “Please take it.”

I stare up at him with narrowed eyes, but open the gift box, anyway. If past experience is anything to go by, it’s the fastest way to get rid of him. There’s a hint of coffee in the air when I unveil the intricately decorated truffle. This one has a picture of a long table that wraps around the chocolate globe. On that table, someone’s detailed something like a Thanksgiving spread in intricate detail. A roast chicken, bowls of salad, bread, wine glasses.

“It’s…beautiful.”

“Folks around here have had a few decades of practice.” When I look up, Mason’s eyes are locked on me. “Go on. I want to know if it’s any good.”

I give him a wary frown. He quirks a brown eyebrow.

I roll my eyes at him, but I slip the truffle in my mouth, anyway. It dissolves almost instantly, and my eyes close as the taste of dark chocolate and coffee fills my mouth. “Oh my God, how do they—?”

Mason’s hand grabs the back of my neck. My eyes pop open in time to see him staring ravenously at my lips before he kisses me.His tongue grazes my teeth and licks deep into my mouth like I’m a bowl of batter.

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