Page 16 of The Vipers and Their Vendetta

Roman jerks his chin at the door. “Piss off, Saint, and go after your girl before she gets into any more trouble.”

There’s bad blood between us, and I don’t really know where it came from, but I hate them, and they hate me. It makes me wonder if they were the ones to start the rumor about us and Reagan. I finger the cross in my pocket and decide to keep it for now.

“When you least expect it, I will come for you fuckers,” I promise. “You’re such douches. Fake fucking wizards with your pathetic props.”

Malachi flips. I see the exact moment he loses it. I’ve run my mouth too far this time. He takes several long strides, the gun aimed directly at me, until he’s close enough to jam the muzzle against my cheekbone.

“Open your mouth,” he growls.

Jesus Christ, I don’t need this. I need to go after Vani.

“Fuck you,” I say, speaking out of the side of my mouth that doesn’t have a gun wedged against it.

He clicks the safety off.

I keep my lips firmly closed.

“Open.”

I glare at him. My heart thuds, but I refuse to let it race. I won’t allow this son of a bitch to affect me, even if he does have a gun aimed at me.

“Suck the gun, and I’ll let you go after your girl.” Malachi taps my lips with the barrel of the gun.

I need to follow Vani, so I open my mouth. He pushes the cold, hard metal between my lips. My jaw strains, and the tang of metal and gun oil coats my tongue. I pray he doesn’t pull that fucking trigger because then she’s out there alone again. It should bother me that I don’t care for my own safety, but now isn’t the time for a psych evaluation.

I hope Vani hasn’t wandered too far. This college has more than its fair share of murderers and violent thugs studying here. It’s not too far a stretch to imagine some of them would be morethan capable of assault if they found a curvy little thing like her in the woods.

“Your lips look so pretty like that, Saint,” Malachi murmurs. He glances down. “You’re hard too, you sick puppy.”

I am, but nothing surprising there. Iamsick, and I like danger. Right now, though, I need to get to Vani.

Woe betide Venom when I catch her.

I’m angry, jacked up on adrenaline, and hard as nails.

CHAPTER 6

Zane

I stepinto the light-filled clearing, or at least it’s clear in comparison to the woods. I had my flashlight off so as not to alert the Preachers.

The crash and crack of twigs breaking meets my ears. Someone is stumbling around in the dark, a few feet away.

A curse cuts through the night air, and I recognize Vani’s voice. She’s not with the Preachers any longer. Where the fuck is Saint?

Lex is to my right, and he runs past me to the tower.

“You fucking sick bastards,” he exclaims as he crashes through the door.

What the hell have they done with Saint? I want to help him, but the twins can take care of themselves. Vani will get herself lost again if she’s not careful.

I walk in her direction. She’s making so much damn noise that if there were predators, she’d be literal mincemeat by now. She curses again and suddenly comes into view.

She turns back to look at the tower, confusion clear on her face. She’s biting her damn lip.

“Shit, shit, shit. I can’t leave him there. Fuck.”

She puts her head down and begins to walk toward the lit-up building.

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