Page 14 of The Vipers' Vow

And it’s not just about her finding out, either, becauseI’d know. I’d have this huge, terrible secret that I’d be keeping from her, and it would destroy everything. I’d have to keep it from Lex and Zane, too. The four of us would have this secret between us, slowly eating away at us. Like a fucking moth eating at the fabric of a shirt, we’d end up with nothing but tattered holes between us.

Is this what my choice is going to come down to, Lex or Vani? Saving Lex but having to lie to them forever?

That’s not a choice I’m able to make.

It occurs to me that Angelica doesn’t know Vani and Zane are planning to leave the grounds. She probably thinks our only opportunity to be together without Vani knowing is tonight, when Vani is asleep, but they’ll actually be gone long before nightfall.

“We can’t wait until after we spend the night together to get the number. Lex could be dead by then.”

She shrugs. “That’s not my problem.”

I clench my fists to stop myself striking her. I’ve never hit a girl, and I don’t want to start now, but she’s making it fucking hard.

“There’s no deal if I don’t get the number now.” I stare her down, hoping she can see how resolute I am.

Her eyes light up at the possibility that I might be willing to agree to what she wants. Her gaze rakes up and down my body, and her pink tongue peeks out and licks her lower lip.

I could just grab her cell from her and hold her down while I use her thumb to unlock it. It’s tempting—more than tempting—but I have no idea what name she’ll have the number saved under. She might not even have it in her contacts, but instead could be hidden behind some innocent looking app. We might be able to figure it out eventually, but it’s all going to be time wasted, so I force myself to be patient.

“What’s to stop you from backing out of our agreement the moment I hand over the number?”

“My word,” I say, deliberately holding her eye.

Am I a man of my word? Probably not. Besides, she doesn’t deserve to get it. I should storm back out to Vani and tell her exactly what Angelica has said. Vani thinks Angelica is her friend, but what’s happened in the past few minutes proves Angelica’s idea of friendship is even more fucked up than I am.

The only things stopping me are my brother, and how much Vai has already been through. It’s barely been an hour since she almost fell from the tower.

Why had she even gone up there? Had it been because of Reagan? Subconsciously, had a part of her wanted to follow in her sister’s path? That worries me deeply. What if finding out that one of the few people Vani believes is a friend is trying to steal one of her men behind her back pushes her—literally—over the edge? I want to think Vani is stronger than that, but she was on that tower.

She could have died.

No, this needs to stay between us. I need to make Angelica think she has a deal.

“Listen,” I say. Maybe if I give her this secret, she’ll be more likely to trust me. To believe I’m on the level about everything. “Zane and Vani are leaving the college soon.”

“To go to Jarl?” she says.

I shake my head. “No, for something else.” This is a big risk. If she tells Jarl, it might put them in danger. Still, I don’t tell her where they’re going. “You can’t breathe a fucking word. Anything happens to them, if you tell Jarl, our deal is off, and not only that, but I will kill you.”

Her eyes widen and her chest heaves. I can’t tell if it’s from terror or arousal.

“I swear, Angelica,” I continue. “I’ll fucking end you. But if you wait until they’ve gone, then … yes, we can be together.” I force myself to smirk. “It won’t be a hardship. But you need to be patient and keep quiet until I fucking come for you.” I grip her chin, tightly. “Understood?”

Angelica seems to think for a moment, and then she huffs out a breath. “Fine. But if you go back on your word, Saint, I will fucking destroy you.”

She pulls up a number on her phone, which she has saved under ‘Pizza’, and hands it over, her face serious as hell.

My gut churns as I think about what the hell I’ve just agreed to. I am determined to find a way out of it, but in the meantime, I want to find Vani. My twin is missing, a madwoman wants me to be her plaything, and I’m not going to be able to sneak into Vani’s room at any time due to the fact she’s not going to be here. It heightens my desire for her, and I grit my teeth. If Zane gets to be the one to whisk her away, I need a few moments of alone time with her.

5

VANI

Agood fifteen minutes pass before Saint joins us.

I pace anxiously the entire time, ruminating and turning over what Angelica could possibly be saying to him that she doesn’t want us to hear. Is it something about me? I’m worried about Saint’s safety too, though I reason with myself that no one can get into the library without being seen.

Finally, the library doors swing open and Saint steps out. He seems a little harried, but that’s understandable, considering everything.

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