Page 64 of The Vipers' Vow

I collapse on the floor of the tender, breathing hard.

Above me come furious shouts.

“I turn my back for one fucking second,” Saint snarls at Jarl, “and one of your men tries to kill Vani!”

“He did not act on my command,” Jarl insists.

Saint isn’t letting it go. “I should shoot you dead now. We can’t trust you.”

“I swear, I’ll make this up to you,” Jarl says. It’s the first time I’ve seen him lose that steely control. “I’ll ensure Angelica pays for what she did, and I’ll find out the truth. Then I’ll make the college safe for Ivani.”

I sign at Lex, who nods and addresses his brother. “Saint, come on. He’s going to do what we demanded. Apo is a dick-wearing dick, and now he’s at the bottom of the lake. Don’t let him derail the agreement between us and Jarl. Plus, I want to get the fuck out of here.”

Saint turns back to Jarl. “One wrong move, and I’m sending the entirety of the Marseille mob your way. I don’t care if I have to kill my own fucking father to take over in order to do it. You do one more thing to hurt me or mine, and you’re dead.”

There’s a hard certainty to his voice, and I freeze a little at his words. Would Saint kill his father? He’s a crazy bastard, so I’m not sure if this is just threats or the truth. I’m too exhausted to ask as he finally climbs down the ladder and joins us on the tender.

Then we’re underway, moving fast across the lake toward the blessed shore. Vani is far too pale. She’s stripped off her dripping clothes, and Saint has removed his shirt and covered her in it. It’s huge on her—the hem hanging down past her thighs and the cuffs covering her hands. Bare-chested, Saint sits beside her. He wraps her in his arms, the tattoo of ‘hot deeds’ visible on his inner wrist, and rubs her cold flesh, warming her up.

I take off my own wet shirt, setting it on the side of the boat to dry in the sun. I sense eyes on me and find Zoo staring with his eyebrows raised.

“No need to show off, dude,” Zoo says with a snort.

I glance down at my muscles and tats and realize what he’s talking about. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how I look to everyone else.

We need to talk, all of us. Saint has to explain what the fuck went down while we were away, but now isn’t the time, not with Phoenix and Zoo here, and all I want as soon as we get back to the college and make sure everyone is okay is to rip Vani’s clothes off and sink into her. I need to reassure myself she’s here, alive, and safe.

I’ll never be able to forget her face as she stared at me, trapped in that bastard’s arms. I thought I’d lost her again. For the second time.

I sign at Saint.We need to talk but not now. You owe us an explanation.

Saint drags his hand through his hair and stares at the floor. “I know I need to fill you guys in, but can we table it for later? After we get home and cleaned up?”

He doesn’t add,and after we’ve fucked Vani senseless, but I think we’re all on the same page there.

The steady bump of the boat is soothing, and I close my eyes, only for a soft voice to send them blinking open again.

“That’s the second time you saved my life, Zane,” Vani says.

I can’t swallow around the lump in my throat, so I just let my gaze rest on hers. We hold each other’s eye as we race to the shore.

24

VANI

The brooding towers of the college loom over us as we approach on the bikes. Lex is riding tandem with Saint, and Zane is on the back of my bike again. The place looks haunted, even on a sunny day.

We stop a ways back from the entrance, so I can speak to Phoenix and Zoo. My clothes had dried out a little on the boat, and the day has been warm, so I’d put them back on and given Saint back his shirt. Riding a bike with nothing protecting the skin is never a good idea.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Zoo asks me as we idle the bikes on the side of the road.

“I’ll be fine,” I tell him. “I promise.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “You sure?”

I kick my stand down and swing my leg over the seat and go up to him.

“Absolutely, and thank you. We couldn’t have done this without you.” I throw my arms around him then repeat the process with Phoenix. “You both need to get back,” I say. “It’s a long drive for you, and while we’re eternally grateful for your help, we’ve got things we need to take care of here.”

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