Page 22 of It's In His Hiss

It’s raw and messy.

It’s us.

I collapse on top of her, careful not to crush her, our hearts pounding in sync. The room smells like sweat and magic and new beginnings.

Her fingers stroke the back of my neck. One of my snakes nuzzles her hair.

“So,” she murmurs, still breathless, “was that… okay?”

“Al.” I kiss her. “That was everything.”

She grins. “Even with the extra… participant?”

“Even with him,” I say, pulling her against my chest.

Alice lies curled in my arms. “I think she likes me now,” she murmurs, looking at the cheerleading snake from earlier resting lazily on her collarbone. “I think I should name her.”

I groan and squeeze her tighter.

She hums. “I’m calling her Sheila.”

I raise my head, briefly meeting her eyes. “Sheila?”

“She seems like a Sheila.”

I chuckle, burying my face in her hair. “You are utterly ridiculous.”

“And you love it.”

“I do.”

Gods help me, Ireallydo.

I don’t know if it’s the sex or the way Alice claimed me as much as I claimed her, but I feel like I’ve been knocked clean out of my body.

I'm hovering somewhere above my bed—naked, breathless, blinking down at the absolute cosmic absurdity of my life.

I just had sex. With Alice.MyAlice.

While “Sheila” watched.

And it was—gods.

It waseverything.

Chapter 9

Gordy

Alice is curled beside me, her body warm and soft against mine, her curls tangled with my snakes like she’s part of the hive now. One of them is snoring softly near her temple. Another is still draped dramatically across her chest like she’s their favorite fainting couch.

None of them are retreating.

And me—hell, I’m wrecked. Emotionally, physically, cosmically wrecked.

Her legs are tangled with mine. Her fingers twitch against my stomach as if she’s not quite done touching me even while sleeping. And for the first time in forever, I feel completely, stupidlysafe.

“You okay?” I murmur as she blinks open her eyes. My voice is low and scratchy. Like I’ve swallowed gravel and honey and whispered confessions into the dark.

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