Page 41 of It's In His Hiss

He nods solemnly. “She’s the artsy one.”

“Perfect. I’ll let her pick the glitter palette.”

Sheila is now curled around my wrist like a beaded bracelet with opinions, flicking her tongue at the sketchpad like she’s offering creative direction. I glance at her, then at Gordy, who’s still crouched beside me, way too close for my heart to behave.

“You know,” I say, casually nudging his knee with mine, “if your snakes are this into me, you’re kind of contractually obligated to follow their lead.”

Gordy tilts his head, lips quirking. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I say, breath catching as another of his snakes brushes my shoulder. “Snake law. Super binding.”

He hums, leaning in. “And what exactly do the snakes want?”

“To kiss me, obviously.”

His smile softens into something a little dangerous. “I don’t know if that’s them talking... or you.”

“Can’t it be both?”

I don’t wait for his answer. We lean forward, closing the distance like gravity’s doing the work for us.

When our lips meet, everything around us fades. The softly glowing book cover, Sheila tightening around my wrist, even the low hum of magic in the air—all of it dissolves into the electric warmth of his mouth on mine.

It’s gentle at first. Sweet. Thoughtful.

Then it deepens—his hand rising to cradle the back of my neck, pulling me closer as if he’s memorizing the shape of me. My fingers twist in his shirt, and his snakes stir like they’re holding their breath. One of them coils lightly around my braid, and somehow, it feels like an embrace.

We break apart slowly, barely an inch between us, our foreheads brushing.

“That felt...” I start, then lose the words.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, voice thick. “Exactly.”

A beat of silence, heavy and perfect.

Then, from the counter, the book lets out a dramatic sigh and whispers, “Finally.”

I blink. Gordy groans.

“You enchanted the book again, didn’t you?”

I press my lips together to stop from laughing. “Might’ve... added a reactive commentary charm.”

His eyes sparkle with amusement. “I take it back. You’re terrifying.”

I smile, smug and dazed. “And still somehow snake-approved.”

He kisses me again, quick this time, like he can’t not.

And just like that, the chaos, the charm, the snakes, and the sass all settle into something that feels like magic.

Like home.

Epilogue

Alice

Eighteen Months Later

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