“I know.”

He withdrew his touch completely and covered me with the blankets. A pillow was placed under my head. “Rest.”

My eyes were heavy, and I doubted I could walk out of there even if I wanted to. “Will you stay?”

His eyes dropped. “I need to put some space between us for a little while…”

I kept the disappointment to myself.

“Fang will be here. He’ll let me know when you’re awake.”

“Okay.”

He withdrew from the bed and walked out the door.

The second he was gone, I was asleep.

* * *

When my eyes opened, I came face-to-face with a pair of yellow eyes and a flicking tongue. “Fang?” My voice croaked like a frog had just jumped out.

Yesss.

“Where is he?”

I let him know you’re awake. He’s bringing food.

“Food…that sounds nice.” I wasn’t as weak as I had been before, but I didn’t feel strong either. Once I had some food in my belly, I would feel like a new woman.

You changed your mind.

“It was either that or let him feed on the Tit Goddess.”

Tit Goddess. That’s funny.

“You didn’t laugh.”

Snakesss can’t laugh.

“Oh, that’s sad.”

We can bite. We can break bones. We can slither as fast as a running horse. I’m content with my abilities.

The door opened, and Kingsnake entered with a tray of food.

I sat up against the headboard, and he placed the food in my lap.

He pulled a chair to the bedside and sat there, his mood far less intense than it’d been earlier.

In silence, I ate and he stared.

Fang slithered away and returned to his tree in the other room.

Kingsnake broke the quiet. “I’m sorry.”

I paused my meal to look at him.

“I didn’t expect it to affect me so deeply. It was like the first time again…”