Page 8 of Venomous as a Snake

Ali smirks. “Which cookie would that be, Kody? I thought you were off the table.”

“Ha. Ha,” I dryly reply. “I love you, Komo. But not enough to fuck you.”

“Oh, Kody, Kody, Kody,” he sings, turning my name into the naughty promise of a rough night. “You’re fucking me in all the ways that almost count.”

His voice is the kind of scratching rasp you don’t want to hear behind you while walking down the street at night. It’s chill-inducing but comforting, wrapping around me like heat from the summer sun. Ali Ramesh is the boogeyman you willingly invite into your bed.

“What does that mean?”

“I had a date tonight, but my truck—”

“Take the black Mercedes out front,” I interrupt, though I don’t know why. “They won’t be driving it.”

The idea of Ali going on a date with anyone other than me makes me itchy, but I say nothing, because I know he’s not. He’s fishing for a reaction like he usually does. Being a territorial and solitary creature is difficult sometimes. I want him close, just not too close at all hours of the day. I feel the same way about Drew…

It doesn’t matter that they’re my mates. I still like my space.

I’m in that odd conundrum where I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I want my mates all to myself, and I want the freedom to come and go as I please. Those two things can live side-by-side, but I’m not ready to live with anyone.

Fangs forced Clay and me on each other after highschool. And we spent years living together while our hatred festered. From best friends to enemies… All because the Snake Eyes leader doesn’t understand science.

He thinks there’s some venomous gene that runs through my family tree, and he wants to use me to strengthen his heirs. Or he did. I kindly pointed out that, in our lineage, no one other than myself and my father were reptiles. That’s not the way our shifted forms are chosen.

Nine-year-old Walker wanted to be a T-Rex. Instead, when he hit ten years old on the dot, he revealed as a saltwater crocodile. That’s still sort of a dinosaur. Just not the one he was hoping for.

I continue to choose this one track train of thought, feeling the overbearing need to find my first mate, though I should be further exploring who’s right in front of me.

It’s fucked up, but I’m an ambush you type of snake. I’ll stay patient until my hunt is complete.

“You have the keys?” Ali inquires, causing me to snap my head toward his voice.

“Tall and Tan should have them,” I respond, following him to the base of the stairs. “If he doesn’t, then they’re still in the ignition.”

“Tall and Tan?”

“What else was I supposed to call him? Guy Number One?”

He scoffs at my retort. “You didn’t get their names?”

“I don’t care what their names are, Ali.”

“Of course not,” he mocks as he searches the men for weapons.

“There has only ever been one with a name,” I recount, struggling to not use the word victim.

“And I thank my lucky stars every day that you fucked up that job.”

I roll my eyes. “I could still kill you… You know that, right?”

“What other monster would do your bidding?” he murmurs, pulling zip ties from his back pocket like they’re flowers.

I glare at them, aggravated that he beat me to the punch. But I’m also slightly smitten by his gesture. I smile as he holds the black plastic strips out to me.

“Thinking about fucking me now, huh?” he inquires, dragging me to his chest.

“It’s going to take a little more than that,” I mutter. “But you definitely moved to the top of my list.”