Page 34 of Black Mamba

“She must’ve lied.”

The hissing gets louder. I force my eyes open to see who’s around me but as I do, nausea coils my gut. When I see Levy, I jerk up and toward him, away from the naga partially leaning over me to my left. “No! No! No!”

He frowns and moves away as I scurry over the bed’s side. “Don’t take me again!”

The naga growls.

Another naga, one with similar coloring and patterning, hisses at the threshold of the room. I recognize him from earlier when the other naga with long hair tried to abduct me…

“I will not take you anywhere,” the original naga rasps.

Levy shuffles back to my side and partially covers me, putting himself between me and the others. “So that’s where she vanished. You took her. What the fuck did you do to her? Can’t you see she’s scared?”

Greg, on the other side of Levy, puts himself between me and the nagas too. “We helped. Now give us back our weapon and leave.”

“It will not be I who leavessss!” the original naga hisses, coiling his tail closer. It’s then I see the gun the naga at the threshold is holding.

I take Levy’s hand when he offers it to me, rising shakily to my feet. Pain erupts in pounding waves behind my eyes and I bow my head in agony, reaching up with my good arm to feel my brow.

I hit my head. I drift my fingers over the swollen skin above my eyes, wincing.

“We helped you because she needed it, but we will not help you hurt her further!” Levy shouts.

“It was not I who hurt her!”

“But you took her god knows where and look at her now! You’re also a fucking alien!”

Pressing my palms to my temples, I grow lightheaded and dizzy.

“She is running out of resourcessss. She cannot be left unattended outside where she can get hurt or stolen away⁠—”

“Like you stole her?” Greg yells.

“She is in my territory! You all are.”

“Are you okay?” Levy asks me, ignoring the others.

I rub the side of my head, peering at the men and nagas gathered in my room, and clench my teeth in pain. “Enough,” I say, my voice rough and low.

“Lukyssss, we had a deal…” the naga holding the gun utters.

“She is my responsibility!”

“Enough!” I yell, clutching my head. “I can’t take the noise. It’s too much. I want all of you out!” I squeeze my eyes closed.

“One of us should stay with you, make sure you’re cared for—” Levy gently places his hand on my back.

Another hiss tears out of the naga as his tail shoots forward. “Do not touch her!”

“Stop!” I shout louder, pitching my voice and dropping my hands to look at the four of them, barely able to take in the two nagas on one side of my bed and Levy and Greg on the other. “Get out of here! I told you all to go! I don’t know any of you.” I point to the naga across from me, finally meeting his dark gaze. “And I definitely don’t trust you.” I tear my eyes from his furious expression and he draws his tail back. “And I need rest. So go! Please go. Please,” I beg.

I’m scared. Hurt. Tired.

No one moves.

Losing my patience and being egged on by the intense pain in my head that can only be summarized as the worst hangover of my life, my courage only grows with their silence.

“Leave!” I roar. “I can take care of myself!”