AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sophie looks over his shoulder. “Wow, you burned the whole head off her snake tattoo. But your ring was upside down. Instead of an M there’s a W. Oh my god, it looks so bad.”
Talon leans in to breathe right next to my ear, his voice a lethal whisper. “Tell me how that feels, cuz.”
“I bet it hurts,” Sophie says.
Talon backs up to eye me coldly. “You never fucking deserved the honor anyway.”
I spit at them. It’s the only ammunition I’ve got.
“Disgusting.” Sophie pouts and wipes a drop of saliva from her dress.
Talon snaps his fingers at his brother. “Give me the hook.”
Jared frowns. He doesn’t agree with this course of action. That doesn’t mean he’ll take my side. He bends down, picks up something that looks like a metal rod and tosses it over.
Talon catches it cleanly.
He waits for me to understand what he’s about to do. When he’s satisfied that the horror shows on my face, he moves closer to the snakes. He removes the lid of the container.
“Western diamondbacks,” he says. “My favorite because they’re native to the area. Before buildings and concrete covered Emerald City, there were snakes. One bite won’t kill you right away. But the more bites you get, the quicker you die. The poison shuts down organs one by one. Painful way to go. Men far stronger than you beg for a bullet when they can’t deal with the agony.”
Jared rakes a hand through his hair. “Wait, she gets a choice. That was what we decided.”
Talon selects a snake and lifts it out of the box. The thing twists and hisses with anger. I can’t take my eyes off it.
Talon dangles the snake in the air. “If I had my way, Haven, you would already be rotting in a landfill somewhere for being a treacherous bitch. But my brother wants to give you a choice. So here it is. You can swallow your pride and join the family. Or you can refuse and die while we watch. Let me know.”
The snake writhes and tries to free itself.
Lying won’t save me.
Because I understand what Talon is. He wants to kill. He’ll find an excuse. Jared might get squeamish. He might even bellow out a complaint or two. But he won’t stop his brother.
No one will.
“Fuck you.” I flip him off for good measure.
Talon clucks his tongue “Wrong answer.” He drops the snake in my lap.
The rattler sits there stunned for a second. I hold my breath and try to muster any dormant knowledge about deadly rattlesnakes.
You’re not supposed to move. I do know that.
The snake unfurls its body, exploring my exposed skin, sliding north of the waistband of my jeans.
The room is silent.
My lungs begin to shriek for air.
The snake coils its body on my thigh and shakes its telltale rattle.
Conner, I’m so sorry. Take care of Lita. Protect Robert. I love you…
I gasp out a heaving breath.
Sharp teeth sink into my belly.
Venom is pumped into my blood.
