Page 46 of Bite The Power That Feeds

“Fine,” Cobra said. “Go ahead,sis.”

I liked that endearment a lot more. “Have you or have you not been in love?”

Tension immediately settled over the campsite, and all the gloating in Cobra’s features evaporated. Now he was pale, even for a vampire. He shook his canteen just so he would have something to do with his hand. “That’s a fucked-up question…”

“And yours wasn’t?” Kingsnake asked. “Now answer it.”

Cobra looked away as he massaged the back of his neck. “You guys are assholes—”

“The answer must be yes,” Viper said. “Otherwise, he would have said no by now.”

Cobra kept his eyes averted, like he had no intention of giving an answer.

I waited and waited, but he never said anything.

I moved on to Viper. “Have you or have you not—”

“Yes.” Cobra’s answer was quiet, so quiet it was almost inaudible. “Yes…I have.”

* * *

We hoped to make it back to Grayson before the sun was too high in the sky, but we weren’t close enough. We were forced to camp in the shade, on the other side of the mountain but still several leagues from the city.

We dropped our bags, gave the horses oats and water, and got comfortable in the darkness under the trees.

Cobra had been in a somber mood since we’d played our game, and I felt guilty for causing his misery. “I shouldn’t have asked him that.”

“He shouldn’t have asked you his question first.”

“I didn’t have to answer.”

“Then he didn’t have to either.” Kingsnake placed our bed rolls side by side. We didn’t share a single cot around his brothers, not when we also had an enormous snake to accommodate in the warm temperatures.

Cobra leaned against a tree, drinking from his water canteen, choosing to relax away from the rest of us.

“I’m going to apologize.”

“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart,” he said. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I still feel bad.” I left Kingsnake’s side and took a seat beside Cobra, leaning my back against the same tree trunk.

He acted as if I weren’t there. Didn’t start the conversation by mocking his brother or commenting on my one-night stand. He was the only one who always had something to say, but now he was a dried-up well.

“I shouldn’t have asked you that. I’m sorry.”

He continued to stare at the canteen in his hand. “I’m not upset with you.”

“But you’re definitely upset.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Well…you can talk to me.”

He said nothing, and it seemed like he wasn’t going to.

I stayed quiet and watched Kingsnake sit with Fang beside him. Even though nothing was audible, I knew they were speaking to each other. Fang had wrapped around one of Kingsnake’s legs and rested his chin on his thigh.

“Life used to be a lot easier.”