Page 106 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

Cobra leaned back into the couch and knitted his fingers together at the back of his head. His feet were on the coffee table as he looked up at the ceiling. “Get it over with, Kingsnake. Say your piece.”

“Are you alright?”

He remained still as he let the question settle. Then he lifted his head and looked at me directly, his hands moving to his lap. “What?”

“I noticed it the moment I walked in the door.”

He sat there, arms crossing over his chest, his eyes turning empty again.

“You’re…” It was hard to find the right words because I’d never seen him this way before. “Sad.”

His stare was glued to mine for a long time, the emptiness turning into something substantial, like a heavy raincloud ready to pour. Then his eyes shifted away as he moved his boots back to the floor. “It’s complicated…”

“You’re sad that she’s gone. Not that complicated.”

He looked at me again. “You aren’t going to give me shit?”

“It’d been pretty hypocritical if I did.”

That smug grin returned, and finally, he looked like himself. “You’ve always been my favorite brother. Viper and Aurelias are pricks.”

I chuckled. “You know they aren’t.”

“Viper needs to get laid.Baaaad.”

I chuckled again. “He’s always been uptight.”

“No,you’reuptight. He’s a whole other category—”

“This isn’t about Viper or Aurelias,” I said. “This is about you.”

His grin faded. “What do you want me to say? The only woman I’ve ever cared for is my mortal enemy. Pretty shitty.”

“Why her?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “She’s got one hell of a rack and an ass that won’t quit…that’s for fucking sure.”

I remained serious.

“She’s got a spine…and she’s got a heart.” His head turned, and he looked elsewhere. “I guess I like that…”

“What’s next?”

“Nothing.” He looked at me again. “My feelings aren’t reciprocated.”

“How do you know?”

“She left,” he said simply. “And you know, she thinks we’re evil and all that nonsense.”

“She wouldn’t have slept with you if she really felt that way.”

He looked away and directed his stare elsewhere. “I put some things out there…and she didn’t respond to them.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”