Page 26 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

“Then we should stop for the night.”

Cobra glanced at Larisa, as if he knew she couldn’t keep up. “It’s a mistake to bring her. She’s too weak for this.”

“She’s not weak,” I said. “She’s just not cold-blooded like us.”

“We’re the ones who can freeze to death, and we’re fine.”

“Shut up, Cobra.” I dismounted the horse and pulled him under a tree, shelter from the cold sky.

Larisa followed suit and immediately worked to make a campfire by grabbing dry twigs and logs scattered throughout the countryside. She dumped everything in a pile then struck a match to bring it to a blaze.

I came up behind her and loosened my cloak before I wrapped it around her, tying it in a knot in the front to keep the warmth trapped around her body.

Her hand reached for the front as she looked at me.

I walked off to pull out the bedrolls and get ready for the night.

Cobra unpacked his gear beside me. “Kingsnake…a gentleman.”

“It’s in my best interest for her to survive the night.”

“Whatever you say, brother.”

We laid out the bedrolls and prepared the campsite. Larisa stayed by the fire, doing her best to stay warm in the frigid air.

Cobra sat beside me. “I don’t remember you being so chivalrous with Ella—”

“Don’t.”

My brother looked at me, a hint of a smile on his face.

“Don’t compare her to Larisa—ever.”

Now his smile increased. “I assumed you were possessive because of her taste. But now I realize she’s much more than that.”

I held my silence.

“That makes everything complicated, doesn’t it?”

“How many times am I going to have to tell you to shut up?”

“Considering we’re immortal…many, many more times.”

I stared at the fire again.

Fang had wrapped his body around Larisa in an effort to stay warm.

She untied the cloak, invited him inside, and then tied the knot again.

“She likes your snake,” Cobra said. “Bothof them.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I gave him a hard shove as I got up and joined her by the campsite.

Cobra stayed back, opening his pack and pulling out his canteen of liquor.

“Thanks for the cloak,” she said. “You aren’t cold?”

“I’m fine.”