Page 46 of Bitter Prince

My skin buzzed with a cool sensation as I stood there, my heart beating a mile a minute. I felt rather than saw Amon’s gaze on me, his eyes hidden behind aviator sunglasses.

“Why are you screaming like that?” Papà asked again.

My gaze breezed over Dante, only to land back on Amon. It was hard not to look at him. Everything about him fascinated me. And he was so beautiful, it stole my breath away every time. Besides, at six foot three, it was hard to miss him. Although his brother was just as tall, he wasn’t as beautiful as my… I shook my head, scolding myself. NotmyAmon.

“S-snake, Papà,” I breathed out, my eyes on Amon’s face, his eyes hidden. I wished he’d take his glasses off so I could see his dark eyes.

I felt the brothers’ gazes on me, and I realized I was half naked here. I brought both my arms around, crossing them over my chest while my cheeks burned. I wished it was a more graceful run-in, but here we were.

“There shouldn’t be any snakes in Venice,” Amon said flatly.

“Well, there is one right there,” Raven snapped. “Tell me what it is, then. A fucking toy?”

My father narrowed his eyes on her in displeasure. He hated hearing crude language from a woman’s mouth. If he knew Phoenix’s and my vocabulary, he’d have a cow.

“Obviously not.” Dante and Amon didn’t seem frazzled at all. “Since the snake is now slithering to you,” Dante added.

Terrified squeals escaped us and our eyes flitted to the snake. Sure as shit, it was making moves.

“It must be thatpazzoneighbor,” Papà grumbled. “He has a snake for a pet.”

A shudder rolled down my spine. Crawly things gave me the creeps, and it was unfathomable that anyone would keep a snake as a pet. It might eat him one day.

“I’ll get it,” Amon said.

A round of gasps surrounded me. “Is he getting it with his hands?” Athena asked under her breath. I wasn’t sure how else he’d get it—aside from shooting it—so I didn’t answer as we all watched Amon stride toward the snake.

I held my breath, unable to look away. I didn’t want him to be bitten. The snake could be poisonous, and it would be a waste of a gorgeous man.

My eyes traveled over his lean, strong body. He was wearing black dress pants and a white short-sleeve shirt while I stood here in a white bikini, the top barely covering my chest, yet it felt like he was more exposed than me with his smooth, tanned forearms and biceps on full display. Every time I looked at him, the entire universe faded away, leaving just the two of us.

I wanted to touch him so badly that my fingers trembled, clutching my bathing suit until my knuckles turned white. To feel his muscular body covering mine like a blanket and get lost in him. Why? I didn’t know, but there was something about him I couldn’t resist.

Amon stopped a foot from the snake and my heart raced in my chest.

“Be careful,” I whispered. “It could be poisonous.”

He let out an amused breath. “It’s not.”

My brows furrowed. How could he be so sure?

“How do you know?” Isla asked. “It looks poisonous to me.”

Amon just shrugged. “Just know.”

Well, that didn’t explain anything, but whatever. I didn’t care as long as he got it away from here.

For a moment, he stood still. Then in one swift move, he reached down, grabbing the head of the snake, its slithering body wrapping around his forearm.

“Ugh, that’s just gross,” Isla muttered.

I wasn’t a fan by any means, but it was fascinating to watch him handle it with ease.

“Lead me to yourpazzoneighbor, Romero,” Amon announced. “Or would you rather keep the snake?”

If my father kept the frightening creature, I was sure to never come back to this house. I refused to sleep under the same roof as something so creepy. They belonged in the jungle, the woods… definitely not here.

I watched as Amon and Papà made their way over to the neighbor. Amon said something to the neighbor who paled at the words, grabbed his precious snake, and immediately shut the door in their faces.