Page 76 of River of Deceit

“Then obviously you’re not that interested in joining Kappa Alpha.” It’s cruel, but so was everything that happened tomeduring my own hell week. Licking someone’s shoes clean isn’t the worst of it.

At all.

“Yeah, sounds like River’s a bit of a pussy,” Blaze agrees. “We’ll tell Zayden you aren’t interested anymore.”

River sneers, and I can see him warring with the decision. Debase himself in public, or give up on whatever stupid scheme he and Pandora cooked up.

I win either way.

River clenches his fists and starts to lower himself down.

“Oh! There you are!” a familiar, feminine voice calls out. “River, River, you have to see this!” Pandora shouts, sprinting up to River as if he weren’t kneeling in front of us.

“What the…” Blaze turns to her. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t forget you aren’t supposed to talk to girls,” I hiss at River. “Get up.”

Even though he does, I can feel the quiet menace radiating from him.

Good thing I’m not scared of him.

Pandora smiles widely and extends her arms at us. “Look what I found!”

It takes me a few seconds to realize that she’s holding a large black snake in her hands.

Blaze yelps and backs up several steps. “What the fuck! Kill it!”

“It’s harmless,” River says, every bit as calm as Blaze is freaking out.

I take a step back, too, but I don’t retreat as much as Blaze has. Considering River has stood his ground, I hope he’s right that it’s not venomous. “We need to let the groundskeeper know there are snakes,” I say.

Pandora glares at Blaze. “We are not killing it. This is an eastern rat snake. It’s completely harmless, unless you’re a rat. I guess the verdict’s still out on that one.” She lifts the snake higher so she can look it in the eye. “What a cutie you are, though. Are you keeping our grounds vermin free?”

“The flower mafia says you need to take the snake and get out of here,” I tell her, trying to sound casual. I can’t deny that my heart is racing, but I don’t want to show her that I’m even a little freaked out by the snake.

Pandora giggles and smiles at me. I don’t understand the sudden thud in my chest.

“Flower mafia! Blaze told you about that?” She hefts one half the snake over her shoulder, and it slithers desperately in an attempt to escape her. “If you guys are the flower mafia, can I be the snake mafia? Actually, wait, I hate reptile traffickers.”

“Reptile traffickers,” I repeat. “Is that even a thing?”

“Yes,” River says. He’s notquitespeaking to Pandora, but the line is thin. I eye him, and he shrugs. “Youasked.”

“There are no snake or flower mafia here!” Blaze says, still several feet away from us. “Take that filthy, salmonella-ridden beast out of here!”

Pandora looks down at her free hand. “Ooh. Guess you can’t get a handjob from me right now. Would the salmonella infect your dick first and make it rot off?”

“Get rid of the snake,” I order.

But I have no intention of letting her hands near my cock either.

Pandora meets my gaze, and I see the shrewdness behind her eyes. This is definitely the same crazy bitch who attacked me that first night.

“I’ll find a good spot for…” Pandora lifts the snake’s tail up. “Oops, can’t tell. Well, gender non-distinct snakeage, let’s find a place to set you down that won’t get you trampled by giant vermin.”

River covers his mouth to smother a snort, but Blaze and I both heard him.

“This isn’t over,” Blaze snaps at her. “You’re trying my patience.”