Page 149 of Serpent In White

All of his angles and lines, his jaw, long neck, broad shoulders, they run in rigid continuation down his body. A body that is slim yet defined, as much is clear from his form-fitting clothes. Right now, he’s dressed in skinny black jeans, and a black V-neck t-shirt. Simple as hell, yet on him, it’s like making a statement.

I try not to blatantlystare, but he’s doing it to me, so he’s getting what he gives.

“How can I help you, stray girl?” He blinks, slowly, looking exactly like a snake would if it were a person.

Everyone keeps calling me a stray… Maybe I am just the docile house cat they all assume me to be.

“I wanted to learn more about the business.” I get right to the point. He seems like the type of man who detests meaningless chitchat. “If I’m going to be staying here—”

“If…” he repeats my word, not like a question, more like a scoffing statement. I stare at him with my mouth open. “What would make you think you’ve been invited to stay?”

“I… I’m not…” I stutter, unable to form words while he glares down at me like that, the darkness of his irises swallowing up the swirls of light. It reminds me of that vision I had of him… in the clearing. “I just thought that, since I was in Business School, maybe it would be cool to see what your setup is like. What else you guys export…”

His jaw clenches. “I told you before, I don’t give out information to strangers.”

“Yea, but it’s not a secret if you’re trading with outsiders, right?” I mumble, feeling pretty stupid for arguing with him.

He stays quiet for a moment, giving me a pretty intense look I can’t read at all. The silence drags between us. Seconds, minutes, hours... who even knows how many have passed at this point. Time is infinite in his presence.

And then suddenly, he twirls and stomps up the path, saying nothing more. He’s walking in the direction of the lab, so I decide to follow him, since he didn’t tell me to go away, not outright, anyway.

His long strides are hard to keep up with, and I’m practically jogging behind him. When we reach the lab, he moves up the steps and pushes the doors open, the guards standing off to the side to allow him in. Reluctantly, I follow, peeking up at the guards while they glare at me. None of them appear excited to have me back in this building, but whatever.

I’m not here for them. I’m here for the guy who’s stalking away from me right now.

Inside the lab, he goes to a door which is marked as his office, opening it with a key, then moving aside, motioning for me to come in. Those inner alarms I have, the ones that warn against danger, they’re pinging all over the place. Entering a confined space with a strange man twice my age, who looks the way he does and is observing me the way he is… Yea, it’s probably something our self-defense instructor would advise against.

Yet here’s me, prancing right inside and turning to watch as he steps in and closes the door behind him. Locking it.

Gulp again.“This is your office?” My voice quavers as he saunters toward me, slowly, exactly how a snake would move toward a mouse it knows for a fact ain’t going anywhere. “It’s nice.”

His head cocks to the side, studiously. Dangerously. “Why are you really here, stray? Tell me the truth. I can’t seem to get a good read on your intentions, and it’s… quite frustrating.”

What the hell does that even mean?

“It means I want you to tell meexactlywhat you want,” he keeps speaking, somehow answering my inner thought, though my lips remain firmly shut. “You have one minute. Make it good.”

He stops when he’s standing right in front of me, towering. I try to back up, but my ass hits his desk and I startle. My pulse is jumping, rattling my veins while I gawk up at him, a total deer in headlights.

“I…” My voice cuts out with my nerves, his eyes burning me alive where I stand. “I want…”

“Speak up,” he growls, barely audible, though I feel it, his voice, rumbling into me.

He smells like flowers, musky ones. Like gardenia and rose oil. And fire…

“I want control back.” My words come out before I can even process them. “I want my life back.”

His eyes narrow into slits as he stares down at me, heavily, smothering me with that look. My mind is rushing through all the times I was afraid. All the times I begged and pleaded forhimto stop, and he didn’t…

Drake’s Adam’s apple slides in his throat, a movement that catches my attention and holds it.

I said the words because they’re true. That’s why I went into the woods that day. That’s why I’m here, trying to figure this place out.

Because I don’t trust anyone, and I need to. Because I need to get the fuck away from it all and find myself.

I’m not sure if I can do it here… Or if these people will even let me. If the forces up on that mountain will allow me to stay…

Drake leans in closer, gripping his desk on each side of my hips. He’s hovering over me, and I slant back. Not that much, not enough for him to be directly on top of me, but enough for me tofeelhim as if he were.