My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 89

I swallowed hard, the metallic taste of the drug still stinging my throat.

"I want you to give me your word that what happened last night stays between us," he rasped, a cruel smile pulling at his lips, "If a single word about last night reaches Claire, or Madeleine, or especially my Aunt Alessia... then things are going to get very uncomfortable for you."

He shifted his weight, and the snake shifted with him, its coils rippling across the bed now.

"Alessia is downstairs right now," he whispered, leaning so close I could feel the heat radiating off his bare chest, "I want to hear you say it. Tell me you won't breathe a word to anyone about what happened last night, not even my brothers. Because if you do, I’ll stop feeding Medusa goats. I'll just let her have you instead."

The snake’s head turned.

It turned straight toward me, like it had heard something only it understood. Its dark eyes locked onto mine. The forked tongue slid out again between us.

My breath hitched hard in my throat.

My hands clenched tighter around the blanket until the fabric twisted into my fists. I tried to sit still like he told me to, but my body didn’t listen. Fear crawled under my skin, making every nerve feel raw.

“See?” Raphael murmured softly, “She’s curious.”

Curious.

That word made my stomach twist violently. My lips parted, but nothing came out at first.

The snake leaned forward another inch.

Its tongue flicked again, closer this time. Close enough that I swore I could feel the faint brush of air against my cheek. My lungs locked tight, refusing to pull in enough oxygen. My chest hurt from holding my breath.

“Say it,” Raphael repeated quietly.

“I—”

I swallowed hard, forcing air into my lungs even though it burned. I hated how scared I sounded.

The snake moved again.

Its head tilted slightly, studying me with that blank, emotionless stare. The slow sway of its body made my stomach roll, nausea rising thick and bitter in my throat. My fingers dug into the mattress so hard my nails hurt.

“I won’t,” I forced out finally, “I won’t tell anyone.”

He stayed right there, watching me carefully, like he was weighing my words on some invisible scale.

“Say it properly,” he murmured.

“Now get that thing away from me.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Fear slammed into my chest again the second they left my mouth but I didn’t take them back.

My hands were still shaking when he finally stepped back, not far, just enough to give me air again.

The snake settled against his shoulders like it had already decided I wasn’t worth the effort. My chest still moved too fast, each breath scraping my throat raw. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to sit still for a second longer, waiting for my heart to slow.

It didn’t.

Not even a little.

I couldn’t stay in this psycho's bed another second.

Slowly, carefully, I pushed the blanket aside and slid my legs over the edge. The floor looked too far away, like I might fall before my feet even touched it. My muscles felt weak and shaky, but I forced myself to move anyway.

My feet touched the floor and I froze instantly, not from pain but from the lack of it.

I looked down slowly, and I noticed the thick white bandages wrapped around both of my feet, neat and tight, covering the cuts and bruises I gave myself just a few days ago. Clean gauze crossed over my skin in careful lines, secured with medical tape that had been pressed down smoothly.