Her eyes rolled to the ceiling.“It was just a lucky guess,” she muttered as she turned to her door.“How many names is Maddie short for?”
Chapter 12
Is She Behaving?
“I never understood why Lola loved her cat so much.Okay, I mean I still don’t, because Otto is way cooler.Dog just sits and glares at you.Otto at least glares at you and threatens you with hilarious bodily harm, and then in the same breath he offers to feed you.I’m trying to figure out if he’s feeding me because I’m going to be a sacrifice or if he’s afraid I might accidentally die and then he’d get in trouble.”~Katy
Awoman stood in the massive kitchen, cooking everything Otto told her to make.She grumbled at him, but obeyed.Apparently, she’d pissed someone off bad enough to earn kitchen duty.
“Are you human?”The woman blinked at Katy, and her eyes, which had looked like that of a normal human, suddenly looked very not normal.They looked like Slick’s eyes, slitted like a snakes.
“Right.”Katy snapped her fingers.“Not human.”
“No, but we have humans in the house.”
“Can I ask your name?Because in my head you’re ‘the woman,’ and that’s just annoying.”
She laughed.“I’m Vreene.”
“Cool name.I’m Katy.”
“I know.You’re the talk of the pit.”
Katy’s brow rose.“The pit?You guys actually call yourselves apitof snakes?”She knew that was the technical term for a group of snakes, but den was also sometimes used.
Vreene shrugged.“Some of us.But we’re not all snakes, of course.We’re reptilians of all varieties.Some of those who aren’t snakes get all scaly about it if we don’t include them.So, generally, we just call it the house.”
Katy leaned against the counter as Vreene made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.“Scaly?Like they get all up in their feels?”That’s hilarious.
Vreene smiled and nodded.
Katy was truly intrigued.It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Gage had left, not that she was marking time on the new BG and AG standard.Oh, hell, she totally was.Her mind was thoroughly embedded in AG—After Gage—mode.What happened to not starting a war over her?Where had that sentiment gone?Katy couldn’t stop glancing at the blasted phone, waiting for a text from Gage that never came.When her constant checking finally made her and Otto go batty, the little lizard relented and let her out of the room.So, here she was in the kitchen meeting Vreene.
“Why are there other humans here?And why am I the talk of the pit?Thanks for the sandwich.”Katy took the offered plate.
“No worries.”Vreene waved her off.“All kingdom headquarters have some humans.Animistay here all the time while they’re waiting to find a mate.And then some of the humans that work in King Azure’s clubs stay here, too.”
“Clubs?”Katy glanced at Otto, then back at Vreene .
“He owns several nightclubs,” Vreene explained.“I’m talking high-end, classy clubs.These are the types of clubs that you gotta be someone or know someone whoissomeone to get in.His dancers are top-notch.”
“Ahh, so not a strip club?”She quickly raised the hand that wasn’t holding the sandwich.“Not that I am judging, because, girl, I amnot.A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to pay the bills.I get it.”
Vreene laughed.
Otto made a snorting sound.“Something wrong in her head.”
“He’s constantly telling me he’s going to bite me.”Katy took a bite of the sandwich and then groaned because, hello, peanut butter and jelly.
“Has heseriouslytried to bite you?And you’d know because he would have at least scraped the skin.”Vreene glanced at Otto from the corner of her eye.
Katy shook her head, unable to speak because, well, again, peanut butter and jelly.
“Then he likes you.But becauseIlike you, I’ll give you some advice.”Vreene leaned toward her and motioned at Otto.“If he tries to bite you, throat punch him and get away as fast as you can.His bite would kill you in seconds.”
Katy screeched, or at least tried to, but it came out more like a strangled cry because her mouth was full of peanut butter.When she finally forced it down, she snapped, “What!”Her eyes widened, and she looked at Otto, whose tail was tucked beneath him and his arms folded tightly against his chest.“I thought it would be like, like… just a cat bite or something.”
“You’re in the Kingdom of Venom, Little Wolf,” Vreene said.“Venom is in the name.No cat bites here.You’re the talk of the pit because the King has declared you hands-off.Which is odd, since you’re ananimus,and every single male in our kingdom will want the chance to win your heart.”
