Page 7 of He Who Sleeps

“Who is going to tell him? You?” she asked, struggling to her feet, as sensation started to come back into them. “I’m certainly not going to.”

"Fuck!" He slammed a fist into the bedpost. "Fuck you for trying to make me choose! He's been my brother for years and you're what? Some fuck bunny we've had for six fucking nights!"

“I’m not trying to make you choose anything,” she said as she stood straighter. “And that’s on you assholes for this six night thing. Ever think I might want more?” She leaned back against the bed post. “I wanted to know; I wanted more. Seeing your face doesn’t change anything. You can keep wearing that mask when you have me; it won’t change a thing. I’ll still be yours, still submit to you, and them, and nothing changes.”

"What the fuck are you saying?" Snake shook his head, backing away from her. “It’s not up to you to give me fucking permission to wear my mask. No faces was the deal. What you agreed to. That's all we need or want from you. Two nights a year to feed the Dark God. And you think you can just waltz in here and just change the terms when you feel like it? That's not how this works!”

She shrugged. “This changes nothing between us, Snake. You wanna keep playing these games? I’m in. You want to take it further? I’m in.” She looked at him pointedly. “Kill me if you want, if that’s what you really want. I won’t fight it.”

"What do you mean by 'take it further?’" he demanded. "There are rules! Rules that we don't get a choice about following!"

“Then if you are all about the rules, Snake, kill me and have done so you don’t mess with whatever you think you’re messing with.”

"I can't do that on my own!" he reminded her, sounding agonized. "The others have to be here for a sacrifice. Fuck! Devil is going to lose his shit!" He sat down on his chair and put his head in his hands. "I should have fucking known something was up with the way you walked in here all ballsy and shit. How am I supposed to trust you when you go pulling crazy shit like this??"

She sighed. “How am I supposed to trust the seven of you to keep your word each time we meet?” she countered. “You just do. And all hot girls are crazy. I kept coming back and you honestly didn’t think I would want to know more about you?” She went to him and got on her knees in front of him, sitting back on her heels, “Do you have any idea how hot you make me? You think any of this is a hardship? Snake...” She put her hands on the arms of the chair, steadying herself to lean into his warmth. “Let me ask you something. Me knowing, does that change whatever it is that Dark God of yours gets?”

"I don't fucking know if it changes the energy," he replied frankly. "And we didn't ever expect you to trust us, because we knew we could just kill you if it looked like you were about to blab."

“Why would I fucking say a word?” she asked. She didn’t think he got it. He, they, had changed her, shown her parts of herself, parts she couldn’t show to anyone else. She wasn’t lying when she said she was crazy, because she was, and she reveled in that knowledge. “Regardless, I do trust all of you, which is fucked up I know...”

"That's an understatement," he snorted. "What's your end game here, Petra? What did you think you'd achieve by taking off my mask?"

She shrugged. Telling him the full truth wouldn’t be smart; he wasn’t as invested as she felt some of the others were. Treading carefully was important with Snake. “Knowing you. Knowing who I stroke off to when I’m alone all year.” That was part of it. She wanted more than that, but would take things slowly with his volatile ass. “Seeing the guy that won’t let me touch him.” Even this close, a hair’s breadth from each other, she wasn’t touching him.

"Then you're not as smart as I gave you credit for," he said bitterly. "And what about the others? You going to try and pull this same shit with them?"

She had never claimed to be smart when it came to them. In fact she was pretty sure she was the stupidest woman alive, but she wanted what she wanted, and if that meant the seven...she was going to get them or die trying. But she couldn’t tell him that. Instead, she shrugged. “Maybe. And maybe they will be more receptive to it. Or they will just haul me into your study and you can kill me as a group. Either way, it’s a win for you if you keep it to yourself.”

He was quiet for a long moment and then sighed. "Fine. Make it someone else's problem. This is above my paygrade." He shoved her out of the way and rose to his feet. "Clean yourself up. I'll send the next guy in."

She nodded. Snake was not going to be easy. “Okay. Thanks for the orgasms. And finally showing me that stunner.” She winked at him.

He paused on his way to the door and looked back at her with a serious gaze. "You wanna watch that smart mouth around the others," he warned her. "They're even less tolerant of sass than I am."

She shrugged. “Well then your problem will take care of itself.” She watched him walk out the door and stood, walking shakily to the ensuite to clean up a bit. She wasn’t sure who was going to find her next, but she needed to freshen up.

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