Skinned Read online

  The serpentes were the descendants of the immortal gorgons, Stheno and Euryale. Half human, half snake. As shifters, the serpentes were fairly underwhelming. Who would rightly exchange a full shift into a magnificent beast for a slithering tale? Fuck that. But Cody was king, which meant that his serpente form was exquisite. His powerful wings eclipsed the sky, gorgon nor serpente could match his hulking size, and he had fangs for days. Their striking force rivaled the speed of my leopard.

  In lightning vampire fashion, Nash swept my legs. He smirked as I fell to the floor beside him. "Penny for your thoughts?"

  The hem of Lucy's rosy A-line summer dress brushed the tops of our heads as she wisped past. A magnificent aroma wafted from the tray in her hands.

  "Hot ham and cheese," she lured with four simple words.

  Eyeing Nash, I shook my head. "You should kick your own ass every night for letting someone so perfect get away," I whispered.

  "You are the expert," he countered.

  I stood and reached my hand out. When Nash took it, I kicked him in the ribs. He landed on the floor again, grabbing his stomach and laughing.

  "Asshat."

  "The one and only," he quipped, standing and brushing himself off.

  We followed the smell of warm biscuits and melted cheese to the table. I sat down and grabbed the smallest biscuit ever in my hand. "Ham and cheese?" I asked, sniffing the tiny delight.

  "Cheddar-Polenta biscuits filled with fresh ham salad. I can make something else if-" She stopped mid-sentence as she watched me inhale three of them.

  After wiping my mouth, I paused long enough to beg, "Please make these every day until I die," before shoving another one in my mouth.

  Lucy beamed with pride. She and Nash ate a few bites from their own plates. As vampires, they are able to indulge a bit, but too much human food and drink will cause them to become extremely ill. It was clear, Lucy enjoyed my reaction far more than the act of eating.

  "You had something to tell us?" Nash inquired, interrupting the moment.

  The corners of my mouth fell as I swallowed the last of my food. "A spy has infiltrated the Western Lepe."

  My lepe.

  Dropping his napkin on the table, he inquired, "What sort of spy?"

  "Someone with the Dissenters in their corner."

  "When did you discover this?"

  Pausing briefly, I confessed, "When we returned from the crowning of the serpente king."

  "And you kept this from us?" I nodded. "From everyone?" After nodding again, Nash replied, "Smart."

  "I don't think her brother will feel the same way," Lucy interjected.

  "Or my lepe leader," I added, thinking about the myriad of emotions Blaire would experience as his head exploded. Not only from the mere thought of a spy, but also because I had kept this knowledge from him for over a month.

  "Is that why you canceled your trip to visit the serpente nest two weeks ago?"

  "It is. I couldn't hide that information and then abandon my lepe, even for a weekend. We are already at such a disadvantage because the spy knows everything about us."

  Which is why King Cody drove all night to meet me on the edge of town, I thought to myself, suppressing a smug smile.

  "Do you know who the spy is?" he asked.

  My fortitude stumbled. I wanted to tell him that it was one of the very children we rescued from the Dissenters lifetimes ago. That it was someone I had taken under my wing and trained every day for months. That it was a million jagged knives to the soul.

  Ignoring my hesitancy, he asked, "Are you requesting my help as an Alleviator or as a friend?"

  Alleviators are the supernatural equivalent to 'don't make me tell Mom or Dad.' They keep everyone in check, no matter if that means a slap on the wrist or an untidy late night burial. If Nash were to become involved in an official capacity, a young girl could wind up dead. That wouldn't be fair to any of us. Especially when I didn't have all of the information.

  Staring into the silver glean of Nash's eyes, I wondered how he truly felt about his job. About killing for a cause that wasn't his own. His motivations were never anger or grief. It was purely a job. It was something asked of him. Did he ever turn away from the Alleviator to just be the vampire? To just be?

  "A friend," I answered. I could never be the reason he was forced to kill. And I could never sign the death warrant of a child.

  Though death seemed to be coming for us all if my intuition had anything to say about it.

  About the Author

  Blakely Chorpenning lives and loves in the American South with the best family a woman could ask for. When she is not writing genre and literary fiction, Blakely enjoys anything shiny, soft, or fuzzy, and has a knack for breaking electronics…with her mind.

  For more, please visit her Facebook page

  http://www.facebook.com/blakelychorpenning

  or her official hub/blog

  http://indiscriminatewrites.blogspot.com

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