Intoxicated by the King Cobra

When desperation has you seeking help from your
worst nightmares.

It’s  been  seventy-five  years  since  the  toxins
dropped  and  the  world  became  dark.  No  one
knows  this  more  than  Reese  and  his  friends.  On
the  verge  of  starvation,  Reese  will  do  the
unthinkable—he’ll steal away into Venom City to
get the food they so urgently need.

Kalder’s been infected by the cobra venom, and

even as a third generation, the toxin has passed on
to physically alter future generations forevermore.
Known as ruthless and cruel, he’ll kill anyone that
threatens those he protects. When a desperate
anti-venom shows up to steal food, his world is
irrevocably changed.

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This  book  is  a  work  of  fiction.  Names,  characters,
places,  and  incidents  either  are  products  of  the
author’s  imagination  or  are  used  fictitiously.  Any
resemblance  to  actual  events  or  locales  or  persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

ISBN: 978-1-77111-892-1

Cover art by Melody Simmons

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
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Chapter One

Earth—Seventy-five years post-toxin going airborne

itting in his room with his hands on his head,
Kalder wondered if it was worth it to be born

in  such  a  shitty  time.  His  forked  tongue  flicking
out  to  moisten  his  lips  was  yet  another  reminder
that  life  would  never  be  the  same.  He  hadn’t
thought about it in a long time. Losing his brother,
Killian, last week had him considering that fateful
day years before he had ever been born.

His grandfather had been there when the toxins

had  been  released,  physically  altering  those  that
survived. No one knew how it happened since the
scientist  that  concocted  the  toxin,  which  changed
the world, didn’t survive. But everyone had to live
with the consequences of assholes playing around
with  something  so  dangerous  that  it  forever
altered the world. Now, those that  were changed
were  no  longer  human,  they  were  venom.  Those
that  walked  away  from  it  unaltered,  hid,  their
blood valued as anti-venom.

Jackie Nacht

The world had become a warzone and

territories were established. As leaders of Mission
Territory, Kalder and Killian had a price on their
heads, which brought assassins from all over
Venom City trying to get a piece of them. Kalder
pulled at the strands of his hair just thinking about
how his brother had been taken from him.

Kalder’s door swung open and Wilder stood at

the threshold growling, “We’ve got ‘em.”

Enraged, Kalder stood and walked down the

hallway  flanked  by  his  men,  Wilder  and  Cash.
Finally,  after a week, they  caught the venom and
his  accomplice  that  had  killed  Killian.  The  pieces
of shit had stumbled into Kalder’s territory to brag
about it. They were too stupid to live, and Kalder
planned to remedy that right now.

A man and a woman guarded the door, and

Kalder waved them away.

Then Kalder and his trusted men walked in to

see that the coral snake and cone snail had already
been worked over pretty good. Their hands were
tied  behind  their  backs  and  their  shirts  had  been
removed,  showing  the  dark  bruises  marring  the
flesh. Kalder knew what venom they were because
the coral had the trademark black and white scales
along his chest and neck, while the cone snail had
a  visible  proboscis,  the  long  tubing  that  held  his
venom, appearing like an extra arm.

The coral snake’s eyes widened as he gazed

upon Kalder and the rest.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Kalder knew the three of them were a sight to

see.  The  toxins  had  been  dropped  over  three
generations now, and the physical effects still had
a way of shocking someone. Kalder, being affected
by  the  genetics  and  venom  of  the  king  cobra,
carried  the  vertical  eye  slits  and  scales  that  lined
his Mohawk.

Wilder had the massive tail of the death stalker

scorpion, making any man want to give his friend
a wide berth.

Then there was Cash. An audible gasp filled the

air as their captives found out where the coveted
blue-ringed  octopus  had  fled  after  their  Pacific
Territory  leader  tried  to  claim  him.  Cash  was
stunningly  beautiful  with  the  signature  blue-
ringed circles covering his flesh, eyes of the same
blue.  Lean,  beautiful  and  completely  deadly,
Kalder totally trusted Cash to have his back.

“Who killed my brother?” Kalder crossed his

arms and waited.

Sure enough, the cone snail’s eyes slid to the

coral.

Got you now, fucker!
Kalder walked over to the cone snail and,

without hesitation, grabbed his head and chin
then, with a swift jerk, snapped the neck. The snail
slumped on his side, hands still tied, with his neck
twisted at an odd angle.

Jackie Nacht

“Now that we got rid of the baggage...” Kalder

stated calmly before he squatted in front of the
coral snake, the smell of piss filling the air.

He’ll break with a little pain.
For five hours the three of them tag-teamed the

snake.  The  coral  was  a  bloody  mess.  The  whip
marks all but  shredded his  flesh. Yet with all the
pain, the guy  still hadn’t ratted out who  had put
the hit on his brother.

Kalder snarled, “I know you didn’t act alone.

Who told you to do it?”

He had a list of enemies a mile long. Venom

City was a constant battle for territory and control.
Venom  City,  as  a  whole,  had  four  territories—
Mission, Pacific, La Jolla and Fiesta Island. Reef, a
stonefish,  was  the  leader  of  Pacific  Territory;
Magnus,  a  box  jellyfish,  controlled  Fiesta  Island
Territory;  and  Veronica,  a  beautiful  viper,  led  La
Jolla  Territory.  Everyone  wanted  to  be  in  charge.
They didn’t want just a piece of Venom City; they
wanted it all, including him.

The coral snake visibly shook before he pulled

back his head and spat at Kalder.

Kalder sidestepped the spit, wanting answers.

There was no venom; they had taken care of that
problem a couple hours ago when they removed
the guy’s fangs. Grabbing the asshole by his black
hair, Kalder hissed, “I want answers now.”

“No fucking way,” the coral snake hissed back.

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“Machete!” Kalder barked. He was tired of this

shit. All the venom he protected in his territory
depended on this asshole talking. No one was safe
with the violence coming their way.

Wilder rocked from one foot to the other with a

smirk  as  he  unsheathed  the  machete  at  his  hip.
The  scorpion  struck  quickly  and  hacked  off  the
coral  snake’s  bound  hands.  The  scream  that  rent
the  air  practically  pierced  Kalder’s  eardrums.
There was no way he was going to cover his ears
as  the  snake  bled  out.  They  didn’t  have  much
time, and it was a gamble.

The coral snake held handless, gruesome

bloody stumps to his chest.

“Name!” Kalder hollered.
“Reef!” the coral snake hoarsely cried, drool

pooling and spilling out of his mouth.

Kalder stepped back. “Finish him, Wilder. Send

his pieces back to Pacific Territory.”

Kalder turned and left the cacophony of

screams  behind  him.  He  should  have  known  it
was  Reef.  The  man  had  one  of  the  deadliest
venoms,  spines  of  the  stonefish,  and  was
unfortunate enough to have the looks as well. Guy
was  ugly  as  hell  and  leader  of  Pacific  Territory.
Reef  was  also  the  one  that  had  such  a  jones  for
Cash.

This could mean only one thing—Reef was

making a go at taking all of Venom City. Taking

Jackie Nacht

Mission Territory would give Reef half of Venom
City and that couldn’t happen.

Cash came up next to him. “You don’t think…”
Kalder turned. “This is not your fault. That ugly

son of bitch has wanted to take us all down for a
long time.”

Cash brushed his dark blue hair out of his face,

“It’s just if I hadn’t run from him...”

“We’re not even sure if he knows you’re here.

Plus, Killian thought of you as a brother. He
would have protected you to the end because he
cared.” Which was saying something, since Killian
was just as ruthless as Kalder was.

Kalder watched as Wilder came out, blood

splatter on his face, scorpion’s tail nearly touching
the ceiling in poised aggression.

“It’s taken care of. Tucker’s getting your

package ready so he can go deliver it.” Wilder
wiped the blade on the leg of his pants, a smear of
blood streaking the leather.

“We need to have extra men on watch to keep

the  enemy  out.  This  won’t  be  the  first  time  Reef
came for us. He wants all of Venom City, and he
won’t  stop  until  he  takes  us  all  out.”  Kalder
moved  down  the  hallway  until  he  climbed  the
stairs,  bypassing  his  second-floor  living  quarters
and going straight for the rooftop.

Kalder barely went to his quarters anymore.

There was no longer time to sleep or relax. Too
many lives depended on him and his men to keep

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

them alive. He opened the rusted door and
walked out into the cool ocean breeze.

The sound of the waves crashing the shore did

very little to calm his inner rage. He wanted to go
and kill Reef, take him out right now. Kalder knew
that would be foolish, that he would have to time
it and plan well. Many before him had tried to kill
the stonefish and failed. The asshole had many
allies, unfortunately. Leaning on the ledge, he
stared out at the Pacific Ocean.

Before the toxins fell this had been Mission

Beach,  San  Diego.  After  a  good  portion  of  the
population  had  been  altered  to  take  on
characteristics  of  the  venomous  creatures,  there
had  been  a  scramble  to  rebuild.  Since  then,  they
had done a lot. Electricity and water were all back.
However, most cities, especially in the central part
of the United States, still remained deserted. There
just weren’t enough people around. Most had died
by the toxins.

Then there was the fact that the traits of the

venom carried on down into the children. Kalder’s
grandfather  had  been  exposed,  and  his  body
immediately  took  on  traits  and  the  venom  of  the
king cobra. To this day, no one knows how people
got  infected  the  way  they  did  or  how  it  only
seemed  to  be  one  venomous  creature  as  opposed
to  the  hundreds  the  toxins  had  contained.  The
only  thing  they  did  know—it  was  passing  on  to
children.

Jackie Nacht

However, there was the sought-after anomaly—

the anti-venoms. Kalder had never even seen one,
but he knew the humans that had no side effect to
the  toxin  had  lived.  Their  anti-venom  blood  was
sought after. They were the only ones that carried
the universal anti-venom. Since poison was one of
the  ways  to  murder  others,  their  blood  was
precious.  From  what  Kalder  knew,  the  anti-
venoms lived in the wild since they didn’t have a
prayer  in  Venom  City.  They  would  be  captured
before  they  even  got  past  the  threshold.  If  only
they  had one for his brother. It sucked that other
venoms  could  kill  each  other  and  no  one  was
immune.  However,  Kalder  had  used  his  venom
many times on those that would have harmed the
ones he cared for.

Staring out at the ocean, he noticed a small

figure  running  up  the  beach.  Squinting,  Kalder
tried  to  get  a  better  look,  but  the  darkness
prevented  him  from  making  out  the  details.
Turning, Kalder raced for the stairs, praying that it
wasn’t another attack.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Chapter Two

his is a horrible idea.” Prescott said as he
leaned against a tree, shaking his head. His

brown hair fell into his sunken chocolate eyes,
breathing heavily.

Reese knew that if he removed Prescott’s

tattered shirt, all he would see was skin and bones
on the small man. Fuck, when was the last time they

ate?

Reese brushed his dirty blond hair out of his

eyes in frustration. He knew it was a terrible idea,
but there just weren’t a lot of options. They had
just lost the only person that was decent at
hunting.

No one from Reese’s family was still alive. His

mother passed when he was born and his father
was killed when he was but a boy. From a young
age, he had to survive on his own. Finding others
like him had been a miracle, and he valued his
family above all else.

The four of them had similar pasts, losing their

parents to terrible timing at a young age. The

“T

Jackie Nacht

world  was  hard  and  survival  was  almost
impossible.  Reese  was  just  lucky  enough  to  find
the other three. They grew up together and loved
each  other  as  if  they  were  blood  brothers
themselves.  Reese  would  do  anything  for  them,
even go into the heart of danger.

Reese stared at Venom City from the shadows

of the beach. “I know it is, but what choice do we
have?  How  long  has  it  been  since  we’ve  had
anything  substantial?  Three  weeks.  We  can’t  live
on water and berries. We just need enough to get
the  energy  to  go  elsewhere.  The  food  source  is
dried up here.”

“Or someone else is getting it all,” Leif

murmured next to him.

Leif’s deep red hair looked almost black in the

fading light. He was the youngest of the group at
nineteen.  Reese  feared  for  him  the  most.  Leif
needed help in just getting here, and if they came
upon  a  venom,  there  would  be  nothing  left  of
them  since  they  couldn’t  fight  a  fly,  let  alone  the
venoms that were superior in strength.

“It could be the venom wandering outside,”

Reese murmured.

“I know it is.” Julius crawled over to Reese’s

other side, assessing the town. “I saw one a week
ago by the ocean. Scorpion.”

Reese turned to look at Julius. The wide blue

eyes showed stark fear as Julius gazed at the city.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“How do you know it was a scorpion?” Reese
questioned.

Julius brushed a hand through his pale blond

hair, “He had a scorpion’s tail. Biggest tail, lethal,
and I got the fuck out of there before the guy
could see me. Anyway, guy had a gun and
hunting bow.”

Reese swallowed with difficulty. He had seen

some venoms before and barely escaped with his
life. And he was about to walk into their city to
steal from them. What in the hell am I thinking?

Prescott crawled through the sand toward

them. “I’ll go, Reese. Stay with the others.”

Reese held his arm out, shaking his head. “I

don’t think so. You know why it has to be me.”

Prescott was their leader. Leif and Julius

couldn’t afford to lose him. They didn’t have
much left in this world, but they had Prescott to
look to. Reese was expendable.

Prescott pressed lips pressed together. “I think

your reasoning is full of shit. I’m faster.”

Reese stared over at Prescott and his

malnourished form. He had sacrificed what little
they had more than once. He wouldn’t make it to
the perimeter without collapsing.

“Not right now, Pres.” Reese blatantly glanced

over to stare at Leif and Julius, shutting Prescott
up in mid-protest.

“Don’t wait for me. If I’m not back in a couple

hours, go back to the shelter.” Before anyone

Jackie Nacht

could say anything further and before Reese could
chicken out, he scrambled away from the group
and moved farther down the beach.

Reese wiped the sweat out of his eyes. He knew

there were a higher chance of encountering
venoms the closer he got to the city. Blowing out a
breath, he stared at the night sky before he took
off as fast as he could toward town.

His hair blew in the hot wind and the only

sound he could hear was his erratic breathing as
he focused on getting to his goal. His eyes scanned
the area and so far, so good. The city came closer,
and by god, Reese thought, he was going in slow
motion, his feet sinking into the sand with each
passing step. He was never fucking getting there.

He could see the white walls of the buildings

getting closer, the roller coaster that was covered
in spider webs. Their very own playground, huh?

The paved, vacant sidewalks were within his

reach.

Finally!
Reese came upon the small building and held

out his arms to catch himself against the stone so
he could press himself against it. Completely
exhausted, Reese turned and leaned his back
against the wall, trying to suck in a lungful of air.
Without the proper nutrients lately, that little run
had taken everything out of him.

Two times he tried to push off the wall only to

have to catch himself again. A third time and he

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

ended up on one knee on the pavement. God, this
sucks.

An image of his friends, who he considered

brothers,  came  into  his  mind,  and  that  gave  him
the little strength he needed to pull up and stand.
He  rocked  on  his  heels  for  a  moment  before
locking  his  knees.  Spots  were  dancing  in  his
vision.

When his eyes focused, he began to creep

around  the  corner.  Most  of  the  buildings  were
originals  from  before  the  toxins  went  airborne.
They had been repaired and altered some over the
years  to  accommodate  the  venoms  living  in  the
housing  and  what  used  to  be  commercial
buildings. Where the hell were they?

Silence closed in on him.
Sweat dripped into his eye, and he swiped it

away; a hundred yards away was a corner store. It
was dark, so there was no way to tell what the
store had inside. Reese just hoped it contained
some food.

Using the wall to hold him up, Reese made his

way toward the store, eyes darting frantically.
This place was too damn quiet. He knew there
were tons of venoms living here.

Reese made it all the way to the door, opened it

and stared into darkness. The place was dead and
unlocked. From what he had heard, which wasn’t
much, Venom City was close to a war zone. A
constant battle for takeover. The venoms didn’t

Jackie Nacht

get along with one another. There was no way
they would keep a store unlocked. The place
would easily be broken into.

Swallowing his fear, Reese walked over to the

side and grabbed a bag. He had never shopped a
day in his life. He wasn’t even sure what to get.
Everything he consumed came from the wild.

Reese traveled down the aisle, trying to find

products for them to eat. It took a little longer than
he liked since his eyes seemed to take forever
adjusting to the darkness. He went down another
and grabbed stuff off the shelves. Some he
recognized, some he didn’t.

He grabbed a couple more items and hefted the

bag toward the door. Oh how he wished he could
take more, but he had to carry the load. He wasn’t
even sure he was going to be able to get this much
back to their camp.

He pulled the handles over his shoulders and

turned to leave when he saw a huge fucking guy
standing in the doorway. Reese hadn’t even heard
him come in. Heart pounding, Reese squeezed the
bag as the man approached with a lethal grace.

Reese blinked a couple of times, trying to get a

better focus on the approaching man. Fear coursed
through his veins as he made out a dark Mohawk,
but where the head was shaved was…scales. The
dark  slit  pupils  gave  a  huge  clue  that  the  venom
approaching  was  probably  some  kind  of  snake.
Thick  muscles  encased  in  leather  only  made  it

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

perfectly clear that Reese was no match for the
venom.

There had been no mercy made between

venoms and humans. In fact, a lot of times,
humans didn’t live long enough even to beg for
mercy.

Reese thought of his friends waiting, hoping

and starving. If I don’t get to them…

With the last amount of his effort, Reese swung

the bag and connected with the venom. The guy
blocked it with his arm, but Reese dodged around
him, hoping he would have enough time.

An arm snaked out and grabbed him by the

throat. Before Reese even got his bearings, he felt
his back connecting with one of the shelves,
knocking items on the floor.

Reese grasped the hand at his throat, choking

and unable to breathe. The pain was unmerciful,
and all Reese could do was hang there while those
dark eyes stared back at him with malice.

Suddenly, a great weakness overcame Reese.

This was it. His body was calling it quits. It didn’t
have the fuel to battle this guy, and with a pitiful
wheeze,  Reese’s  fight  left  him.  He  stared  at  the
guy,  no  pleading,  no  asking  for  mercy.  He  just
stared  with  plain  resolve.  As  spots  danced  in  his
vision,  all  he  could  think  was  how  he  failed  his
friends.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Three

alder couldn’t fucking believe someone was
actually dumb enough to come in here and

steal from them. He wanted to choke the guy for
even attempting to take something so precious to
him and his friends.

“How dare you,” Kalder gritted out, getting

into the guy’s face.

Sunken gray eyes stared back at him with grim

resolve. Kalder stared down at the thin body and
wanted to curse himself for doing it. Thin and
emaciated, the guy looked just shy of death. Then
it hit him hard. There was nothing, absolutely
nothing, resembling a creature of venom. Fucking
hell, it was anti-venom. What would make a man
so desperate to walk into the lion’s den itself? And
steal…hell, Kalder was still pissed about that.

“Name.” Kalder said gruffly then let go of the

guy’s neck before he killed him.

The guy grabbed his throat, rubbing the

already-bruised skin. The man leaned against the
shelf before he slid to the ground, wheezing.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“Reese,” rasped out so softly that Kalder almost
missed it.

Reese. Somehow, it fit the smaller man. “I kill

for what you’re trying to do. Stealing is death in
my book.”

Reese nodded, but didn’t say anything. A smart

little scavenger.

Kalder was so enraged, it wouldn’t take much

for him to strike. From losing his brother to this,
he was bubbling over.

Blowing out a breath to try and calm himself,

Kalder stared down at Reese. The guy was in bad
shape. His blond hair was matted. There were so
many holes in the guy’s clothes Kalder wondered
why  Reese  even  bothered.  They  were  rags.  Ribs
were  poking  out  of  Reese’s  flesh.  Desperation.
There  was  no  other  reason  for  a  human  to  come
into Venom City and try to take from them.

Something inside Kalder moved. There was no

explaining it, he was cold hearted and a killer, but
he just didn’t have it in him to kill the man lying at
his feet. Whether he could use the guy’s blood to
save his kind, it didn’t matter. Just the thought
revolted him.

There was no organization in this city and the

anti-venom  blood  could  only  help.  There  was  a
motto  in  Venom  City for  those  that  lived  there—
find a territory, stake your claim and kill whoever
encroached  upon  it.  That  was  it.  There  was
nothing that said give a thief leniency.

Jackie Nacht

As the leader of their group, Kalder had

handed out that punishment many times since he
took over Mission Territory. He should just do it
and end this guy. He bent down to grab the guy
again and stopped. Those gray eyes just stared. No
fight left. None.

What the hell had this guy been through in his life?

They had all been through hell, scrambling to find
a foothold in the shithole the world was now.
Growling, Kalder righted the guy and did
something he hadn’t done before.

“Where have you been living?” Kalder held

Reese up by his arms, leaning down to get in
Reese’s face. Something inside him shifted at the
nearness.

“No,” Reese was shaking his head. “Just kill me

and get it over with.”

Reese hadn’t put up a fight until now. That

could only mean he was protecting someone.
There were more of them, and they were close to
his town. Kalder grabbed Reese and dragged him
out of the store by the collar of his shirt.

Others were coming out to see what the hell

was going on. Cash and Wilder approached.

“What have you got?” Wilder came up and

circled them, tail raised in aggression.

“Anti-venom,” Kalder clipped out.
“Why isn’t he dead?” Cash sidled up next to

Kalder and went to put a hand on Reese, but
Kalder smacked it away.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Kalder growled, “Don’t touch him.”
“What the hell? He’s a cure if one of us takes a

hit!” Cash snarled.

Kalder glared at his friend before he stormed

over to his home above the beach store. Each and
every one of them lived in an apartment above the
businesses below. On more than one occasion, it
had saved their lives when invaders came in at
night.

Dragging Reese up the stairs, he pulled him

into the open-concept studio apartment. Kalder
loved his home…when he actually used it, which
wasn’t much. Nothing was new, but it was open,
which helped when he had Cash and Wilder and a
lot of the others come for meetings. A mish mash
of couches and a bed was all he needed.

Kalder pulled Reese to sit in one of the wooden

kitchen chairs, and the gray eyes stared up at him
in  fright.  Turning,  Kalder  went  to  the  cupboard
and  grabbed  a  can  of  soup.  Most  places  tried  to
make  the  world  what  it  once  was;  Venom  City
wasn’t one of them. It didn’t mean that they were
boxed  off  from  the  world.  They  could  still  get
supplies…sometimes.  He  opened  the  can  before
he  pulled  a  bowl  down  as  well.  Dumping  the
contents, he then walked it over to Reese without
even heating it.

“Here,” Kalder sat down across from Reese and

studied him.

Jackie Nacht

Reese picked the bowl up and slowly brought it

to his lips, his hands were shaking, but he still
didn’t drink.

He started to put it back down and Kalder

snarled, “Trust me, there is nothing wrong with it.
I didn’t poison it.”

“I know, it’s just,” Reese swallowed. “I can’t eat

this when they’re starving out there.”

Kalder closed his eyes. He couldn’t look at

those gray eyes pleading with him. Did anti-

venoms have this way of making all the venoms go soft
around them? Because right now, he would just
about to do anything for the guy.

Fuck, he was about to break his rule. “Drink

your soup, and I’ll get a bag for the others.”

Kalder stood and grabbed a backpack he used

to  transport  stuff  from  the  grocery  store.  He
opened  up  his  cabinet  again  and  began  shoving
items  into  the  bag  harshly.  Glancing  over  his
shoulder, he saw that Reese was tipping the bowl
to his lips slowly. The man was breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” Kalder went over to kneel by

Reese.

“It’s just so damn good and I’m so hungry, I’m

trying not to drink it too fast.” Reese shook his
head before he rasped out, “Thank you.”

It was just some damn soup. Kalder hated that

the world had gotten so shitty that something as
minor as that could shake two people up so badly,

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

because right now, his hands shook as he took the
bowl out of Reese’s hands.

“Hang on.” Kalder went and got a spoon.

Coming back to the table, he pulled another chair
around toward Reese and sat down in front of
him.

Scooping up a spoonful, he held the spoon to

Reese’s lips. “Here.”

“I can feed myself.” Reese’s hands shook as he

went to grab the spoon.

Kalder pulled the spoon back. “Just the first

couple until you’re steady.”

Reese’s lips pursed before he nodded and

leaned forward, full lips parting.

Kalder brought the spoon to Reese’s mouth,

and the anti-venom took the mouthful, closing his
eyes with a slight moan.

They got into a rhythm, and before Kalder

stopped, the bowl was half-empty. “How’s the
stomach?”

“Kind of retched, but it’ll be okay. I need to get

back to my friends.” Reese stood shakily.

“You can barely stand. You won’t make it, and

a lot of venoms are out right now. You’ll easily be
picked off.” Honestly, Kalder was shocked that
Reese made it this far into the city. There was no
way Reese was going to make the journey back.
The man was too weak.

“I have to go and help them. Please just a can of

soup, and I’ll be indebted to you.” Reese begged.

Jackie Nacht

Kalder got up and grabbed the backpack,

bringing it over to Reese. “You need to move now
before it gets any later. There’s been a lot more
venoms that I’m not allied with in these parts.”

“I know. That’s why we need the food, to get

the energy to find a new location. Our food supply
is dried up. Thank you.” Reese stared up at him.

“The food supply is actually growing around

these parts. Wilder has seen more game than ever,
so I’m not sure what you’re all doing, but there is
food out there.” Kalder knew it right then that this
might be the last time he was going to see Reese.
The man and his friends didn’t have it in them to
make it. Instinct had him warring with himself
just to keep Reese there. He felt like someone was
sticking a blade in his chest sending Reese away.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Kalder made

his way to the door and led them down the flight
of stairs. His mind whirled. He wanted to keep
Reese, but guarding an anti-venom would make
all of his territory a huge target. He couldn’t keep
one man at the cost of all the others. Plus, if Reese
wanted to stay, he would have said so.

Reese turned. “Thank you again for your help.”
Then Reese did the most unexpected thing; he

hugged Kalder. No one touched him. Feared him,
yes, but touch…hell no. Leaning down, he buried
his face into Reese’s shoulder, soaking up the hug
for all it was worth. Damn.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

His mind was screaming for him to keep Reese

there. He didn’t know the man more than an hour,
but everything in him was telling him not to let
the man leave. Kalder had an idea of what this all
meant but even as the thought came, he shoved it
away. He just lost someone close.

Kalder pulled back and said hoarsely, “You

better get going.”

Reese nodded before he turned and began

walking.

“Don’t walk, Reese. Run.”
Reese turned and nodded before he began a jog.
“Never going to make it,” Kalder murmured to

himself and turned, almost colliding with Wilder.
“I need you with your rifle on the rooftop now.”

The two took off into the building and up the

stairs,  Kalder  taking  them  two  at  a  time.  Wilder
disappeared for a minute and Kalder threw open
the  outside  door  to  the  rooftop.  He  went  to  the
ledge  to  see  Reese.  There,  Reese  was  walking
about  a  hundred  yards  down  the  beach.  Reese
bent over and Kalder watched as he proceeded to
throw up.

Fuck! The guy just lost everything he ate.
The door flew open behind him, and Wilder

stepped up next to him, handing him a rifle.

“What’s wrong with him?” Wilder murmured.
“He ate.” Kalder turned and stared at his

friend.

Jackie Nacht

Wilder raised a brow before turning to gaze out

at the surrounding area. “He’s got two venoms
coming up on him. Brown recluses.”

Kalder leaned his hand on the ledge. “Where?”
Wilder pointed not thirty yards from Reese.
“Rifle,” Kalder yelled.
Kalder put the gun up, taking aim. He noticed

immediately when Reese saw the spiders because
the man stumbled and attempted to run farther
down the beach.

Wilder took aim from next to him as Reese

began  running.  Wilder  fired,  and  one  of  the
spiders  went  down.  Kalder  aimed  for  the  other,
who  was  hell-bent  on  getting  to  Reese.  The  guy
was  fifteen  yards  away  when  Kalder  fired.  The
spider was within five yards of Reese when he fell
to the ground.

Reese stumbled, but continued to run as he

should.

Kalder watched until Reese disappeared into

the night, praying that he would make it back
safely to his friends.

What the fuck have I just done? I just let my mate go

unsafely into the night.

Seeing his mate disappear, Kalder’s anger

bubbled over, and he lifted his head and screamed
his fury into the night.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Chapter Four

eese didn’t have an ounce of energy left. He
lifted his leg to get over a log, and that little

task alone took a huge effort. After hearing the
shots fired, pure terror had kept Reese running
down the beach and into the outskirts of the wild.
He knew who had covered him—Kalder.

Even as venom, the man was gorgeous, and

Reese knew that the rough exterior was all a show.
The guy wouldn’t have aided Reese if he were
stone cold. No, he would have just drained him.

Reese followed the path another hundred yards

and broke into the tiny camp of his friends.

“Reese,” Prescott got up and hurried over to

him, pulling him in for a hug.

“I got some supplies.” Reese pulled away and

handed the bag to Prescott.

“I’ve never been so glad to see you. Thought

you were…” Prescott stared at him.

Reese knew what he was going to say. “I got in

okay. A venom helped me out, actually.” Reese
stared down at the ground as the vision of the

Jackie Nacht

Mohawked Kalder came into his mind. He never
expected such an act of kindness and the man fed
him. He had wanted to stay and would have if his
friends hadn’t been counting on him.

“A venom?” Prescott blew out a breath. “Thank

god he was willing to help. Leif hasn’t woken up
since we came back here.”

Reese stared up at Prescott knowingly. They

were going to lose Leif if their circumstances
didn’t change dramatically.

Going over to Leif, Reese sat next to the young

man, combing his fingers through the dark red
hair.

Prescott came over a minute later with a can of

soup opened. “Leif, wake up. We’ve got a real
treat for you.”

Leif’s eyes fluttered, but didn’t open.
Prescott sat next to Reese. “I think the hike was

all he had left. He came back and hasn’t moved
since. We’re trying to keep him hydrated, but
without protein…”

“Help me sit him up so I can get behind him.

Just  try  to  get  a  little  of  the  broth  down  him.”
Reese  maneuvered  the  dead  weight  of  Leif  and
straddled  him  from  behind.  Leif’s  head  lolled  to
the side before slumping.

Reese’s throat clogged with emotion, choking

him. His eyes stung at how far things had gotten.

Prescott held Leif’s head up and attempted to

get broth down him. “Come on, Leif, we need you

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

to take a couple sips.” Prescott held the soup up to
Leif’s lips, and the guy slowly took a few sips
before he fell asleep.

He and Prescott gently put Leif back down

before walking over to the fire. It was beginning to
get cold out. Julius was already drinking from
another can, hands shaking as he held it.

“It’s so good, Prescott. You need to get some,”

Julius said and then brought the can back to his
lips once more.

Prescott pulled out a can and held it up.
He didn’t open it, and Reese could practically

see  the  wheels  turning.  “We  need  you  whole,
Prescott,  and  feeling  better.  You  need  to  quit
sacrificing  yourself  for  all  of  us.  The  only  thing
that  will  happen  is  that  we’ll  lose  you,  and  we
can’t handle that. We need you too damn bad.”

Frowning, Prescott nodded before he took the

opener  to  the  can.  They  all  stared  at  the  fire  and
ate  silently.  Reese  had  no  appetite.  His  stomach
was  cramping  from  losing  his  first  can.  He  knew
he couldn’t stomach anything right now.

The night came, and they all lay close to one

another. It was getting colder, early signs of fall, if
going  by  the  slight  change  in  night  temperature.
That  meant  for  some  horrible  nights.  Their
pathetic  excuse  of  a  shelter  never  kept  out  the
harsher climates.

Jackie Nacht

Soon, the temperature dropped, and all of them

huddled miserably around Leif as they tried to
keep one another warm.

“So fucking cold,” Julius murmured into the

night.

“Come close, Jules,” Prescott said. Minor

adjustments were made, and the four of them fell
into a miserable sleep.

The next morning, Reese woke up aching and

stiff. His mind was muddled from the lack of
sleep. It was just too damn cold.

Prescott came back with water to sterilize for

drinking.

Leif still hadn’t gotten up.
Making a decision, Reese spoke up, “I think we

need to move today.”

Prescott put the old pot on the fire. “Where do

you want to go?”

Swallowing, Reece mumbled, “Back into

Venom City.”

Julius raised a brow. “You want to go back to

where the venoms are?”

“I think we need to take the risk, and they

weren’t that bad. They may let us stay.” Reese
shrugged.

“Or kill us.” Prescott stared at Reese as if he

had gone mad.

“I don’t think they will,” Reese replied.
“Are you willing to take that gamble?” Prescott

cracked a stick and threw it into the fire.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Reese glanced over at Leif who still hadn’t

woken. “I am. If you want, I’ll take Leif first. He
needs care—a bed and a roof over his head. Steady
food or we’re…” Reese couldn’t say it, dammit.
Leif was like a little brother to him.

Prescott stood there, hand rubbing the scruff on

his chin. “Take what we can carry. We’ll leave at
nightfall.”

The day was an impatient one for Reese. He

knew time was running out for Leif, but he also
knew that he couldn’t just walk into Venom City
and expect them all to survive.

Finally, as the sun began to set, Reese went over

and picked up Leif. Leif still hadn’t woken, and
fearfully, Reese pressed a hand to his throat to feel
his pulse. Barely there, he prayed that the venoms
would help. Please.

He had nothing but the ratty clothes on his

back.

Julius dumped the water onto the fire and

grabbed the pot while Prescott grabbed the
drawstring bag.

Prescott came over to Reese and whispered,

“Are you sure about this?”

Reese stared down at Leif. “What choice do we

have?”

“Let me know when you need me to carry him.

You won’t be able to do it the whole distance.”
Prescott turned and led them toward town.

Jackie Nacht

Good lord had Prescott been right on that. He

wasn’t even to the edge of the beach before he was
wasted, completely out of breath and sweating
profusely. Leif didn’t even weigh that much, but
Reese no longer had the strength he once had.

Prescott relieved him for a while until the city

came into view.

“Hold on, Prescott. This was where a spider

attacked yesterday.”

“How did you make it out?” Prescott’s eyes

widened and Reese realized he hadn’t told the
group about his narrow escape.

“The venoms brought them down. They helped

me.” Reese held out his arms, and Prescott put
Leif back into them.

Reese walked with Leif, wary of possible

venoms ready to come out and attack. There were
just so many things that could go wrong out in the
open  like  this  that  it  sent  a  chill  down  Reese’s
spine.  The  sounds  of  their  footsteps  traveling
through  the  sand  seemed  obscenely  loud  to
Reese’s  ears  as  they  moved  toward  the  city.  His
heart  was  pumping  in  fear  just  waiting  for  an
attack.

The travel took long and they needed to rest

several times, weakened by their state.

A sound in the distance had him squinting up

onto the rooftops. There at the ledge stood Kalder,
before he turned and disappeared. The scorpion

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

was still standing there with a rifle trained on
them. Is he going to shoot us for coming back?

“I think we need to leave,” Julius grabbed a

hold of Reese’s arm, tugging.

“We can’t.” Reese pulled away and kept

moving toward the city. Leif was counting on
them.

“He’s going to shoot us.” Julius came running

up to him. “Please, let’s go.” Julius pleaded with
Reese.

“I think he’s protecting us, Jules.” No sooner

had  Reese  said  that  than  Kalder  came  into  view.
He was  walking toward them, a rifle in his  hand
as he stalked in their direction. With the darkness,
Reese  couldn’t  figure  out  if  Kalder  was  pissed  to
see him again or not.

Prescott came and stood next to him as they

waited for Kalder to approach them. Jules
shivered on his other side, and he held onto
Reese’s arm for dear life.

Kalder stepped up to him, vertical slits

assessing them. “Reese.” Kalder came closer and
stared down at Leif.

Reese cleared his throat. “We need help,” he

rasped out, hugging Leif to him.

Kalder stared at them all for a minute longer.

“Come on, we only have basic medical here, but
it’s more than you have. Plus, we do have a roof
we can put over your heads and some food.”

Jackie Nacht

Kalder strapped the rifle to his back and held

out his arms and Reese handed Leif over to him.

Jules went to hold onto Reese’s hand, and

Kalder hissed at Jules, “Don’t touch him.”

Jules jumped back, and Prescott moved over to

comfort Jules.

Reese’s eyes widened, wondering what the hell

that was all about. The group left him standing
there and he hurried to catch up, walking next to
Kalder. God, he hoped he didn’t make a mistake
bringing them all here.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Chapter Five

alder felt like he was taking in strays. What
the hell are the others going to say? It didn’t

matter. Reese had come back and needed his help.
The man walking next to him made him feel
foreign in his own body. Plus, with this guy sick,
they were in sore need of a roof over their heads
when it looked to be freezing tonight.

They made it into the city when Wilder came

up. The guy took one look at the red head in his
arms and offered to take the load.

Huh? Kalder was sure he would get more of a

protest,  but  Cash  was  the  hardest  one  to  accept
change  in  the  group.  The  risks  involved  in
protecting  anti-venoms  were  insane.  Wilder  had
already  proven  that  he  could  handle  Reef’s
assassins.  Plus,  the  way  he  was  holding  the
injured one, Wilder had already staked a claim, if
going  by  the  way  he  was  carrying  him…to  his
room.

“Wilder!” Kalder yelled.

Jackie Nacht

One of the anti-venoms was yelling at Wilder in

his wake.

Wilder stared at him before he glanced down at

the man in his arms, “I’ll take care of him.” Wilder
was the best suited. He had the most medical
training out of all of them.

“Wait, you’re not taking him anywhere.”

Kalder watched as a brown-haired man grabbed a
hold of Wilder and yelled at the scorpion.

“Prescott, no!” Reese ran forward. “Leif will be

okay.”

Prescott rounded on Reese, causing Kalder to

step forward, a protective instinct driving him.
“How do you know that? You don’t know them.”

Reese straightened. “You’re right, I don’t.

However, they showed me an act of kindness I
haven’t seen outside of our family…ever.”

Prescott fisted his hands before he nodded.
Kalder watched as Wilder turned and left with

Leif.

Prescott whispered Reese, “I hope you’re right

about this.”

Reese faced him, and Kalder watched the hope

in his eyes. “I think we came to the only people
willing to help us.”

Cash approached, aggressive, with a harsh

expression on his face. “No.” He growled.

This was turning into a clusterfuck.
Kalder put Reese and Prescott behind him as he

faced off with Cash. “We’re helping them.”

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“The hell we are. They’re anti-venom! I can’t

believe you didn’t just kill them. You know the
price on our heads for housing their kind. We’ll be
dead by the end of the week!” Cash slashed his
arm through the air angrily.

Kalder knew this was coming the moment he

saw  the  men  approaching.  He  was  more  than
prepared.  Kalder  stepped  up  to  his  friend,
clapping  him  on  the  shoulder.  “They  need  our
aid.”

Cash rasped out, “It’s just…” Cash stopped and

shook his head. “Are they worth the fight?”

Kalder should’ve been pissed for having his

authority  questioned.  However,  even  he  knew
that he wasn’t acting like himself, and that’s why
they’d stayed alive this long. He had a small crew
he protected, and that was it. He didn’t ever reach
out his hand to others. Well, housing anti-venoms
would  definitely  change  that.  Spies  were
everywhere,  and  there  were  always  a  way  of
finding  out.  But  Kalder  had  damn  good  friends
watching his back.

“I’m just asking you to help four men that

desperately need it. Look at them. They won’t
survive without us. I’d like to think I haven’t been
hardened to the point that when someone reaches
out their hand, I won’t take it.”

Cash stood there for a while. Kalder waited

patiently until Cash finally responded, “Do it. I’m

Jackie Nacht

just going to need to stand guard and make sure
no one saw them.”

Cash turned and walked away toward his

upstairs apartment. It was more than Kalder could
hope for.

Reese stepped closer. “Is he going to be okay

with us here until we get back on our feet?”

Back on our feet? Kalder was not thinking this to

be a temporary situation.

“Cash is smart. We’ll all need to keep on our

toes to protect you.” Kalder turned to look at the
two other men. “Names?” Okay, so I’m short with
the other guys. So what? He wasn’t known for being
patient or kind. Fuck, they needed to get that out
in the open, too.

Reese pointed to the men. “This is Prescott and

Julius.”

Julius gave Kalder a shy wave while Prescott

continued to assess him. That was fine. He knew
that trust was going to come hard on both sides.

“Let’s go and find you a place you can settle for

the  night.  We’ve  been  living  high  in  case  Reef’s
assassins  wander  in.”  They  probably  didn’t  even
know  who  Reef  was.  Kalder  had  a  lot  to  teach
these  men  if  they  were  going  to  live  in  Mission
Territory, mainly how to stay alive. Kalder led the
three to the staircase that lead to the second floor
living quarters.

There were a few spare apartments that were

cleaned up, but he hadn’t visited in a long time.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Dust would be there, but compared to what they
were probably living in, it would be a warm
comfort for them. That was the way Kalder liked
it, though. This entire building was only reserved
for him, Cash and Wilder.

“It’s not much, but it’ll keep you warm and

dry.”

Julius walked right by him and fell face first

into the bed in front of him. A cloud of dust lifted
around him, but Julius made no move to get back
up. The guy was probably asleep before he even
hit the mattress.

Prescott turned to look at him and mumbled,

“Thank you.”

Reese started to go over to the bed with Julius

when Kalder grabbed his arm. Reese stared up at
him with wide gray eyes.

Kalder shook his head. “Not you. You’re

coming  to  stay  with  me.”  Reese  was  back,  and
possessiveness  the  likes  Kalder  had  never  felt,
reared  itself  and  refused  to  be  denied.  Reese
would no longer be unprotected.

* * * *

Reese  followed  Kalder  back  to  his  apartment
silently and then watched as Kalder collected food
and  left  again.  The  man  said  absolutely  nothing,
and Reese was left awkwardly in the quiet of the
cobra’s  living  quarters.  To  say  he  was  a  little

Jackie Nacht

uncomfortable would be a vast understatement.
Hell, he was afraid to even look around, that the
cobra might think he was snooping or something
and just end him right there.

Sitting at the small dining room table, Reese’s

mind  whirled  at  why  in  the  hell  the  venom
wanted  him  to  stay  in  his  apartment.  Reese
thought Kalder would want all of them out of his
hair.  After  all,  that  Cash  guy  didn’t  seem  too
happy to have them around. Why would Kalder?
They were a risk, a huge risk, and Reese knew it.

Kalder came back in and closed the door

behind him. The man brushed a hand through his
Mohawk while he watched him for a length of
time. “You made it.”

“Made it?” Reese was confused.
Kalder approached him. “When you left, I

wasn’t sure I would ever see you again.”

“You sound worried about me.” Reese

chuckled.

“I was.” Kalder came and sat in a chair across

from him.

What Kalder admitted completely shocked

Reese. Reese had assumed that when he left, it
was out of sight, out of mind.

“Thank you for taking in my friends and me.”

Reese glanced down at his hands and placed them
on the table in front of him, clasping them.

“I didn’t want to turn you away and send you

back out there. It was hard enough the first time.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

I’ll do what I can to help your friend out, but you
are  all  malnourished.”  Kalder  reached  across  the
table,  brushing  his  thumb  under  Reese’s  eye.  “I
think it will do you all good to get some rest, too.
When  was  the  last  time  you  got  a  good  night’s
sleep?”

Reese swallowed with difficulty. Fuck, he

couldn’t even remember the last time he didn’t
sleep with his guard up. “Years,” Reese
whispered, feeling the weight of fatigue hit him all
at once.

His kind was hunted even when he was young.

It’s all he ever knew, but even in his twenty-two
years, he felt bone tired and older than his time.

“Are you hungry or would you like to go lay

down?” Kalder stood and stepped closer to him.

“I think I’d just like to get some sleep right

now. I can go back to my friends.” Reese stood
and started to make his way toward the door.

Kalder grabbed him by the left arm and turned

him. “Please stay.”

Reese stared at Kalder. His dark eyes held

something deep within that he couldn’t quite
pinpoint, need maybe.

God, his chest began to ache at the emotions

moving over Kalder’s face. A pull that drew him.
Slowly moving closer, Reese raised his right arm
until his hand brushed the scales along the
Mohawk. The scales were smooth to the touch as
he ran his fingers lightly over them.

Jackie Nacht

Reese watched as Kalder’s eyes widened in

shock.

Reese pulled his fingers back, mumbling,

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I like it.” Kalder drew closer.
“There hasn’t been a lot of time to do anything

except survive,” Reese murmured.

“That and the power struggle that has been

going  on  in  the  city.  I  have  a  nice-sized  price  on
my  head.”  Kalder  wrapped  his  arms  around
Reese,  holding  him.  Reese  wrapped  his  arms
around Kalder’s waist, loving the warm embrace.

“What about your friends?” Reese stared up at

the man.

“They do too.” Kalder leaned down toward

him. “How come you don’t look at me like I’m
venom, despite the fact that I am? I know your
kind fears us.”

Reese’s lips brushed against Kalder’s as he

answered. “When I look at you, I don’t see a
venom. I just see someone who protects his friends
and helps those in need.”

Kalder laughed. “You’re the only one. I kill…a

lot. I’m known as cold and ruthless.”

“Not to me.”
Kalder captured his lips and gently kissed him.
It had been so long since Reese had been kissed,

that his effort was clumsy at best. This kiss was all
passion. Reaching up, Reese grasped Kalder’s
shoulders as he deepened the kiss.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

The forked tongue that dueled with his threw

him for a minute, and Kalder began to pull away,
but  Reese  refused,  gripping  the  man  tighter.  The
man  was  unique,  but  that  didn’t  mean  Reese
didn’t desire him. Reese shivered as their mouths
worked  together,  and  his  body  responded  and
ached at having Kalder hold him.

Reese never wanted to let the kiss end, but had

no choice when Reese brushed his tongue over
one of Kalder’s fangs.

Kalder pulled back with a jerk, breathing

heavily.  “Let’s  get  you  some  rest.  You  need  to
sleep  and  then  get  some  more  food  in  you.  Was
the  soup  the  last  thing  you  ate?”  Kalder  reached
down, grabbing his hand and pulled him toward
the bed.

“Yes, I haven’t eaten since I saw you last. My

stomach is off.” Reese crawled into the bed and
sighed when he lay down.

“Get some rest and I’ll have some more broth

for you when you wake up. We have to start slow
with you since your stomach can’t take the
heaviness of anything else.” Kalder brushed his
hair back and tucked him in.

Reese was out before Kalder got to the door.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Six

eese woke blurrily, not knowing where he
was and completely exhausted.

“Here, you need to drink. Get some fluids and a

little broth in you.”

Through the fog, Reese recognized that voice.

Kalder. He felt himself being lifted as a cool drink
was  brought  to  him.  After  the  first  sip  his  thirst
became  unquenchable,  and  he  tried  to  grab  the
glass  so  he  could  get  the  water  in  him  as  fast  as
possible.

“We need to take this slow.” Kalder murmured.
For several minutes, Kalder went back and

forth with the broth and water before Reese felt
his stomach cramp. Sadly, he didn’t take in that
much.

“Rest, I’ll be here when you wake.” Kalder

brushed his lips over Reese’s.

Worn out, Reese fell back into a healing sleep.

Every time he woke, Kalder was there to tend

to him. Many times, he woke up to the feel of

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Kalder holding him or sitting next to him in the
bed, covered in weapons. It never mattered, when
he woke, Kalder was there.

They had spent hours in bed talking about the

city, how Kalder lost his brother and what they
now considered family. One thing the two of them
had in common was how much they considered
their friends family.

Through Kalder, Reese learned a lot about Cash

and Wilder.

“So you knew Wilder since you were kids?”

Reese asked.

“Yeah, our mothers were friends. It was

unusual  at  the  time  for  different  venoms  to  mix,
and  Wilder  had  trouble  getting  friends  since  he
was  actually  more  toxic  as  a  child.”  Kalder
chuckled,  “As  soon  as  I  saw  him,  we  became
instant  best  friends.  There  was  just  something
about him that I trusted completely. Maybe it was
his  calm  demeanor.  He  was  always  there  for
Killian and I, even when there was an attack and
we  both  lost  our  mothers.  Wilder,  Killian  and  I
were hidden when we lost them. We’ve had each
other’s back since then.”

Reese grabbed Kalder and they held each other

in the silence, haunted by the past.

Days later, Reese had a jolt to his system. Hot

water poured over his naked flesh, causing him to

Jackie Nacht

jerk awake. “What the hell?” Reese tried to
scramble out of strong arms.

Kalder shushed him. “I’m sorry to say, but you

are in sore need of a bath, and you haven’t been
feeling well enough to do it yourself. Can I set you
on your feet?”

Reese pushed his wet blond bangs out of his

eyes as Kalder set him down. His legs shook as
they took his weight. “Why am I so weak? I
carried Leif into town.”

“I think that’s part of it, plus you’re safe. Your

mind and body know it, so they’re healing.
Resting these last few days will only do you some
good. All of you have a long way to go. You were
on the verge of starvation.”

Reese glanced down to see that Kalder was in

boxer briefs. They were wet and stuck to his skin.
There was no way to hide the erection that was
straining against that wet fabric.

Reese’s eyes shot up and Kalder smirked at him

then shrugged. “Let’s get your hair washed.”

A bar of soap was worked in Kalder’s hands

before he rubbed them over Reese’s hair. The feel
of those hands and getting clean caused him to
moan.

“Feel good?” Kalder chuckled.
“You have no idea.” Reese leaned in and

wrapped his arms around the venom. Kalder
returned the embrace, and the two stood under
the cooling water.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“I need to wash you fast before you freeze.”

Kalder worked swiftly, washing his body. Kalder
rinsed him and reached behind to turn the shower
off.

Reese didn’t even have the energy to dry

himself; Kalder took care of it as he guided him
back to the bed, which now had clean sheets on it.

“I have sweats you can wear.” Kalder stood

him by the bed.

Reese fell back on the bed, nude. “Too tired to

dress.”

Kalder laughed. “Far be it from me to dress

you. I love just the way you are.”

Reese rolled over, already half asleep when he

felt Kalder climb in behind him, wrapping his
arms around Reese. “This okay?”

Reese snuggled deeper into the massive, warm

body behind him. “Love the way you feel with
me,” Reese mumbled before he fell asleep.

The next morning, Reese felt like a new man.

For the most part, he and his friends slept and ate.
They  were  in  such  poor  health  that  all  they  did
was  heal  from  the  last  year  of  poor  eating  and
little  to  no  sleep.  After  the  shower  the  previous
night,  he  was  now  starting  to  feel  like  a  human
being once again.

At least he knew nobody would know that they

were in Venom City. They barely left their beds to
risk being seen by the others.

Jackie Nacht

Sighing, Reese rolled over in bed to see that

Kalder must have already gotten up and left. The
man had barely left his side since he got here.
Constantly feeding him and just lying with Reese
because he had been too tired to do anything else.
He couldn’t imagine the cobra being so tender, yet
he was with him.

He just wondered where Kalder was that

morning.

No sooner had Reese thought that than the man

himself came into his studio. Reese let out a gasp
and scrambled from bed as he got a good look at
Kalder. The cobra was covered with blood—his
clothes, chest, hands and even his chiseled face.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Reese pulled

on a pair of sweat pants and went to Kalder.

“We had another assassin come in and try to

take one of my venom. Needless to say, he won’t
be a problem anymore.” Kalder walked over to the
bathroom sink and turned on the faucet where he
proceeded to clean his face and hands.

Reese stood behind him, not knowing what to

do.  Staring  at  Kalder’s  back,  he  realized  there
wasn’t  a  speck  of  blood  along  the  pale  flesh  and
dark  scales.  The  arms  that  were  covered  were
working  vigorously  as  Kalder  bent  over  washing
his face. Even then, Reese could tell the blood had
not been his. There were absolutely no wounds on
him at all.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Kalder stood and grabbed a towel, wiping the

water from his face. The cobra turned to stare at
him, waiting for judgment.

Reese didn’t even know what to think.
“Does this happen a lot in the city?” God, his

voice sounded small. He felt small, weak and ill-
equipped to deal with the strength this city held.

“Almost weekly.” Kalder threw the bloody

towel in the sink and crossed his arms.

“And you have to…” Reese didn’t even want to

say it.

“Protect my family by any means necessary.

Yes.” The last part came out of Kalder with a hiss.

Reese approached, but didn’t touch. “If my

friends and I are discovered, won’t that put your
family in even more danger?” Reese stared down
and noticed the blood stained hands. Blood that
refused to be cleansed.

Kalder put a finger under his chin, lifting his

gaze. “You and I need to talk. I’ve been waiting for
you to feel better. You came here in such bad
shape. Hell, Leif barely made it. Wilder still won’t
leave him, even to do his job.”

“What do you want to talk about?”
Crossing his arms, Kalder explained, “You

know  when  the  toxin  went  airborne,  that  people
either  were  poisoned  to  death,  immune  or
physically  altered.  Most  of  the  anti-venoms don’t
know  this,  but  there  are  senses  we  picked  up
when the venom altered us. The toxin that forever

Jackie Nacht

changed us also made us aware of the chemical or
aphrodisiac that attracts us to our mate. The toxin
enhances it to the point that we’re drawn to that
particular person.” Kalder stopped and tried to
figure out what to say next.

Reese waited, and after a moment, Kalder

continued,  “With  venoms,  it  works  fast,  damn
fast.  Both  parties  know  their  mate,  and  that’s  it.
Several  in  the  city  are  mated.  I  have  a  few  in
Mission  Territory  that  are  and  all  seem  to  be
happy. That’s why I’m aware of what’s going on.”

“So what are you saying?” Reese’s heart picked

up the pace.

“I’m saying that even though you aren’t venom,

I  know  you’re  my  mate.  Those  chemicals  are
throwing  me  off,  making  me  drawn  to  you,  and
fuck if I’m not risking a lot of people just to protect
you.” Kalder turned and walked away from Reese
while  brushing  his  hand  over  his  Mohawk  in
aggravation.

“I can go,” Reese murmured, backing up

toward the door. He didn’t want to be responsible
for risking the lives of others.

Kalder turned and stalked over to him,

grabbing a hold of Reese by the back of the neck,
drawing him into his body. “You don’t
understand. I can’t let you go. Just like Wilder will
never let Leif go.”

“Wait…Leif and Wilder?”

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“Yes, Leif and Wilder. You and me. We’re just

going to have to up the security and be extra
cautious of who sees you.” Kalder leaned down
and nuzzled his shoulder.

A shiver came over Reese’s body. The man was

covered in blood, yet Reese was still attracted to
him. Reese’s body responded and his cock
thickened and ached.

“Do you mean that we have to stay inside,

imprisoned?” Reese pressed his body closer.

“No, what I mean is that we need time to flush

out the ones who we can’t trust. I think we need to
have an area in Mission Territory that is concealed
for  family.  It’s  a risk  in  itself  to  be  a  target, but  I
think  it  will  allow  you  all  more  freedom.  While
you have been healing, we’ve been discussing it.”
Kalder  licked  a  path  up  his  neck,  and  Reese
moaned at the feel of the forked tongue.

What he would have feared only weeks ago,

now turned him on and had him leaning his head
to the side to give Kalder better access. “I don’t
want others to get hurt because of us.”

Kalder murmured against his neck, “No matter

what, Pacific Territory will always hunt us and try
to  take  over  all  of  Venom  City.  Their  goal  hasn’t
changed  just  because  you  and  your  friends  are
seeking  sanctuary  here.  The  only  thing  that  has
changed is that, now more than ever, I’m fighting
to protect not only my family, but my mate.”

Jackie Nacht

“I know you have this instinct, and I’m

attracted to you, don’t get me wrong. Just give me
time to catch up. I don’t think it matters whether
you’re anti-venom or venom. I feel it. Not sure if
you  are  giving  off  something  with  your  venom,
but I’m incredibly drawn to you, desire you. I feel
like  there’s  more  between  us,  it’s  just  really  fast.
My  body  has  made  up  its  mind,  I  just  want  my
heart and mind to catch up as well. I know that’s
probably not what you want to hear—” Reese was
cut off by Kalder.

“That’s exactly what I want to hear. I don’t

expect you to fall for me in a day. The fact that
you’re even thinking about giving this a chance is
more than I could ask for.” Kalder stared down at
him and cupped his cheek.

“You’ve done so much for me and my friends.

I’m not sure if I ever thanked you for it.” Reese
whispered.

“You don’t need to. I wanted to help.”
Reese took the initiative to reach up and

capture Kalder’s lips. They had kissed before, but
the added days of care and understanding had the
kiss meaning more somehow. Licking the seam of
Kalder’s lips, he asked without words for access to
that mouth. Kalder groaned and opened up for
him, drawing him closer. Their tongues worked as
one; even as different as they were, somehow it
felt perfect.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

God, Reese wished they could take this further.

His body ached and he craved more from Kalder.
It had been a long time since that single encounter
he’d had with that one person. To be with Kalder,
Reese shuddered and rubbed his erection against
the cobra’s.

Kalder picked him up, walking him over to the

corner where the bed was, and they fell in a heap
on top of the messy sheets. Kalder sat up and
ripped off his shirt so that Reese got his first real
look at the cobra’s body.

To say it was a work of art would be an

understatement.  Dark  scales  were  intricately
placed  to  almost  look  like  tattoos  across  the
shoulders. It was chilling and hauntingly beautiful
at the same time. Reese reached out tentatively to
brush  the  tips  of  fingers  along  the  pale  scales  at
the  abdomen.  The  pattern  faded,  and  then  his
fingers  were  brushing  over  smooth  skin.  By  the
coloring  alone,  you  wouldn’t  be  able  to  tell  what
were scales and what  was flesh. They  blended so
well.

Reese almost felt plain compared to the man

above him. However, he didn’t get much time to
think about it as Kalder leaned back down and
kissed every thought out of his mind. Reese
wrapped his legs and arms around Kalder as they
ground their erections against one another. Reese
huffed out and broke the kiss, burying his face in
Kalder’s shoulder.

Jackie Nacht

“Feels good.”
“Want inside of you.” Kalder groaned as he

nipped the skin along his neck.

“Want you, too.” Reese rolled his hips, showing

Kalder just how damn much he wanted the cobra.

Kalder leaned back and began tugging at

Reese’s pants when there was a knock at the door.

Kalder let out a juicy curse, and Reese blew out

a breath as the man got up and stalked toward the
door. “This better be important.”

Kalder opened the door, and Reese leaned up

on his elbows to see that it was Wilder and Leif.

“We ugh…shit, we can come back later.”

Wilder rubbed the back of his light hair as if
nervous.

“What is it? Is someone hurt?” Kalder’s voice

held authority.

“No. We’d all like to have dinner and discuss

options.”  Wilder  stood  there,  his  scorpion’s  tail
resting  on  the  ground.  Reese  thought  the  tail
looked  wicked  even  when  it  wasn’t  poised  to
strike.

Reese watched as a private conversation went

on between the two before Kalder stepped back
and closed the door.

Kalder stared at him for a moment. “I need to

get in the shower, and you should probably join
me. We need to meet the others.”

Without waiting, Kalder went to the bathroom,

and Reese stared down to see that his chest had

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

traces of blood on it. Someone that Kalder had
taken out earlier. Reese jumped out of bed and
went to the shower to join Kalder. As much as he
desired Kalder, he wanted the blood off now, and
he was anxious to see his friends.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Seven

he sun was setting as Kalder placed dishes on
the picnic tables on the rooftop. Before, the

tables  had  been  used  to  hold  weapons  for
surveillance.  Now,  they  were  holding  simple
dishes  so  everyone  could  get  a  chance  to  sit
outside and eat, while the weapons were laid in a
corner to the side. Fuck, his nerves were on edge.

It was just for a couple hours. The anti-venoms

hadn’t had a chance to get out and get some fresh
air since they had arrived. If he could give them an
hour of some damn fresh air, it would probably go
a  long  way  in  keeping  the  men  not  feeling  like
their  damn  prisoners.  Wilder  had  said  it  would
help in their healing, and Kalder had listened. As
he  stared  out  at  the  ocean,  he  was  regretting
agreeing to any of this.

The door opened, and Reese stepped out into

the light. The man had a small smile on his face as
he turned his gaze upon the fading sun. Just the
sight of his mate being content suddenly made it
worthwhile for them to be doing this.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Julius and Prescott came out next, and they all

approached.

Cash was next to him, staring out at the horizon

with a rifle in hand. The octopus had been on edge
lately,  fearing  another  attack.  Cash  was  the  only
one  with  long-term  exposure  to  Reef,  so  when
Cash  was  nervous,  Kalder  took  notice.  If  he
thought  there  was  a  threat,  there  was.  Kalder
gripped  his  knives  next  to  him,  making  sure  he
was armed and ready.

“Everything okay?” Reese’s brows furrowed in

concern.

“Yeah, it’s all clear. Come and sit.” Kalder led

Reese over to the table and sat down next to him
as Prescott and Julius took the seats across from
them.

A moment later, the steel door opened and

Wilder  brought  Leif  out,  hand  in  hand.  The  man
still appeared weaker than the others, and Kalder
had to wonder how long it would take before the
youngest of the anti-venoms recovered. No matter
how  long,  Kalder  knew  Leif  was  in  good  hands.
Wilder  was  scanning  the  area,  holding  a  blade
next  to  him.  He  was  even  more  wound  up  than
Kalder at the moment.

They were about to start eating when Kalder

felt it, that feeling of several presences
surrounding them. “Cash get them inside.” Kalder
hissed out.

Jackie Nacht

Kalder stood and unsheathed his blade as

several funnel web spiders came over the side of
the brick wall.

The fuckers were hideous. Some had black hair,

some  had  extra  eyes,  and  there  were  even  a  few
that  had  extra  legs  that  helped  them  get  up  the
wall  to  face  off  against  them.  All  of  them,  every
fucking  single  one  of  them,  had  venom  dripping
from their fangs. They had a lethal bite. They were
also aggressive  assassins, which Kalder had dealt
with  one  time  prior.  He  still  had  the  scars  as  a
reminder of that encounter.

The scales on his head flared up, creating a

small hood around his Mohawk. Kalder didn’t
even have time to worry if Reese would be freaked
out by the change when the first spider attacked.

Kalder yanked Reese behind him and swung

with his blade, making a clean slice to the spider’s
chest. Kalder watched as Cash and Wilder
protected the other anti-venoms as they engaged
in battle.

Kalder searched and saw Prescott and Julius

handing the others the weapons from behind.
Gunshots rang out, and spiders began to drop as
Cash fired on them.

Wilder had a sword and was cutting off

appendages.

Kalder was barely holding his own, resorting to

use mostly his arms and legs to fight.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

He stabbed a female funnel, losing his blade,

and Kalder knew he was in trouble.

He struck one with his fangs in the throat as he

kicked another with his booted foot. Kalder knew
he was starting to lose the battle when Cash threw
him a sword.

Finally, able to do some damage, Kalder put all

his  fury  into  the  fight.  He  was  skilled  with  a
sword,  and  precision  had  him  striking  a  lethal
blow  more  than  once  on  spiders.  He  swung  the
sword  and  took  out  spider  after  spider.  There
were so many of them.

Glancing to his right, he saw Wilder strike one

with his tail before swinging the spider over the
ledge to fall to his death.

Vaguely, Kalder heard the steel door open and

knew reinforcements were there. Turning, he
reached for Reese behind him, but found his mate
in the arms of a funnel web. The thing was trying
to take his mate over the ledge.

Hissing, Kalder raised his sword and went after

the fucker.

Reese was doing everything he could to break

free. He had a knife in his hand and was using it
on the spider’s neck over and over. The guy
should be dead. Reese continued to face off
against the spider with everything he had.

Reaching them, Kalder used his fists, punching

the asshole in the face several times until Reese
broke free of the spider’s legs.

Jackie Nacht

The spider fell in a heap on the ground, and

Kalder drew back to deliver the killing blow when
the funnel web looked up at him. From out of
nowhere, the funnel placed a hollow reed to his
lips and blew.

Kalder attempted to deflect the spines coming

at him, but they embedded in his chest.

The spider laughed harshly before dark blood

spilled from his lips. “A gift from Reef.”

Kalder screamed, and with a swing, took the

spider’s head off.

He sank to his knees, already feeling the venom

begin to work through his body.

The fighting continued around him, but

Kalder’s body ignited with red-hot pain. His gaze
roamed until it connected with Reese’s. The anti-
venom let out a cry and reached for him just as he
collapsed to the ground.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Chapter Eight

o, no, no.” Reese scrambled over to Kalder
as the venom collapsed right before him.

“Wilder!” Reese shouted, and there was
immediately a team of venom protecting the two
of them.

“Talk to me, Kalder,” Reese said as he lifted

Kalder’s head into his lap.

“Spines,” Kalder choked out, severe pain

etched on his face.

The tissue around the spines was already

turning black, dying off from the venom.

Wilder came over and picked up the cobra,

running toward the steel doors.

Reese followed close behind. Reese descended

the stairs as quickly as possible, trying to keep up.
Turning the corner, he saw the scorpion taking
Kalder into a room Reese hadn’t seen yet.

It looked to be a medical room. There were

bandages and other things that Reese had never
seen.

“N

Jackie Nacht

Wilder was frantic. “Hang on, Kalder, hang

on.”

Kalder was lying on the table, body stiff in

agony.

Reese stopped beside him.
“What can I do to help?” Reese shook as he

brushed Kalder’s Mohawk back.

Wilder stopped in his tracks. “Have him bite

you.” Wilder whispered before he turned and
went digging into drawers.

Bite me? Was that even how it worked?
Kalder was gritting his teeth so hard Reese

feared that he would chip them.

“What do I do?” Reese yelled to Wilder.
Wilder ran back to them. “I’m not sure it will

even work. I’ve never worked with anti-venoms
before. Have him bite you and ingest your blood.”

Reese leaned over Kalder who writhed on the

table. “I think I’m going to need a knife to cut
myself with.”

Wilder provided a blade, but Kalder jackknifed

on the table, almost sending Reese flying.

“No,” Kalder growled out.
Reese stared down at Kalder, and he knew then

he would do what it took to make sure the cobra
survived. Kalder was his savior and protector;
Reese only wanted to do the same for the man he
was growing to care about so deeply.

“Let me try…please,” Reese pleaded with

Kalder.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Wilder pushed the knife into Reese’s hand

again, and Reese attempted to cut his neck,
thinking it would be easier, but Kalder was
starting to seize up on him from below.

“Cut me, Wilder! We don’t have any more

time,” Reese was panicking. He didn’t want to
lose Kalder, not when they had just found each
other.

Wilder tilted his head. Swiftly, he cut Reese’s

neck and he gasped at the hot pain.

Reese leaned closer to Kalder and tried to get

him to drink from the wound. “Help, Wilder.”

Cash burst into the room, causing Reese to

jump.

Wilder turned, ready for an attack until he saw

it was Cash. “We’re losing him.”

Cash rushed to their leader. “I’ll steady his

head. You steady Reese.”

Cash scooped up Kalder’s lolling head. Reese

leaned down and attempted to line up his wound
with Kalder’s mouth.

Reese felt the brush of lips along his neck and

then on the wound. For a moment, nothing
happened, and then Kalder struck. A hiss escaped
the man as he wrapped his arms around Reese,
stealing his breath.

Kalder rolled him and yanked his head to the

side to get better access. Reese heard the loud
sucking sounds as Kalder drank from him.

Jackie Nacht

There was movement to his side. “Reese,

how’re you doing?” Cash got into his line of
vision, blue eyes filled with concern.

“I’m…” Reese’s mouth felt like it was filling

with cotton.

Cash yelled to Wilder, “We need to stop it now!

Kalder’s taking too much.”

Spots danced in Reese’s vision, and the beat of

his  heart  slowed.  He  felt  a  couple  of  tugs  to  his
neck,  and  then,  Reese  felt  cool  air  above  him  as
Kalder was ripped away. Cash was there, holding
a towel to his neck as Wilder fought Kalder. Reese
sat  up  to  see  Kalder  swinging  wildly  around.  It
was as though the man was drunk  for a  moment
before he crumpled into a heap on the ground.

Reese pulled away from Cash, grabbing the

towel. He hopped off the table and dropped down
next to an unconscious Kalder.

“What’s wrong with him?” Reese rolled Kalder

over and checked his pulse.

The pulse was stronger now. Reese inspected

Kalder’s wound and saw the area where the
spines had been injected was still in rough shape.

Cash came over and circled the wound on

Kalder’s chest with a black marker.

“What?” Reese asked.
“It’s to let us know if the wound is getting

bigger or not.” Cash sat back on his heels. “I think
we need to get him back on the table.”

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“No, take him to his room. He’ll be more

comfortable there.” Reese stood and followed
Cash as he carried the cobra to his room.

Cash lay Kalder on his bed, and Reese ran to

the bathroom to get some cool cloths. He stepped
back into the room to see Cash staring at Kalder,
lost in thought.

“My friend cares for you. Take good care of

him.” Cash turned on him with those penetrating
blue eyes. There was something in them that Reese
couldn’t quite read, then the octopus walked out
of the room.

Reese climbed onto the bed and used the cloth

to clean Kalder’s face. Rubbing his own head with
his palm, he realized he was feeling pretty awful
himself.

Murmuring softly, “We need to get you fixed

up.” Reese swallowed, “I need you to get fixed
up.”

Reese continued to talk into the dark room.

“We  didn’t  have  enough  time.  I  just  met  you,
Kalder.”  Reese  huffed  out  a  breath.  “I  just  want
more  time  with  you.  To  see  the  possibilities  of
what was happening between us.”

Reese rearranged himself to lay next to Kalder,

softly rubbing his arm.

A few minutes later, Wilder came in with a

tight expression. “I brought you some food. With
him taking your blood, you need to get some juice
and a decent meal in you.”

Jackie Nacht

Reese sat up and began drinking the juice. “Is

he doing any better?”

Wilder stared down at Kalder and inspected his

chest. “The poison hasn’t spread. They’re still red
and some of the tissue is damaged but…yeah, I’m
hopeful.” Wilder brushed his friends mohawk
before he stepped out.

Reese sat next to Kalder and ate his food and

drank his juice, the whole time watching Kalder as
if the man would just open his eyes and be okay.

Reese put his plate on the floor next to the bed

and  lay  back  down  with  Kalder,  holding  him  on
his  uninjured  side.  “I’m  going  to  be  with  you  all
night,  and the next day. I’m never going to leave
your side.”

Closing his eyes, Reese buried his face onto the

massive shoulder, feeling his fatigue finally
winning over.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Chapter Nine

h c’mon. You have got to be kidding me. I’ve
been in this damn bed for six days.” Kalder

started to stand, and Wilder pushed him back
down and none too gently.

“If Reese hadn’t given you his blood you would

have  been  laid  out  for  months  or  dead,  you
asshole.  Stonefish  venom  wounds  never  heal  this
quickly  so  quit  bitching.  Reese  said  you  need
another day, and he’s right.” Wilder pointed to the
wound on his chest.

It could have been worse, so much worse.

Kalder would always have a scar, but Reese had
saved him. Where is he anyway?

As if reading his thoughts, Reese came through

the door with a smile on his face and hands full of
fresh linens.

“Good. You’re back. Now you try to keep him

in bed. He won’t listen to me.” Wilder stalked
over to the door and left.

“Are you being a bad patient?” Reese raised a

brow at him.

“O

Jackie Nacht

“I’m not a patient. I have a lot of work to do.”

Kalder went to get out of bed, and Reese dropped
the linens on a chair and rushed to him. Why is it

such a problem for him to see what the hell was going
on? Plus, he was damn tired of this bed.

“I take that as a yes.” Reese crawled on top of

Kalder, straddling him.

“Well, I could be persuaded to stay in bed.”

Kalder murmured and grabbed onto Reese’s hips
loosely. His cock was already aching and hard
beneath the sheet.

“You’re still healing,” Reese protested,

scrambling off him.

Kalder threw off the covers and grabbed his

own cock, stroking it slowly. He moaned as his
cock became stiffer.

“What are you doing?” Reese stared at him, jaw

dropping.

“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Kalder winked at

Reese.

Kalder loved the blush creeping into Reese’s

cheeks.  Oh  and  the  fact  that  Reese’s  pretty  gray
eyes  still  hadn’t  moved  away  from  him  working
his  cock.  Kalder  glanced  down  and  noticed  that
Reese  was  rubbing  the  palm  of  his  hand  over  a
noticeable erection in his pants.

“Kalder, you’re hurt,” Reese chastised.
Kalder moaned as he rubbed his fingers along

the tip of his wet cock, getting lubrication for a
smoother stroke.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“Fine.” Reese began stripping.
Kalder could not contain his smile. He went to

sit up when Reese put up a hand.

“I don’t think so. You’re not moving. Let me

take care of you.” Reese stripped completely, and
Kalder looked his fill.

Reese was still thin, but already Kalder could

see the difference. There were no longer bones
angling against his skin, and the pale, sickly look
was completely gone. His blond hair was mussed,
and it made him look damn sexy.

Kalder watched as Reese crawled up from the

foot of the bed, kissing a path up his legs until he
got to his hipbone. Groaning, Kalder released his
cock, watching as his mate licked a path from his
hipbone to the base of his cock. Reese took him in
hand before he swallowed him all the way.

“Fuck,” Kalder yelled as he lifted his hips off

the mattress.

Reese pushed his hips back down, pulling his

mouth away from his now-wet cock. “Do I need to
stop?” Reese asked then licked his swollen lips.

“Huh?” He’s asking me questions now?
“You’re moving.” Reese held the base of

Kalder’s dick but didn’t stroke it.

“I can’t move at all?” Kalder argued.
“Not at all. You’re hurt, and I shouldn’t even be

doing this.”

Jackie Nacht

Kalder stared down at his dick. “The only thing

that’s hurting is what’s in your hand. I’m all but
healed, Reese.”

Reese snorted. “It’s not that bad.”
A string of precum slowly landed on Reese’s

hand. “Yeah, it is.”

Reese hopped off the bed and went to the

bathroom.

Oh fuck, I just blew it.
Before he could growl in frustration, Reese

came in with a bottle of oil, waving it at Kalder.
“Maybe if I ride you, it will keep you pinned a
little better.”

Kalder was not even going to try to dispute

that.

Reese crawled back on the bed and straddled

Kalder, uncapping the lube.

“I’m going to prep myself. You just sit back and

relax,” Reese murmured.

Kalder was mesmerized as he watched Reese’s

fingers disappear inside himself. He couldn’t see
what was happening, but the pleasure that crossed
Reese’s face was more than enough to keep him as
still as possible. He wanted Reese to surround his
cock.

“How many fingers?” Kalder moaned after a

moment, stroking his cock.

“Three,” Reese gasped.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

“You’ve done this a lot?” Kalder murmured as

he watched Reese’s cock drip precum onto his
stomach.

Reese chuckled. “More than you can imagine.

I’ve always enjoyed doing this to myself.”

Kalder could imagine a lot.
Reese pulled his fingers free and grabbed the

oil.  He  uncapped  the  bottle  before  dripping  it  all
over Kalder’s cock. There was a time when people
had  worried  about  diseases,  but  with  the  toxin,
nothing  survived,  and  those  that  could  be
potential  carriers  never  made  it.  He  knew  that
whatever  flowed  in  his  veins  kept  him  from
catching diseases. Still…

“Are you clean?” Kalder hated to kill the

moment. He wasn’t even sure anti-venom could
carry diseases either.

“I’ve done this one time with someone and it

was  with  another  guy  I  grew  up  with.  We  were
each  other’s  first.  He  disappeared  a  year  ago,”
Reese  whispered.  “Our  body  doesn’t  get  those
kinds of diseases. We may not be physical altered
by the venom, but some things did change in us.
That was one on them along with our blood being
a cure for you.”

“Did you love him?” Kalder hated the way this

was going.

“We were friends. It’s not like with you. I’m

falling in love with you,” Reese said as he grabbed
a hold of Kalder’s wet cock and lined him up.

Jackie Nacht

All thoughts scattered as Reese sank down on

him. Fuck, did he ever feel good.

“Tight,” Kalder moaned in pleasure.
Reese rested his hand on Kalder’s chest, careful

of the wound. He slowly began to sink farther
down until he reached his base, panting. “Hold
still,” Reese huffed out.

Kalder hadn’t even realized he was slowly

pumping up into Reese. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to
hurt you.”

“You didn’t. You are injured and not supposed

to move.” Reese lifted up then slid back down,
getting into a rhythm.

“Ah fuck.” Kalder grabbed onto Reese’s hips

and got ready for the ride.

Reese’s legs strained every time he worked

himself back onto Kalder’s cock.

Moaning, Kalder couldn’t get over his cock

disappearing into the tight entrance. It had been a
long time since he’d fucked someone, and this was
so much better and different. This was his first
time making love to someone he cared deeply for.

Reese gripped a hold of his own cock, stroking

it for Kalder to see. “I’m not going to last much
longer, Kalder.” Reese’s voice hitched.

Kalder broke the rules and tightened his grip

on Reese’s hips, rolling him over. It was time to
take over. He might be healing, but he had enough
energy to make love to Reese.

Intoxicated by the King Cobra

Rolling his hips, Kalder pumped his cock in

and  out  to  the  sounds  of  Reese’s  pleasurable
screams.  Leaning  down,  he  took  Reese  in  a  deep
kiss,  licking  and  sucking  at  his  lips,  tongues
working while fucking each other.

Kalder leaned back and huffed out a breath. He

batted Reese’s hand away and took Reese’s cock in
his own hand, pumping it to the same rhythm.

Reese let out a strangled cry, and Kalder felt the

splash  of  cum  hit  his  hand  and  stomach.  He
massaged  Reese’s  cock  until  the  man  went  limp
underneath  then  sat  up,  hiking  Reese’s  legs  over
his arms. Kalder worked his cock in a couple more
times  before  he  felt  himself  cum,  flooding  the
inside of Reese.

Rung out, Kalder rolled to the side, breathing

heavily.

“You moved,” Reese murmured.
Kalder laughed. “That I did, and it was worth

it.”

Reese rolled to lie face to face. “I meant what I

said. I’m falling for you.”

“I’m there. I’ve already fallen in love with you.”

Kalder reached out and placed a soft kiss on the
swollen lips.

“I don’t want to lose you. Venom City is toxic.”

Reese stroked the scales along his Mohawk, and
until then, Kalder had never imagined that touch
feeling so good.

Jackie Nacht

“What are you trying to say?” Kalder closed his

eyes as those hands ran over his body.

“I’m saying there is a lot of underdeveloped

towns  in  the  country.  Some  of  them  may  even
have  some  of  the  necessities  we  need  to  survive.
Some  are  just  a  couple  miles  from  here.”  Reese
brushed his lips along Kalder’s.

“You want to leave Venom City,” Kalder stated.
“I want us all to live outside the city. Let’s get a

home, a sanctuary that’s not in the heart of this
war.” Reese leaned up on one arm and stared
down at him. “Please.”

It hit Kalder hard. He didn’t want Reese to be

hurt or his friends, but he didn’t want to walk
away and let others be hurt by Reef and his lust
for power. What Reese was asking for was a good
compromise. Reaching out, he grabbed Reese and
pulled him in for a kiss.

“In the morning, we’ll begin looking for a home

in a safer location.” Kalder kissed his mate.

Reese pulled back, smiling at him, love

showing in his eyes. For him. “Now rest. Sounds
like we have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Yes, mate.” Kalder smiled as he closed his

eyes.

“Bet your ass I am. I love being your mate.”
Kalder felt Reese snuggle in next to him, and he

closed his eyes, hoping they would find a safer
home tomorrow.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long
way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through
her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she
thought it was time to put her own stories on paper.
Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended
with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where

there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late
so she could read just one more chapter—yeah, right—
Jackie  decided  to  write  short  romances  for  young
adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high
school  and  college  students,  or  working  men  and
women  something  they  can  read  during  their  lunch
hour,  in  between  classes  or  just  when  they  want  to
briefly  get  away  from  the  daily  stresses  of  everyday
life.

LINKS:
Website:

www.jackienacht.com

Blog:

www.jackienacht.com/blog

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_tnmn

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JackieNacht

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