The Viper's Curse (The Viper's Den #1)

Chapter 1

She collected her clothes from the ground and watched as he gasped for air. Then, she dressed and walked up to the bed he lay on.

"Rest well, my lord." She said, caressing his face.

"That I will." The man said, panting.

She watched as he continued to struggle, his breathing frantic, until suddenly, there was silence.

"May your soul go peacefully onto the afterlife," The beauty prayed before slipping out of the room

"Is he dead?" A voice asked from the darkness outside.

"As dead as he can ever be." She answered

"Good." The voice said, stepping out of the shadows. An older woman appeared before her.

She was tall, at least a head more than Mohini, with fair skin that reminded her of the ivory chess set she owned. Her round brown eyes, full lips, and straight nose made her the epitome of beauty, grace, and regality. She brushed her braid, streaked with gray, over her shoulder.

"Don't you think it's too rude to snoop in on another girl's assignment?" Mohini asked as a smile tugged at her lips.

"You know I enjoy following up on assignments," Naagai had a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

The two women stared at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Was it hard to do it this time as well?"

"It's never easy to take one's life, even if one deserves death."

"Our job is a necessary evil in society; we break our virtues to uphold the virtue of those high-class, moon-skinned pigs."

"Are you not just describing yourself?" Mohini looked at Naagai with amusement.

"Indeed, but unlike them, I have a heart of gold and venom in my veins."

"Yet, people only look at us with hatred and at them with admiration,"

Naagai sighed and gazed up at the moon. "We must not dwell on that, Mohini. It may not get any easier, but soon you will find yourself thriving from the sadness. You will start to look at death as a friend rather than a foe."

"Birth may not happen, but death is always guaranteed."

"That it is, my friend."

Both women returned to the bordello, where they found the Madame waiting for them.

"Naagai, so glad you finally joined us tonight without disappearing." the Madame said, in tones dripping of sarcasm.

"I couldn't bear to leave them alone, especially today," said Naagai with a sly smile of, not quite noticing the displeasure in Madame.

Nagakanya looked at Naagai with a face of disapproval. Naagai noticed, and her smile dropped. Mohini watched as both women had a silent conversation with their eyes.

"Mohini, my dear, why don't you go tend to animals," the Madame said.

"Yes, Madame."

Mohini entered the worn-down four-floor building in front of her. The smell of sandalwood, camphor, and roses invaded her senses—the scent of her home. Young girls were in the middle courtyard getting their henna done under the oil lamps. Some girls were rushing to the nearby waterfall in the woods to bathe. Others were sharing the events of their recent hunts. She walked past her sisters' hustle and bustle until she reached the back of the structure.

Once again, she stepped out into the warm night and walked to the corner of the compound where a small shrine of the snake gods Sesha, Vasuki, and Manasa had been erected. Paying her respects, Mohini sat near the altar's steps, basking in the moonlight's soft glow.