Chapter 1

After I sponsored Evan Hayes, the hottest guy in school, who could barely afford tuition, he was so moved that he asked me out that very night to talk about his childhood trauma.

But a massive black snake slithered out of nowhere and cut us off.

I was just about to grab the uninvited guest and toss it outside when a comment suddenly popped up right in front of my eyes. [Stop! Summer, put it down! That's your husband!!]

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, and I almost screamed out loud. "Husband, my ass."

The comments kept scrolling across my vision.

[Lmao. Blake's heart is probably in pieces right now. He was so worried about Summer that he shifted back into his true form and followed her all the way here, only to watch her spill her guts to some other guy.]

[Okay, but does nobody understand how possessive a snake-shifter is? Every single time Summer meets up with Evan, after that, Blake is going to be seething in silence, then fucking Summer until she can't see straight. I am screaming. This is too freaking good!]

*****

I never expected the usually cold and aloof Evan to turn pale at the sight of a snake.

My soft spot for good-looking guys kicked in again, and I looked up to reassure him. "Don't worry, it doesn't bite."

Evan's gaze settled on the snake, his voice cautious. "This snake is yours?"

I rubbed my nose awkwardly. "Not exactly."

I glanced at the snake and paused for a moment. "But I did watch it grow up. It looks scary, but it won't actually hurt anyone."

As if to prove my point, the big black snake that had been rearing its head and hissing at Evan just seconds ago now rested its head gently in my palm, nuzzling against me like it was begging for affection.

It didn't act like a snake at all. It was more like an overgrown puppy.

I stared at it, lost in thought. A four-foot black king snake sat coiled in my hands, and I felt no fear whatsoever. All I felt was pure curiosity about what my nemesis truly looked like in his original form.

Was this really Blake Sterling?

I always joked that Blake wasn't human, but I never imagined he literally wasn't. Like, in the most biological sense of the word.

Then I remembered the comments calling us the main couple, and it hit me. So this was a supernatural romance? A human and a snake? That was wild.

The last time I'd seen a setup like this was probably Bella and Edward in Twilight.

But honestly, the fact that my nemesis wasn't human shocked me way less than the fact that we were the endgame couple.

Holy crap.

So our arranged marriage wasn't arranged by our families. It was arranged by the author.

I felt played.

It wasn't my fault for overreacting.

Blake had been my sworn enemy for as long as I could remember. I'd had it out for him since we were kids.

On my fifth birthday, I closed my eyes in front of the cake and made a wish.

I said I wanted a little pet.

My dad glanced at my mom but didn't say a word.

Blake, on the other hand, lit up like a Christmas tree and told me he'd take care of it.

I beamed with joy.

The adults assumed he was playing along to make me happy, so they laughed it off and moved on.

That night, a massive black snake slithered right into my bed.

I let out a scream so loud it could've shattered glass.

Without even thinking, I grabbed the limited-edition Barbie off my pillow and hurled it at the thing. The Barbie hit the floor with a crack and split in half, and so did my heart.

I cried so hard that the whole neighborhood probably heard me.

I didn't dare move until that snake had fully disappeared out the window.

Then I crept out of my room, still shaking from head to toe, and found Blake crouching in our garden.

I was still trembling when I shouted at him, "Hey! Did you just see a huge black snake?"

He looked up and asked, "You mean the birthday present I got you? Pretty cool, right?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My eyes went wide, and I yelled, "That was you? You jerk. I hate you!"

The smug grin on little Blake's face crumbled instantly. His lip quivered, and he whined, "Why do you hate me? You said you wanted a pet. Why can't it be a snake?"

I stomped my foot and screamed back, "I wanted a fluffy little puppy or a kitten. Who wants a gross, slimy black snake? You go throw it away right now, or I'm never playing with you again!"

Blake looked genuinely hurt, but he agreed.

A few days later, though, I found a freshly shed snakeskin in Blake's garden. The pattern on it was identical to the snake that had shown up in my room that night.

This time, I didn't bother listening to his excuses. I marched right up to him and screamed in his face, "Liar. I'm never playing with you again!"