Betrayed by My Wife, I Became the Serpent Lord

Chapter 004

Nick tensed, ready to defend himself.

But Granny Whitmore only reached inside her coat and pulled out a small hand drum. She passed it to Tom, who accepted it with exaggerated respect, smirked at Nick, and began beating a steady rhythm.

The old woman launched into a bizarre dance. Her arms jerked, her shoulders twitched, and she hopped around Tom on one foot, eyes squeezed shut as she chanted in a shrill, wavering voice.

Nick watched for a while, growing increasingly unimpressed. Was this really how people summoned an Elder Spirit?

At last, Granny Whitmore stopped. She shuddered from head to foot, curled her fingers like claws, and bared her teeth.

"Granny Gray has arrived!" she screeched. "Who dares cause trouble in my presence?"

With her pinched features and twitching nose, she looked more like an oversized rat than ever.

Once, Nick might have been frightened by the performance. But after what he'd inherited from the true Guardian Spirits, he could tell at a glance that she was bluffing.

He gave a derisive smile and walked toward her.

"So you're the disrespectful little wretch," Granny Whitmore growled, still playing her part. "Kneel before me, or I'll bring divine punishment down on your head and wipe you from existence!"

Nick stopped in front of her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

Immediately, Granny Whitmore felt as though a mountain had been lowered onto her back. Her knees buckled under the growing pressure. She struggled to move, but even lifting one foot was impossible.

"Godmother!" Tom cried, rushing forward.

The copperhead on Nick's shoulder turned its head and exposed its fangs. Tom skidded to a stop, stumbled backward over a rock, and landed hard on his backside.

Nick leaned toward the old woman with a grim smile.

"Aren't you getting a little old to scam people? Take my advice. Stop pretending to serve the Gray Spirits. Sooner or later, someone might make you answer for it."

Granny Whitmore looked up. The morning sunlight fell across Nick's shoulders, and for a terrifying moment he seemed to tower over her like a divine being. Her resistance collapsed, and she dropped to her knees.

"Please, master! Spare me!"

Nick looked down at her, then turned his gaze on Tom.

"Your family owes me plenty. I'll collect every cent, with interest."

Tom froze under that stare. He couldn't even turn his head. Nick's eyes were so cold and empty of sympathy that he felt as if he were being cut apart piece by piece. Warmth spread down the inside of his pant leg.

Nick wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Get out of my sight."

The command seemed to release Tom from whatever held him. He scrambled to his feet and fled, stumbling as he went. Granny Whitmore hurried after him, shaking her head. But once Nick could no longer see her, she stopped and looked back with naked hatred.

"You'll pay for this, you little bastard," she muttered.

Nick was unaware of the threat. As far as he was concerned, she was just a fraud. Once both visitors had disappeared, he looked toward a nearby haystack.

"You can come out now."

Joseph Sloan emerged, carrying several bags and wearing an awkward smile.

"Should've known I couldn't hide from you, Nick."

Nick snorted and walked back into the shrine. It was still bitterly cold outside, and even the copperhead seemed eager to escape the weather. As soon as they entered, it slipped off his shoulder and vanished into a crack in the wall.

Joseph followed cautiously, looking around as though expecting a hundred snakes to burst from the floor at any moment.

"Sit," Nick said, settling cross-legged on the bed.

Joseph put down the bags and bowed his head. "Just a little something to show my appreciation. I hope you'll accept it."

When Nick didn't respond, Joseph hurriedly opened one of the cases. Inside were neat stacks of cash.

"Forty-five thousand dollars," he said. "It's all yours."

Nick didn't even glance at the money. "Put it away."

Joseph hurried to close the case. He rubbed his hands together nervously.

"I've already hired some people to put pressure on Alison's family. If she won't pay you back, I'll make sure none of them gets a moment's peace."

"That's quite a change of heart," Nick remarked. "Not long ago, you couldn't keep your hands off her. Now you're turning her life upside down?"

Joseph's heart sank. He dropped to his knees with a thud.

"It was a stupid mistake! I had no right to touch your wife. Your ex-wife, I mean. Punish me however you like, Nick. I deserve it. Just... if you'd give me a chance to work for you, I'd do anything. I mean that."

Nick hadn't forgotten what Joseph had done. Still, a man this eager to make himself useful could serve a purpose.

"Get up."

Joseph rose immediately. His eyes swept the cramped room.

"A man like you shouldn't have to live here. Why don't you stay at my place? I've got more than enough room."

Nick waved the suggestion away. "I don't like living under someone else's roof."

Joseph thought for a moment, then brightened. "Of course! I'll go see Michael Davis right now and get your house back."

"He paid for it, even if Alison had no right to sell it. What I won't forgive is the way he threw me out on Christmas Eve." Nick pointed toward the money. "Take the cash and buy the house back. Come here once it's settled."

"Leave it to me! Alison sold it behind your back. I'll tell Michael to hand the place over and take up the payment with her."

Nick offered no further comment. Joseph quickly gathered his things and hurried outside.

Once he was beyond the gate, he turned toward the shrine and spat on the ground.

"Who does that bastard think he is? If I weren't scared my equipment would never work again, you think I'd be groveling at his feet?"

He had no idea Nick heard every word.

Inside, Nick smiled faintly. He'd never mistaken Joseph for a loyal friend. The man was a vicious opportunist, and Nick would have dealt with him already if he hadn't been useful.

Nick realized he hadn't eaten breakfast, so he took some cash and walked to a small diner on the edge of Cedar Hollow. He ordered a simple meal, hoping for a moment of peace.

The owner, Vicky Pitt, sighed when she saw him.

"Nick, if you ever need something to eat, you come here. I can always spare a meal for you."

"I still have money, Vicky," Nick assured her gratefully.

News of his marriage must have spread through the entire village by now. It meant a great deal that someone would offer him help when so many others were enjoying his humiliation.

"I know, sweetheart. It's just..." Vicky sighed again. "I'm a widow, and people already gossip enough about me. Otherwise I'd tell you to come stay at my house."

Nick opened his mouth to thank her, but a sharp pain suddenly ripped through his chest. His knees almost gave way beneath him.