Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 287

Chapter 287: 287-Kiss The Snake

Helanie:

“But I was just speaking for you. Now, see, you have to take Charlotte out for shopping–,” as Emma continued to make her point clear, Maximus’s confused expression not only caught my attention but also Emma’s.

“Oh, it’s just that she needs a few things,” Emma laughed like it was something funny.

“I have to? That’s quite a strong statement. Anyway, you can take her. Why should I? She’s not my responsibility. As for Helanie and this job–,” he stopped when I shifted in my seat, ready to speak for myself now that Maximus had already given them something embarrassing to think about.

“I don’t mind cleaning the mansion or cooking for money. Every type of work is work, and I respect hard workers. However, it was Lord McQuoid’s wish that I work for Maximus, and it’s also something right in my field. Don’t worry, if I ever felt like crying, I’d borrow your shoulder since this is where your daughter cries all the time too,” I said with a smile, which instantly made Emma’s face fall.

She looked like she was about to cry. But more than that, she probably would have tackled me if Maximus hadn’t been sitting right next to her.

Charlotte pouted, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying in front of us.

“See! You should learn from Helanie. Every job is respectable. So, I think Charlotte should start working at the mansion, right? Sitting at home doing nothing and picking on everyone is a bad habit,” Maximus said with a wide grin, while Charlotte’s one lonely tear slipped down her cheek.

“Anyway. Helanie, if you’re ready, we should head to my garage,” Maximus wiped his mouth and stood up. I quickly got up after him, figuring Charlotte needed some alone time to collect her thoughts–or maybe cry on her mother’s shoulder.

“My daughter is always very hard-working–,” Emma tried to defend Charlotte, but it was a little too late.

Maximus and I were already out of sight, heading toward the exit. For the first time, he had me sit in the passenger seat with him.

“What are these?” I asked, frowning as I noticed the adorable kawaii notebooks and pens on the dashboard, along with keychains labeled “Helanie” hanging from them.

“These are for you. You’ll be writing down the progress on the weapons, so I thought you might like these,” he shrugged, making me smile slightly.

Did he really think I was a kid who would enjoy this kind of stationery?

“You know I can write on anything–oh look! A poppit diary!” I suddenly exclaimed, bouncing in my seat as I pressed the poppit bubbles on the cover.

“I knew it,” he commented with a laugh.

We made it to his garage and hurried inside to grab the weapons.

“We’ll only test two today,” he muttered, gesturing for me to grab one of the boxes while he picked up another.

I was glad he was including me, though I wouldn’t have minded if he thought I shouldn’t carry anything. I wasn’t the type to overanalyze every action. I hated being judged for small things, so I didn’t want to do that to anyone else.

He drove us to the woods, and soon we were walking deeper into them to examine the weapons.

“So, what are these weapons?” I asked, holding the notebook he had given me.

“It’s called the Venom’s Kiss dagger,” Maximus explained, prompting me to start jotting down notes.

“See these jagged edges? When the dagger is dipped in venom, the silver in these grooves holds the venom securely. When someone is stabbed, the venom causes their flesh to attack itself. Not only that, but with every passing hour, the victim starts hallucinating. They relive memories–some that traumatized them and others they’re proud of–over and over again.”

His words sent shivers down my spine.

These were some dangerous weapons. If they fell into the wrong hands, the werewolf world could very well be doomed.

“Wow!” I exclaimed.

“Impressed? Wait until you see the next one,” he smirked. “Thanks to Kaye too. It’s because of his knowledge of herbs that we’re able to put together such weapons.”

“But where do you guys use them? I mean, do you use them in wars?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Do you sell them to the packs too?” I continued writing.

“No! That’s the part that has upset many pack members. They want us to sell them these weapons. But we don’t want just anyone having this kind of power. Whenever these weapons are needed, my brothers and I go personally to use them,” Maximus said, giving me a sense of hope as he explained that they don’t just give these weapons out to anyone in the pack.

“Now this–,” he brought out a large dagger that was shaped like a snake.

“Helanie! This one is called snake’s target. Once I drop this one–” he started, “it will come to life. In the next two minutes, it will search for its victim to bite,” he explained, holding the snake-like arrow.

My hands were shaking as I wrote about this one. I didn’t like snakes. In fact, I was terrified of them.

“How does it find a victim?” I asked, watching him smirk with pride.

“The one who kisses its tail becomes the master. They launch it in the direction of the enemy, and the snake kind of sees through its master’s eyes,” he said, looking so proud of himself. He stared at the tree for a moment before holding the dagger close to his lips, then turned to me and changed his mind.

“You do it,” he offered.

I hesitated for a second, then, with trembling hands, I accepted it. He watched as I kissed the dagger on its tail and then launched it.

As soon as it hit the ground, the dagger transformed into a silver snake.

“No!” Maximus stepped behind me, knowing I would react in fear. He wrapped his arms around me to help me stay still and focus on my target.

I wanted to aim for the tree, but somehow, Rayden’s face kept flashing before my eyes.

The next thing I knew, the snake had sped way past the tree.

“What the heck! Helanie, who did you imagine?” Maximus jumped in front of me to ask.

“Rayden!” I muttered, my voice shaking.