Den of Vipers

Six months later…

“Where are we going?” I ask for the eighth time. I had been busy setting up the last bits in the fifteenth Rich’s bar. That’s right, fifteenth—they were a hit. Taking off so rapidly I didn’t even know what to do. I guess now I’m also rich. Not that the guys care, they still spoil me like they are making up for a lifetime of neglect.

I let them of course.

The last six months have been a whirlwind. We moved into our house a couple of months back, and it’s not quite finished yet, but it’s fucking close. I love it, waking up every day there and having breakfast with my men. Ryder is still super busy with work and running the city. Garrett has three new gyms now, and spends most of his days helping underprivileged and street kids get new opportunities and find ways out of their difficult lives.

Diesel…well, Diesel is Diesel. He spends his days inventing new torturing toys for me and anyone who crosses us. We will never go legit with me, after all. There is just so much fun and money had to be bad.

Kenzo opened his twentieth casino the other week, and there was a big grand opening where we were pictured shaking hands and kissing. Fuck, it even went international in advertising. If anyone ever knew what we truly where…I almost laugh, making Kenzo look over and wink at me.

Which brings me to today. They kidnapped me from the bar and dragged me to the car. “I swear to fucking God, you assholes, I will still kick your asses. Where are we going?” I snap again, as we pull up into an underground parking lot. They all seem excited. Diesel is nearly bouncing in his seat, and as soon as we stop, he’s out and dragging me after him.

The others laugh as we head up some stairs, and when it turns into marble floors, I frown. We head to an office at the back. It’s late, so I’m surprised when we open the door to see an old, grey-haired man in judge’s clothes sitting behind this desk.

He doesn’t seem surprised to see us. “Seriously, what the fuck is going on?” I growl. “You guys in trouble again?” I snort.

“Nah, you are, Little Bird,” Diesel murmurs in my ear as he spanks me, making me yelp and move away, right into Kenzo’s arms, who kisses me.

“You better tell her,” Ryder warns, and Garrett laughs.

“Tell me now,” I order.

“We are getting married!” Diesel cries out, and grins at me widely while I just blink at him.

“What the actual fuck?” I yell, throwing my hands in their air. “You’re supposed to ask—a ring a—” I sputter.

“This isn’t legal,” the judge whines, and I throw him a glare.

“Stay the fuck out of this,” I snap, even as I turn back to them.

“You heard him, it’s not fucking legal,” I snarl. They have been asking me for months, but I refuse to marry just one of them, it would create jealousy…it seems my men have decided to break the rules once more—all of them marrying me while I officially take their last name.

Ryder rounds the desk and pulls the judge out, and I gawk as I realise he’s tied to his chair…they kidnapped a fucking judge. Diesel presses a gun to his head, still grinning madly. “It’s legal if we say it is.” He giggles. “Now marry us.”

I can’t help but laugh. They saw a problem and found a way to fix it…an illegal way, of course, but it makes me melt inside as I look between them. “You crazy bastards, I hate you.”

“Hate you too, love. What do you say? Want to get married, to be an official Viper?”

“Bitch, please, we already know I am.” I snort. “Fuck it, let’s get married.”

“That’s the spirit!” Diesel laughs, and Ryder steps forward and drops to his knee with a box in his hand. Garrett kneels next to him, a box in his hand as well, and with a wink at the judge, Diesel does the same. I blink and laugh as Kenzo drops down as well, all four on their knees, all holding boxes.

“Tell me there aren’t four rings.” I groan, even as I grin so wide my face hurts.

“Of course!” Diesel grins and opens his to reveal a beautiful orange stone set in a band etched in flames.

Kenzo opens his, and I laugh at the red stone with carved dice on the side of the ring.

“Baby,” Garrett murmurs, drawing my gaze, and he open the box to reveal the ring from Daphne. “This was always yours, I just gave it away by mistake.”

Ryder clears his throat as tears fill my eyes, and he opens his box to reveal a traditional, cold-looking, huge diamond. “Roxxane Viper, will you be ours?”

“Forever!” I laugh as they jump to their feet and circle me. “I still hate you,” I mutter, making them all chuckle. We turn to the judge, and he sighs but seems to smile anyway.

“Well, you are all clearly crazy, but fuck it, whatever. Do you—”

The ceremony is quick, thanks to D, who tells him to hurry it up because he wants to put me in a white dress and cover it in our blood. Ryder kisses me first, sealing the deal before passing me to his brother who dips me, making me laugh. Garrett grips my cheeks, no words needed, as he looks into my eyes and kisses me so softly, like I’m made of glass.

Diesel? Diesel slashes his hand and then mine, making me gasp, and presses our bleeding palms together as he kisses me. “Forever, Little Bird.”

I pull back and look between them all, having to smile.

I’ve got the rest of my life to make them pay for it. I can’t wait, and judging by the expressions on their faces, neither can they.

I’ve learned a lot since I met them.

Like that life is not guaranteed, it’s made up of thousands of tiny moments that span a lifetime. Choices, actions, each and every one leads us down different paths. My path, my choice, led me to them. Four men who saw past my skin and armour, past my smart mouth and anger, to the woman underneath. The beautifully flawed survivor, because that is who I am.

A survivor.

A warrior.

A queen.

A Viper.

I am all of those and so much more. When my path took me down the darkest of roads, I found the strength to go on at the very blackest of times. When I knew my parents didn’t love me, when they broke my heart, I went on. When I was alone for the first time, when fear was my constant…I chose to go on.

Or when I held the hand of the first man I ever loved, the man who helped save me, as he died, I chose to fight. As I watched regret and wishes fill his tear-soaked eyes as his frail hand clutched mine, his voice raspy and skin grey…I chose to go on. But from that moment, I learned a lesson that lives with me always. Death comes for all of us, and until it does, we have to do our fucking best to live. To live our lives to the fullest, to never regret. To love so deeply it could fill an ocean, to not let fear stop you from being who you want to be.

Because if you don’t, if you let fear win, regret will eat you up and it will be all you have at the end.

I refuse to be that person, I refuse to regret my life or who I am. So I choose them every goddamn day that I wake up. Four flawed, scarred, powerful men. Even when it’s hard, even when the world is against us, I choose them every time, over and over, and they choose me. My heart is theirs, and theirs are mine.

We aren’t perfect. We are criminals, gamblers, fighters, businesspeople, and assassins.

But these four criminals? They are my happiness.

They are my life.

They are my home, and wherever our path leads us now, we do it together.

Just five Vipers entwined in a den.

Until the end.