Vipress stared with growing concern at the bottle of pink liquid. Just a couple feet from her grasp, but any movement might give her hiding spot away. She waited to see what Rick was going to do.
"Hey!" The older man kicked the foot of Brendan's bed. "Get up, you lazy fuck!"
The viper resisted the urge to lunge forward and strike Rick's ankle. She loathed him so much. Starving her... experimenting on her... laughing as he tormented and prodded her former self from the cowardly safety of the mesh screen.
A sinister grin formed behind her snout. If he could see her now.
She heard Brendan stir above her and let her anger simmer away. My wrath will be far worse than anything he can do to you, she thought quietly. What Brendan did now was out of her control. So Vipress waited, her gaze ever present on the container of pink.
"Hey, what?" Brendan yawned.
"Have you been sleeping all day? None of your chores are done! Your room is a mess!" Rick was seething with anger. "It smells like death in here!"
"Okay, fuck. I'll do it in a bit." Brendan returned.
"Your mother is away on business, so that means *I'm* in charge while she's gone. I'll be in the basement, when I come back up I expect your duties to be done. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!" Brendan mocked him.
"And put some fucking clothes on!" Rick growled, before turning and slamming the door shut.
There was a silent pause. She heard Brendan moving above her, and then Rick's footsteps stomping down the stairs.
"Mistress?" Brendan called quietly, his voice concerned. "Mistress, are you okay?"
Vipress hissed gently from under the bed and she turned to see Brendan leaning over the side to look at her, his long greasy hair hanging upside down.
"Oh..." He let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you had shrunk again."
"No..." She reassured him, sliding out from under the bed and over a pile of clothes. "Nothing hassss changed."
Brendan hopped down from the bed and got to his knees in front of the giant viper, holding out his arms to offer an embrace.
Charmed, Vipress complied, and curled her scaly length around Brendan's torso, coiling around him and letting him hold her tight against his chest.
"Mmmm." The boy grinned. "That sure was wild, huh?"
The snake only smirked in response. "Yesss. Quite pleassssant." Her eyes narrowed in rage. "Unlike your... father."
"STEP father." Brendan corrected. "Yeah... that's him."
She flicked her tongue and looked around the room. Brendan's sanctuary, filled with all the things that made his life less traumatic. When her gaze returned to her slave's, her eyes were much more sympathetic. Maybe it was the amazing sex, or his apparent newfound affection for her, but she was starting to like the boy.
"You've been a good ssssservant." She hissed, flicking her tongue across his cheek. "And you sssstayed loyal."
"I wouldn't give you up to him." He admitted. "We still need to keep you from shrinking back down again, right?"
"Yesssss." She nodded, slowly. "But I think you want to keep me thissss way for another reassssson, yesssss?"
Brendan blushed. "Yes, mistress."
She smirked and flicked her tongue again. "You ssssmell like a dissssgusssting ssssweaty mammal. Your scccent issss on me too."
He hung his head, suddenly self conscious again. "Sorry, mistress."
"I insssissst we wassssh." She commanded.
"Of course, mistress. I'll take us to the shower." Brendan started towards the door, the snake holding on for the ride.
"Oh..." She pointed with her tail. "Bring the bottle."
Brendan's eyes lit up and his horny grin returned. "Of course, mistress!"
"I thought you'd like that..." She hiss-laughed as Brendan bent down and collected the potion from the end of the bed.
Together they set off for the bathroom, next door down from Brendan's room.