…He was sure he’d felt something move under the sheet and it wasn’t his legs. They went rigid in fear as a slender, rough, sinewy body slowly moved across his left leg and started to slide up his thigh.

He’d been warned that nearly all the snakes in India were poisonous; the only difference was that some were more deadly than others, with the king cobra topping the list.

What was it doing in his bed?

Had it come for the warmth and darkness?

Would it strike if he moved?

He’d read that cobras and most other snakes reacted defensively to any sudden movement, striking first and asking questions later. There was no way he was going to move until the snake was well away from his bed.

The slow movement of the reptile stopped. Jack prayed quietly it would start moving again and not decide to curl up and have a sleep beside him. He didn’t mind sharing his bed with a cat, but a snake was a different matter.

Jack could feel beads of perspiration breaking out on his body caused by a combination of fear and the heat. He hoped the snake didn’t react adversely to moisture.