Page 148 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
I don’t bother to mask my snort of laughter. “With what? Gorilla Glue?”
Winnow gives me a horrified look. “I’m not a savage. I used medical adhesive from our first aid kit, plus a little magic.” She frowns, voice dropping to a dismal murmur as her eyes bounce apologetically between Azrael and Violette. “It was the best temporary solution we could find.”
Violette isn’t nearly as pleased as I am. In fact, she looks pissed.
“But why?”
Heaving a sigh, Winnow’s face scrunches up as she tries to formulate some explanation. “Well, apparently…”
Her eyes dart towards Azrael’s specter, still man-spread on Gideon’s couch. Its features only hint at a face, but there’s a distant glow where the eyes should be. And it’s staring directly at me.
I’ve never felt like a victim or prey before in my life, but admittedly, capturing the attention of the phantom of a death god isn’t exactly comforting. But for some reason, the only thing I truly fear from him is taking Violette for himself.
Winnow clears her throat. “There’s some sort of... dissonance.”
Violette’s brow tenses. “Pardon?”
“He doesn’t want to go back inside Azrael’s body. We think that’s why his head won’t stay attached. Thankfully, Azrael still has some slight range of motion, and so long as nothing bumps into his head, it should stay in place.”
She pauses.
Gulps.
“We hope.”
Violette’s distress is palpable as she shakes her head. “But why in the hellish fuck not?”
Winnow squirms uncomfortably, and Gideon drapes his arm around her waist, tugging her into his side. Her eyes return to Azrael.
“I think that’s a question for a death god.”
Azrael’s movements are slightly rigid, as though his head would topple onto the floor if he moved any faster. He has to angle his entire body so that he can direct a glare at his ghost—or whatever it is—on the couch before returning to Violette.
“My governance begins and ends with death. The soul,post-mortem, only. And as you can see, I am very much stillante-mortem.”
VIOLETTE
Azrael huffs a laugh, giving me a sad smile before turning to open the oven. He pulls out a masterfully decorated and seasoned roast and sets it on a folded hand towel waiting on Gideon’s wood countertop. The spread he’s got going is enough for a feast, and I am quite literally salivating at the sight and garlicky scent of it.
“Who’s hungry?’
I silently raise my hand, and I don’t think I’ve seen a more genuine smile on his face before. Something about it nourishes my soul.
My gaze shifts to Levi, who turns towards me, a question in his eyes as his voice lowers so that only I can hear him.
“I need to speak with Gideon about disappearing for a week or two. Responsibilities and whatnot. I assume you wanna talk to Azrael about us going on a trip together?”
I internally wince.
Or perhaps externally, because Levi’s eyes narrow, displeasure creasing his features.
Right. Time to rip this off like a blood-crusted bandage.
“Sooooo, about that... I was thinking Azrael could join us.”
Levi blinks.
His expression is jarringly blank. Like that of someone who’s about moments away from snapping and wreaking carnage.
