Page 182 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
I groan, shaking my head, as I resign myself to playing audience.
Levi grabs one of the males who is attempting, and failing, to get Azrael in a headlock, and bodily tosses him on the cement in one fluid motion. The moment Levi turns back towards Azrael, another male appears in front of Levi, and I have to admit, the ease with which he renders the human unconscious with nothing more than a single hit of his closed fist has my heart fluttering with admiration.
Said admiration is cut short as I let out a shrill scream, muffled by my hands, as one of the humans finally lands a punchto Azrael’s head. My eyes trace his cranium as it sails through the air, smacking the hood of a nearby car, tumbles over the front of it, and hits the ground with a thud before rolling to a stop with Azrael’s face directed towards his audience–now gripped with horror. They draw in a sharp, collective breath. Minus the one who’s lying unconscious on the ground.
Oh…
Hellish. Fuck.
Azrael’s jaw flexes as he draws in a breath of patience.
“Will someone,kindly,pick up my fucking head before Ifinallylose my shit.”
I rush over to Azrael’s head just as the group of humans let out blood-curdling screams and sprint away.
I don’t miss the way Levi hesitates, hand hovering near the gun hiding beneath his shirt before rational thought returns. He turns to hurriedly guide Azrael’s body towards the truck. I climb in from the driver’s side, sliding into the middle seat. Levi shuts the passenger door as my trembling hands attempt to guide Azrael’s towards his frowning head.
“There you are, darling. Right as a rabbit in spring.”
Something is definitely wrong.
And now there’s gravel in his neck hole.
Levi slides into the driver’s seat beside me. Shuts his door with a calmness that opposes the fury etching his face.
We sit in breathy silence for several moments as we watch the unconscious male on the ground, abandoned by hisfriends, stir, roll over, and crawl to stand before ashamedly hurrying away.
The idiotic question comes out as barely a whisper.
“Are you... alright?”
Azrael’s brow tenses further. “Oh, yes. I’m in ecstasy.”
Pain and remorse carve Levi’s features as his gaze slides to Azrael, lower to the dirt and gravel caking the gore of his neck,before pointing to the small horizontal door on the console in front of Azrael’s legs. “Vi, I think there are some disinfectant wipes in the glove compartment if you wanna…”
Levi rubs at his throat.
Azrael clears his throat. “Let’s just get to this Airbnb, please. I think I’d like to have a nervous breakdown in private.”
Levi immediately shifts the gears of his truck and backs out of our parking space.
I glance back at Azrael’s shadow sitting directly behind him, glaring. We already know the reason Azrael’s neck isn’t healing properly is that his energetic body refuses to return to its corporeal housing.
I just don’t understand why.
LEVI
Istand uselessly in the doorframe of Azrael’s ensuite bathroom as Violette attempts to wash the grit from Azrael’s neck. Azrael pouts from the cradle of her arms, and I try to internally analyze the surprising height of helplessness and longing to fixthis for him.
“It was just starting to heal.”
I want to fucking murder those men.
Not merely for how they treated Violette, but also Azrael. When they’d laid their hands on him, however useless the endeavor was, the only thing tempering my rage was my concern for Violette.
The words come out hoarse with restrained emotion. “It’ll heal again.”
My attempt at encouragement only deepens Azrael’s frown. Violette finishes her work and then attempts to return his head to his body. Azrael’s hands lift to steady it there as shewillsa small vial containing a glowing gold liquid into her hands.
