Page 196 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
Purposely letting my fingers graze his, I grasp the handle of the knife.
My heart flutters.
His throat dips.
“I would... search for you. Ask Mors to help me find you when I reincarnate.”
Fuck, I feel like an idiot. Why would I say that?
He gives me a smile that seems burdened by eons of heartbreak. Eons of experience.
“That’s... sweet of you to say.”
My cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Azrael must see it because his expression softens. The backs of his fingers brush mine where they rest on the counter. “Not because I doubt you, darling. You just... won’t remember me.”
Fuck.
Why do those words—that thought–hurt so much?
“There’s a river there, called Oblivion. In order to reincarnate, you have to drink from it so that the soul may be birthed anew, unburdened by memory.”
The admission has grief spreading through my chest.
I don’t want to forget him.
I might barely know him, but I feel tied to him in ways of which I have no words.
I set the knife down. Heedless of the pomegranate juice coating his fingers, I drag him against my chest. The action not unlike the way I might pull Beau or Gideon into abro hug.It isn’t my intention to make it feel so platonic, but I don’t know how to hug a male any other way.
Much less kiss them.
My heart thumps heavily in my chest—right against his–as he settles against me; arms wrapping around my waist before bracing his arms against my back. Azrael’s chest expands on a deep sigh that, to me, signals relief.
The fullness in my chest threatens to spill over and I have to squeeze my eyes shut to quell it.
I am so fucked.
VIOLETTE
Hunger eventually drags me from the bathtub to find Azrael and Levi in the kitchen, plating our feast. The sight of them standing together, coupled with the longing in their eyes, is enough to make my heart thump with its own yearning. Lifting his gaze from the array of neatly sliced, diced, and peeled fruits from a long ceramic platter, he smiles at us with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “Hungry, little seraphim?”
Tailed by Levi, I sidle beside him as my eyes rake over my favorite fruits and pop a square of fresh, tangy pineapple into my mouth. “Mmm, yum. I am indeed.”
Azrael and Levi ask the same question in unison. “Which are your favorites?”
Their gazes snap to each other, and my grin widens.Wow.
I gesture to the right half of the platter—all the tangy fruits. “Everything here, certainly…”
Levi’s lips tilt. “So anything that’s as sour as it is sweet.”
I give him a happy nod. “Precisely. I need it to hit all the notes.”
Azrael pats both Levi and me on the bum, ushering us towards a large breakfast nook boasting a spectacular view of the mountains all painted in the rich, warm hues of autumn.
“Alright, lovebirds, time to eat. There are few things in this world more underwhelming than overcooked quiche.”
