Page 110 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
Azrael’s throat dips, voice soft. “I miss him dearly.”
Grief hangs between us, heavy and palpable. Eventually my eyes wander to our surroundings. Namely the sculptures lining the pale marble and gold-veined walls depicting the same female in various states of undress.
Intuition tells me there’s only one person it could possibly be...
“Who is she?”
“Persephone. My soulbound.”
I knew it.
Stifling the wildly misplaced jealousy burning in my chest, I shift to face him.
“Oh? Have you two made amends and reunited?”
Why isn’t she here?
Azrael offers me a tense smile.
“No. She has chosen a life away from me. And that is something that won’t ever change.”
Akash-all-fucking-mighty.
First his realms, and now hissoulbound.
I’m also beginning to thinksoulboundare some kind of karmic debt, destined to torture one another.
My heart aches with empathy for him, even as my own tether to Levi flares with pain and I get the sneaking sensation that my bargaining chip is useless.
Azrael’s gaze grows distant, and the mask of charisma that usually surrounds him slips to reveal the world—wearyexhaustion beneath. The space surrounding him begins to warp and shimmer before a pair of black horns and a set of enormous, dark, feathered wings appear behind him.
Why does he hide them?
His gaze darts to mine, horns and wings disappearing beneath a glamour once more as he gives me an amenable smile.
“So to what exactly do I owe this pleasure?”
Here’s to hoping that the Lord of Hell is altruistic.
“I came to offer you a bargain, but…”
His expression remains placid. “I have no interest in bargains.”
As I suspected.
Fuck me and my impulsive ideas.
Azrael moves to lean against the back of a settee, one ankle crossing the other as he drags his fingers through his swept-back darkest brown tendrils.
“What is it that you need?”
The words feel like glass shards against my throat.
“Well, Iwasgoing to offer my help in finding yoursoulboundin exchange for your help in severing mysoulbond.”
Concern causes Azrael’s brow to dip into a deep V. “Why would you ever wish for such a thing?”
The answer to that reverberates through me like a stake to the heart.
