Page 313 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
Persephone’s bright, reassuring gaze stares up at me, just before the world around me shutters into darkness before snapping wide again to reveal a lush, verdant garden and an enormous spotted dog that promptly thrusts its wet snout beneath my hand, wagging his tail as if he’s happy to see me.
A melange of feeling spreads through my chest.
Cautious hope.
Relief.
Dare I say, excitement.
And another sensation that takes me a moment to recognize what it is.
I feel...free.
LEVI
With little ceremony and a muttered apology, Azrael disappeared shortly after Violette and Lazarus left, and I’m left in the palace alone. Thanks to my gifts, I’m able to see where they are. Just to make sure they’re all okay.
Even Lazarus, I begrudgingly realize.
When I took a peek, I’d found Azrael in his palace in Vassileo, sealing a letter with wax only for him towillit away and open a portal to a house in the same neighborhood as my target, and remembered him mentioning Persephone and Mors living nearby.
Jealousy had my stomach twisting into a giant knot–especially when I saw them with my own eyes. Mors and Persephone are striking to look at.
But when I witnessed the dynamic between the three of them, that jealousy turned into something else.
Longing.
They didn’t act like lovers or formersoulbound.
They seemed like family.
I wanted Violette and me to have that with him.
And potentially, Lazarus, even.
Watching Azrael show up at Mors and Persephone’s home, watching them console him as he weeps... I can’t help but feel a sense of betrayal that he doesn’t want to be consoled by us. If he hadn't shared his mind, memories, blood, and body with me—inadvertently revealing to me the depths of his love for us—I’d question everything we’d experienced together.
But as Persephone, with tears in her gaze, strokes the length of his arm, and Mors studies him with unmistakable concern, understanding, and love filling his eyes...
I find I no longer have the stomach to watch them. To be an intruder in a private moment that’s not meant for my eyes.
My first impulse is to confide in Violette, but it would do no good; would only cause more heartache and jealousy. Which is the very last thing she needs right now.
So I guide my mind and spirit to the house where my father’s usurper lives,while my physical body is left behind on the decadent guest bed of Violette’s palace.
It’s the first time I’ve mustered the courage to finally visit the location Jeriko found for me. I’ve held back from travelling the various potentialities that could occur when I finally come face to face with this person. Not for fear of being overcome by him, but because some part of my mind, my intuition, is telling me it won’t be the simple torture and execution I plan for it to be. I find myself bracing for impact; stomach churning with unease, muscles tight with anticipation, and a foreboding sense of doom suffocating me.
Now that the moment has finally arrived, after all these years, I fear that I’m not ready for it.
So here I remain. Staring at this large, seemingly peaceful, and deceptively cozy home decked out with flowerbeds and a white picket fence sitting on about an acre of land surrounded by a suburban forest.
Tension winds tighter when my eyes land on the kids jungle gym off to one side of the backyard. Though it appears weathered and somewhat dilapidated from age and disuse. Thankfully, I see no other signs of children. No stray toys or balls. Hear no shouts, laughter, or cries.
If there are any children, I know I won’t be able to enact my plan for revenge.
Fuck.
“Levi..."
