Page 36 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
“Akash almighty.”
Diamonds and rubies twinkle within a teardrop setting.
Lucen grins. “Will you share this life with me?”
I shake my head in disbelief as the fortress of my mind crumbles.
Surely, this male must be mysoulbound.
He is not.
Shut. Up.
I violently shove away the quiet yet infuriatingly persistent voice in favor of this joy. “Yes.”
Lucen draws the engagement ring out of its box to slide it over my ring finger, sending a subtle magic prickling over my skin. My pestering intuition raises a distant bell of alarm, but I stifle it.
“It’s enchanted…”
“Of course. For your protection.”
Gratitude shines through my eyes as I stare up at him.
“It’s beautiful.”
A smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes tilts his lips. It sends another tendril of unease through me. “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”
My eyes search his, and it takes a moment for me to recognize the emotion I find there.Remorse.
Lucen’s hands clasp my shoulders.
“Raia, I need you to do me a favor…”
My smile collapses as I try to stifle the panic seeking an escape. Sensing my unease, he ushers me into his bedroom, sits me down on the edge of his bed, and kneels at my feet.
Lucen takes my hands in his as he stares up at me with those dark blue eyes I fell in love with from the moment I saw him.
Now, they make me want to jump out of my fucking skin.
“I have a friend... Whom you already met. That night at The Basileion.”
The God of Death and Ending’s face immediately fills my mind.
“Azrael.”
My gut twists. And if I actually listened to my intuition, it’d be telling me to run for my life—and not merely from Azrael.
“You remember him?”
My expression is grim. “Unfortunately.”
“He’s not so bad, sweetling. He’s popular among my employees.”
Lucen draws in a steady breath as if he’s bracing himself on my behalf. Or perhaps for my reaction.
“He’s an important client of mine and my family’s.”
“And?”
