Page 42 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
Sweet relief suffuses me the moment I finally allow my mer form to rise—for the first time in years. I swim as far and as fast as I can go, fingertips grazing the sand at the bottom of this dark sea, feeling as close to home as I’ve ever been. Predators and prey alike give me a wide berth.
Eventually, when my muscles burn and grow too heavy to part the water, I find a small underwater cave from which a large octopus frantically escapes upon my arrival, and it is there that I curl up into a ball to sleep.
I’m not sure how much time passes, but when I wake, watery sunlight dances upon the sea floor beyond the cave’s entrance. My gills draw in a sharp breath of water.
Poor Oleander... He must have waited ages.
Not that I expect him to still be there.
I make my way back, relishing the water, feasting upon fish and seaweed as I go.
The closer I get to shore, the deeper my dread at returning to Lucen grows.
Azrael scarcely breathed in my direction, but Lucen anticipated the opposite. And still he gave me to him.
The God of Death’s words of warning linger.
I thought that what Lucen and I had was irreplaceable and beautiful. Now, I can’t help but wonder if it was all just a farce.
By the time I reach the shore, Azrael’s carriage is still there. Though Oleander appears to be missing, hefoldsonto the sand the moment I shift and begin wading through the shallow water on two legs.
When I reach him, he wraps a towel around my nude form, averting his eyes. The tips of his pointed ears, peppered with wiry white hairs, twitch in the brisk wind.
“Thank you, Oleander.”
“Of course, madame. Would you like to head back to Sire’s estate?”
I can’t help but huff a laugh.Sire.
As much of a luxury and a relief it would be to hide away in Azrael’s palace, the idea of staying in ashould-be-mated-to-his-soulboundmale’s home makes my skin crawl. In addition to postponing the inevitable and prolonging my anxiety.
“No, but thank you, Oleander. I need to speak with Lucen.”
Oleander’s bushy, caterpillar eyebrows knit together as the bottle brush moustache shielding his mouth tugs down at the corners, concern crinkling his eyes. Recognizing my certainty, he nods with some reluctance. “Yes, madame.”
RAIA
*THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DV & SA
The moment I set foot into Lucen’s penthouse, the scent of liquor hits my nose. I find him in his study, glass in hand, staring into the flames of a fire. We both remain silent. He is the first to break it. “Have fun?”
I shake my head, huffing at the ridiculous question as my anger begins to simmer.
“For all you know, Azrael might have taken me against my will, and that is the question you dare to ask?”
He grunts, sipping the liquor in his crystal tumbler. “Did he?”
“No.”
He replies with a bitter laugh. “So it was consensual?”
My disgust for Lucen reaches new heights, and I have no desire to console him. “You sound as if you prefer he would have raped me.”
Lucen’s words are little more than a dull murmur. “At least then, I could still pretend you were mine.”
I finally cross the room to stand in front of him. The strange reed cane from his bedroom sits across his lap. My eyes dip to it. He doesn’t meet my gaze.
“I need you to entertain a few more clients of mine.”
