I cut across the room in seconds. Veil senses my approach far sooner than the living excrement breathing the same air as her. Her eyes widen in surprise, and the small tremor of fear still reverberating under the surface of her skin only makes what I do next that much sweeter.
Our eyes lock, and with a jerk of the head, I signal for her to get out of the way. She must see the violent intent in my eyes because she doesn’t balk at my silent command and scrambles up and away from the table.
Her gentleman caller has no time to react before I grab hold of a chair and swing it through the air before crashing it down onto his head. The momentum of my swing has him flying to the ground. Flinging the chair to the side, I spot a spoon on a nearby table and reach for it before jumping on him.
The blunt force to the head must have stunned him because he barely fights back, and I land a few hard punches before I lodge the spoon deep into his right eye. He bellows in pain, and my body sings with ancient bloodlust, as if the gods were here with me, cheering me on. My vision tunnels, and I turn lethal. Quickly pushing myself off of him, I jump to my feet and stomp my foot into his face. The spoon sinks even deeper, effectively killing him.
That certainly staunched his screams.
With a satisfied sigh, I rake my hands through my hair, most likely leaving a red streak of blood in their wake, before glancing around the room. All eyes are on me, but none seem remotely surprised to have witnessed such gratuitous violence. It’s a risk they run when rubbing elbows with the elite.
I slide my gaze to Belladonna across the room. “Apologies, love. Didn’t mean to steal the show.”
She’s unimpressed, but she snaps her fingers to two men guarding the door, signaling for them to handle the now-dead body on the floor. I flash Belladonna a smile and blow her a kiss.
Turning to a stupefied Veil, I take her hand and drag her out of the bar.
22
VEIL
“Read to me.”
I glance up to find Gemini staring at me with a sly smile on his lips. His lean body is stretched out on his red leather couch, just a few seats away from me, the afternoon sun dancing over his face as his hands cradle the back of his head. His hair is yellow today, and he appears to have some kind of aversion to shirts, always bare-chested, especially when it’s just us two at home.
Just us two at home.
That sounds much too domestic when, in reality, it’s anything but. It’s been nearly three weeks since I’ve been kidnapped, but somehow, it feels like a lifetime.
I’m struck by the softness in his gaze as he waits for me to answer. His black eye has faded, but is still visible, a pale yellow now coloring the thin skin.
It’s been a few days since I witnessed him ruthlessly murder a man. It was shocking, appalling even, but … somehow, it left me with a deep sense of relief. I’d always known Gemini was capable of such abhorrent things, and finally seeing it with my own eyes somehow satisfied my confusing sense of curiosity.
Seeing the monster behind the jester shifted something inside of me, and most confoundingly, it has left me less guarded around him. I can sense some kind of change brewing within me, but I can’t quite placewhat. And sometimes, I wonder if Gemini knows what that change is before I’ve discovered it for myself.
I crave to know more about my god and, most importantly, my family history. Discovering I’m the sole survivor of the Vulturine line feels monumental. Unfortunately, Gemini has been quite tight-lipped on the subject, claiming he knows nothing more than what he already offered me.
I don’t believe him.
Then there’s the sensitive matter of what happened during my circus audition. Gemini hasn’t mentioned it since. And I certainly won’t either. But sharing a bed with him every night is becoming unbearable, and I’m ashamed to admit that I’m disappointed every time he ignores me to simply fall asleep, naked, beside me.
It’s as if, to him, I am far from being a temptation.
And if not a temptation, then what am I to him?
Blinking back to reality, I push my troubled thoughts aside and clear my throat. “From the book I’m reading?” I ask.
He grins and nods. “I just want to listen to the sound of your voice.”
My heart squeezes in response to his statement. I feel split in half; the first is touched by his words, and the second is outraged by my reaction. I look down at the book on my lap, hoping my eyes don’t reveal my warring emotions.
The silence lingers between us before I find where I left off and begin to read out loud.
Gemini’s grin widens, and he sighs as he closes his eyes, settling deeper into the cushions.
I have time to read two chapters before Gemini’s phone pings beside him on the coffee table. With his eyes still closed, hegropes blindly at the table before landing on his phone, picking it up. When he finally takes a peek with one eye, he swears under his breath, jumping to his feet, now on full alert. His head swivels to the door, then to me, then back to the door, looking frazzled.
“What is it?” I ask slowly, my voice laced with suspicion.
