Ares brings a hand to the back of my neck, pulling me forward until his forehead touches mine. “I’m so sorry, Lana.”
I shake my head as a few of those tears finally force themselves free. They land on Ares’ hand. “Apparently, there was a drug dealer who lived in the apartment above ours. He had a wife. A kid. So, when some deal went bad, this guy went afterthem all. But he was off by one floor. And then he took off. I don’t even know if he realized he killed the wrong family. He fucking got away with it. The police never even had a suspect.”
Ares swears again, a slew of the darkest curses.
“The blood, Ares,” I say as my voice breaks. “There was so much of it. All over them. All over the apartment. Mom put up a fight. She didn’t go down easy. So, it was her blood, all over everything.”
I can see it so clearly. Smeared in the kitchen. Over the table. Splattered on the ceiling fan. The whole apartment was crimson.
“I guess I started screaming. And I don’t know how no one heard it when the intruder was taking Mom out, but I guess the screams of a teenage girl are more to worry about. A neighbor came looking. He must have been the one who called the police. I… I wasn’t particularly coherent. I… I don’t even remember how I got to the police station, but there I was, and the next thing I knew, Dad was walking into that sterile, cold room.”
Ares shakes his head, his eyes squeezed closed.
“I missed an entire month of school after that,” I say quietly. The utter panic, the terror that was raging through me, begins to ebb just a little bit. “But even after I went back, I wasn’t okay. I started talking to a therapist right away, but I was still processing. Honestly, I was pretty fucked up for at least two years. Guess I’m still not okay. That wasn’t a one time event, Ares. I can’t… I see blood, and I’m right back there.”
“You don’t have to be okay, Lana,” Ares says. He opens his eyes, staring into my own. We’re close. So damn close. Just two breaths apart. “The reality is that not a person on this planet isokay. We’re all bruised. We’re all broken. We’ve all got scars. You’re still Lana fucking Kincade.”
He catches me so off guard, a little laugh huffs over my lips. I bite my lower one and shake my head. “Ares, this doesn’t make any sense. You are what you are, and there is always going to be blood involved. I don’t want to embarrass you again like that. Or get us into a situation that compromises what we’re doing.”
Ares presses his thumb against my lips, effectively cutting off my words. “Not a chance, Vengeance,” he says, his eyes darkening as he shakes his head. “You couldn’t embarrass me if you tried. We’re in this together. Got it? Vengeance and Venom.”
I search his face, looking for evidence of lies. Of doubt. People can say whatever they want and not mean it. Words can be said to use people. To trick others. To manipulate.
But I can’t find any evidence of that in Ares’ eyes.
There are a lot of things I want to say right now. There are a lot of things I’m feeling right now.
I’m too exhausted, though.
“Okay,” I say simply.
And as if he can read my mind, Ares shifts in the bed, lying back against the pillows. And like it’s something he’s done a thousand times before, he gathers me into his arms, my head coming to rest on his chest. “Get some sleep, Vengeance,” he says softly. And I know I’m in trouble when he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
I search for words but can’t find any that make sense or won’t put us in a world of trouble. Ares could have berated me for embarrassing him today, for potentially compromising our mission. Instead, he’s reassured me. Instead, he’s curled up inthe bed with me, holding me with strong arms that make me feel… safe.
Instead of overthinking it, I nuzzle into Ares’ side. My fingers cling to his perfect body. My head rises and falls in time on his chest to his breath. He brushes his fingertips over my arm, sending a wash of goosebumps over my skin.
“Sleep, Vengeance,” he says in little more than a whisper. “I’ve got you.”
Chapter 14
Iwatch out the window as Manhattan flashes by. It’s been dark for two hours, but New York is never truly dark. There are endless lights out there, billboards, street lights, glowing windows from the night owls. New York never truly rests, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Billings drives me without a word. Ares had to be at the ball early, getting everything squared away, making sure everything was in place. And he was meeting with the Barons. Since I needed time to get ready, I stayed at home. Now, it’s fifteen minutes until the starting time, and we’re just a few minutes away.
There are already several other limousines lined up at the curb, all waiting for their turn at the drop off. I watch as one well-dressed man or woman after another climbs out and wonder what the ratio of vampires to humans at this event will be tonight.
Just before we pull up to the drop off, I watch the front doors as walking sin exits. Ares moves like the god he’s namedfor, his dark eyes fixed on the SUV as we stop right in front of him.
My heart starts hammering as he steps forward and pulls the door open. He reaches a hand inside, and the entire world turns electric as I take it. The skin-to-skin contact leaves me craving more. Leaves me wondering how many volts we could generate if there was more contact. So much more.
“Fuck,” Ares breathes as I step from the vehicle, my dress cascading down around me. Shamelessly, his eyes rake over every inch of me, taking their time.
And I feel weak in the knees, in the chest, in the mind, as I drink my fake fiancé in.
He’s wearing a dark burgundy suit trimmed in black and gold that is the exact same shade as my dress. And it was tailored to hug every inch of his body in the most sinful way possible. He’s traded out his typical silver for gold-trimmed diamond studs in his ears and a golden hoop in his nose. He’s perfectly matched the golden earrings cascading from my own piercings.
“You look…” I clear my throat, trying to make words work because I feel damn speechless.
