Page 56 of Sweet Venom

"My brother foolishly allowed me to have his girl," he says as he pulls on a shirt and adds, "And because I'm a selfish bastard, I took her, but I'm sure he'll regret his choice soon enough."

"What does that even mean, Sebastian? I heard what Ellis said in the kitchen the other night. He knew about us then, and he's more than aware now. It's clear we have feelings for each other. Ellis isn't trying to keep us apart. And what about the parachutes? You may not have made a choice on that cliff, but you did the next day. You chose me." He stills momentarily, and I see his fists clench. I may have doubted his intent for the past week, but I know in my heart that I am right now. Taking a step forward, I say, "You want me, and I want you—"

He closes his sock drawer rather loudly as if to say he's had enough before tightly closing his eyes and saying, "You're right," his voice is strained, and he clears his throat before turning away and reaching for his shoes and adding, "But not for the reasons you think. I didn't want you to die, but only because you don't get to be the one to break my brother's heart. That job is mine."

Now I'm pissed. He's talking in circles, and I don't believe for one second he's subscribing to the bullshit he's trying to sell me on now. "It's clear you're hiding something, and for someone so hell-bent on airing everyone else's dirty laundry, you're doing a bang-up job of being a spineless coward now. So, you have a truth. Guess what? We all do, fucking be a man and own it. But you don't get to stand here and tell me that I'm wrong. What we have is different. It's not normal because we are not normal. A part of your soul lives in the shadows, and just like mine, it craves the pain. It feeds on the torture and discomfort that years of hurt made us accustomed to. Your shadows fill my void, and the way I see it that makes you mine, Sebastian Lyk—"

He's on me before I can finish saying his name kissing me hard as if my words were a pact, a binding vow of assurance that I promise not to break. "You'll regret those words when I refuse to let you go." Then releasing me, he says, "Come on. I have business to discuss with my brother."

* * *

We barely just entered the dining room, where everyone is sitting around the table with drinks, before Sebastian makes a scene.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" he booms, earning everyone's attention. The fury on his face is almost tangible. I can practically feel it rolling off of him. I know Sebastian doesn't care for Tate, but I assumed it was because he didn't like me talking to other men, the status of our friendship being a moot point. Tate is a man, which, in Sebastian’s eyes, meant I shouldn't speak to him, period, but right now, his anger leads me to believe this is more than just that.

Ellis sets his water down, seemingly unaffected by Sebastian's outburst, only further serving to piss him off before saying, "He's with me and Vivian."

Sebastian losses his cool and drops my hand as though it scorched him before grinding out, "As what?"

That's when Nico stands up and slams his hands on the table, "Cazzo! Enough, Sebastian. He is a guest in my house. You will treat him with respect."

"He is no guest in this house. He's the man behind the attacks on Covet, him and his girlfriend."

A small amount of relief floods my body when I realize that this is all a mix-up. Stepping into him, I grab his hand and say, "This is clearly a misunderstanding. Tate doesn't have a girlfriend. The girl from the party the other night was his sister."

I watch as Sebastian's face pales before he turns back to Tate and confirms, "She's your sister?"

"Yes, she is my sister."

Before I can wrap my head around what's causing Sebastian's shock regarding Tate's sister, or the fact that he's accusing Tate of stealing, the room erupts into chaos. Ellis is out of his chair, rounding the table to get at Tate. Mason throws his napkin down, muttering a few choice curse words, and joins him.

That's when I yell, "Enough." I just got all three of these men to find one piece of common ground, and that's me. I'll be damned if I lose them all over some stupid misunderstanding, but just as everyone turns to look at me, my vision starts to blur, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Damn it, I forgot to take the pills."

The next thing I know, Charlie is beside me, guiding me to a chair. "Vi, come on, sit down." My palms get sweaty, and the sound of my heartbeat increasingly gets louder in my ears before I give in to the wave of nausea that steals my focus and plunges me into darkness. Fuck.

Chapter 23

The Shadow

I knew this was coming. It's part of the reason I went to the party with Say in the first place. I was done watching her take heat for my plan. After the night Vi shut down the club with her stunt, we thought we were in the clear with one of our biggest steals to date, but the following week when Sebastian stayed gone, Say knew she had somehow been caught. We knew Sebastian had suspected her for a while. It's why he followed her from time to time, hoping she'd slip up and he'd catch her red-handed. It's another reason I rarely go back to the apartment. But when he suddenly stopped watching her after the last hit, we knew it was because he had found his proof. He was no longer looking for evidence against her. He was searching for her accomplice. He was looking for me.

This day was coming. I just thought it'd be on my terms and not like this. Not having to choose between two women who own my damn heart. I knew where the conversation was going the second Sebastian found out she was my sister. I was ready to own my truth right then and there, but then Vi passed out, and he ran out the door. I had to make a choice: ensure the woman who held my future in her hands was okay or take a gamble that the monster on his way back to San Jose wouldn't hurt Say more than he already had.

Charlie and Vi's grandmother are currently pressing cold rags to her forehead while Ellis scolds, "If she's not opening her eyes in the next minute, we're going to the hospital."

Mason chimes in, "Calm down. Vivi is one of the healthiest people I know. She probably didn't eat enough. Or fuck, I don't know; maybe three asshole boyfriends is two too many." Then he points at me. "I warned you. You hurt her, I kill you."

He moves to come at me, but his wife pulls him back. "He didn't hurt her, Mace. Calm down."

"Fuck if he didn't. Sebastian said he was the one who had been robbing the club. Has no one else here pieced together what I have?" I don't say a word as he directs all his rage at me. I deserve every damn bit of it because I know exactly where his thoughts are going, and he's not wrong. "He fucking used her to get to Ellis and Sebastian."

The next thing I know, a right hook connects with my jaw, knocking my chair back, and Ellis pounces, landing blow after blow, but the pain radiating through my jaw as Ellis swings at me is nothing compared to the hurt I see when Vi opens her eyes. I don't even try to fight back. I fucking hate myself for letting her down. She gave me her heart, and I just shattered it.

"Ellis, stop!" she cries. "Stop, just fucking stop. I want to hear it from his mouth."

"There's nothing he can say that makes any of this better, Vivian. It's done. We're fucking done." Ellis shouts.

His last words have me finding mine. "We are not done, not even fucking close." I croak. While Ellis Lykos may not like me, he will never be rid of me. Not really.

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