Page 11 of Tempted By Poison

“How would you know? You haven't seen my face?”

He lets out another chuckle. “That’s right. But it doesn’t take much to know what lies underneath is something extraordinary.”

I let out a giggle. “You are also a man who knows exactly what to say.”

He pulls me closer to him a bit rougher. The knot becomes larger in my pipe. The stab at my heart digging deeper. “Yes, that is also true.”

He spreads his arms, spinning me back around to his cold, lean body. “Funny you mention loneliness. It would be a delight to have someone like you by my side.”

I almost burst out in laughter. The kind of laugh that brings tears to your eyes and your stomach to clench so tight from loss of breath. “You don’t know me. I could be a serial killer.”

He’s silent for a moment. “Then you’ll fit right in. I’ve done things no man should ever do. I’ve hurt. I have killed.” My alarms raise at his sudden admission. That would terrify any normal woman. A gun being pointed at my brother's head clouds my vision.

“I have no shame in it. Take for instance the people here.” He turned his head to the side to get a view of the room. “They have no clue what’s in store for them. They take and don’t expect to be takenfrom.”

He didn’t have to finish the rest to understand the words behind it.Until they’ve met me.The red flags shining bright, the hairs on the back of my neck stands tall.

Something bad is going to happen.

He needs to be stopped. My mind shifts to my dagger hiding inside my thigh. I can stab him in the throat and think nothing of it. Yeah, it’ll be a bloody mess and the people in the room will panic in horror. My heart beats slow and hard against my ribs, my breath growing heavier.

Thump

That’s a risk I can take. What’s a little blood, right? This is the right thing, I’m helping them.

Isn’t this the reason we came here?

Thump

It can stop whatever he has up his sleeve. This could be my chance. Our chance.

Thump

I can finally avenge my brother.Finally free.My hands slowly skate down his arm, eager to get to the knife burning against me. My throat tightens, the pull is strong, like a vampire drawn to blood.

Thump

Kill him!

Kill him now!

My hand is near my thigh. He doesn’t notice. Good. All I have to do is reach in between swiftly and slice his artery, then watch the poison clot his vessels and ravage his blood.

“Who are you?” Victor's voice rises, stopping our dance. My thoughts scatter away, my focus zooms back in as I turn to his direction. My heart takes a run for it.

Ronan.

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