Page 9 of Beautiful Venom

“Correct, but probably not as well as you do. In reality, only a few have deciphered the actual meaning.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?—”

“No. Don’t play dumb. It insults both of our intelligence.”

“What do you want me to say?” I whisper, feeling trapped between his claws without his even having to touch me.

“What does this ring mean, Dahlia?”

“I don’t…know.”

“We’re done here.” He spins around and starts skating away.

I panic, my breathing coming in a chopped rhythm, and I draw endless circles on my thumb with my index finger.

I know, I just know that if he leaves, he’ll never give me the time of day again. He seemed disappointed by my reply. He was fully aware I was lying, and instead of calling me out, he just chose to put an end to the conversation.

“Wait! It means you’re a Senior Vencor member.”

He comes to a halt a small distance away and slowly turns around. His expression is its usual brand of calm and distant. “What other ranks exist?”

“Trial, Member, Senior, and Founder,” I say slowly, revealing I’m more entrenched than anyone should be.

I’ve completely put my cards on the table now, and it’s his decision whether to flip them over or let me play. I could’ve lied and denied it, but Kane proved he has zero tolerance for bullshit.

The low timbre of his voice fills the air. “And how did a college student such as myself get a very high Senior position?”

“Because you are…”

“I am?”

“Biologically related to a founding family.”

“True and false. I went through the ranks like everyone else. I just started early.”

Oh. I didn’t know that. I thought he, Jude, and Preston had gotten access solely because of familial ties.

“How…early?” I ask.

“Early.” He speaks the single word with enough command to ward off any further questions. “Now, why don’t you tell me the reason you’re so well-versed in Vencor when you were born in Maine and grew up in New Jersey, Dahlia?”

I swallow hard. Even though that information is public and mentioned on my résumé, the fact that he remembers it so clearly is unsettling.

“You know I’m on a scholarship, right?” I start in a composed tone.

“Yes, and?”

“If you’ve done your research, then you must know I receive grants. I was born to a poor fisherman and seamstress in a little coastal town in Maine, but I don’t remember much of that life, because my parents died when I was six. But I do recall that Mom fixed the same dress at least five or six times instead of getting me a new one. I remember never having enough food to quiet the hunger in my stomach. The situation didn’t change when I was thrown into the system and moved from one abusive home to another. Kids like us don’t get nice things. Some of us become druggies, others sell their bodies, and many die in freak accidents. Nobody cares about the nameless corpse by the side of the road. We’re just statistics that feed the machine. The few who make it, like me, are still treated like outsiders and discriminated against, no matter how book-smart or street-smart we learn to become.”

I pause, largely because of the lump that’s obstructing my throat. I didn’t mean to get personal, but I have a feeling anything less than the truth will not move Kane in the slightest. For that matter, he might look down on me if I lie—he was certainly ready to axe the conversation when I attempted it.

Although I’ve just laid my unglamorous life out in front of him, he doesn’t react. There’s not even a tic in his monk-like expression. He doesn’t appear to be calculating whether or not I’m telling the truth.

“And?” is all he says, prompting me for more, sliding ghostly hands through my brain as if he wants to pick it apart piece by piece.

“And I’m tired of being on the outside. For once, I want to be on the inside. I want to wake up in the morning and not worry about how to survive for one more day. I heard Vencor can help with that. That if I become a member, my future will be guaranteed, like it has been for countless politicians, businessmen, and even ex-presidents. I want to be part of the powerful instead of the weak.”

“And you thought the best way to do that would be to get close to the hockey team, where three players are Seniors and a few others are Members, and have one of the Seniors invite you to the upcoming initiation.”

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