Page 29 of Craving Venom

That hit a nerve, didn’t it?

But just because you’re a piece of shit doesn’t mean I am. You think I’m here for clout? My only motive was to understand you. But you’re so blinded by your own ego and self-loathing you can’t even see that.

Oh, please. Don’t act so fucking righteous. You’re poking at the monster in the cage. So what’s your angle? Sympathy? Redemption? Save it, good girl.

I’m not here to save you, Zane. I don’t give a damn about redeeming you. I’m trying to understand you.

I bark out a laugh as I type my reply.

What the fuck for? I’m not some case study for you to dissect. I’m not a goddamn project for your entertainment.

You’re objectifying yourself, not me. I’m not looking at you like a monster. I’m looking at you like a human being. The problem is, you can’t even see yourself that way anymore.

My fingers hesitate over the keyboard for a split second before I slam my hand down on the desk.

Don’t fucking pity me, Faith. Don’t you dare. You think I don’t know what I am? I’ve been locked up in this hellhole for years. I’ve had plenty of time to figure it out.

Then maybe you need to take a little more time because all I see is someone so wrapped up in their own hatred, they can’t even see what’s real anymore.

Careful, good girl. You don’t know half of what I’m capable of. You don’t know the places I’ve been, the lines I’ve crossed. If you’re smart, you’ll back the fuck off.

I don’t even wait for her response before typing again.

Find yourself a boyfriend, someone who’ll treat you right and respect your space. Because I won’t just bend your morals, I’ll fucking break them.

Aw, are you trying to spook me, Zane? Sorry, but I’m not that easily scared. Plus, you’re the one who’s been keeping this banter going.

I grind my teeth as I read her next message.

You may see this as banter, but I assure you, I can be a very dangerous man when provoked.

Mmm, dangerous, huh? Is that a promise or a warning?

I don’t bother laughing this time. Instead, I press my fingers hard into the keys.

Pray to whatever gods you believe in that you never have to find out.

Maybe I want to find out, Zane. Maybe I’m curious to see just how far you’re willing to go.

Be careful what you wish for, good girl. You might just get it. I’m not someone you want to push.

Oh, come on. You’re trying way too hard. If you really wanted to get rid of me, you’d stop with the ominous warnings. You act like the world should bow down to you, but you’re just a man behind a screen. You don’t intimidate me.

Not yet, maybe. But that’s because you’re too naive to see what’s in front of you. I’m not just some “bad boy” you can flirt with and tame. You don’t tame a fucking storm. You survive it, if you’re lucky.

Oh, please. Storms are just loud and messy. You talk like you’re the king of the jungle, but all I see is someone trying way too hard to sound scary.

I lean back in my chair, fingers flexing at her flippant response.

Nah, not the jungle, baby. I’m more like a King Kong. Towering over the rest, untamed, and unafraid to seize what’s rightfully mine.

A King Kong, huh? You’re really leaning into the whole “dark and dangerous” act. But let me ask you something, Zane—if you’re such a predator, why are you the one locked in the cage?

You think bars make me any less dangerous? That’s where you’re wrong. Even caged, I’m still a threat. You should listen to those instincts telling you to run, Faith. You don’t know me. You just know my name.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE BEAUTY

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