Page 14 of Venomous Heart
As she spoke, she knew she wasn’t just talking about the flower. Pain twisted in her gut, along with a hatred so cold, it frightened her.
“It was his favorite flower.” Ava turned from Arlen and looked at the water, flowing in complete indifference. “Knut. He just loved the Deadly Sunkiss.”
The river kept flowing, filling the silence between them as Ava deeply inhaled the perfume from the flower. She stared down at the perfect, waxy white petals, then closed her fist around them. When she opened it again, they were crumpled and ruined, never to be whole again. In a slow gesture, she flipped her wrist, throwing the flower into the river. She watched as it rolled over and floated away. It seemed almost happy to be free.
How she envied it.
“Do you miss him?”
The question was abrupt, and Ava looked up to see Arlen staring at her intently, his brow creased and his mouth hard. He almost looked angry. She turned to face him as he took a step closer, closing the gap between them.
“Miss him?” she scoffed. “How could I miss the man who made me a prisoner? Who sold my people into slavery?”
“Were they?” His voice was soft, and hurt as much as a physical blow. “You’re as much Avonie as you are human. Tell me, who are you really?”
We know what you truly are.Abomination.
All those years of being pushed away, of being alone and scorned by the people she wanted so desperately to belong to rushed up like a knife across her heart. Her hand rose all by itself, open and ready to slap that handsome, cruel face with all she was worth.
A hand made of steel closed around her wrist, an inch from his skin.
Arlen glared at her as she unsuccessfully tried to pull her arm away. It was no use; he was much stronger than her. Anger and pain raged inside her mind as she watched him. How could she have been stupid enough to think he was different?
“Let me go.” Her voice shook, and that made her even angrier. “Don’t you dare touch me!”
But he didn’t care for her protest. He held her prisoner, his arm as good as carved from stone as she struggled to free herself. His chest was just inches away from her, and she had to tilt her head back so much her neck hurt to look at him.
“Like he did, is that what you mean? He kept you close. Cherished you above all the others. Treated you like a pet. How could you not miss him?”
The accusation was barely veiled, as was Arlen’s anger. Pain shot through Ava’s heart at his words, old and familiar. Because this was one of the many reasons why the humans on Aveyn hated her. Because Knut hadn’t. Knut hadn’t hated her.
He thinks I was his lover. He thinks I loved that monster.
Anger and pain twisted together inside her, and she embraced it. They all saw her the same way, all saw the unnatural creature, Knut’s personal little project, not the woman she was. None of them knew. None of them cared.
“You think Knut had feelings for me?” She spat out the words, not caring that Arlen’s face was twisting with rage and that he was inching closer to her. Closer above her. “You think he loved me? You know nothing of what it was like to live under his roof, be his little trained monkey. Watch him sell off my friends, one after the other. Show me what happens to bad little girls who don’t follow the rules. You know nothing of my life with him. You know nothing of me!”
His other hand closed around her waist and Arlen pulled her in, crushing her against his hard, male body. Her fingers clenched around the weapon she still held in her free hand, and in a flash of pure instinct, Ava raised the scalpel, the blade coming to rest just under his chin. Eyes as pale as the moonlight stared at her without a single trace of fear as the blade moved in tandem with his pulse.
“Let me go.” Her voice wasn’t trembling anymore.
“Or what, Ava?” Arlen pushed his head forward and down and the blade broke his skin, a trickle of blood dripping down his neck and into the open collar of his vest. “You will kill me? Slit my throat in cold blood?”
Ava let out a shaky breath, her hand pulling slightly away from his jugular. Still, his face lowered, his eyes set on her like a predator, ignoring her threat.
His lips landed on hers above the blade; imperious and hard. He kissed her like it was a command, demanding absolute submission.
And she responded. Her body weakened, her fingers opening and the scalpel falling to the grass at her feet. Her lips parted under his and his tongue entered her mouth. His taste was male and clean, and he took possession of her mouth completely as her mind went blank. Her knees buckled, but his hold on her was firm and he held her there against him.
She could barely breathe as his fingers dug into her flesh, descending to grab her ass. He pulled her against him as a hardness all too male dug into her stomach.
Fear mixed with her arousal, then the hand that had held the blade went to his chest and she pushed against him.
Arlen growled into her mouth, refusing to heed her plea to stop. As his hand went down to cup an entire ass cheek, she whimpered in fright against his flesh.
The sound of her fear was like a shock and, as suddenly as he had begun, he stopped. A second later, the Eok warrior stood five feet away from her.
The moon shone a pale light on his features, and his eyes seemed to glow as if lit from within. His gaze trailed over her body and she was aware of her breasts pushing against the thin fabric, the plunging shape of her neckline, revealing way too much skin. His chest heaved as he stood there, his expression one of pure shock.
