Page 47 of Venom and Velvet

He smiled in a way that was anything but reassuring and pulled the trigger, shooting Cian in the shoulder.

Cian howled in agony, blood splattering around him, and I screamed. Thora yelled and tried to get up, but the man pushed her back down into the chair.

“Do not underestimate me, Miss La Roux.” Kaviathin handed the gun to his associate and whistled, twirling his finger in the air. They marched towards the door, and Kaviathin turned around one last time as I ran towards Cian. “Let’s keep this rendezvous between us, shall we?” He glanced at Thora, then walked through the door.

“Cian, Cian!” I tugged on the ropes, desperate to untie them. Thora rushed over and placed her jacket on the wound. “Cian, it’s OK. We’re going to get help.”

He groaned. “Nova, are you OK?”

“You’re OK, Cian. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Apply pressure, Nova. We need to get him out of here now.” Thora pulled out her phone and punched in a number.

I couldn’t understand a word she was saying. It was like I had tunnel vision, and all I saw was blood and the gaping wound in his shoulder.

He couldn’t die.

I couldn’t let him die.

Not now.

Chapter Thirteen

I gripped the cup of tea in my hands, willing them to stop shaking. But they wouldn’t. Dried blood stained my coat, the sound of Cian moaning in pain etched in my memory forever. Thora sat next to me and placed her hand on my forearm.

“He’s going to be OK, Nova. Don’t worry. He’s tough.”

Yeah, he was tough, but that didn’t make me worry any less. The events of the last few hours replayed over and over again in my mind, until the throbbing in my head became unbearable. If only there had been some way to avoid this. But I knew there was nothing I could have done differently. If Kaviathin had wanted to find us, threaten us, then he would have found a way, no matter what.

We were in a small house not far from downtown. It had the same look and feel as the house Cian had kept us in after saving us at the wedding. Had that only been six weeks ago? It seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. We had tried to take him to the hospital, but he was adamant about not going.

“No hospitals. No cops. Thora, call Henrick.” He had groaned as I put pressure on his wound.

We had raced here, Eros and a man with a medical bag already waiting for us. They had been in the room for over an hour. Every so often Cian would yell out, and I had to cover my ears and squeeze my eyes shut at the agony in his voice.

Eros walked into the kitchen, Henrick right behind him. Thora and I both stood, gripping each other’s hands.

“He’s stable. The bullet went through and through without causing any major damage. I’ve stitched him up.” Henrick smiled slightly. “He’ll make a full recovery.”

My hand flew to my chest, the pressure lessening as the news sank in. Thank fucking God. Thora squeezed my hand, her face lighting up.

“Told you,” she whispered.

Henrick reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. “Give him two pills every four hours for the pain. Keep the wound clean and dry and keep an eye out for an infection.” He handed the bottle to Eros and shook his hand. “Call me, day or night. I’ll be here.”

Eros walked Henrick out and came back a moment later.

“Why did his medical bag have a pawprint on it?” I quirked my eyebrow.

“He’s a vet.” Eros chuckled at the look on my face. “Well, now he is. But when I knew him, he was a combat medic in the army.”

I nodded, nibbling on my bottom lip. “Can I see Cian?”

He nodded and rubbed his hands over his face. “He’s resting, so try not to wake him.”

I walked down the hall and peeked inside the room. Cian lay on the bed, his eyes closed. He looked so vulnerable in that moment, and my heart broke. Things could have ended up a lot worse than they had. I sat in the chair next to his bed, watching his chest like a hawk as he breathed. There was a huge bandage on his shoulder and dark marks on his face where Kaviathin’s men had beaten him. I moved his hair out of his eyes and pressed my forehead against his for a moment.

Something inside of me was awakening. Not fear, not helplessness, and not even sadness. It was full-on fury mixed with a splash of vengeance. Kaviathin was going to pay for this. If I could make him suffer the same way we were, then I would. He was going down, and if that meant getting to him through Ryzen, then even better. I was going to make him regret his choices tonight. Some way, somehow.

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