Page 6 of Venom and Velvet

We found the four of them standing around the kitchen table when we got downstairs. Eros winked at Juliet, and she flipped him off. She better be careful or she might fall for that Blackwood charm. Speaking of—Cian looked me up and down, his eyes taking everything in, and my body instantly warmed.

“Nova.” Thora pulled out a chair next to her. “Come.”

We hadn’t spoken at all since that day in my office when she had tried to warn me about Ryzen. She had been so bitter and angry; I had never seen her like that. I rubbed the back of my neck, hesitating. Juliet’s words rang in my ears.

They saved us. We need to trust them.

Here went nothing. I returned her smile and sat down next to her.

“What’s that?” I pointed at her hand. She was rolling a black stone back and forth between her fingers, and she stopped, handing it to me.

“Obsidian. It’s for protection against negative energy. Keep it.” She closed my hand around the stone.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” I chuckled and tried to hand it back to her.

She shook her head and reached into her pocket, pulling out four more stones. “I’ve got plenty, don’t worry.”

Cian was watching us, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. Eros was stealing pancakes from Juliet’s plate, and she smacked his hand. The whole table broke out in laughter, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it was like to have a normal family. Well, a form of normal.

“How are you feeling?” Thora’s eyebrows drew together. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but Cian…” She lowered her voice and leaned closer. “He’s a big brute sometimes.”

“I heard that, Thora.” Cian tossed his napkin onto his plate and narrowed his eyes at her.

Orin was pacing back and forth around the table, his phone glued to his ear. After a moment, he came over and whispered something to Cian, whose demeanor changed immediately. Cian stood from the table. “They’re here.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “Who’s here?” I looked around the room, waiting for an answer.

Thora patted my shoulder and stood. “It’s OK.” She followed Orin out into the hallway and Cian came around the table and held his hand out to me.

Trust.

I grabbed it and walked with him down to the office he’d been in last night. “Who’s here?” I repeated the question.

He rubbed his hands over his face and clasped his hands together. “The FBI.”

My eyes widened. “Why?”

He gripped my shoulders as footsteps came closer down the hall. “They are here to help.”

The door opened and Orin walked in with two men wearing suits. They were the total opposite of each other. One was older with a potbelly and had his hair combed over to disguise the fact that he was going bald. The other man looked twenty years his junior; his suit was pristine and clung to his body, showing off an impressive physique. If you were into accounting porn, this would be the guy you would want to watch. Orin nodded at Cian, then shut the door on his way out.

Cian stuck his hand out and the younger man shook it and nodded. “Good to see you again, Cian.” He held his hand out to his partner, “This is Agent Dobbs. He’s very familiar with the situation.”

Agent Dobbs sniffled and looked around the room. “Is there a cat in here? I’m allergic.”

Cian raised his eyebrows. “No, Agent, not that I’m aware of.” They shook hands and Cian touched my elbow. “This is Nova La Roux.”

“Agent Delove.” The younger man held his hand out, and I shook it, hoping he didn’t notice how badly my palms were sweating. “It’s good to see you safe, Nova.” He sounded sincere, like he actually meant it, and I returned his smile.

“Dobbs, Nova.”

Dobbs didn’t smile as he gave me a lackluster handshake, completely different from Delove’s. I didn’t have much experience with law enforcement, especially with the FBI, but something told me I was about to experience Good Cop, Bad Cop. Er, Agent.

Cian guided me to the couch and sat down next to me while the agents sat across from us. The air was thick with tension, and I clasped my knees together, rubbing my palms over my pants. I wasn’t in trouble. Was I? I mean, being a fake fiancée to a billionaire wasn’t illegal. Was it? Not that they would even know that.

Delove pulled out a briefcase and laid it on the table between us. “Nova, I’ve worked with Orin Blackwood on several cases, and we’ve built quite the understanding between us.”

Dobbs snorted and wrote something on his notepad. I glanced at Cian out of the corner of my eye, and he shifted closer to me. I nodded and Delove continued.

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