Page 80 of Venom and Velvet

Let’s try that again. Please, Lucifer, give me the strength I need to get off this island and take this son of a bitch down.

Dracula meowed softly, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. My hand flew to my chest, and I chuckled. “Thanks for the support, you little monster.”

It was fifteen minutes past midnight. I couldn’t wait any longer. The door creaked slightly and I peeked my head around the corner. It was completely dark and dead silent. A part of me had been expecting Valik to be outside my door, about to knock, and dread filled me once again. Reality was settling in my stomach.

Ryzen, you sleazy fuck. Did you take him?I balled my hands into fists and stepped back into my room, shutting the door quietly. I couldn’t leave that big lovable moose here. If Ryzen had figured out somehow what we were planning, then Valik could be hurt. He was my friend, and had been protecting me this whole time. And now I was just about to run away? I couldn’t do that to him.

No, I was sick of hiding, sick of being scared of one stupid man who thought he could control every person in the world because he was rich. He wasn’t going to get away with any of this. And if I had to be the person to stop him, then I was going to be.

Even if it ended badly for me. Even if it meant death.

Ryzen Goodacre needed to pay.

I glanced around the room and snapped my fingers when I glanced at the wall sconces. I pulled out the switchblade and unscrewed two of them from the wall. They were sharp with lots of pointy edges and could definitely cause some damage if used the right way. I tugged my pillow out of the pillowcase and put the scones at the bottom, twisting and tying a knot.

If Ryzen was waiting for me downstairs, then he was about to get a sack of sconces to the head.

I let out a deep breath, on the verge of hyperventilating as my hands trembled.

Get it together. You’re a badass. Cian is waiting for you. Prove to the world you’re not a victim. You are the queen of orgasm-makers. A sex goddess extraordinaire. Not a doormat. Not some simple-minded idiot who’s too weak and afraid to stand up for herself.

Here went nothing.

I opened the door slowly, peeking around the corner, my makeshift weapon over my shoulder ready to be swung. It was eerily quiet and more ominous than it had been moments ago. All the bedroom doors were shut, not a guard or Ryzen in sight. I tiptoed over to the staircase and peered over the banister.

Silence.

I pressed my back against the wall and moved slowly down the stairs. There was light coming from just under the basement door, and my heart nearly stopped. I had seen enough horror movies to know what might be waiting for me downstairs.

You are not a victim.

I went down the stairs as quietly as I could and peered around the corner. There was a lantern hanging in the center of the room. Had Valik been down here trying to find us a light for the boat trip?

“Valik?” I hissed and took a step closer.

No answer.

I ducked behind a metal shelf filled with old boxes and odds and ends. There was nothing there that could be used as a weapon. I didn’t know why that had surprised me—the lengths Ryzen had gone to protect himself against little old me. “Valik, are you down here?”

A faint noise was coming from around the corner. It sounded like a groan, and my hands tightened around the pillowcase. It happened again, almost a wheezing sound, and I rounded the corner.

My entire body tensed, and I gasped when my gaze landed on a dark liquid.

Blood.

Lots and lots of blood.

I squeezed my eyes shut and inhaled deeply, trying to force my heart to stop beating so erratically. If that was blood, then it had to be Valik’s.

Fuck. The braveness I’d been feeling minutes ago slowly began to disappear as the realization sank in. Somebody was hurt down here. And it was probably not Ryzen. He was the one causing the hurting. I shook my head, scrunching up my nose.No. Not anymore, asshole.

I followed the trail of blood, my pulse quickening when it ended at a closed door to what looked like a utility closet. My whole body was shaking, and the air in the room was so thick, it was suffocating. I wiped my palms against my jeans and turned the knob, opening the door slowly.

Valik lay in the closet, his face covered in cuts and scrapes. It looked like he had lost a fight with a bear. His face was as pale as a ghost’s, and I couldn’t control the gasp that escaped my lips.

“Valik,” I choked out and leaned down. His hand was pressed to the side of his stomach, and I moved it, my mouth going dry. There was a giant gash there, and I ripped off my jacket and pressed it against the open wound. I reached up and checked for a pulse, and his eyes flashed open, a gasp coming out of his mouth.

“Nova, run,” he wheezed.

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