Page 56 of Venom and Bind

Damn. That was even worse. Cian had his own demons to deal with. I didn’t want to drag him into my own fucked-up stuff because I couldn’t get a grip on my nightmares.

“You’re still healing, you know. Don’t apologize. It’ll get easier as time passes.” She pulled back and her eyes searched my face. “You’re a badass sex toy queen. You’ve got this.” She grinned and I couldn’t help but laugh this time.

“Thanks, babe.” I squeezed her one more time and pushed her back. “Now get out of here so I can pee.”

The rest of the flight went by without any more freakouts, thank God. It took some time, but I had convinced Cian that I was OK, that it was just a dream and meant nothing. He had scooped me up in his lap and mumbled all types of sweet, and then dirty, words to me that ended up with us joining the mile-high club in the back of the jet while Juliet and Valik both put on their headphones and pretended not to hear us from up front.

Soon after we landed, we were on our way to the cabins. We passed through the little town, Willow Peaks, that was about five miles from where we would be staying. Juliet oohed and ahed at the little shops we passed. The whole town looked like it had been lifted out of a western magazine and placed smack dab in the middle of the mountains. I promised her we would come back through once Sophie and Thora got here, because I knew they would love all the rustic vibes.

It got darker as we got closer, the sky above completely unspoiled by light pollution. It was like heaven on earth out here without all the sounds of the city. The resort was tucked high away in the mountains, which had several feet of snow on them as far as I could tell. Skiing was something I had always wanted to try, but considering how clumsy I was, it probably wasn’t the best idea.

We approached the massive security gate, and I shivered as Cian rolled down the window and pressed in the code. Juliet popped her head between the front seats, her eyes widening as we took the winding road that led to the main cabin. It was more like a log cabin mansion, if that was even a thing. We passed an iced-over lake that you could ice-skate on. Cian said you could even go ice-fishing in it. Not that I ever would. Soft lights came from the twelve smaller cabins scattered all around us, with cute wrap-around porches with swing sets on them. Most of the doors had festive Christmas wreaths on them and some of the smaller trees around the property had different-colored lights on them. You could smell wood burning from the chimneys as we jumped out of the truck, and I inhaled deeply and held my arms out wide.

“Damn it, I knew I should have worn boots.” Juliet hopped up and down as she shivered in four inches of snow.

“I’ve got an extra pair.” I laughed and followed everyone to the back of the truck where some of our bags were. Valik and Harvey pulled up behind us in a bigger SUV, flashing their lights at us.

“Holy shit, this is frickin’ cold.” Valik rubbed his hands together and blew puffs of warm air into them. “Hey, Blackwood, there’s no fucking cell service out here.”

Cian chuckled. “We’re out in the middle of nowhere. Service is spotty at best. Our guests come here to unwind and get away from all that shit. But don’t worry, there’s a landline if you need one.”

Valik scrunched up his nose. “A landline? Great, it’s like we’re in the nineteen eighties out here.”

“You don’t need a cell phone out here, Valik. You’ve got all the entertainment you need right here.” I waved my arms around the forest, and he groaned.

“Uh, guys, what’s that noise?” Juliet held her hands up and turned in a slow circle. “No elk better sneak up on me.”

“It’s the tarp.” I laughed and pointed at the cabin that was under construction. A black tarp made a whipping sound as the wind blew snow around us. The scaffolding swung slightly, and I was happy that Cian had given most of the staff time off while we were here. I couldn’t imagine working outside in that bitter cold.

The main cabin was nice and warm when we got inside, and the house caretaker came out to greet us with a huge smile on her face. Miss Longfellow had been running the behind the scenes at the retreat for over a decade, long before Cian took over as the owner. She was close to sixty but didn’t look a day over forty with her jet-black hair tied neatly in a braid and her silk jumpsuit. She told Valik and Harvey where to put the bags and ushered us into the living room to warm up in front of the fireplace as she served coffee.

“This place is amazing.” Juliet’s eyes twinkled as she took in the soaring ceilings, crafted stone fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over the snow-capped mountain peaks. It was more than amazing; it was a breath of fresh air. A part of me wanted to stay out here forever, but then I realized I would never get to eat Stan’s pastries again, and I changed my mind.

“Oh, wow, what’s that?” Juliet pointed to the television.

I picked up the controller and enlarged the picture. “It’s the surveillance system. The cameras are all over the resort and have real-time footage of different areas. And this button”—I wiggled the remote in my hand and pointed at the red button—“opens the front gate.”

“OK, well, don’t let us catch you and Cian going at it in the woods then.” She chuckled.

Damn. Good point.

Cian took Juliet, Harvey and Valik on a little tour, and I tagged along behind them, sipping my coffee. I knew this entire cabin like the back of my hand considering the number of times we had been here, but I would follow Cian to the pits of hell if it meant I could be closer to him.

The lodge was three stories and constructed from huge pine logs harvested locally, Cian explained as we followed him from room to room. There was a chef’s kitchen with commercial-grade appliances. Miss Longfellow passed me some cookies and winked as we went through to the dining room. An enormous chandelier hung over the dining table that could easily sit twenty people, which was going to be perfect for our after-wedding dinner. Off to the side was a bar filled with every liquor you could imagine.

The second floor held all the bedrooms, five of them plus the master. Everyone was going to stay in the main lodge tonight, and tomorrow they would go out and pick their own cabins. The master bedroom was one of my favorite spots and had a huge king-sized bed and stone fireplace, along with its own terrace. It also had a small panic room that the previous owners had installed. I poked my head inside and shivered, wondering if anyone had ever had to use it.

The top floor had all the cool stuff, like a pool table, a theater, and gaming area. But it also had one of the coolest features I had ever seen—well, the second coolest. Cian tugged on a red book on a bookcase, and a hidden door slid open. Valik pushed his way past everybody, taking the stairs two at a time as he laughed like a kid at a candy store.

I held onto Cian’s hand as we took the narrow staircase all the way down to the cellar, where there was a wine room, and then the coolest thing I had ever seen.

Cian tapped his foot over the carpet and everyone stared as he flipped the rug over, revealing a trapdoor. “The tunnel was constructed during Prohibition,” he explained as we went down the wooden steps into a pitch-black room. A second later the lights flicked on and Juliet grabbed onto me, cobwebs hanging from the low ceiling. There was a long passageway with walls of packed dirt, the roof held up by wooden beams. I had never gone through the tunnel before and didn’t plan on doing it now. The room smelled of stale air, and Juliet groaned as a spider crawled along the dirt.

“OK, I think I’ve had enough of this. Pretty sure we’re about to enter a tarantula’s den and I’ll have to pass on that,” she said, unease in her voice. Hell, I didn’t blame her. This place gave me the creeps, although it was awesome.

“Just a few spiders.” Cian chuckled and winked at me. “The tunnel takes you all the way to the hunting shed at the back of the property, but it’s mostly dark and muddy.”

“Fuck yes, let’s go.” Valik slapped Harvey on the back. Harvey shook his head. “Ugh, you pussy. C’mon, Blackwood, I have to see this.”

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