Page 66 of Venom and Bind

There was blood covering the kitchen floor, and I elbowed Juliet, pointing with my poker. Her eyes widened, and she raised her gun, her hand trembling slightly as we followed the path of blood. A man lay behind the kitchen island, stab marks covering most of the snowsuit on his chest, his throat slit.

Boots pounded on the back porch, and we ducked down behind the island, right next to the man’s body. The door creaked open, and I held my breath. We had to be ready for anything. The sound of static filled the room, then a voice.

“Searching the lower level now,” the man said into his walkie-talkie. His boots shuffled closer on our left, and I nodded at Juliet to go around the island on the other side. I crawled behind her on my hands and knees, trying to stay as quiet as possible. My fingers slipped in the blood, making me drop my poker with a clank, and he rushed over, chills going through my entire body as I stared down at white boots in front of my face.

“What do we have here?” He reached down and dragged me up by my hair, and I screamed, terror gripping me as I thrashed around, trying to get free.

Juliet scrambled to stand up and turned, pointing her gun at him. He knocked it out of her hands and shoved her back and she fell, landing on the dead man’s body on the ground.

“Found myself some tasty treats, I see.” His breath reeked of cigarette smoke, and bile rose in the back of my throat at the look in his eyes. I reached into my waistband, pulled out my dagger and plunged it into his stomach.

He grunted as if I had poked him with a toothpick instead of a knife, and threw me over the island, my head bouncing against the marble as I slid across and landed on the other side.

“You’re going to pay for that, bitch.”

The sound of my dagger hitting the ground had me scrambling across the floor and I stood, just as Juliet did. She grabbed a cast-iron skillet from the oven and smacked him in the back of his head, making him shout and turn towards her. Fuck, we had to stop him before he killed us. I threw a plate, then a glass at him, both crashing to the ground and shattering as he looked between the two of us.

“Come and get me, asshole,” I panted and threw another plate, this time hitting him in his head. His face twisted in anger, blood streaming from the stab wound in his stomach. But he wasn’t stopping. He roared and ran towards me, my eyes widening as he got closer.

Kaviathin stepped out from around the corner, pushing me out of the way before shooting the assailant in the chest. The man stopped, his eyes widening as he looked down at the bullet hole. Kaviathin shot again, this time square between his eyes, and the man slumped down to the floor.

I was on all fours on the ground, trying to catch my breath. The back door swung open, and I snapped my head up, ready to fight if I had to. Althazair appeared, blood covering his suit and his face.

“There were five, actually,” he said and helped me to my feet.

One of the walkie-talkies beeped, and my blood ran cold as Ryzen’s voice came through. “Did you get them? Petrov, come in. Did you find them?”

Rage boiled inside of me, and I yanked the walkie-talkie from the dead man’s belt. I looked around the room, everyone’s eyes on me. Kaviathin nodded, and I pressed the button on the side.

“He’s dead,” I growled into the phone. “And you’re next.”

Ryzen laughed, the sound making the hair on my arms stand up. “Surprise, surprise, Nova. Happy to hear my voice?”

“I’ll be happy when you’re burning in hell, exactly where you belong.”

“Nova, dear. I’m going to paint the walls with your blood, so the sooner you come out, the sooner we can play!” His voice rose with each word until he was yelling at the top of his lungs.

I jerked the speaker away from my ear, my knuckles turning white at how hard I was gripping the walkie-talkie. He was fucking crazy. No. More than crazy. And he needed to be stopped.

“You might as well give up. You’re trapped out here with me, you bitch,” he snarled.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed the button. “Wrong. You’re trapped out here with me, asshole. You better fucking run and hide, because I’m coming for you.”

He screamed a slew of obscenities into the walkie, but I switched it off and tossed it onto the counter. I looked around the room, the same look on everyone’s face. Anger. Determination.

“Let’s go find our boys.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Cian

My pulse roared as I flung open the trapdoor, urgency flooding my veins. I motioned for Harvey, Valik, Eros, and Orin to hurry down into the abyss below. Darkness enveloped us as I slammed the door back in place, sealing us in.

Rage simmered within me at the realization that Goodacre was still alive. The monster I’d thought was rotting in hell was here, threatening everything I held dear. How the fuck could this have happened? No, I couldn’t let myself go down that path right now. He was going to pay for his sins. I would rip out his black heart and watch the light leave his eyes. Tonight. It was over for him. No matter what the cost. I would do anything to protect Nova and my family.

Anything.

Eros flicked on the overhead light, and I yanked open the supply cache, my hands working quickly. The others snatched rusty lanterns and flashlights from my grip. It wasn’t much, but it would lead us through the tunnel.

---