Page 57

“Is that so?” he hissed. “Because you’re so capable of protecting yourself, right?” He threw his head back and laughed, the sound cruel and grating. “The thought of you fighting me off is hilarious, and I’ve been dying for a good laugh. I’d like to see you try to—”

Ryder didn’t finish his sentence before I kneed him between the legs. Hard. He grunted in pain and released his grip on me, doubling over.

I didn’t hesitate. I stabbed him in the side.

He froze for a second, realizing what had just happened.

I pulled Venom out of his flesh before the blood came rushing from the wound.

Ryder stood up and pressed a hand to his side, pulling it away and watching the blood drip from his fingertips. “Oh, you’re really dead now, you bitch.”

Come and fucking get it.

I’d wanted to kill this bastard for weeks now and had come very close to snapping on many occasions. He wasn’t worthy of The Golden City. Hells, he wasn’t even worthy of Phantom.

“I’m not as weak as you think I am,” I sneered. “But you? You’re exactly who I think you are.”

Ryder roared and tackled me to the ground. I braced for impact, quickly rolling our bodies so he wouldn’t land on top.

He wasn’t getting the advantage. Not this time.

The weight of him threw the breath from my lungs. We were a chaotic mixture of limbs and anger and hatred, grasping and clawing at each other with that desperation that always came right before death.

He wasn’t leaving here alive.

If I could just slip my blade between us…

Hot blood smeared across my body, across my face, my chest. It made the grip on my blade slippery. Venom slid from my grasp as Ryder slammed me down against the ground.

“You think you’re special? You think you can sneak around and nobody will notice? We notice, rat. We notice you lurking, creeping in the shadows.”

He struck my temple so hard, my vision blurred. My hand stretched out, feeling the ground for my lost blade.Come on, Venom. Don’t leave me now. Not when I need you.

His hands came down on my throat and squeezed. He was going to suffocate me. “Hells, I’m going to enjoy killing you. I’ve wanted to end your life since our first fucking fight. I could always tell you were a weak, cowardly rat.”

Venom, Venom, Venom.

I was ready to give up, ready to give into that dark shadow creeping into my vision when I felt it against my fingertips: the cold hilt of my blade.

I picked it up clumsily before using my last ounce of strength to stab his side.

Ryder cried out, loosening his grip on my neck.

I stabbed him again.

Ryder sat up. I bucked my hips, throwing him to the side before climbing on top of him. I still couldn’t breathe, could barely see.

I’m not dying here. You’re not the one who gets to kill me.

I stabbed him again.

Every hit, every punch. Every fucking slight, every look he gave me. He deserved much worse than this.

I stabbed him again.

Again.

Eventually, Ryder stopped moving. Stopped struggling.