Page 127 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

“You’re in no state to drive home.”

“But you’ve never let…me stay before…”

“I think now is as good of a time as any.” Standing, she set her own glass down before turning to help him stand.

Facing him once more, her smile turned sinful. Levi had sloppily drawn his gun, elbow resting on his thigh as if his own arm was too heavy to endure holding it up and aiming it at her completely.

Feigning surprise, Anika held up her hands. “Well, well, well, someone is happy to see me.”

“Wha–what did you put…in m-my drink?” Levi slurred, his words taking a painfully long time to leave his mouth, but she waited all the same.

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“Bullshit.”

Her mouth popped open, his angerhardly veiled now. It was only dimmed because of the violets coursing through his body. Before she could call him all the filthy words in the book, his hold on his glass slipped.

Crash!

The delicate cup shattered as soon as it hit her wood floors, splinters of glass flying across the space and littering the hardwoods. The last swig of the drink that he’d been saving now leaked out from the broken vessel.

Anika didn’t flinch. “Shame, that was a family heirloom.” Another lie. “And now I’m going to have to punish you for it.”

“Oops.”

She knew her eyes must be damn near glowing with her fury. “Give me your gun.”

“No.”

“I’m trying to be nice here and allow you to cooperate, but I won’t hesitate to take it myself.”

“You won’t–can’t.”

“Want to bet?”

“Ye—”

Before the rest of the word left his foul mouth, Anika leapt at him. His motor skills were slow and before he could even move his finger to touch the trigger, she was in his lap. With practiced motions, she had the gun unloaded and tossed aside.

“Can’t have you figuring out how to use that, now can we?” she taunted.

Levi’s stunned look, although clouded with the violet haze, made her black heart soar.

“W-who areyou?”

“A nobody really,” she replied, gripping his face in her hand before squeezing. Any pain she could cause him before his death was a win. “But you still should’ve been more careful. Didn’t anyone teach younot to take open drinks from strangers?”

“What was…in that…what did you…” his voice trailed off, his tongue damn near worthless inside his mouth. She hoped he’d bite it off in his own blabbering stupor.

“What did I put in it?” she repeated. “Honestly, you’re lucky. I could’ve slipped you something nasty, something that could’ve really altered your brain, but I prefer organic solutions to my problems. Mother nature gives, but she can alsotake.”

Levi gurgled on his accumulating spit.

“Myspecialdrink is made from violets.” Levi’s brows furrowed. Anika rolled her eyes before continuing. “Which makes you sleepy, especially when highly concentrated and paired with vodka.”

“Y-you druggedme?”

“And you came here to kill me. Call us even, yeah?” She nodded to the dismantled gun lying on the floor a couple feet away. “I must say, though, you and your friends took way too long to figure this out. To figuremeout.”