Page 53 of Venomous Kiss

“Are you avoiding my question?” I fire back.

“Yes, I guess I am.” She shrugs. “Death is easy for some. And others find it more difficult to come to terms with. I used to drown myself in the bottom of a bottle so I didn’t hate my brother.” Her eyes meet mine. “I loved Tuck, and your father took him from me.”

“Why did you forgive him?”

“Because he is my only family and the only man who has always been there for me. Plus, he gave me something I could never have… you.”

“You couldn’t have kids?” How did I not know this? Probably because I never asked.

“No, I had cancer when I was in my early twenties, just starting out and working out what I wanted from life. Did I want kids? I don’t even know. But that choice was taken away from me. And Keenan was there for me and your mother. It’s why, even if he killed the love of my life, I still forgave him.”

“You didn’t have to. You can hate my father.”

“It’s a little late for that. I’ve wrestled my demons long enough. I’m at peace now,” she says and wipes her hands on her clothes. “Do you want kids, Lilith?”

“No,” I reply with no hesitation.

“When you were younger, you weren’t a fan of kids either.” She shrugs. “I want you to know there is nothing wrong with that… It’s better that you know. Some people in this world should not have kids. And if you feel like you are one of them, that’s okay too.”

I reach for her glass and take a sip of her tea.

“Will you tell me about him?” she asks.

“Who?”

“The man you like.”

“I’m divorced,” I remind her.

She eyes me and raises a brow. “You know that’s not who I’m talking about.”

“If you tell me what you know about the Hunt, I’ll tell you about Reon,” I say.

“It’s barbaric.” She seethes, shaking her head. “Why would you want to know about that? You know they don’t accept women into their little Society, right? It’s below them.” She says it with venom lacing her tone.

“I know.” While the information about the Society was at best, limited, I was able to gather this much.

“Well, Tuck spoke a lot. He told me things that he probably shouldn’t have. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s why your father killed him.”

“Sorry, what?”

“When he drank, Tuck would spill the information he shouldn’t have been sharing about the Society and its members. When the members feel threatened, they have ways of getting rid of the issues. One of them overheard him talking about what he told me. And, well, so did Keenan. The Hunt was the following day. After that, they planned to interrogate Tuck more.” She shifts uneasily, her gaze darting around the area as if she were searching for the words that will come next.

“I loved that man, but I don’t think for a second he would have protected me. That night, Keenan came home and told me Tuck was gone and that he had to do it.” She wipes a tear from her eye before locking eyes with me once more, her expression a mixture of sadness and resignation.

“They go into the forest. The Society owns the land and a lot of it. It’s used for their hunting. Twice a year, they hunt together as a group. But I’m sure they have individual hunts, as well, that I am not privy to.”

“That doesn’t sound like a big deal,” I say, but she gives me a look that says I’m being naïve.

“It’s not animals they hunt, Lilith.”

“I don’t…” My brows scrunch as I try to figure out her meaning. “Oh…” I take a deep breath when I finally understand. “They kill people.”

She nods. “It’s barbaric. The Lord chooses who they hunt. And no other members get a say.”

“So, Dad picked Tuck.”

“He picked Tuck. And because he was Lord, they couldn’t question it.” I nod in understanding. “Which I think was also his downfall. They knew he did it to save his own ass, which made many of them angry.”