Page 69 of Venomous Kiss

“She took my gun.” He nods down to his injured arm, where I see the knife she stole from me embedded there. I grab the handle and pull it out. Arlo grunts loudly as I pocket it.

“Which way did she go?” My voice is low and deadly.

No one will win this Hunt.

And if they think they will, I will kill them all.

If anyone so much as lays a hand on her, I’ll fucking end them.

“That way.” He points, and before I go, he grabs my arm. “She’s in the Hunt now, Reon. You know how this ends.” His words are sour, and if he weren’t already stabbed, I’d stab him myself. I shrug him off and look him dead in the eyes as I grip my axe tightly.

“They better hope by the time I find her, no one has hurt her. Because I will kill them all,” I declare.

Then I run, screaming her name, and hoping to God she knows it’s me.

Lilith, I’m coming.

TWENTY-SIX

LILITH

I know that voice.

I know it well.

But do I want to answer and let everyone know where I am? No.

The gun shakes in my hands as the ground gets colder beneath my feet, which are feeling very numb right about now.

Could I shoot my way out of this forest?

Or will I die here?

I really hope I don’t die.

I like death. I like dreaming of death. But others’ deaths, not mine.

Maybe this is payback for all those evil thoughts.

It has to be, right?

Why else would I be put in this situation? But the real question is, why was I stupid enough to come?

Oh, that’s right. I wanted Reon. A date with Reon means he would accept me into his world, so I was excited about the invite. A part of me wanted to be in this world. This Society is a taboo that I crave… not crave, but I yearn to know more about it.

Now I know better.

I need to re-evaluate my thought process because that is foolish thinking. And I like to think I’m not that dumb. Granted, I have made incredibly stupid mistakes along the way, but this one takes the cake.

Looking up at the black sky, I wonder if things would’ve been different—actually, I know they would be—if I’d given Deven a chance and stayed. Is this worse than that? A part of me says no. Why would I choose to stay in a loveless marriage? That’s just ridiculous.

Reon has made me feel things in the short time I’ve spent with him that no other man ever has. And I hate that he has that effect on me. I hate that when I close my eyes, I dream of him. Does my brain not understand that he’s bad for me?

We are bad for each other.

And it’s the exact reason I ran that first night.

My head falls between my knees, and I count to ten. How long until I move again? I’ve been running for what feels like hours, and I’m so tired.