Page 14 of Vicious and Volatile (Vengeance and Venom #2)

M y brain is still spinning by the time we take the elevator up to the eighth floor. It’s one in the morning, but I’m not the least bit tired. My sleep schedule is non-existent anymore. Not that I’d have it any other way. By this point, my body has just learned to sleep whenever my head hits the pillow.

I feel nearly electric with the meeting we just had. Another human that is so woven into this world of fangs and blood. Two other vampires who come from their own dark legacies, now leading a worldwide organization of vampires—some of them Royalty.

The keys jangle as Ares unlocks the door. He pushes it open for me, letting me enter first.

“That was kind of… incredible,” I admit as I set my purse on the island and wander into the living room. I sort of feel like I don’t know what to do with myself right now. I have all this built-up energy and wonder in my blood. “I mean, the Barons ar e very impressive, but there was just something different about them. And Elle…”

As Ares’ eyes meet mine, a smile pulls on his lips, and I flush a little. “Okay, maybe it’s a little embarrassing how much I want to be like her.”

Ares chuckles and crosses the space to take my hands. “It’s understandable. She does seem pretty badass.”

“I think that’s an understatement,” I say, even as a smile forms on my own face. I wrap my arms behind his neck. “Tonight was just…” I shake my head. “It felt damn incredible. I’m having a hard time finding words for it.”

“I know for me, it’s a relief,” Ares admits. I see it in his eyes that he’s not necessarily happy to confess the words.

“What? That we gave them the record?” I clarify, my brows furrowing.

Ares nods. “That we passed off the responsibility of finding all those people. This heavy part of me still feels like I have to make up for what Augustus did.”

I shake my head and lean my forehead against his. “You have made up for what he did. Ares, you didn’t have to do anything . But you did. You saved me, you saved Kelsey, you saved Ophelia. It’s done, Ares. It’s not your responsibility anymore.”

He lets out a breath, and his shoulders actually relax. He squeezes his eyes closed, and he nods. “I know. It just might take me a second to settle into the relief.”

I lean back just slightly, looking into his eyes. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I think we might have just a little brain room to figure a few other things out.”

He holds my gaze, and supportively, he nods.

I take his hand in mine and lead us to the couch. Ares sinks into the cushions, and I sit sideways, propping my feet up in his lap.

“How about we talk about the immediate future,” I say, trying to sort through it all in my head. “What needs to happen in the next week?”

Ares grabs my foot and rubs his thumbs into the arch of it. I nearly moan with how good it feels. “I need to speak to the Barons. I have to deal with the repercussions of Augustus’s death,” he starts. “I have to let his executing attorney know. I’m sure his will is a mess.”

“You think there will be one?” I ask out of curiosity. “The man clearly expected to live forever.”

“He just might have been that arrogant,” Ares says, cocking his head just a little before he shakes it. “But he was a damn successful businessman for a reason. I’d be surprised if he didn’t have his affairs in order, just in case.”

How the hell does a greedy, evil vampire will out his fortune? The man has nine children, most all of them by different mothers, but he wasn’t a part of any of their lives besides Ares.

“So, I have a feeling that’s going to occupy a lot of my time in the next few weeks, maybe even months,” Ares says, somewhat begrudgingly. “Depending on what that will says, I might need to expand my team. James is competent in managing the properties, but there’s suddenly the potential that there will be a whole lot more.”

Unless Augustus was vindictive enough to remove Ares from his will when we released his humans from that warehouse.

Not that Ares cares about the money or the real estate. He’s damn fine on his own.

Ares’ eyes rise to mine, and I take that as my cue that he’s covered his end.

“I’ll keep an eye on Ophelia for a few more days. But if she doesn’t take any action against you in the next few days, I don’t think she’s going to.”

“Still no response from her?” he asks with a concerned tone.

I shake my head. “At this point, I don’t think she’s going to. I think I just need to give her space. Let her get her life back together. I’ll try again in a few weeks, maybe.”

I hate this feeling. Like everything has changed, that she and I will never be the same again. There was over a year and a half of her being my person, and it’s suddenly over. All because I fell in love with the man who helped me rescue her.

Ares squeezes my foot, a gesture of support.

I bite my lower lip, worrying it, unsure how to vocalize what else is on my mind. It doesn’t feel like me, but I feel this new version of me rising up. I’m not afraid of her, but she is different from what I saw for myself.

“I’m dying to know what has you abusing those beautiful lips, Vengeance,” Ares says. I blush as I look up at him. And it’s a marvel to me that he can read me so well. It’s only been a month and a half, even though it feels like we’ve been together years after everything we’ve been through together.

“I don’t really know how to put this part,” I say, choosing honesty. “It just feels so different. I feel myself changing, and it’s just… jarring.”

His brows furrow, a slight look of worry creeping into his eyes.

I shake my head. “Nothing about you or us. It’s me. I’ve worked so hard the last few years. I’ve struggled. I went through some rough shit after my dad died, and Tate stole the gym from me. It was all I wanted for so damn long. But now…” Once more, I shake my head. It feels so strange to be confessing this truth out loud. But it feels good. It feels like I’m finally getting honest with myself. “I’m not sure I fit in that tiny little world anymore,” I confess. Ares holds my gaze the entire time, taking in every word with rapt attention. “I loved my job. I felt like what I was doing was important. But those couple of days that I went back before Augustus took me? I could hardly focus. All I could think about was you and your world, and how it feels like it’s become my world. Ares, it doesn’t make any sense, because I’m human, and I’m always going to be human. But I don’t feel like I fit in my old life anymore.”

Ares grabs my left ankle and pulls, which shifts me up, and then he pulls that ankle over him, putting me in a position where my knees are on either side of his hips, me sitting in his lap. “You were made for this world, Lana,” he says as he stares into my eyes. His words are low, a little dangerous. They’re… seductive. And the look in his eyes? It lights me on fire. “No one else could walk into this dangerous life like you did and step on top of it like a fucking queen. Give it a year, and you’ll make every Baron kneel at your feet.”

“Ares,” I breathe, his name a questioning warning.

The things this man does for my confidence. My heart. The fire igniting between my legs.

“Tell me what it is you want, Lana,” Ares says softly. Dangerously.

“I want to stay in this world with you, all the time,” I finally voice my thoughts. “I wanted the gym for so long. And I feel really damn guilty because you had to go and be all valiant and buy it back for me. But… But I can’t go back to that small life, Ares.”

He smiles, his breath warm. His left hand clutches at my hip. His right hand rises to my face. He brushes his thumb over my lips. “Don’t go back to that gym, Vengeance. Help me tame New York.”

It’s an offer I understand perfectly. I won’t work anymore. I won’t go back to the gym I thought I wanted more than anything. But this is different. It’s bigger. It means Ares will provide everything I need. But I will walk at his side.

“I need some further clarification, Ares,” I say, my stomach quivering with more honesty and vulnerability than I’ve used in my entire life. “Us. What we are. What’s to come. I need this to be cut and clear.”

“Will you marry me, Lana?” Ares asks, the words coming out without a second’s hesitation. “I don’t give a fuck that it’s been seven weeks since we met. I’m done for. You’re it for me. I want you, forever, Vengeance.”

Something is rising within me. It’s something that feels like fate. It feels like something seeded by a goddess. It feels like the beginning of eternity.

I nod and meet his eyes. “Yes, Ares.”

A grin spreads on his face. “Will you move in with me, forever, Lana?”

Once again, I nod. “Yes, Venom.”

“Will you tame New York with me, Vengeance?”

We reach a crescendo. My heart rate suddenly calms as he voices everything I want. “Yes.”

He pulls me to him, and Ares’ lips meet mine. And all this uncertainty, all the anxiety, all the questions that have set my teeth on edge for these past few weeks are gone. I’m left with rock solid certainty. I know what my future holds. Maybe a thousand wild scenarios. Maybe a million different trials. But it holds Ares. Mine. My partner. My equal. My everything.

My chest presses into his as Ares wraps his arms behind my back. I arch into him, craving every bit of his touch.

Those gorgeous hands of Ares’ slide up my back, slipping beneath my shirt. It’s something I can never get enough of, the skin-to-skin contact with this man. Anxiously, my hands come to the hem of my shirt, and I yank it up over my head, letting it drop to the floor.

He gives me exactly what I want. Ares’ hand slides up and over my left breast. Those fingers hook into the lacy material of my bra, pulling it down, exposing me. With a growl, he sits forward and takes my nipple between his lips. He sucks me, hard. Then he grabs the lace with his teeth, dragging it farther down. He kisses the underside of my breast, then licks it with a wide, flat tongue, following along the underside of the curve.

My head tilts back, my hair cascading down my back. Ares’ hands tighten on my waist, and the possessive pressure of it drives me fucking wild.

He shifts, pressing his face between my breasts. He takes a deep inhale and then presses a kiss to my sternum. My fingers lace into his hair. I love his hair. The loose waves. It’s thickness. The way it falls across his forehead.

I tilt his head back, bringing my lips to his. He tastes like forever. He tastes like home. He tastes like the love of my life.

Shifting back, I grip at Ares’ shirt and pull. With his eager assistance, we get it off in two seconds flat. He throws it aside, and I grin at him wickedly.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” I murmur as I let my fingers trace over the ink covering his body. With my pointer finger, I trace a line from his belly button, up between the valley of his stomach muscles, right up the center of his sternum. But the other hand feels left out, so I smooth both of my hands over his chest, appreciating the very perfected form of him. “Tomorrow, I want you to take me to get my first tattoo.”

“Really?” he asks, and his eyes fucking light up. I’ve never seen him look so light, so youthful.

I grin, nodding. “I’m not sure what yet, but I want one.”

“I fucking love you, Vengeance,” he says worshipfully. He hooks his hands under my arms and shifts forward. He lays me on my back on the coffee table in front of the couch. His fingers slide down to the button of my pants. Once undone, he hooks his fingers in the waistband and pulls down. And where once upon a time, I would have felt nervous or self-conscious about him seeing every inch of me exposed, I’m just giddy with excitement.

Ares runs his palms down the inside of my thighs, his eyes darkening as they fix on my center. He whispers a curse and a prayer.

But I need to touch him more than I need to be revered in this moment. I rock forward until I’m sitting, ignoring Ares’ noise of displeasure. I unbutton his pants and hold his gaze as I tug them down. The length of him springs free. I climb to my knees, kneeling on the coffee table. Between us, I fist him, stroking his length.

Ares lets out a groan, his head tipping back.

I nearly whimper, the sight of him is so beautiful.

I lean forward, pressing a kiss to his sternum. He smells so damn good. He’s always smelled so damn good. It’s like everything about this man was designed to draw me in, to tempt me in every way possible. I’ve never had a type. I’ve barely been truly attracted to anyone in my life. Guess that was just because I hadn’t laid eyes on Ares Hunt yet.

I smooth both of my hands up his body as I rise up on my knees. Ares looks down at me, the heat in his eyes telling me he likes the sight he sees. He slips his hands around my waist, then over my ass. He gives both cheeks a hard squeeze, hard enough there’s a danger I’ll be bruised come morning. But I want more.

In a movement that’s almost too fast for me to process, Ares repositions me, spinning me around until I’m facing away from him, on my hands and knees. With one hand, he grips my hip, with the other, he fists himself, teasing my entrance. A greedy sound escapes my lips as I press back into him. The warmth of him presses against my center, begging for entry.

“Please, Ares,” I beg, unable to bear our separation a moment longer.

But instead of pressing inside of me, Ares cups me. That big, beautiful hand of his caresses me, stroking softly over my folds, my entrance, my clit. A moan leaves my lips. Skin to skin. The best damn feeling in the world.

“You’re wet, Vengeance,” Ares whispers, this tone low, dangerous, seductive.

“Please, Ares,” I beg again.

His touch shifts, and as he slides his hand down my center, he slips one finger inside me. The feeling is exquisite, but I want more. So much more.

I press my hips back into him, and he rewards me with another finger. I hum at the pressure. He curls his fingers, pressing on that one particular spot.

My brain spins a little.

I breathe harder .

Ares strokes me three more times before I feel the pressure shift. I mourn the loss of his fingers for just a moment, and then I’m rewarded when he finally slips his cock inside me.

More. Another inch of him. More. Yet another inch.

Somehow there is just more and more of him. I have to focus on my breathing as I accommodate every inch of Ares. Surely, there’s no more room for him to go, but there is, and finally, he’s inside me, all the way to the hilt.

“Nirvana, Vengeance,” Ares moans, and it’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard when I hear the quivering desperation of his voice. As if he’s using everything inside him to hold back, to not lose it instantly.

“Give me more, Venom,” I say, and I am not polite.

Ares slides back, before he slams forward again.

Yes.

Oh, fuck, yes.

I didn’t realize I said the words out loud, but I must have because Ares takes the encouragement and slides out before slamming back inside me again.

Shit.

The impact of it. Every part of my body explodes with satisfaction every time he slams into me.

I’m pretty sure more sounds are pouring from me. I’m not quiet. The neighbors can probably hear me. Hell, half of Central Park can probably hear me. But I can’t even think right now. I’m purely feeling.

Ares grips my hip with one hand, but the other roams. It cups my breast. It slides around my throat, though he doesn’t use pressure. It trails down my stomach and finds its home between my legs.

A worshiping curse slips from my lips as Ares rubs the pad of his finger up and down over my clit. He has no trouble finding just the right spot. There is no fiddling around, no searching. He knows exactly where I need him most.

I widen my stance on my knees, opening a little more, giving him easier access to the center of me. He growls an approving sound, increasing the pressure on my clit. I feel my wetness growing by the moment.

Another gasp rips from my lips as he hammers into me again. “Fuck, Ares. You feel so good.”

Oh, the inhuman sounds this man makes. They will undo me.

Just two moments later, after a particularly hard thrust, I hear the cracking of wood. And for a moment, I lurch forward and toward the ground.

But Ares catches me just before I can face plant to the floor as the coffee table gives out. Strong arms wrap around my middle, and he spins us. As the coffee table collapses, Ares moves to the side, splaying me on my back on the floor. We’ve been separated for maybe two seconds before he spears inside me again.

I’m barely taken out of the moment, it all happens so quickly. My eyes roll back in my head as Ares shifts his angle, his body rubbing over me. He buries his face in my neck, kissing, lapping, pulling at my flesh.

And for a tiny fraction, just a moment, I want to feel his fangs sink into my skin. I want to feel claimed. Possessed.

But I know the nothingness that takes over with the bite.

And I’m so damn close.

My hands wrap around Ares, my nails scraping his back. The huff of air from him is approval. I scrape him harder, digging in, pulling him harder against me .

And as he shifts just a little, as he gives more pressure to the core of me, I fall over the cliff.

It rockets from my core, through my heart, over my arms, down to my toes. Every corner of my body is filled with explosives that detonate all at once as Ares chases me to orgasm. A scream rips from my lips, Ares’ name coming out as a gasp.

His mouth covers mine, cutting his name off with a kiss. He doesn’t slow. He doesn’t decrease enthusiasm. He chases me higher, harder, swallowing my screams, my prayers, my curses.

And then his entire body coils tightly around me like an anaconda. A roar pulls from his lips as he shutters into me, giving me an ending reward of impact pleasure.

Ares relaxes on top of me, his arms coiled around me. I struggle to catch my breath, but it has nothing to do with his weight or position on me.

“You have no idea how much I love your screams, Vengeance,” Ares says, his words a rumble against my chest, his breath tickling the side of my neck. “But do you really want the neighbors calling the cops? They’ll think I was trying to murder you.”

A laugh escapes my chest and I cover my mouth as I flush a deep red. “Was I really that loud?”

“It was fucking beautiful,” he says in answer, a chuckle on his lips.

“Shit,” I laugh. “I didn’t even realize.”

“I think that means I did my job adequately.”

I shake my head. “Adequately,” I mock him. “You destroyed my whole world, Venom, then rebuilt it with you at the center. ”

He surges forward, pressing a kiss to my neck. “You were perfect, fiancée.”

My eyes rip to meet his, and it feels like the whole world shifts for real. “Holy shit,” I breathe, a grin taking over my face. “You’re my fiancé.”

Ares grins, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. “I meant that question. Every word. What do you say? Are you really ready to be Mrs. Hunt someday?”

My heart rate rockets. To be honest, I didn’t really think about what Ares’ question fully meant. I said yes with everything in me. But my brain didn’t think more than twenty-four hours into the future.

But what more could I ever want?

I already have it here in my arms.

“Yes,” I answer him again, one-thousand-percent confident.