Page 20 of Vicious and Volatile (Vengeance and Venom #2)

M y feet feel like they’re dragging as I walk down the hall, then unlock the door to the penthouse. I drop my bag by the door. My hands shake as I rake them through my hair, my vision blurry from tears I refuse to let fall. Ophelia’s words are still playing on a loop in my head, sharp as glass: Stay the hell out of my life. I don’t want to hear from you again, Lana.

The sound of footsteps snaps me out of it. I look up and find Ares.

“Lana.” His voice is low, rough with concern, and he’s already moving toward me.

“Hey,” is all I manage, my voice coming out rough and quiet.

Ares closes the space between us in two long strides, his hands coming up to frame my face, tilting it up so I can’t look away. His touch is gentle, but there’s an intensity in his grip, a tension in his whole body like he’s barely holding something back.

“What happened?” His voice is steady, but there’s a dangerous edge beneath it.

“I talked to Ophelia.”

Ares goes very still. “And?”

His eyes have darkened, the protective edge sharper now. I wipe at my face with the back of my hand even though no tears have fallen. “She—she said she never wanted to see me again.”

The words hang heavy between us, like they’re too ugly to say out loud. Ares’ expression shifts. The room feels colder all of a sudden, though Ares’ body practically radiates heat. He lets out a slow, controlled breath through his nose like he’s trying to keep himself in check. “She said that to you?”

I nod. “It was like she couldn’t even hear me,” I say, anger rising in my blood. “Like she’d already had her mind made up, and it didn’t matter what I said. How could she just…” I shake my head. “She was my best friend.”

His face softens slightly. His thumb brushes over my cheekbone, the motion gentle and soothing. “And she threw that away. Not you.”

I look away, unable to hold his gaze, but he tilts my face back to his. “Lana.” His voice is a little softer now but no less intense. “You’re mine. My heart, my everything. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. You are the best thing in my life, and I’m always going to try my damned hardest to be a man who deserves to be at your side. And if Ophelia refuses to see all of that, it’s her failure. Not yours.”

My chest aches, a fresh wave of emotion hitting me. “I just—I didn’t think it would hurt this much.”

“I know.” Ares leans down, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry you’re hurting, but I swear to you, you’re not alone in this. I’m here. Always. ”

I close my eyes, letting the warmth of his words settle over me. His lips brush against mine—soft at first, almost hesitant, as if he’s trying to remind me how much he loves me without words. I kiss him back, sinking into him, and for the first time tonight, the ache in my chest starts to ease.

He holds me tighter, his hands sliding down my back as his kiss deepens, full of all the love and passion he hasn’t said aloud. It’s grounding and overwhelming all at once, as if he’s trying to wrap me in every piece of himself to shield me from the world.

When we finally break apart, his eyes are still dark, still dangerous, but there’s something else there, too—something soft and unshakable.

“Come here,” he murmurs, tugging me toward the bedroom. “You’ve had enough for one night. Let me take care of you.”

My eyes lock on his as he walks backward down the hall. There’s darkness in his eyes. There is always darkness in the eyes of the god of war. But darkness does not always equal bad. Sometimes darkness is honesty. Sometimes darkness is the raw truth. Sometimes darkness is devotion.

I see all of that in the dark of Ares.

As he steps backward through the bedroom door, he pulls me into his arms. His hands slide down my back, over my ass. He clutches me tightly. My head tilts back as his lips slide their way down to my neck. His breath is hot. His lips are hot. His grip is hot.

Fuck, I’ve never felt more alive than when this vampire’s lips are on my throat. I feel electric. I feel godlike. I feel like the universe.

My hands slide up his chest, tucking beneath his shirt. And he knows exactly how much I need my skin-to-skin contact. He reaches one hand over his head, grabbing the back of the neck of his shirt, and he pulls it off for me in one smooth motion.

I purr in pleasure as my hands rise over his chest.

Ares’ lips return to my neck. He kisses a soft trail down the right side of it. Between us, his hands slip to the button of my shorts. He undoes it as his lips shift to the other side of my throat. He gives my shorts a little encouragement, and they slide right off, down to the floor.

Ares hands cover my ass again, his fingers sliding over the silky fabric of my panties for just a moment before they rise to the button-up tank top I wear. He’s less patient with it than he was with my shorts. His fingers hook into the fabric, and he yanks in opposite directions. The buttons pop, and the shirt falls off of me to the floor.

Ares ruins a lot of my clothes. But then it is also he who replaces them.

Ares takes a step forward, causing me to take a step back. His massive hands splay across my back as he continues forward. The back of my legs hit the bed, and Ares cradles a hand to the back of my neck as he lowers me onto it.

He kisses my lips softly as he lays me down. He tastes like home. He tastes like forever. He tastes like mine.

He works his lips down the front of my throat and then presses them to the hollow between my collar bones. His hands splay over my thighs, slowly sliding up them. Ares’ lips explore my skin. He takes his time. He covers my entire torso in kisses. He works his way down each arm, kissing every knuckle. His breathing comes harder as he kisses his way down the center of my stomach.

My fingers lace through his hair. My back arches off the bed, desperate to eliminate any space between us. My eyes roll into the back of my head.

I feel worshiped. I feel revered.

Ares said he would take care of me. That he would make me feel good.

He does so much more. With his hands and his lips, Ares, the god of war, sculpts me into Aphrodite.

When I wake, it’s morning.

I roll over, my hand searching for a warm body. But all I find are cold sheets. I sit up, disappointment sinking in my chest when I realize Ares is gone.

I shouldn’t be surprised. Ares has been working an insane amount of hours since the will was read. He has an astronomical amount of shit to manage now. But I don’t know. I kind of thought he’d be here after how things were last night.

Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I pull it over. There are no texts. No calls. I pull up the tracker and wait a few seconds as it updates with Ares’ location.

Oh, shit. Ares is at Ophelia’s apartment. I don’t know how long he’s been at her apartment, but I saw the barely contained rage within him last night when I told him how Ophelia hurt me. I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to do.

I try calling his phone, holding my own to my ear. It rings six times before it goes to his voicemail.

Shit.

I bite my lower lip and shake my head.

Ares promised he’d go to the ends of the earth for me, move heaven and hell. He’s not a man of just words. He takes action .

I don’t know what good it will do. But damn, I love him for trying.

I try to distract myself by heading into our home gym. Now that I’m not working at Valor Combat Sports anymore, I have to stay in shape on my own. I run on the treadmill for half an hour, cranking the music up, and then lift weights for another half an hour. I’m drenched in sweat by the time I finish. I check Ares’ location one more time before I step into the shower. He’s no longer at Ophelia’s, he’s at his office now.

I’m not exactly sure how to interpret it, but I’ll talk to him soon enough. I fire off a text to him that I’m going to meet him for lunch. He simply puts a heart reaction on it.

The temperature of the water is burning, but it feels perfect to wash away the angst of yesterday, the tears I didn’t want to cry, the tightness in my chest. I dress in black shorts and a tight purple top when I’m finished. I blow-dry my hair, apply a bit of makeup, and check my phone. Ares is still at work.

I used to have Ophelia’s location. But she stopped sharing that with me the day she went back home to her apartment.

I shove that thought out of my brain and head out, locking our door behind me.

It’s a thirty-minute walk from here to Ares’ office, but I don’t mind. The city is loud and busy around me. Locals. Tourists. Work commuters. They are all in a hurry to get wherever they’re going. Cops take care of business. Sirens wail a few blocks over. The city is in full swing this time of day.

I turn the last corner, and there is Ares’ building. I realize now that I’ve been underestimating my fiancé. Now that I know how much wealth Augustus had, knowing Ares was well on his way to outshining his father, there is no way Ares doesn’t own this entire high-rise. I shake my head as I step inside and head for the elevator. Growing up, most all my clothes came from thrift shops. We were the kind of household where I knew there would be two presents waiting under the Christmas tree, no more. While my needs were always met, it was always the bare minimum my parents could afford.

And now I’m wearing an outfit that costs more than I would have spent on myself in an entire year. I’m wearing an engagement ring that could buy me a decent apartment in this city.

We never expect the radical shifts in life. I never saw myself having any more money than I’d grown up with. And I was perfectly content with that.

But my entire reality has shifted.

I check my reflection in the elevator doors as I ride up. And I grin. I once asked Ares if we looked like we belonged together. And, as always, the man stoked my ego in the very best way.

Don’t let that crown ever slip. You’re Lana Fucking Kincade. Don’t ever let the world forget it.

With the expensive labels, with the new tattoo peeking out from beneath my shorts, with the fire in my eyes, I look exactly like I belong with Ares Hunt.

The doors slide open, and I step out, heading directly for Ares’ office. I push open the door, and Pat’s head pops up. When she sees it’s me, her eyes narrow slightly. She’s been suspicious of me since the day we met.

“How is your day going, Pat?” I ask, making my tone obnoxiously overly friendly. Kill your enemies with kindness.

“Fine,” she says flatly. “Ares is in his office.”

“Thank you, you’re a dear,” I say, my words coming out just a little too fake sounding. I walk past the desk back into the office. It seems quiet in here today. I don’t see James in his office, and Tom, the accountant, isn’t in either. I do hear Lydia on the phone down the hall.

I push the door to Ares’ office open, and I’m filled with a mixture of emotions. Want. Excitement. Nervousness. Trepidation. Unknowing.

He’s on the phone when I walk in, but he wraps it up just as I’m sinking into the seat across from his desk.

“I went and talked to Ophelia this morning,” he states, getting it right out there in the open.

I nod, acknowledging that I tracked him. It’s nothing strange or new. We’ve tracked each other for nearly the entire time we’ve known each other. “How did that go?”

His eyes darken, and he runs a thumb along his lower lip. “Not great. She freaked out when I knocked on her door.”

“At this point I’m just glad she didn’t try to stake you,” I say, imagining worst case scenarios. Ophelia is slight, but she trained hard in my class.

He shrugs, obviously not sharing my same concern. “I tried to talk her through it—me and you. I tried to tell her how I’m attempting to undo everything Augustus did. But she did not fucking care.”

Ophelia always could be volatile when she wanted to be. I’m pretty sure she was born with a chip on her shoulder. “Sounds right,” I say, based on her reactions to me yesterday.

“She tried to talk me into leaving you,” he says, and the look in his eyes darkens further. “She’s kind of a compelling thing, isn’t she?”

“You considering it?” I ask, arching an eyebrow at him, even though I’m so damn confident in Ares and I, I’m practically delusional.

“Not even for a second, Vengeance,” he says, crooking a smile on one side of his mouth. “But she sure tried hard. When I didn’t relent on that part, she literally shoved me out the door. Told me not to come back.”

I curse, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, Ares. Thank you for trying.”

With two fingers on his right hand, he beckons me forward. I rise from my seat and walk around his desk. He reaches for me, and I straddle him, each of my knees on either side of his hips. His hands settle onto my own hips, right where they curve into my thighs.

“It’s me who should be apologizing in this situation. I never meant to come between you and your best friend,” he says as he looks up at me and I wrap my arms behind his neck.

I shake my head. “She gave up that title. Now, she’s just someone I used to know. You did everything right, Venom. And now we move on.”

“Now we move on,” he echoes as I lean forward, pressing my lips to his. And I know I’ve made the right choice, without a doubt. Over and over, I will choose Ares above all others.

The intercom beeps from Ares’ desk, and a moment later, Pat’s voice comes through. “Your lunch is here.”

“Be right there,” he answers back, even as he bites at my lower lip. I grin and climb from his lap, letting him up. He crosses to the door and opens it, walking to Pat’s desk.

“I still can’t get ahold of Tom,” she says.

“Maybe he’s sick?” Ares suggests.

“And when was the last time you got sick as a vampire?” she asks with annoyed exasperation in her tone.

Right. Pat is human, but she knows about Ares, James, and Tom being vampires.

“Never,” Ares replies. “It’s weird he’s late, but I’m not going to worry about him missing a day of work until tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be back then.”

Just a few moments later, Ares walks back into the office with a bag. He pulls the food containers out, setting mine in front of me.

And for forty-eight hours, things are about as normal as they get.

“What do you think this is about?” I ask as Billings drives us across town. It’s dark out, the city glittering with lights.

“Cliff didn’t say,” Ares answers as he shakes his head. He holds my hand, brushing his thumb over it gently.

An hour ago, Ares got a text from Cliff saying they needed to have a meeting immediately. Ares had to shift some things around, the man is ever busy, but here we are, loaded into the SUV and headed to the designated spot.

Just a few minutes later, we pull to a stop in front of yet another new building. It’s a constant jumping game when you’re attached to a council of Barons who are all billionaires with significant holdings in the most expensive city in the country.

They should just pick one spot as their common meeting place.

That would never work, though. Too many big egos.

Ares takes my hand, helping me climb from the vehicle. He holds onto it as we step inside. Surprisingly, we do not take the elevator up. We head into the belly of the building until we reach a ballroom.

A fucking ballroom .

Of course, Cliff Morgan owns a building with a ballroom in it.

The rest of the Barons are already in the room when we walk in. I walk on in, but when Ares suddenly hesitates in the entry, I glance back at him. Something in his eyes darkens a little bit, and he looks around at each of the other vampires with something I can’t quite read.

“Ares?” I question.

But he doesn’t say anything. He takes a hesitant step forward, and then another. I see his shoulders relax a little bit, but there’s still a tension in them I can’t quite understand.

“What’s this about?” Harry asks. Everyone is just standing, and it’s obvious they’re all in a hurry to get out of here and back to their night. They’re all very busy men.

Cliff is… white. No, he almost looks green. He licks his lips once as he looks around at the other Barons. “I went to my cousin’s house this afternoon. He was supposed to get some work done on one of my buildings. But when I got to his house I found…” Cliff hesitates, and for a second I think he’s going to throw up.

“You talking about Mike?” Ares asks. I look at him. I don’t know who Mike is, but considering there aren’t that many vampires in New York, and if this Mike does commercial work, it’s no shocker Ares knows him too.

Cliff nods, pale as a ghost. “When I went in his house, I found him. Torn apart.”

There’s a beat of weighted silence.

No, I think. Please don’t mean what I think you mean.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Sysco asks, his gaze darkening.

Cliff’s eyes flick to Sysco. “Meaning his arms were in one corner, his foot on top of the piano, and his head had rolled under the dining table. And his fiancée…”

“Beth?” Ares questions, horror leaking into his tone.

Cliff nods. “She was upstairs. Ripped apart, just as brutally.”

My stomach rolls.

“I think…” Cliff says breathily as his eyes search the floor, though he’s not truly seeing anything. “I think there might be another Hunter back in the city.”

Giovanni gives a curse. “We haven’t seen a Hunter in eleven years.”

“Three members of my family, Gio,” Cliff seethes. “Three Morgans dead. It doesn’t seem like a fucking coincidence.”

“Could a human really do that?” I question. “I’ve known some pretty damn fit and strong people in my life, considering I grew up in a gym. But I don’t know that any of them could rip apart a vampire.”

Every single one of them look up at me, and the room grows heavier.

“Lana’s right, Cliff,” Harry speaks up. “Your mother was poisoned and staked. If Mike and Beth really were ripped apart… It seems unlikely this was the work of a human Hunter.”

“Your cousin have any enemies?” Gio asks, his brow furrowing.

“No, Mike was the best!” Cliff says, growing a little more frantic. “But three Morgans. How can it be coincidence?”

“People die, Cliff,” Sysco says in a tone that says calm the fuck down, bro . “Being what we are, it’s not always the safest. It happens. Doesn’t mean it’s connected. ”

Cliff shoots Sysco a withering look. “This is simply a warning,” he says coldly. “Keep an eye on your people. Stay alert.”

And without another word, Cliff stalks out. Ares tenses as he walks by. I didn’t realize how much he disliked Cliff until I see something a little volatile flash through his eyes. But he simply watches as Cliff storms out. A few seconds later, we hear a door slam closed.

“Anyone else have anyone hurt?” I ask as I turn back to the other Barons.

“No,” Giovanni answers gruffly.

“Nothing,” Harry answers. “Sysco?”

Sysco shakes his head no.

“So is Cliff just overacting, or is this something to worry about?” I ask.

“It ain’t good if it’s a vampire attacking other vampires if it was unprovoked,” Sysco says as he looks up at me.

“But we have no way of knowing if it was unprovoked,” Gio points out. “Cliff has always been a little… sensitive.”

“We stay alert, though,” Ares says. “We check in with our people.”

The other three nod in agreement. Ares turns back for the exit, and I follow after him.

“You okay?” I ask as we step out the door, back out onto the sidewalk. Billings isn’t here, but I’m sure he will be in just a few minutes. “You were kind of weird in there.”

Ares blinks three times and shakes his head. “Yeah. Cliff was just annoying the fuck out of me. It’s been a long month. I think I could use a day off soon.”

I turn, cupping the side of his face, drawing his gaze to mine. “Not soon. Tomorrow. You’ve been working yourself into the ground, Ares. ”

His hand rises to cover mine, and his expression softens. His shoulders relax slightly. “I’m sorry, Vengeance. I’ve been so damn occupied. I feel like I’ve completely abandoned us.”

I shake my head. “You just got something massive dropped on your lap. But I’m worried you’re going to burn yourself out. Can you take tomorrow off?”

I see something regretful flash through his expression. “I wish I could, Vengeance, but James and I have five meetings tomorrow.”

Disappointment sinks in my stomach. But I try not to let it show. “I’m glad you have James. He seems like he’s really stepped up.”

Ares nods. “He has. He’s been to more of the properties than I have. He’s good.”

I offer a sad smile. Over his shoulder, I see Billings rolling down the street toward us.

With something kind of heavy in my stomach, I climb into the vehicle, and we head back home.