Archangel's Viper

“Unsurprising.” He rubbed a thumb over the wet point of her nipple. “That is an archangelic trait that has never manifested in any other immortal.”

“Can I still move the way I did?” Hating that she might’ve lost that which tied them together, she went to get out, check, but Venom held her in place.

“I love you,” he said, his eyes locked with hers. “From the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. From yesterday to tomorrow and every tomorrow we will ever see. From this moment to the mystery beyond death. Every part of you, slow or fast, small or big, strong or weak. I love you, Holly.”

Her lower lip quivered.

Throwing her arms around his neck, she held on tight. When he rose, it was with both of them together, water dripping off their bodies. He somehow managed to get his pants off, and then their wet bodies fell onto the bed. There was no foreplay. She didn’t want it. She drew him inside her, held him, and they rocked, their eyes locked to each other’s.

Slow and gentle and forever.

• • •

It was some time later, while she sat on the kitchen counter wearing one of Venom’s shirts and watching him quickly put together a pizza for her, that Holly snapped something out of the air. She stared at the plum in her hand. “Why are you throwing me plums? Though, it does look nice.” She took a bite, hungry for food if not yet for blood.

“I threw it at my speed,” said the vampire who’d be aggravating her forever.

And she’d caught it.

Holly began to smile. She still had the speed, could still dance with him in their unique and inhuman way. Even if she’d lost everything else, that was enough.

“Want to hear my theory?” he asked as he grated cheese over the base he’d hand-made.

“Uh-huh.” She nodded around her succulent bites of plum.

“I think you’ll have retained all the abilities that integrated fully with you. The speed, the ability to become boneless in a fall, the mesmerism. The things that felt yours.”

“The glamour was never easy,” Holly admitted. “It was like I was wearing someone else’s coat.” She kicked her feet. “I’ll test the other stuff tomorrow.” She was far calmer now that she knew she had the speed. “Tushar?”

“Kitty?”

“Why am I alive?” Holly had felt Uram pull everything out of her body. “The ghost or echo or whatever it was, it tried to suck me dry.”

Her lover looked up from chopping green peppers. “You’re not going to like this.”

Holly frowned . . . then groaned. “I swear to God, if you tell me I have some of Michaela in me now . . .”

Not having mercy on her, Venom nodded. “Uram fed deeply on her. Too much for your body to digest or process. Keir believes a significant amount of her blood was still pooled in your stomach when the echo left you.”

“Ugh, ew!” Hopping off the counter, Holly threw away her plum pit and found a big glass; filling it with water, she drank it down in desperate gulps. “I know my reaction isn’t rational,” she said afterward. “But ew!”

Venom’s lips were curved as he watched her little freak-out. “Michaela’s blood nearly caused your own to go toxic, but its power also saved your life. The echo inadvertently helped by draining so much energy out of you that it left a void—into which Michaela’s power flowed, giving your cells what they needed to survive.”

Holly made throwing-up motions before putting down the glass and moving sulkily to his side. “How come I have to be the weird one who has archangelic blood messing with me?” Other people probably prayed for archangelic attention, but Holly had had enough of it. “Raphael didn’t feed me, too, did he?”

“No, the sire gave you his energy, but only in an attempt to heal.”

“Good, but seriously—the idea of Michaela’s blood sitting around in my stomach?” Shuddering at the thought, she dropped her head against his side. “Oh well, at least it wasn’t Charisemnon’s blood.” Any bastard who could orchestrate an act as heinous as the Falling was not someone she wanted in her bloodstream.

“Speaking of whom,” Venom said, “our friend Walter came through.”

It took Holly a few seconds to remember who Walter was and why she should care. Walter Battersby, her brain supplied, fixer to the immortals. “Oh, right, the bounty on me.” The entire situation felt like a lifetime ago now. “I suppose we should follow that up.”

“I’m happy you’re taking this seriously.”

“Possession by a mad archangel, and gross blood pool in my stomach,” she pointed out, stealing a piece of cheese to wipe out the latter image.

Hopping up onto the counter to retake her seat as she nibbled on the cheese, she said, “So what did Walter say?”

“First, Vivek managed to link the bank account Walter was paid from to a company that functions under Charisemnon’s banner.” Picking up the pizza stone on which he’d created his delicious-looking masterpiece, Venom put it in the oven.

The wave of heat felt good against Holly’s body.

“Walter, in turn, was able to trace his client as being a flunky in Charisemnon’s court. It apparently used up every favor he had.” Venom’s smile was cold. “He should’ve thought of that before he decided you were an acceptable target.”

Holly shrugged. “He’s a hustler. He’ll hustle up some more favors.” Stomach rumbling, she looked around.

“Give me a second and I’ll make you a sandwich.”

Holly could’ve made the sandwich herself, but watching Venom moving in the kitchen was so sexy that she just waited. “So we have to go find this flunky?”

Venom’s hands moved quickly as he sliced a tomato for her sandwich. “Dmitri already did. He thought we had enough on our plate.”

Holly froze with a slice of tomato at her mouth. “Uh-oh.”

“He sent the flunky home in pieces.” Venom’s eyes glinted. “Small, very precise pieces. All packed in a black gift box lined with red velvet.”

Mouth falling open, Holly put down the piece of tomato. “Really? Isn’t that an act of war?”

“The sire had a conversation with Charisemnon—our favorite disease-causing archangel denies all knowledge of his flunky’s actions, and we have nothing that says otherwise.” He fed her the piece of tomato she’d abandoned.

The tangy juice burst to life on her tongue. “Small pieces?” she said afterward.

A raised eyebrow. “You do realize Dmitri can be bloodthirsty when it comes to protecting the people he loves? And you are his little weirdling.”

Holly glared at him, but her lips insisted on tugging up. “How do you know he calls me that?”

“He came by while you were napping. I may have eavesdropped on what he said to you.”

“That is bad behavior,” Holly said with mock-sternness.

Venom’s response was an unrepentant kiss.

Happy, she said, “Did the flunky confess why he was after me?” She knew Dmitri wouldn’t have executed him without first squeezing the man dry.

“All the archangels spy on one another—apparently, one of the reports that came in from New York included pictures of you and a note that you’d been attacked by Uram and altered.” Venom’s expression turned lethal. “Jason will soon find that leak and it will never again spill Tower secrets.”

Holly gripped the edge of the counter. “The flunky wanted me for my blood,” she guessed.

“For whatever Uram had left in you—it was your eyes that convinced him Uram had left something behind.”

Sandwich made, Venom put it on a saucer. “The idiot stupid enough to put a price on your head told Dmitri he wanted to gift you to Charisemnon, but it’s possible he wanted to use you to feed his own power, much as Kenasha did with Daisy.” A liquid shrug. “Dmitri’s cut off his head now, so it doesn’t matter.”

“That is so weird.”

“What?”

“How you talk so casually about cutting off people’s heads.”