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Closing her hand over his wrist, his skin warhtly that she felt it as a stroke across her skin, she tugged off his grip “I appreciate the inforiven her a tool to understand a little of the craziness around her, and she was grateful, but she couldn’t have hi her

Not when her entire body seemed primed to respond

His lips curved in a slasses back on, he slipped out of the shadows and up the steps of their target building Holly followed, the two of the by the front door

Venom’s body went inhumanly motionless “It’s too quiet”

Looking around, Holly saw no obvious signs of trouble “Theythemselves with honey feeds”

“You sound very sure”

“When you’re in a situation like this”—she indicated the dirty, graffitied environment, a blunt illustration that these va the dream—“escape, even illusionary escape, has a powerful draw”

Venoreen of his eyes s addict?”

“No,” Holly said flatly, not adding that, in the darkest depths of pain and despair, she’d thought about it, about the sweet oblivion of just letting go It was the idea of the state she’d be in aftereak and vulnerable and unable to protect herself—that had stopped her

Then there was the whole sucking-blood-fro, which continued to turn her stomach

So yeah, no thanks—but not for the best reasons

“We going in or what?” she said when Veno intensity, as if he saw her most terrible secrets

Slipping his sunglasses back down over his eyes, he put his hand on the doorknob and turned It offered no resistance and they slipped inside, shutting the door behind themselves

The air that hung heavy inside the hallway leading to the chipped paint of the internal staircase was foul with the smell of unwashed bodies, urineand ut twisting and lurching as ies of mutilated and decapitated bodies piled in a red-streaked pyralass filled with the blood he’d drained fro victim, shoved into her brain

Fingers touching her neck, gripping painfully tight when she would’ve slashed out in a panic “Focus, kitty”

The tords acted like a bucket of cold water thrown into her face She froze, found her center as Honor had taught her, then breathed shallowly through her mouth “Sorry” Heat flooded her cheeks

Releasing her, Venom said, “The smell would turn anyone’s stomach, much less that of a woman as found coated in her own dried blood”

Holly scowled, though his ment htmare come to life But, because she had reacted like that child, she moved on ahead of him

Do not act stupid because you’re scared and want to hide it Do that and I’ll kick your ass black and blue for a week running

Ashwini’s voice in her head

And if you ever act like a horror movie dumb chick, I’ll personally lobotomize you