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He angled the wohtly to the side to look at the wound “It appears the killer didn’t cut through her spinal cord And she would’ve had blood dripping onto her face froone into her mouth”

Sometimes, the worst times, Holly wondered if she had blanks in her memory because Uram hadso like that could drive an already half-crazy survivor all the way insane, so et

“These bruises, however,” Veno into her brain, “they werehard and the colorto h

“Shethis slowly”

“It isn’t always a e Some vampires of ten thousand will always be weak Others will be powers at two hundred”

Holly nodded At around two and a half centuries of age, Janvier was a walking exa was broken recently, too” There was a jagged scar on her right shin, as if bone had poked through

Rising, Venom circled the thin brunette “The bottoms of her feet are burned Scarred” His voice was cold “That’s torture”

The wo blood red, flicked open And this ti up of her body, a tiny creature cringing in dread “Please” A rasped whisper “No more”

Sliding on his sunglasses, Venom hunkered down beside the fallen woman Then, to Holly’s surprise, the most well-dressed vampire she knew slipped his arm behind the filthy woentle care The wo off his jacket—which probably cost thousands—Venom put it around her shoulders

The brunette clutched the lapels closed over her naked breasts, shooting Holly looks so hopeful that it was all she could do not to cry Holly thought of what her mother would do if she found someone like this, and reached out to brush the woman’s matted and dirty hair off her face

Sobbing, the vaht you were dead I’ht you were dead”

The words made no senseand they sent a chill up Holly’s spine

“Holly”

She glanced at Venom, startled at his use of her actual name

He spoke quietly “Watch her fangs There’s so not normal about her”

13

Holly wanted to tell hi ago But the ring of red around this broken va her nonetheless, she s

The vampire cried until she went limpthen jerked back so hard that she tore herself out of Holly’s ar backward like a spider crab until her back was to the mound of body parts, she took harsh, hard breaths, her eyes scrunched shut As tightly clenched as her hands where she gripped the lapels of Venom’s jacket

Holly was al the blood red eyes that met hers when the woman flicked her eyelashes back up “Help h as coarse sandpaper

Venom was there before Holly saw him move

Seizing the vale hand, he used his other to hold her jaith enough force that she couldn’t turn her head and try to sink her fangs into hiht it,” he ordered “You have my blood in your veins now You have power”

The vampire’s throat moved as she sed “More,” she pleaded in a whispery tone that was eerie in its lack of humanity “Please”

Holly expected Venom to say a flat no, but he said, “Holly”

“What do you want me to do?”