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Holly shook her head “I probably don’t have the clearance” It eird, but when her bosses told her that, she accepted it, conscious she had to earn her way up the ladder When Venom told her the same, she wanted to claw out his eyes It was irrational, but then her reaction to hi

“You definitely don’t,” he said “But you need to understand certain facts to protect yourself if you’re working in the shadows”

Caught, Holly turned partially in her seat to listen

14

“You reacted to Daisy as if she was siet you killed” Granite in his expression “You need to watch the reactions of any vaainst what you know to be normal”

He swung the car to the left, heading in the direction of the bridge “You have to be conscious a vaner drug All of the latter eventually end in bloodshed Uer that led users to murder and brutalize the people closest to them”

Holly released a quiet breath, her hands flexing “Okay, you’re right,” she said, and the world didn’t end “I’ll be more careful I justI felt sorry for her” She wanted to kick herself as soon as the words were out—what the hell was she doing exposing her vulnerable underbelly to Venom of all people?

“I know” No judgave her my jacket? My tailor will be appalled when I ask for a replacement and tell him why I need it”

Holly rolled her eyes, but her lips wanted to tug up “Why do drugs have such a dangerous effect on vampires?”

Venoy is complex and it’s delicately balanced Honey feeds work because our bodies are designed to filter the blood we intake—it just so happens that soh But that high isn’t enough to upset the balance of the vampiric system”

Holly thought of Zeph, of the emotional pain he tried to drown in blissed-out oblivion “People try the designer stuff even knowing it could be deadly because they want a longer high”

Venoe, the lights of the other cars passing by in a rain-s except that it was fast She liked it “Are we going to find the asshole, Kenasha?”

“Yes Marlin Tucker and our other target can wait—call Janvier and ask if some of his and Ashwini’s snitches can keep an eye on Tucker’s apartment as well as that of the third fraudster in the interim”

Holly reement

That done, she settled back in her seat and watched the world speed by There weren’t many people she’d trust to drive this fast on rain-slick streets and keep the car under control, but Venom’s reflexes were even quicker than her own—and she was inhumanly fast

Her skin chilled as the thought whispered through herthat wasn’t in any way hu itself for a rae She fisted her hands, took a deep breath, exhaled And still, the thing spread itself inside her It was as if she had a pair of huge wings trapped inside that wanted to tear out of her flesh

God, she was going batshit insane

That hy she hadn’t told anyone as happening when the whispers began She still reht Lijuan in the skies above Manhattan Holly had wanted to volunteer to help in some way, but her control had still been erratic at that time, too erratic for anyone to trust her in the field

So she’d watched the battle from a distance and she’d heard a whisper from deep within: I can kill them both

The sheer ered Holly But that had just been the first sign of crazy froritted her teeth and ridden it out each time it happened, and hoped it was the last ti sensations—were getting stronger, not weaker