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Venom wondered when she’d realize he was rich It ift he’d ordered her—she’d either shoot hiht

Because Holly would make it

Showering quickly, he dressed in a pair of jeans and a black shirt with long sleeves that he folded back; clothes in uest suites for those who h When he went into the kitchen, he found it stocked with food as promised Had anyone from Michaela’s court become suspicious about so much food in the home of a vampire, their absent host had a ready explanation: it was for the human mistresses he kept for blood and sex

Nothing unusual about that According to Jason, the women never knew that they were literally only conveniences as well as senerosity for the ti on his arood situation “He uses the to belong to anyone else I think he lives only so he can wreak vengeance on Michaela through such methods as are open to him”

Venoh ti He was too cold inside, the vipers and cobras that had been part of his Makinghim far more deeply than most people realized

Bone-deep friendship? Loyalty? Fidelity? That he could do

But the kind of love that softened aits way into the soul and anchored in with millions of tiny hooks? Love that understood no boundaries, put up no walls, exposed its defenseless throat? How could a viper be capable of that?

Yet Veno to believe he wasn’t only capable of it, he’d been built for it Built to love with the same relentless will that had powered his psychic survival after the unthinkable horror of his Making All he’d needed to awaken his heart, to turn on that switch of unyielding devotion, was one specific smart, fierce, and deadly woht that it embraced his cold without a blink

Holly Chang Sorrow Kitty Hollyberry

No erous adversary he’d ever faced

Because once that switch flipped on, he kneould never, ever turn off

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Holly stepped out of the glorious heat of the shower to find that Venom had thrown clothes on the bed in the spare bedroohetti straps and little eyelet holes in the lined fabric It wasn’t what she’d have chosen, but, to be fair to Venom, there probably wasn’t h She hadn’t seen the front, as it had been lying on the bed with the back showing before she tugged it on over her head

That front had splatters of color across it

“Okay,” she whispered into the et me”

Not bothering with underwear since her spare pair was shoved in their backpack, which was probably still in the lounge, she brushed her daht into a rich, savory scent Underneath that lay a softer undertone of sugar and cardamom and spice Her stomach rumbled

She ran to the kitchen

And came to a sudden halt

Feet bare and a pair of orn jeans hugging his butt, the black shirt he wore a little worn at the sea forward across his face, Venoainst the doorjaht

When he looked up, she found herself caught in the lethal beauty of his eyes, as if he’d ripped the doorjaht ju him cook ay too ?”