Beautiful Venom: A Dark Hockey Romance (Vipers Book 1)

I must’ve fallen asleep.

Because the next time I open my eyes, Kane’s not in bed.

It’s large and consuming and smells of him, but he’s not here.

Morning light spills through the large window, but the room is empty and desolate.

My throat closes and bile rises up, choking my breaths.

I think I’m going to be sick.

The silence sounds violent, cruel. There isn’t even the rain to distort it.

I look in the direction of the bathroom. “Kane?”

Even as I call his name, I know he’s not there. His presence is gone and so are his kisses, his dirty and soft whispers.

“Go to sleep now, Dahlia.”

Those were the last words he told me, after he dried my hair and held me to his chest. After I asked him about his tattoos and he said the crow represented freedom and the serpent was about control.

After he let me stroke his chest and mumble incoherent words against him. After he kissed my forehead and I felt like a little girl who was just too exhausted and needed sleep.

Because his arms were safe.

His voice was safe.

So I thought if I closed my eyes a little, he’d be here when I opened them again.

I thought because he lathered my body with soap, carried me in his arms, and dried me, he might forgive me.

I thought because I saw the concern and cryptic emotions in his eyes, he might keep me.

But maybe I thought wrong.

Because he’s gone and I’m the only one in this vast bed.

Maybe he can’t get over my betrayal after all.

My breathing comes in slow, chopped sounds, and I think I’m having a panic attack.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

Who the hell do you think you are, Dahlia? Keep you? A rat from the streets who shouldn’t even look at him, let alone touch him?

His father was right.

Megan was right.

Preston and Jude were so right.

He’s a Davenport.

No matter how hard I try to erase that last name, it defines him.

And now that his father is dead, it is him.

I pull my knees to my chest and a whiff of his cologne fills my nostrils. It makes me want to cry.

Why did he treat me that way if he was going to discard me?

If he were crueler, it probably wouldn’t have hurt this much.

A phone that’s plugged into a charger lights up on the nightstand.

It’s mine, I realize.

My fingers shake as I grab it. There are a few worried texts from Megan because she hasn’t heard from me in a while. I text back that I’m fine and it’s a long story.

I should get up, locate my sister, and⁠—

My heart nearly stops when I find texts from Kane.

A few of them are from when I disappeared in the village, but the ones that make me shake all over are the latest ones, from an hour ago.

Kane

I need to take care of Grant’s death fallout. Don’t move. Call the kitchen from the room’s intercom and they’ll prepare whatever food you like. We’ll talk once I get back.

PS. I’ll take you to visit your sister once I’m done.

My fingers shake around the phone. The only words I see go in and out of focus.

We’ll talk once I get back.

We’ll talk.

We. Will. Talk. Will I have to pay a price for what I’ve done? I don’t regret any of it, but I know how Kane will perceive my actions.

Betrayal.

Or maybe it’s something else?

Against my will, a flicker of hope spills in the dark corners of my chest.

A knock booms in the silence, and I think it’s the doomsday feeling in my head, but it comes again. Louder this time.

“Dahlia?”

I scramble to my feet at the sound of Helena’s soft voice and quickly throw on Kane’s shirt that he left on the floor. It only reaches my thighs, but it’s better than nothing.

“Just a sec,” I call as I rush to the ornate golden door. I feel self-conscious for even touching it.

When I open it, I find Helena standing outside, barely filling out her straight white dress, her skin pasty against the color, but there’s a flicker of life in her sunken eyes.

“Hi,” I say awkwardly, pulling down on the shirt.

“Thank you for seeing me.”

“Anytime. Um, sorry for how I look. I don’t know where my clothes are.”

“They’re being cleaned. The staff will bring them as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

She takes my hands in hers. “I’m the one who should thank you. And apologize to you. I didn’t want Kane to come and get hurt, but he reminded me of everything you did for us. He reminded me that he’s a much better person than I’ll ever be, and I want to apologize for ever asking him to turn his back on you.”

“You were just scared for his life,” I say in a low voice. “I should be the one to apologize. It’s because of me that…uh…your husband…died.”

“On the contrary, I’m grateful.”

“Even if…Kane became a murderer?”

“It’s not his first murder and won’t be his last. But at least this time, he did it for himself. He finally got himself and me—though coincidentally—free of Grant’s chains. So thank you, Dahlia.” She squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you’re in Kane’s life.”

No. I’m glad he’s in mine.

A tall man in a butler’s suit walks toward us carrying a basket. Samuel.

Helena releases me as she wipes her eyes. “There. Samuel brought your clothes.”

“Julian Callahan is here,” he announces as soon as I take the basket.

My hand tightens at the name. Helena merely frowns. “If he’s here for Kane, then tell him he’s not in.”

“He wants a word with Miss Thorne. He’s in the late Mr. Davenport’s study.”

My heartbeat skyrockets and I think I’m shaking, because Helena wraps an arm around my shoulders and strokes my arm.

“Tell him to return when Kane is here,” she says to Samuel.

“Very well, madam.”

“No, it’s okay.” I spit out a breath. “I’ll change and be right back.”

“You don’t have to do this.” Helena’s frown deepens. “Julian is a snake no one likes for a reason. It’s better if you wait for Kane.”

“I’ll be fine.”

If Julian intends to press charges for the DNA tests and using his laboratory illegally, I don’t want anyone, let alone Kane, to be there.

After I get into my clean, fresh-smelling jeans and T-shirt, Helena still tries to persuade me not to go, but I assure her that I’ll be fine and follow Samuel.

As he opens the door and stands outside, I realize I’m lying big time.

Julian gives me the chills. I swear he’s creepier than his brother. At least Jude is more up-front and doesn’t have the macabre aura that hits me as soon as I step into a room.

The door closes and I regret not bringing Helena along.

Grant’s study is as dark as his soul. The shelves and the desk are a dark brown, the sofas are black, and the wallpaper is a depressing green.

Julian stands by the shelves, leisurely flipping the pages of a hardcover. I catch Diogenes of Sinope on the spine before he tilts it down and stares at me, his gaze piercing, his body effortlessly upright.

“You wanted to see me?” I ask, keeping a safe distance away from him, and close to the door.

“Yes, I figured now would be the best time before Kane finishes making his father’s murder look like a boating accident.” He smiles. “I don’t indulge in cannibalism, so you can relax. I won’t eat you.”

He flips another page even though he’s looking at me, the act meticulous and somewhat menacing. Though maybe it’s not the act itself, it’s the dead look in his eyes.

So this is what a Vencor Founder looks like at all times.

It’s suffocating.

“You see, Grant made a mistake.” He flips a page, pauses, then flips another one. “He underestimated Kane’s emotions. He never thought the son he molded into a copy of himself would take a page out of his book and simply remove him from the picture to achieve his goals. He also underestimated you and your capabilities to be the catalyst that pushed Kane to take that last step. He truly lost his touch at the end, especially after he was kind of forced to abandon his brother and some of his power. Sad, don’t you think?”

“I’m only sad because Kane had to live as that asshole’s son for twenty-one years.”

“My, you’re becoming his guard dog already.” He grins, the gesture haunting. “This will be fun.”

“This?”

“Miss Thorne, I suppose Grant never got the chance to tell you who tried to kill your sister, right?”

My muscles tighten and my fists clench.

“I’ll take that as a no, especially since you’re still here.” He flips a page. “Other dogs bite their enemies. I bite my friends to save them.”

“What?”

“Diogenes said that.”

“Are we here to discuss philosophers?

“Kane is a cynic ripped right from Diogenes’s flesh. He’d hurt Jude and Preston if it meant that would keep them safe. He’s better than Grant in that regard and a true pragmatist who weighs every option before taking action.”

“And?”

“And do you believe you’ll remain unscathed from the way his mind works?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong. Story time. You might want to sit down for this.”

“I’m good.”

He lifts a shoulder as he skims through the pages as if that’s where the story is. “A couple of years ago, a woman was stabbed to death, in broad daylight, twenty times. Do you know what being stabbed twenty times means, Miss Thorne? It means she must’ve felt the pain from the first stab the most, in her kidney. It must’ve been sharp and hurt a lot, and it was probably more painful than when she gave birth. She screamed, alerting everyone on the street to what was happening. The second stab was even worse. It went through her stomach. So did the third and the fourth. She collapsed afterward. Crawling, bleeding, her mouth gurgling with the metallic taste, and begging for help. Someone. Anyone. They didn’t come. But the fifth stab came. This one went into her heart. She died then. She was bleeding out on the pavement, her empty eyes staring at the God she believed in, but he let her die like a dog. But it didn’t end there. Her corpse was stabbed again and again—in the chest, the genitals, the stomach—until her intestines were hanging out; her face was hit on the pavement until her eyes bulged out⁠—”

“Where are you going with this?” I snap, feeling sick to my stomach. But most of all, I don’t like where this is leading.

“Just a description of the backstory. It’s fascinating how you can’t handle listening to it, but the people present watched and did nothing.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

“You see, one of the people who was present and who turned the other way while that woman was murdered in cold blood is none other than your dear, innocent sister, Violet Winters.”

I step backward, my hand flying to my mouth to cover my gasp.

“Surprised that your affectionate, angelic-faced sister who wouldn’t hurt a fly stood by and watched a woman be killed?”

I shake my head. “She would never⁠—”

A zap snaps in my head.

Memories of Vi coming home and throwing up, her face pale, her entire body trembling. She said she ate something bad and had a stomachache. She went to sleep early and left early the next day. She was off for over two weeks, withdrawn and completely out of it.

Whenever I asked, she said it was stress from work, school, and bills, and I believed her.

Because Vi never lied to me.

“She did. There’s security footage to prove it. Or there was. I made sure to erase and get rid of it all.”

“Are you related to the dead woman? Is that why…?”

“She was my stepmother. Jude’s mother.”

Oh God.

Oh God.

“You see, Jude really, really loved his mother. I liked her, too. She was different from mine. She was sweet and tried her best with me. She even attempted to protect me from my own father. Silly woman. Most importantly, she treated Jude like her treasure. So you can imagine his anger and need for vengeance. But I erased that footage from the records to stop his bloodlust haze. However, do you know who got a hold of some of the footage before I could delete it all? The one who bites his friends to help them?”

I’m shaking my head, back and forth. Back and forth.

“That’s right. Kane. To comply with Jude’s need for killing and revenge, he cut that footage into tiny clips and gathered a list with all the names of those who were present that day. He made files, too, full of information about them, their families, their weaknesses, what made them tick. Even their habits are there. Tucked neatly in his filing cabinet. Every once in a while, he gives Jude a name and helps him in making their lives complete hell. It’s poetic, really. Jude wants every witness to hit rock bottom, to make them have to ask for help and not find it, just like his mother. Then, once they’ve had their fun, Preston, Jude, and Kane kidnap them, release them into the forest, and indulge in some old-fashioned hunting.”

My legs fail me and I grab on to a nearby chair to remain standing.

This can’t be real.

Julian is lying. He’s lying⁠—

“Needless to say, Kane knew about your existence long before you came here. He must’ve seen you, too, during one of his and Jude’s stalking sessions. Now, I’m not sure whether or not he pulled the strings to bring you here, but knowing Kane, he probably did. Maybe he wanted to toy with you, too. Maybe you caught his attention, I’m not sure. He sure went through a lot of trouble to arrange a fake initiation.”

“Fake?” My lips tremble around the word.

“You didn’t possibly think it was real, did you? Oh my, you did. You see, this is why outsiders should remain on the outside. They’re fickle and unable to discern dreams from reality. Our actual initiations alter the very fabric of your soul. If you had undergone the real deal, you wouldn’t have survived. Kane has a soft spot for you, which is why he planned the whole watered-down charade and even asked his friends to participate. If it were real, you wouldn’t have been accepted in the initial vetting process in the first place. Only those born into Vencor get to initiate, and occasionally, we invite those we deem worthy to be in our midst.”

It wasn’t real.

The whole psychological torture and brutal fucking was a charade?

No. How could that possibly be true? Julian must be trying to mess with my head.

“It’s not him,” I say so low, even I barely hear it.

“What was that?”

“Kane didn’t hurt Violet. He couldn’t have!” I shout, heaving. “He wouldn’t…he wouldn’t do that. He…wasn’t a match on that DNA test.”

“Oh, that. The DNA that was found under your sister’s nails was actually swapped with a dead person’s. Of course there will be no match.” His lips pull in a smirk. “Who do you think swapped it?”

“No…no…”

“Kane.”

“No!”

“I don’t care if you don’t believe me. You can stay here and murder him for all I care. Or wait long enough for him to get bored of his games and murder you. Doesn’t make any difference. But there’s something else you should know first.”

I stare at him through my blurry vision.

“Your sister. She’s awake.”noveldrama

“W-what?”

“Technically, her coma is induced.”

“What the hell are you talking about? The doctors said she was in a coma.”

“My doctors. My hospital. My system. I’m about to give you a lot of information, and I want you to be quiet and listen. I can assure you that your sister is awake and recovering well, and you can find out more about her location if you make the right choice. Violet actually woke up the same day she was admitted, and she wanted to run away from Jude at any cost, but she knew he’d find her, no matter where she went, so we struck a deal. She volunteers to test my experimental drug that would make her look as if she’s in a coma and, in return, I arrange for your and her relocation where Jude can’t find her once she wakes up. That way she’ll be able to escape my brother’s notorious hunts. But she woke up earlier than predicted because we couldn’t keep administering the drug when he kidnapped her after I took her out of the hospital, and by the time I got her again, she was starting to wake up. As it happens, my brother was already getting suspicious because she’s not showing the same signs as his actual comatose bodyguard. We reached the end of the trial anyway, and I’m satisfied with the results.”

Jude kidnapped her? But if Julian found her again, then that means she’s okay, right?

My mind reels as the pieces start falling into place.

Vi’s bills being paid in full without any conditions.

Vi’s doctor who refused to allow any other doctor to come near her.

Jude’s comatose guard, Mario, right next to Violet.

Now that I think about it, the hooded guy who was looming over Vi’s bed had a very similar build to Jude.

Oh my God.

“You have two choices.” He lifts a finger. “One, you stay here, wait for Kane, and lose your sister.” He lifts another finger. “Two. You disappear with your sister somewhere safe that I’ll arrange. For good.”

My lips tremble. “Why…are you doing this?”

“I don’t like you or your sister. Outsiders should stay on the outside. This way, Jude and Kane will come back to their senses already. Cleaning up after them is a hassle.”

I hang my head as tears gather in my eyes and drip onto my beat-up white sneakers.

Could Kane be the one behind everything?

Could he have manipulated me like a puppet on a string?

He wouldn’t have made me feel bad for lying when he already knew everything.

Right?

Or have I finally been burned alive by the sun?