Page 26 of Blood So Brutal

“I’m not pretending at all. I don’t want to see you go through this, either.”

She adjusted the straps of her dress. Fuck, she was so beautiful. I stepped closer, unable to stop myself, and lifted a finger to trace one of the scars that wrapped around her right shoulder.

She shivered as our skin made contact but didn’t back away.

“I’ll protect you tonight, Huntress, no matter what.”

She smiled softly in the mirror. “I really wish I could believe that.”

My stomach dropped. Of course, she couldn’t actually believe that. After everything I did, how could she possibly expect me to protect her?

“And if all else fails, there will be plenty of wine,” I added, ignoring her diss of a comment.

“What do you think he wants with me tonight, anyway? Why go through all the trouble?” She turned to face me, her arm brushing mine. “He could just as easily keep me locked away until my full powers manifest.”

“I think keeping you locked in a dungeon was clearly a bad idea, so he’s doing whatever it takes to swing things in the other direction. I think he’ll try to impress you, try to win you over.”

“Like that will ever work.”

“I know you, Huntress. You have to play this smart.” I dropped the smile from my face and lifted her chin with one finger, making sure she really heard me. “He won’t allow you to embarrass him tonight.”

“How could I possibly embarrass an archangel?” She sucked in a breath, eyes wide.

“By defying him. By speaking out against him. Trust me, however much you hate him, you have to be careful.”Don’t speak up. Don’t be the sexy, stubborn, tough woman you are.“He wants to have all the power. All of it. If he thinks for even a second that you have a leg to stand on, he’ll?—”

“I get it,” she interrupted, tearing herself away. The scent of her washed over me as she moved to the other side of the room. “Keep my mouth shut and do as he says. I have some practice with powerful males, you know.”

I tightened my fists at my sides. “That’s not making me feel any better.”

She glanced over her shoulder. I waited for some sort of remark on how it wasn’t her job to make me feel better or some other quip, but she only smiled softly, something like pity etched onto her face. “Let’s just get this over with so we can figure out how we’re going to get out of it later, okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, okay.” She headed toward the door, but I stopped her. “Wait.”

Her large, perfect eyes looked back at me, waiting. “What is it?”

I walked over to her slowly, taking my time as I closed the distance between us. “It’s your birthday,” I started.

She rolled her eyes. “Please don’t remind me. I’m finally not on the verge of vomiting for once and I don’t want to ruin it.”

“It’s your birthday,” I said again, ignoring her interruptions. “I want to give you something.”

She eyed me carefully as I approached, coming to stand a breath away from her.Those fucking cherries.She was damn near irresistible, and I hated that my father was going to parade her around the court tonight like his possession.

Huntyr wasn’t someone to be contained. She was wild, free. Unstoppable.

Seeing her like this tonight, it wrapped a fist around my heart and squeezed. I knew what it felt like to be forced into this world, to be forced under his rule. There was no freedom. There was no independence.

Not until we found a way out of it.

“Here.” I reached into the back of my belt and pulled out the dagger—Venom. Since Asmodeus dragged her to the dungeon, she hadn’t asked about it.

She sucked in a breath as the metal came to view. “What—how did?—”

“It has been safe with me this whole time. I wanted to give it to you sooner, but I didn’t know if Asmodeus would search your things. I think tonight’s a good night to have it back, though, wouldn’t you agree?”

Tears welled in her eyes as she glanced between me and the dagger. “I can’t believe this,” she whispered, hiccupping a laugh. “I thought she was gone forever! I thought surely he would have destroyed this.”

“I would never let that happen.” It felt dramatic, this bold remark over a weapon, but we both knew Venom was much more than just a weapon. It was a reminder of home, of where Huntyr came from, of how much was at stake here.

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