Page 1 of Sweet Venom

Prologue

“Gray has always been my favorite color.”- P

Poe

Valentine’s Day.

It’s one of my favorite holidays—right up there with Christmas and Halloween, but maybe it’s just a little more special. On Valentine’s Day we got to celebrate not just love, but our friends and family too, and I love my family so much, so it’s my favorite holiday ever. And at our house, Mommy made it a really big deal because, in her words, she’s lucky enough to have four Valentines—Daddy, my brothers, Vade, Cassian, and me.

Mommy loves us so much, and she not only said it like every single moment of the day but she also showed it by doing everything for us with a smile on her face even when she’s tired from working all day on her pretty pictures, and when she handled my brothers’ tantrums with love and grace.She’s the best mom ever. Daddy, though he might look a little intimidating with his big, strong build and all the cool black tattoos covering his skin, was a total softie when it came to us.

Even today, when Mommy made him wear a heart-print sweater and dragged him here to the Solonik’s annual Valentine’s celebration, he didn’t complain like Uncle Lucan did when he and Aunt Andrea and my cousins showed up. Nope. Daddy just smiled at Mommy, kissed her on the cheek, and made her giggle.

My brothers always grumbled about our parents’ shows of affection, but I think it’s adorable. Mommy told me they’ve loved each other since they were teenagers, and even after all these years, they still looked at each other like they’re the only ones in the world. I think that’s perfect and so very sweet.

“Come on, Poe!” My cousin Verali screamed from downstairs, where she’s essentially acting like a dictator at the kids’ treat table. Chocolate is smeared all over her face, her wild red curls are a disaster, and her pretty-peach dress is now accessorized with what looked like an entire chocolate fountain explosion. “There are chocolate-covered strawberries and Sneaker bars!” Her eyes were as wide as saucers, a dead giveaway she’s already had way too much sugar. Uh-oh.

I couldn’t help but laugh when my Uncle Enzo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, like some mean-looking ghost. He scooped Verali up in his arms like she weighed nothing and then threw her over his shoulder—making her drop all the candy she stashed in her dress pockets. As if that wasn’t hilarious enough, he grabbed a few pieces of candy for himself, completely unbothered by the chocolate chaos his daughter just caused in a house that wasn’t theirs.

Now, my Uncle Enzo is my daddy’s twin. They looked a lot alike, but where Daddy’s all stoic and serious, Uncle Enzo is charming and the life of every room he walks into. He’s the funone and the one who sneaks me candy every time he’s over for dinner. Sneakers, preferably.

He’s also huge, covered in tattoos and always dressed in black and red. He looks like the Boogeyman… but he’s so sweet.

Then again, all the grown-ups are.

At least, to us kids.

My family is awesome, and we have the best time when we’re all together. Right now, for instance, they’re all downstairs, laughing and enjoying themselves, and I’m up here, watching from above. I’m leaning against the edge of the grand staircase in my Aunt Kadra’s mansion, just watching the lovely chaos below.

Aunt Kadra isn’t technically my aunt by blood, but she’s been in my life for as long as I can remember. She’s my dad’s best friend from when they were kids, and she’s basically family by choice. She’s as cool as Mommy, with her long black hair and sharp, cat-like features that make her look not only exotic but mysterious too. She’s like a hotter and cooler version of Morticia Adams.

She’s also the one who throws epic tea parties for us and hosts movie nights where my siblings and I and Kadra’s kids Azariel and Raiza gather to watch The Wizard of Oz. My brothers and Raiza hate the old classic but I love it. Azariel, well I don’t know if he enjoys it or not. He’s so closed off to everything that it’s difficult to decipher what he likes and doesn’t.

The entire Solonik-Parisi family is a bit odd with their love for black and their cold demeanor. Most would think they look like vampires, that's what I love the most about them. In a world of golden retriever people, they're different like black cats.

Even their house matches their personalities.

The Solonik house is the coolest—I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love our house. It feels like us—warm, colorful, and full of happy family vibes. But Aunt Kadra’s mansion? It’s like something out of a dark, mysterious fairy tale. It's old but not in a dusty, forgotten way—instead, it has this air of timeless elegance, like it's seen centuries pass but remains as striking as ever. The exterior is made of deep stone, almost black in color, with tall, arched windows that seem to watch you as you approach. The iron gates out front are intricately designed, twisting and turning into shapes that almost look like roses. It’s beautiful, so much so that my mommy featured their home in one of her photo galleries. Everyone loved it, so much that I heard daddy laughing at Aunt Kadra when she mentioned people were contacting her to feature her home in a home magazine.

Of course, she declined. Aunt Kadra and Uncle Vitali are very private people and they don’t like most people, okay almost the world population except for their family and a few friends they tolerate.

And as much as the outside is so pretty, the inside of the mansion is even more beautiful. Every room feels like it’s been pulled from the pages of one of daddy’s gothic novels, with red velvet curtains that hang like shadows, dark wood furniture polished to a soft glow, and black antique chandeliers that drip with crystals, casting eerie patterns of light across the walls. There are hidden alcoves and winding staircases, like it’s just waiting for someone to get lost in it and be transported into another time or realm.

The dark walls are lined with bookshelves filled with old leather-bound books, and paintings that look like they belong in museums. Aunt Kadra even has a hallway with family portraits. Portraits of every Solonik-Parisi family member, their eyes seem to follow me when I walk by. They all looklarger than life and beautiful, even Aunt Kadra’s bodyguards. Vernon and Crow. Although Crow is not just a bodyguard but Aunt Kadra’s brother. They’re also included in the portraits. That’s how much she cares even when she acts like she doesn’t. She does.

I looked around the room and admired how Aunt Kadra has turned this place into the coolest home ever. It’s the kind of place where you could sit on a velvet couch and drink tea out of a silver cup, listening to her tell ghost stories like she’s the boogeyman in some horror and spooky story. She did that with us a lot too after her monthly tea parties.

In a way, the mansion reflects Aunt Kadra herself—elegant, mysterious, and untouchable. But when you are family, the grandness of it all fades into the background, and you realize that it’s the warmth of her smile and the sparkle in her honey eyes that makes this house feel like a home.

Aunt Kadra has the biggest heart, it’s just that she has a lot of barriers around it. She only lets the ones who are worthy in. I’m one of those lucky few.

That is why I loved visiting the Soloniks. They might love black a little too much and look like the family from hell but they never fail to make us feel loved.

Like for example now.

They hated the human race yet they throw annual Valentine Day get-togethers.

I could hear the sound of my family laughing and the soft thrum of a violin somewhere in the back, and I knew Aunt Kadra must be somewhere, her long black dress sweeping the floor like she’s gliding through a dark and beautiful dream.

---