Page 146 of Sweet Venom

I wore the same thing— well, almost. Black crop top instead of T-shirt, shorts instead of jeans.

His black hair was slicked back, but one defiant curl had fallen onto his forehead, like even his hair refused to follow his every command. Mine was down in long waves and a few cute thing braids.

We were matching. And he didn’t protest.

We’re those people now. You know… the ones who show up in public looking like a coordinated couple’s Pinterest board.

Who would’ve thought? Certainly not me.

But weirdly… I kind of love it.

“You know, little prince… my heart can’t take any more surprises from you,” I said, smiling up at him. “One more big one and I swear I’ll have a stroke.”

He glanced down at me with that crooked grin of his that is more dangerous than his fists. “Nonsense,” he said, all confident and sweet— and my heart skipped a few beats. “I’d never let anything happen to my heart.”

Hisheart.

I had to swallow hard to keep it together, because wow. What he just said nearly knocked the air out of my lungs.

There was a time he shattered my heart so badly, I stopped believing in love altogether. And now? He’s not just promising to protect it—he’s claiming it ashis.

Dramatic much? Absolutely.

Do I care? Not one bit.

Even back when I was a kid, I knew he was the one for me.

“Your heart?” I teased, my nerves buzzing as I waited for his response.

“Want to see mine?”

“Your what?”

“My heart.”

I raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little… possessive. Okay, a lot. Jealousy twisted in my stomach.

“What do you mean,yourheart?”

He didn’t answer. Then, he tightened his grip on my hand, gently pulling me forward toward something that loomed in the distance.

I squinted, trying to focus. And then my breath hitched.

No.

This can’t be real life.

I shut my eyes tight, then opened them again, hoping this was just some wild dream. But it wasn’t.

There it was.

In front of us stood a huge, beautiful gate, like something from a dream. It was made of dark iron, twisted into curves and spirals that reached up like curls my mom used to do in my hair when I was little. The metal sparkled in a deep blue, almost as if it had a life of its own. Above it, the word “Venomous” glowed softly in bold letters, shining brightly against the sky.

“Azariel…” My voice barely rose above a whisper. And before I could get another word out, he pulled me forward to a young man waiting at the entrance. The moment the man saw Azariel, his eyes widened, and he quickly called him “boss” before letting us through.

Boss?

He owns this place too?

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