Page 49 of Sweet Venom

“You really are assholes.”

“You love me.”

“Sadly.”

She blew me a kiss.

“Okay, but if it hadn’t been for our parents, we wouldn’t have found out that Kadra said to Aunt Fallon her golden boy, Azariel, was practically panting at the idea of signing you to his publishing house. His own mother ratted him out.”

Panting? I highly doubted it. I was sure Mom had exaggerated whatever Aunt Kadra told her. I knew Kadra Solonik, and she wasn’t one to rat her son—or any memberof her family—out. She’d die before doing that. I groaned and buried my face in my hands, laughing despite myself. “That’s... mortifying.” I could just imagine our parents talking about my personal life.

“True, but not as mortifying as when Dad made that ‘Why did the sculpture break up with the painting’ joke at his art gallery opening last night,” Allegra quipped, her eyes twinkling.

I saw that on social media. It went viral. Mostly because the joke was a little embarrassing, and also because Uncle Lucan—even at his big age—had a large following and was considered one of America’s sexiest men. Something my father and uncles loved to mock him about.

“God, that was embarrassing for everyone,” Artemis added, cringing at the memory.

It wasn’t that bad. I had found it… cute.

“I still cringe thinking about it,” Verali shivered as if reliving that night.

“I thought I might die of secondhand embarrassment,” Allegra muttered, wiping away a fake tear. “He’s lucky I didn’t walk out on the spot.”

Verali laughed. “Daddy did walk out, and that was even funnier. The look of disgust on his face? Priceless. It was top-tier embarrassing, though.”

I grinned. “You know it’s bad when even Aunt Andrea couldn’t hide her secondhand embarrassment.”

“Let’s not relive that trauma. I think I’ve blocked it from my memory,” Artemis said as she sat back.

We laughed some more, sharing stories of our family’s most embarrassing moments, when I realized night had fallen, and I needed a good night’s sleep after the last few days of none.

“Alright, alright,” I said, getting up to end the call. “That’s enough emotional support for one day. You guys are the worst, but I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah. You keep telling us,” Verali said, rolling her eyes. “Go write your book, you tortured genius. We’ll be here, making fun of you from the sidelines.”

“I’ll send you all the royalties when I’m famous,” I called over my shoulder, laughing as I grabbed my laptop.

“Better not forget us little people!” Artemis said, winking.

Little people… as if. Artemis and Allegra had been heiresses to their parents’ fashion and art empires, while also being independently successful. Allegra had taken after Uncle Lucan and was a very successful painter, while Artemis was a famous ice-skating sensation. Then there was Verali—aside from being a national terror and a renowned tattoo artist, she was also the heir to a mafia empire.

Little, my ass.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you guys get free copies of my first edition with Blackthorn Publishing,” I grinned back at the screen. I had joked because I knew none of them enjoyed reading. The weirdos.

“You’re a gem,” Allegra said sarcastically as she closed the video chat. “Don’t let dark daddy drive you crazy.”

Dark daddy? Please…

“Too late for that,” I muttered, shaking my head as I hit the end button.

The screen went dark, and I smiled to myself, feeling much better than I had before their call. Maybe they were the worst, but they weremyworst. And that was enough. That would always be enough for me.

Chapter

Fifteen

LOVE BORN IN SHADOWS

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