Page 56 of Sweet Venom

Yes.

Okay, he was, but I’d rather be set on fire than admit it.

I sighed. “I thought it was a beautiful plot, Mom. Heartbreaking, even. It had everything— tension, betrayal, aslow-burn dark romance. I even had these fucked-up twists to keep readers on the edge of their seats. But no! Mr. ‘Death itself’ was like, ‘meh, not enough emotional depth or reason to root for their romance.’” I rolled my eyes so hard, I gave myself a headache. Rubbing my temples, I leaned further back on the couch.

Mom sighed like she’d been through this a million times before. She was basically Azariel’s biggest fan and had been for a long time now. I got it. I really do. She got the version of him that only his family saw—the charming heir to the Solonik-Parisi empire. Meanwhile, I got stuck with the “blah” version. Honestly, if he went on a puppy-murdering spree, I’m pretty sure she’d be there with a cute banner, defending his honor like he just cured cancer or some shit. “Well, Poe, the romance is the key component in a romance book.”

No shit, Mom.

“Mom... he’s trying to get under my skin. I swear, the sadistic ass probably gets off on watching me struggle. Do you think that’s why he signed me to his publishing house?”If so, what the hell did I ever do to him?

She raised a thin eyebrow, giving me that “I’m not buying it” look. “You know I’ll always be on your side, Love Bug, but have you tried seeing it from his perspective? You more than anyone know that you can’t have a dark romance without heart. It wouldn’t be a dark romance. I’m sure Azariel’s just pushing you to dig deeper. Maybe he wants you to make the readers care about the world you’ve built and the characters. You can only do that with lots of love. You’re a smart girl. Come on.”

She’s right. I know she’s right, but it’s just that stupid face he makes when he’s shitting all over my ideas that pisses me off. Anyone else? Fine, I can take it. But that face? It makes me want to either punch it or, you know, kiss the hell out of it.

The voice in my head is practically cackling.

I ignored it.

“Mom, let me complain,” I said with a small, sugary smile. “Can you at least try to make it less obvious that you’re Team Azariel?”

Mom smirked. “I’m not on his side.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Sure, you’re not.”

She laughed, and it made my heart soften. My mom had the best laugh and it could lift my spirits even on the worst days. “Okay, maybe just a little on his side. But I really do think Azariel’s trying to help you push past your comfort zone, baby. You’ve got the talent, Poe. Maybe you just need to trust him.”

“Trust him?” I gasped, laying it on thick with a level of drama that could win an Oscar just to make her laugh some more. “The ass who rejects everything I do and then critiques the ‘emotional depth’ of it? Sure, let me just hand over my heart to the emotionally dead iceberg and pray for the best.”

She shook her head, looking amused. “I’m serious, Poe. You’ve got it in you. Maybe Azariel’s a little... blunt, but I don’t think he’s out to get you. I truly don’t. Will you trust me, baby?”

I slouched further into the couch like a couch-burrito. “I trust you with my life and more, Mom. But a little blunt? He’s more like a sick son of?—”

“Poe.” She cut me off with that small, knowing smile, then shrugged like it’s no big deal. “I think he cares, in his own messed-up, weird way. You just have to dig through the frost to find the heart. Trust me, I had to do the same to win your father’s heart. We don’t all get to live a fairytale life like you and your brothers did, my beautiful girl… Some of us have to go through hell before we get to heaven.”

Crack.

Shit.

Suddenly, I felt like total garbage. My parents didn’t have the best childhood—hell, they didn’t even have a childhood. And forthe first few years of his life, Azariel didn’t have one either. By the time his parents found him, it was too late. At least, that’s all I know.

“I tried more than once…” I whispered, suddenly feeling like that little girl that I keep hidden under sarcasm and cynicism so she didn’t get hurt again. All I ever wanted was to break through his icy edges. I would’ve loved them all, beautiful, jagged pieces and all, but he shut me down with a twist of his sharp knife.

“Poe…” Mom’s voice softened, and she leaned closer to her phone, her eyes brimming with both love and sadness. “It hurts me, sweetheart, that you don’t see what’s right in front of you. I know love hasn’t always been kind to you, but you can’t just shut yourself off from the idea of it. Love is beautiful, and I know this because love gave me you and your brothers. I fear that you don’t see how worthy of it you are—and how beautiful it can be when you finally open your eyes to what’s been there all along.”

She paused, her tone gentle but firm. “Yes, he was a little shit to you when you were younger, but have you ever stopped to think about how broken someone has to be to build walls so high around their heart, so no one can get through? Evil people don’t do that, sweet girl. Only the broken ones do.”

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

My heart started to pound painfully in my chest as I processed my mother’s words. I knew this. I’ve known this for so long, yet I’ve buried it deep, tucked away in the corners of my mind, where I thought I could protect my heart from the truth. Azariel Solonik has always been my Achilles’ heel. And the worst part? He didn’t even know it.

But maybe that’s for the best. Maybe he didn’t know how to love or maybe he’s too broken. And maybe girls like me? We were meant to write about epic love stories, to dreamabout them, but never to live our own—with beautiful, heartless princes like him.

For a moment, with my mother on the phone, I let the cynical and love-hating mask slip. I’m… me. Or at least, the me that no one else ever gets to see. The girl who wonders if a love like my parents’ will ever find me, or if I’ve already missed my chance with the men I let slip away because I was too afraid to let anyone in.

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