Page 155 of Craving Venom

Xaden glares at her between coughs, still clutching his throat like he expects his internal organs to burst into flames at any second.

“I thought it was normal pizza!” He rasps, wiping the water off his chin.

I grin, popping another slice into my mouth, chewing with zero regret.

Xaden gags again. “You’re actually insane.”

“I like a little pain.”

Tria shakes her head. “No, you like total annihilation.”

Xaden grumbles, slumping into a chair, rubbing his tongue against his shirt, trying to scrape the taste off.

I watch him with amusement, feeling lighter than I have all day. But just as the moment settles, he speaks.

“Oh, right. You two missed class today, so you wouldn’t have heard.” Xaden sighs, finally recovering from his near-death experience. “Harrington scheduled a visit to Veridian Correctional Facility next Monday.”

The heat in my mouth is nothing compared to the sudden burn in my chest.

“He said it’s important we see firsthand how the system works, especially with high-profile cases.” He rolls his shoulders, cracking his neck. “Honestly, it sounds like a pain in the ass, but he’s making it count toward our final grade, so…”

“Are you serious?” I blurt out.

“Why are you annoyed? You’re the one who suggested it, remember?”

I scowl, crossing my arms. “I didn’t think he would actually go through with it.”

Tria turns to me. “Hey, if you don’t wanna go, we can skip.”

Skipping sounds like the smart thing to do, but I’ve never been good at making the right choices. I glance at Tria, then at Xaden, then back down at my hands.

And finally, I speak.

“I’ll go.”

Internally, though, I’m struggling with something else entirely. Even though I know he’s locked up and can’t actually do anything during this visit, I can’t shake this weird feeling of unease.

Tria’s hand on my shoulder snaps me back to reality. “We’ve got this, Faith. Plus, the whole class and Professor Harrington will be there. What’s the worst that could happen?”

She’s right, of course. Nothing’s going to happen with that many people around.

But as I lean back in my chair, a thought nags at the back of my mind. The tingles I feel, the longing that seems to stir within me, is it really just a result of that spicy pizza, or am I just a stupid bitch?

I barely have time to unpack my own thoughts before a loud commotion from outside the student lounge makes all three of us turn.

A wave of students rushes past, all moving in the same direction toward the convention hall.

Tria frowns. “What the hell’s going on?”

Xaden shrugs, stretching his arms behind his head. “Dunno. Someone probably started handing out free booze.”

Tria rolls her eyes before stopping a guy jogging past her. “Hey, what’s happening?”

The guy barely slows down, shoving a flyer into her hands before disappearing with the crowd.

Tria unfolds it, scanning the text. “It’s some… exhibition?”

I raise an eyebrow. “What kind of exhibition?”

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