Page 89 of Disharmony

She has the three of us eating out the palm of her hand and doesn’t even know it.

Venom steps forward. “How about this?”

He traces his index finger over her collarbone, like she’s his most precious guitar and he doesn’t want her to break.

thirty-one

Ash

I see the look in Venom’s eyes. The look of someone who is hurting. I recognize it because it’s the same look I see in the mirror on a bad day. He didn’t want me to see his scars, but I did, and I had to show him he’s not alone.

I’d always been careful not to cut where anyone could see. Brick was the only person who knew about it until… the incident. The sharp sting and satisfying pain helped me get through days when everything was too much. The slice of a blade was all I could control. Venom understands that too.

Venom strokes my shoulder tenderly; a stark contrast to the knife that slashed my skin open. His touch and their music blend together and make me dizzy, but I like it.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asks.

“No,” I say with zero hesitation. “Don’t stop.”

Zed and Ripper watch on. Neither of them take their eyes off us. I’m pretty sure my panties show too much ass to be considered decent, but Venom has my full focus right now.

His tattoos are gorgeous. They’re all black and gray and cover every inch of his torso. I like the heart with a dagger in the center of his chest and reach out to run my fingers over it. Warmth radiates from him; he’s toned, but not overly muscular.

When Venom’s mouth hits mine all I can think is how I belong here. I’ve shown the Basilisks a part of me I don’t show other people. Being with them feels like coming home.

Venom’s kiss is gentler than Ripper’s, and he sweeps me away, making me lose all track of time. His tongue dances with mine, hinting at a lust he’s hiding under the surface.

When he breaks away, Zed clears his throat and asks, “Is it my turn yet?”

His tone is cocky, but there’s another emotion there. Fear? Rejection? Maybe I’m reading into it too much…

“I thought you didn’t want me to be here,” I remind him, arching my eyebrow playfully.

Venom doesn’t let go of my waist, while Ripper’s eyes burn with longing. He’s jealous but controlling himself. Being stuck in a Basilisks man sandwich is every single one of my fantasies rolled into one.

“I didn’t,” Zed replies matter-of-factly. He approaches and casts me under his tall shadow. “But tonight has changed that.”

“How?” I challenge, pouting at him. I sound like a petulant child, but he’ll have to do better than that if he wants to charm his way into making out with me again… no matter how tempting and delicious his broad shoulders look.

“You sang with us,” Zed says, “No one else has ever sang with us before.”

He’s telling the truth. If anyone else had, I’d have known about it.

I jut out my chin in defiance. “So?”

“That makes you special,” he says. “You’re the only girl who has been inside Buggy.”

As a feminist, I’m proud to never have relied on a guy to boost my esteem, but I can’t deny his attention is boosting my ego.

“Does that mean you’ll let me see behind your mask?” I tease.

Zed tenses, and there is a collective gasp as if I’ve broken an unforgivable sin.

“Would you like to see under my mask?” Zed growls.

I smile and don’t hesitate because I already know the answer. “No.”

Knowing the formation of their bones and structure of their jaw won’t change anything. I like them being abstract figures.

---