Page 19 of Villains and Vengeance
‘You know who I’m talking about? Con them too, did you?’ I can’t help but ask.
Her expression falls a little. ‘No.’
‘Just us, huh? Guess we’re special.’
Her eyes bore into me. ‘No more special than any other dumb fucks with deep pockets,’ she says with a sugary smile.
‘What would your araniafrienddo if I took you hostage right now?’ I growl, standing up.
She gets to her feet too. ‘Truce over already?’ she quips. ‘To be honest I’m not sure what she’d do.’
‘Know what I think?’
She rolls her eyes. ‘Please do tell me, Axel. What pearls of wisdom do you have for me?’
I scoff at her. ‘I think you bring Siggy food, don’t you? I think that’s the only reason thatthingout there hasn’t shoved her fangs through your torso and drained you dry.’
I see uncertainty and know this has crossed her mind, so I plow forward.
‘She’s not your friend. She’s an animal that sees a meal ticket. That’s all you are.’
‘You don’t know anything about her, or me,’ Victoria whispers.
‘I know exactly who and what you are,’ I snarl. ‘People like you who lie and deceive to steal what others have don’t get to have friends, Victoria. I mean look at you! Who would ever trust you enough to be close to you?’
There’s a second where I’m almost positive the girl in front of me is going to cry. A part of me can’t wait, another doesn’t want to see it at all.
But then she grins at me. ‘Bitch, you don’t even know my real name.’ She gives me a wink and walks to the exit.
‘Don’t try to escape, Axel. Siggywillkill you if you leave the White Bunker.’
CHAPTER6
JULES
Iwait until I’m through to the back of the cave where the river is to let my tears fall, so Mister Amazing Ears won’t hear me break down.
‘Fuck Axel,’ I mutter to myself. ‘He doesn’t know anything about me!’
Except he was totally right. I have no friends.
‘He’s trying to get into your head,’ I say out loud as I dip my bottle into the shallow water and fill it, taking a long drink before filling it again.
I put the cap on and sit on one of the rocks, listening to the water rushing. I can’t stay here long, but since my safe space has been taken over by that arrogant prick, this is the only place I can be alone relatively safely. But this waterway is used by many creatures and it’s technically just outside Siggy’s territory, so, a few minutes later, when I hear the tell-tale rustling of another arania coming along the ceiling towards me, I get up and return to Siggy’s cavern pretty quickly.
When I get back to the web, I almost don’t want to go back to the bunker, but I can’t let him know that he won that round, or that any of his words hit their mark.
Fuck him and his shrewd mind.
I climb up and go inside, tossing him the bottle.
I make myself smirk, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he looks at me oddly as he opens it and smells the water.
‘I’m not trying to kill you,’ I mutter with a roll of my eyes.
His narrow. ‘You might be trying to drug me.’
‘That’s a really good idea, but I don’t have anything reliable to drug youwith. Meds aren’t exactly easy to come by here.’
