Venom (The Reawakening Series Book 1) by Daniele Lanzarotta Page A

Valerie.
    “ What’s your name?” he asks.
    She smiles sweetly at him. “Lexi.”
    His gaze returns to me and he is furious. “Damn it, Nicholas. What the hell are you doing?”
    “ Look, I just want the company okay? Nothing more.”
    He shakes his head. “Stay here,” he says.
    A second later, he is coming back holding his keys.
    “ Come on, Valerie, I will take you home,” he says.
    She is still glamoured so she looks at me for instructions.
    I smirk at him.
    “ Nicholas, I do not have time for this. Release her!”
    “ Sure,” I say. “Not without a replacement though.”
    “ Just call one of your regular blood sluts, okay? At least they are willing.”
    “ I don’t exactly have regulars and besides, I wasn’t going to do anything she didn’t want me to.”
    “ Just release her, okay?”
    “ Fine!”
    I release her and she looks at me with eyes wide open. She is obviously frightened and I love every minute of it.
    “ How did I get here? Where am I?” she asks frantically.
    Harvey is really mad now, but he manages to play nice in front of her.
    “ Valerie, I’m Harvey. This is my brother Nicholas. He was giving you a ride home but had to stop here first.”
    “ But I was at the club,” she says confused.
    “ Yes, that is where he met you. Nicholas has to take care of some things, but I’m going to take you home, if that is okay. Unless you want to go back to the club.”
    She looks indecisive at first. “I think I should go home,” she says.
    He nods and gives me a warning look before he gets in the car and leaves.
    I go in the house and, having nothing else to do, I grab one of those disgusting blood bags. I turn the xbox on and start to play some zombie game that Harvey left lying around. A good hour or so passes before Harvey comes back.
    I hear the door open and without looking back, I ask, “so, did you decide to keep that one to yourself?”
    He hesitates. “You did, didn’t you? I can smell her on you. You know, it’s not fair that I do the hard work and you keep the reward.”
    “ Shut up, Nicholas. And turn off the game. We need to talk.”
    “ No, we don’t.”
    “ Ugh,” he growls. “Look, I had a long day, and night, but we are talking tomorrow whether you want to or not.”
    “ Sure thing, father.”
    I hear him growl once more before he goes to his room.
    I end up playing for the rest of the night, afraid of going to sleep and having those dreams again. Right now, I would give anything to go back to how I used to be… without the blood angel that makes my existence hell.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
    I can already see daylight through the curtains when I hear Harvey come down the stairs.
    I keep playing the game.
    “ I need to have a word with you, Nicholas.”
    I roll my eyes. “Sure. Make it quick.”
    He walks toward me and takes the controller away from my hand.
    “ Look at me when I talk to you!” he growls.
    “ Yes, sir!” I say sarcastically. “What is it, Harvey?”
    “ You need to find something to do instead of feeling sorry for yourself all the time.”
    “ I don’t feel sorry for myself. And I’m trying to do something right now, but you are interrupting me with the therapy talk.”
    “ I just don’t want you to go back to how you were. And find a way to be supportive of your sister. Get involved in what she is doing.”
    “ She seems to be doing fine on her own. She has her own life. I mean, where is she now?”
    “ I called her and said it was okay for her to go to school.”
    “ There you go. She doesn’t need me, which means that I gave up the only person who ever meant anything to me for no reason.”
    His hand moves to my neck and he pushes me back until I’m standing against the wall. He presses harder and harder against my neck and I let him.
    “ Don’t you ever blame the kid for your stupid decision. Leaving Lexi was your choice. You could have her right here, right now, but you decided on your own that leaving her would be for her own