Scorned by Venom (Argentium Vampire Hunters Trilogy #2)

37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Sage

Intense pain licked the inside of my skull as if a million hornets decided I was their enemy, while scorching lava coursed through my brain, spreading to my muscles and traveling through my veins . . . beelining straight for my soul.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The Angel of Death himself flawlessly controlled each beat my heart took, his delicate hands squeezing, compelling it to finally abandon the only job it ever had.

My brain rapidly fired signals to my body, instructing it to accept the death I’d earned and euphoria spread through me.

The thunderous sound beating in my ears slowed to a few small thuds, Thump . . . thump . . . . . thump . . . . . . . before my heart finally stopped.

The fire licking my senses turned to ice, shivering through my veins and quieting me. Quieting my soul.

Then came . . . silence. Nothing but silence.

No trumpets blared enchanting melodies, nor did violins serenade me while beautiful angels escorted my soul to the other side.

Only a silent tomb of white noise. A soundless cage with no way out.

With that came darkness. Nothing but darkness.

The bright welcoming rays of light and pearly white gates many speak of were absent, as were the puffy clouds, the bottomless wine cups, and feasts of plenty.

Only a void of nothingness.

A black plague rotting my body by the second.

Until a new sensation buzzed through me, tickling every nerve I had.

Fresh flowers caressed my nose, expanding my once empty lungs, and a voice, more beautiful than a songbird, danced into my ears.

“Open your eyes.”

How can I open my eyes when I’m dead?

Soft, gentle fingers brushed against my cheek, the warmth of them comforting me enough to allow my eyelids to drift open, and I now stood upright in a beautiful, plush field.

The sun above casted its rays upon a beautiful woman with golden skin and russet hair as she grinned with pride.

No . . .

She wasn’t a woman.

Adorned in a white, almost transparent dress, stood a goddess. A subtle glow of golden light radiated from her, spilling onto the vast field of flowers below her bare feet.

Contemplating the possibility of a heaven, I asked the only question that came to mind. “Are you an angel?”

“No, my sweet child. I am one of the Keepers, the Goddess of Vigor. My job is to remind you of the power you now have. The power you must contain. Never let the bloodlust carry you away.”

Before I had a chance to speak, a flood of sweet warmth rippled through me, now licking my body with pleasure. Waves crashed against my soul, filling it with an immeasurable strength.

Images of everyone and everything I had ever loved flashed at rapid speed, a lingering reminder for me to keep my humanity while I harnessed the power of immortality.

Her voice spoke to me once more but this time, her lips didn’t move.

Never let the power take hold. If you give it permission, it will own you.

Many have succeeded, others have failed. When in doubt, remember these words.

The darkness shall not command thyself. Thou shall command it.

Do you promise to honor yourself while upholding the oath of humanity?

Something deep inside of my soul compelled me to agree without hesitation. “I promise.”

With a flick of two fingers that reminded me of Shayla, my body plummeted back into the darkness, a whirlwind of emotions consuming me.

A divine spark discharged through my existence, lighting my veins on fire and bringing my soul back to the land of the living.

The sound of my heart pounded through my ears.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

The smell of blood stroked my nose, landing on my tongue and sending a yearning pain through my twisting gut.

Hunger. Nothing but hunger.

A tightening sensation similar to the feeling I get when my nipples harden, radiated through my gums, pulling at my canine teeth. They grew longer, stronger, sharper, ready to be plunged into their first victim.

As my eyes opened, the world appeared brighter, more vivid. A part of me wanted to enjoy my newfound senses, but I had no time to gaze at the beauty of a still tainted world.

Someone growled, and with speed I didn’t know I had, I leaped to my feet in one swift move.

My hunger being the only thing which mattered now, my eyes darted to the people of all shapes and sizes surrounding me like a buffet of fresh cuts of meat.

Something inside of me drew my body to one of them more than the others, and when I yanked her toward me, she resisted. The woman was much stronger than I was, holding me back like I was nothing more than a small child.

Someone growled again, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand, and my body told me he was mine.

His soul was mine.

“Move, Peach!” The man yanked me toward him, his intoxicating scent taking over my entire existence. He didn’t hesitate to grab my waist, lifting me off the ground.

Craving the feeling of our bodies intertwined, I locked my legs around him. He moved one hand to my ass, holding me up, and the other went to the back of my neck before fingers slid into my hair, gripping it.

When he pulled my face into the crevice of his neck, the swishing of blood rushing through his veins filled my ears. The scent of his skin was familiar and delicious when it met my lips.

My predatory instincts took over, pushing me forward. The flesh beneath my mouth surrendered far too easily when I bit down, allowing me to fulfill my hunger. Blood squirted for a split second, the sweet yet somehow savory flavor hitting my tongue was beyond mesmerizing.

Can you taste beauty?

If so, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever tasted.

“Suck hard.”

I did what the man said and latched on, causing his blood to pool into my mouth. Each gulp I took left me invigorated. Intoxicated.

A breath of life filled me as the energy from his blood spread through my body, satisfying my frantic soul. In a perfect world, I would stay wrapped in this man’s arms for eternity, suckling at the life force his blood gave me.

“She’s had enough. You need to stop her.”

He groaned, the hum of it vibrating against my lips and sending shivers through me. “Just a few more seconds, Peach.”

“No, Kid. Help her remember the oath she took.”

He released my hair and dropped his hand to my back before rubbing it in soothing circles. “That’s enough, Princess. The darkness shall not command thyself. Thou shall command it.”

The words he spoke were transpicuous, a gentle reminder of the vow I took to keep my humanity. I unlatched my mouth from his neck and met his beautiful blue eyes.

Luka.

The smell of lavender and vanilla tickled my nose, filling my heart and soul with more love than I’d ever be able to indulge in.

Even though I’d known I loved him for months, in that moment, I truly believed he would be mine for eternity.

He laid his hand on my cheek and looked at me like he’d never really seen the true essence of my beauty until now.

My breaths were fast and hard, my entire body yearning for him to touch every inch of skin. The scent of lavender and vanilla now mixed with citrus caressed my senses and my core tightened, ready to be pleasured.

Luka yanked my face toward him and pressed his warm lips against mine. The kiss was passionate, sweet, and gentle, stroking my soul with each move our lips made.

Wanting to consume every piece of him he would give me, I slid my tongue into his mouth as I fantasized about spending eternity lying naked next to him, running my fingers along his lean muscles, completely worshiping his body.

Someone cleared their throat, causing Luka to pull his mouth away, and I instantly missed the feel of his closeness.

“Are you okay, my love?”

I was more than okay. I was in a state of bliss most people could only dream of. “I can feel it. Feel the bond. It’s like a spark flickering inside me.” I laid my palm against his heart. “I can feel you. Feel you alive.”

He let go of my hair, moving the hand to my cheek before gently running his thumb over my lips. “Our hearts beat as one now.”

He grinned and despite the blood covering his face, I couldn’t help but smile back. His joyful look faded, a puzzled one replacing it.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, and Luka shook his head.

His heart sped up and I was astonished I could hear it.

“I’m not your origin, Princess.”

“No, you’re not. I am,” Peach said, causing my attention to go to her. “She fed from me before she went to rescue you. My powerful blood is the only reason she is alive and she needs to feed.”

Luka lowered me to the ground and turned me toward her, and I shook my head. “I don’t understand. I just drank his blood.”

“You have to do what’s called a sire feed from your origin to seal the sentinel bond or you’ll die.”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “But you said when we’re bonded, other people’s blood tastes bad.”

“Mine’ll taste similar to Luka’s, but it’ll have an earthy background,” Peach said before placing a hand on the back of my head and pulling my face into her throat. “You only need to take a few draws, and after that, you’ll never have to feed from anyone else.”

Wanting this to be over with as soon as possible, I opened my mouth, sank my fangs into her, and took forceful sucks.

Once I swallowed a few times, I felt a new connection in my soul. My love for Peach grew tremendously. I was a part of her and she was a part of me.

She was a protector. A provider. A parent.

She was my origin.

“That’s enough,” she whispered, pulling me away.

My breaths came out ragged, my mind attempting to catch up on what had happened in a short amount of time.

Erik cleared his throat. “I hate to break up this beautiful moment, but we’re surrounded by dead bodies.”

Memories of tonight’s events flooded through me. I looked around, my eyes bouncing across each dead person. I counted more than a dozen lifeless bodies.

A wave of sadness washed over me when I saw the two wolven, their wolf-like features frozen in death. Three hybrids laid dead, their twisted forms a chilling sight. Finneas was hardly recognizable, his body mangled and torn apart. Among the remaining corpses were the unsuspecting Venom members, all of whom my uncle betrayed.

When I realized none of them were my mom, I took a deep breath of relief that caught in my throat. None of them were my uncle, either, and the white Cadillac was gone.

“Where is my mom? Where’s Ben?”

“I’m right here, sweetie.” My mother stepped out from behind Erik and I closed the distance between us in a second, yanking her into me.

Her rapid heartbeat thundered in my ears, causing me to pull back, my gaze wandering her face in concern. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her eyes sparkling with concern. “As good as I can be, considering the evening. Are you a . . ?”

She couldn’t finish her sentence and I wasn’t sure I could either.

“I am. Is that okay?”

Nervousness etched lines on her face. “Whatever keeps you on this earth.”

I glanced at Luka. “Where’s Ben?”

“He got away,” he said, and my gaze locked on him in disbelief.

The sensation of spiders crawled across my face, anger filling my body, and I let out a low growl.

My mother sucked in a surprising gasp, her hands covering her mouth.

I quickly turned away from her. “How do I get these to go down?”

Luka grabbed my arm, leaning into my neck. “Just breathe, Princess. Calm yourself and they’ll go away in a second.”

After taking a few deep breaths and thinking about cute little kittens, my anger dissipated. I turned back around and gave my mom an apologetic expression, hoping to ease the tension in her face. She gave me an uneasy smile.

Before I had a chance to blink, Lyric plowed into me with a huge hug. “If you would have stayed dead, I would have slaughtered everyone.” She pulled back, her golden brown eyes locked on me. “Blood of the coven.”

“Blood of the coven,” I repeated.

She released me from her death grip and her eyes darted across the dozen Venom members nearby, one of them talking to Ravage. I immediately recognized the man as Andrew Pace, one of the senior-ranked officers in Venom. Naomi was standing with them.

“Come here, girl,” Ravage shouted, his hand waving me over.

I glanced at my mom, not wanting to leave her alone.

“I got her,” Winnie said, his blood-soaked body assuring me she was safe with him as I headed toward Ravage.

“What’s going on?” I asked him, confused.

“I think it would benefit everyone for you two to chat.” Ravage pointed to Andrew, then me.

“Nice seeing you again, Sage.” He extended his hand and I shook it, my brows furrowed. “We were at a loss coming to this battle. President Argent appointed me to lead this team with the objective of protecting Mrs. Argent and you. We were completely clueless about the hybrids that Ravage just informed us of, or Ben’s involvement.”

“Yeah, we knew some things, but not how deep this really went.”

Andrew gave me a sympathetic smile. “I figured I should tell you, in article four, section A2 of the Venom employee handbook it states, ‘If the current president should succumb to death, their oldest child shall immediately gain all rights to the society and its members, taking command without an induction ritual, a defusion trial, or discrimination from the cabinet or any of the society members without prosecution.’”

We were required to memorize the handbook, so I knew exactly what he was referring to, but I had no idea why. “And?”

“And it doesn’t say a damn thing about you having to be human, President Argent.”

President Argent? What does he . . . oh god.

My heart raced, my mouth falling agape.

Andrew smiled, seemingly amused by my shock. “All you have to do is accept.”

A weird pooling pinged in the pit of my stomach, confusing me. I assumed any of my short-lived witch abilities would have died with me, but they hadn’t. Then Shayla’s words replayed in my head.

As a born witch, even in fanged death, she is still family.

My instincts told me one of my ancestors attempted to communicate with me, advising me to accept what was being offered to me.

The sound of shuffling filled my ears as each surviving Venom member stood up straighter, turning toward me.

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I nervously scanned the group, an unwavering loyalty in the eyes of each member.

Having watched my father command the Venom society my entire life, I was well-versed in what the role required. I had also learned what not to do to the people who hold nothing but loyalty.

Taking a deep breath, I had no idea what I was going to say as I placed my hands on my hips and walked down the line of the members.

“I accept the role given to me, however, things will be changing. If any of you don’t feel like you could adapt to new regulations or work with supernaturals for a greater cause, then leave now. None of you will be harmed.” I pointed to one of the black vans left behind. “Get in there and go live a normal human life or possibly die with me making a better one.”

My breaths were shallow as I awaited their decision.

One girl ran toward the van, then two guys. The rest stayed put, ready to die for the greater good.

“Thank you, President Argent,” Andrew said, bringing my eyes to his brown ones. “If you would like, I can lead the rest of the team back to the compound.”

I nodded, still unsure what the hell I was doing. “Let everyone there know they can leave if they want, and anyone who stays is under your command for now. Tell them there will be a meeting. I’ll send you info with the details.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m going to go with him for now,” Naomi said, and I leaned in close.

“Keep me updated if anything seems odd.”

Naomi nodded before trailing off behind Andrew and the rest of the Venom members.

I turned around, surveying the rest of the people still lingering. Three packs of wolven, a bunch of vampires, and one Venom society hub ready to follow me.

I accidentally started an army.

Ravage began directing everyone toward the vehicles and Peach got on the phone with the mortuary guy preparing plans to dispose of the bodies, and making sure he knew my father needed to be preserved until my mom was ready to deal with the arrangements.

I turned toward Luka, unsure of what to say and he yanked me into him

“President Argent?” He cocked a brow, then wore a proud expression. “The way you took control over those men, you looked like a natural.”

On the outside, I may have appeared to be a true leader, but on the inside, I really had no fucking clue what I was doing.

I shrugged. “There is no room for fear during a battle.”

Luka gave me a quick kiss, then took my hand, pulling me toward my Jeep, my mother in tow.

The ride back was mostly quiet. Luka drove and I sat in the back seat, holding my mom’s hand, her face a mixture of loving, mourning, and confusion.

“I’m sorry about dad,” I whispered, squeezing her hand. “I know he never liked me, but I did love him.”

“Oh, honey. Your father was hard on you because he had to be. You were set to be the president and he knew you’d never survive Ben if you were soft. He loved you dearly, even if he didn’t always show it.”

She turned her head out the window, wiping away the tears in private.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, causing my heart to twist in pain. Although me and my father never saw eye to eye, I could understand why he was hard on me, especially as I aged.

My mind began to reel, pulling up old memories of him. When I got my bike, he spent hours following me around, making sure I never so much as skinned a knee until I was a pro. We may have had different agendas, but that day he showed me love.

He loved me.

Once at camp, we exited the vehicle, my mom’s eyes darting over anything she could see amongst the glow of the new tiki torches.

The lights inside of them flickering with multiple colors, the smell so strong it stuck in the back of my throat. Then I realized, I was looking at the world through a new set of eyes and I gasped.

The first time I met Shayla she had said, “Your new eyes will see the beauty this world has to offer.” The third time, when we were discussing Marcus, she said, “His new eyes will see the beauty this world has to offer. As yours will soon.”

The memories brought on thoughts about destiny. During our conversations, Shayla never once uttered the word maybe when she said those sentences. She knew without a doubt, I would turn when I saw her yesterday, because I had already taken Peach’s blood. But the first time, I hadn’t yet.

She also said, “Our choices harbor the capacity to alter the predetermined trajectory of destiny.” How was she sure from the first time meeting me?

Is she hiding more than she’s revealing?

Someone dropped a wood log into the fire pit, the crackling getting my attention. Everything was brighter, louder.

“Is there a place I can wash up? And possibly have a minute to myself?” my mom asked, and I whipped toward her, a lot faster than I meant to.

I pointed to my cabin. “You can go to my place. The bathroom is down the hall on the right. If you want to lay in peace, the next door down is the spare bedroom.”

“Is Chewy in there?” she asked, and when I nodded, she let out a settling sigh. “Thank you, Sweetie. In case I fall asleep, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She gave me a hug, then as she walked toward my cabin, the tiki torches flickered across her clothes. The little things I never noticed when I was a human now had my attention.

“Are you okay?” Luka asked, bringing me from my thoughts.

The scent of fresh rain caressed my nose when the wind whipped past me. “I’m noticing little things. Things I’ve never paid attention to before. Beautiful things.”

“Come here.” Luka grabbed my hand, dragging me to the edge of the woods, and when he stopped, I gasped.

Despite it being nighttime, I could see deep into the forest with my new vampire eyes. Like the sun was about to set, but lit the world just enough to see.

The stream that wasn’t close enough for my human ears to hear now played a melody for my senses, and the lake nearby had frogs croaking, then one jumped, splashing the water.

“Whoa. This is crazy.”

Luka slid his hands around me from behind and pulled me into him. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“I can’t even describe how wonderful it is.”

“Most of it you will eventually drown out unless you want to notice.”

He ran his nose across my ear and I tilted my head, giving him better access to place soft kisses on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I pressed my butt against him and he moaned softly.

A hint of cedar caressed my senses, reminding me of my grandmother’s old cedar chest at first. The scent became stronger, more intoxicating as it blended with sweet bergamot oranges and warm vanilla.

I ripped out of his embrace and faced him. “What’s that delicious scent?”

His blue eyes sparkled as he gave me a smug grin that made me want to rip his clothes off. “Me.”

“There’s no way you smell like that.” Grabbing his face, I yanked his head toward me, eliciting a grunt from him, then ran my nose up his neck, inhaling the most arousing scent ever.

The tantalizing fragrance made my mouth fall open and my fangs elongate. The sensitive skin of my areolas puckered, hardening my nipples. The smell was beyond delicious. I wanted it. I wanted to strip naked and bathe in the aroma. Bask in its phenomenal glory. Wanted to drink the scent’s blood.

“Did you start wearing cologne?”

He shook his head, and it surprised me to see his sparkling blue eyes in the dead of night. “It’s not cologne, it’s my essence.”

“What’s that?” I asked, my body burning with a primal longing.

“It’s like a lure. When two supernatural’s bond, it’s the scent they release to show love or their level of arousal. And the cool thing is, only your bondmate can smell it.”

“Holy fuck. That’s what that is?”

Luka laughed and the deep timber of it sent my blood pumping.

“The feeling I get is similar to yours, Princess. Your citrus and vanilla scented lure was extremely delicious.”

“What do you mean, it was?”

“You won’t have it now that you’re a vampire. Your lure has blended with your amore, which is your love scent. And it makes up your essence. Now you smell like delicious lavender and vanilla when you’re showing your love, and add citrus to that when you’re horny. It’s beyond intoxicating.”

I stood on my tippy toes, bringing my face to his. “You’re underestimating how amazing yours smells.”

Jimmy came running up to us, his face flushed and sweaty, gasping for air. “I need to talk to Luka.”