Page 177 of Lovely Venom

I can only hope that it doesn’t destroy us.

After I slip out the side door, I find a well-beaten path that leads into the woods. I haven’t been to the north cove, but I know where it is because Abella mentioned they used to swim there as kids.

The initial walk is easy, but the closer I get, the more my nerves get the best of me. It will be a steep descent to the cove, so I’ll need to be careful. No matter what, I have to protect this baby.

After a few minutes of walking, a twig snaps in the distance, and I pause, scanning the area it came from. I don’t see anybody, so I rationalize that it must be wildlife and keep moving.

As the trees open up, I spot the trail that disappears down a rocky embankment, leading to the cove. But as I take it in, something about this just doesn’t feel right.

I can’t imagine Ares’s reasoning for leading me out here when there was a far simpler solution. He’d already given away my identity to Mariella. If he wanted to see me, he could have just called her, and she would have relayed the message without anyone even knowing.

As I consider it, I recall what Cristian said about guards patrolling the island and surrounding areas. Wouldn’t they notice Ares if he was on the Vitale side of the island?

I linger in that uncertainty, pulling up the message from Ares to read it again. There are only three people in Seattle who know about Damian. Given Ares’s history of texting me from random numbers, it made sense that this was him. But there’s another possibility, and I can’t go any further until I confirm who actually sent me this text.

For a second, I waver between calling the burner number or Ares’s regular contact. But ultimately, I decide to start with the burner.

I initiate the call, only to hear the recipient’s phone so close—it can’t be more than ten feet away.

My head snaps up, and my heart slams against my chest as Elias steps out from behind a tree.

He meets my gaze with steely determination, his lips curving in quiet satisfaction as he approaches me.

“Elias.” I stumble back, holding up my hands in a desperate plea. “We can talk about this.”

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he answers in a gravelly voice. “They can’t keep us apart anymore.”

“What?” I croak.

“I know you had to make it look like it was real, because you didn’t feel safe. But I’ve been protecting you, and now we can finally be together.”

I swallow as the depth of his delusion settles over me. This isn’t a situation I can talk myself out of—because how do you reason with someone who’s not even living in reality?

“I have a place for us,” Elias goes on. “Nobody will ever find us there. I bought everything you need. Your shampoo, your books, those chocolates you like⁠—"

“Elias, we can’t be together,” I tell him. “I think you’ve misunderstood what’s happening here.”

“Don’t,” he bites out, raking a hand through his hair as his body goes rigid. “You’re confused. That’s all this is. You’ll see when we’re together that they’ve brainwashed you.”

“I don’t understand,” I say softly, trying to keep him engaged as I take a few more steps back.

“It was always me.” He stabs a finger in his chest. “I was the one who saved you. I gave you a new life. And now I’ve fixed everything, so we can finally be together.”

“How?” I choke out. “What did you fix?”

“None of this would have happened if Ares hadn’t betrayed us,” he sneers. “I was watching over you until that fucking Italian started coming around, and then Ares got in the way. He turned on me and took me away from you. Now he’ll understand what happens when you betray your own.”

“What are you going to do to him?” I ask.

Elias hesitates, but I need to keep him talking to buy myself some time.

“I want you to make him pay,” I tell him, injecting as much bitterness as I can into the words.

“He will,” Elias growls.

“Please, I need to know.” I soften my tone. “It’s the only way I can feel safe.”

Uncertainty flashes in his eyes, and when he finally answers, I understand why.