Page 134 of Silk and Sirens

It fucking hurt to watch a woman as fierce as her flinch at the sound of a man’s voice, then immediately get angry at herself for having a completely normal, human reaction.

I was going to kill Renley … and Selene. I was going to hunt down every single person who had ever made her feel like this—everyone who had stolen her power, her choice, her voice—and I was going to make them pay. There would be no mercy or quick fucking deaths. They were going to suffer the same way she’d suffered.

“Lang’s gone to sort the one person who can find your heterochromia guy,” Sebastian said, handing me a glass of whisky.

I narrowed my eyes at him, already dreading the answer. “Don’t say it.”

“You know he’s the only one besides Aeris who can track him down,” Sebastian said evenly.

The whisky burned like fire down my throat as I downed it in one go, my eyes automatically glancing towards the direction of the bedroom where she slept.

“Fuck,” I muttered, placing the glass down before dragging a hand down my face. I knew exactly who Sebastian was talking about, and while I couldn’t stand the prick, he was right.

Finding Renley was worth having to deal with Ryder-fucking-Finn.

But first, there was Vivienne.

“You’ve kept her here for days?” Aeris nodded approvingly, and I watched carefully for any signs she was masking her distress. “I get why Selene was pissed.”

Langdon dropped his chair to all four legs so he could stand, casually strolling over to Vivienne. She was struggling to even gasp, her throat swelling rapidly and eyes bulging with panic. Without a word, he jabbed an EpiPen into her thigh.

From the sheer number of puncture marks already dotting her leg, the sick bastard had clearly been having fun with her for a while.

Vivienne sucked in a desperate, wheezing breath as her airways reopened.

“She drugged me,” I said, glancing down at Aeris. “She tried to kill you.”

Aeris let out a long breath through her nose. “I know.”

I pressed gently on her lower back. “You don’t have to be here for this.”

“Why, don’t think I can handle it?” Her eyes glistened, lips curving as she stood in her statement tight dress and heels. She swept forward, her dark-red hair coming down in gentle waves that made her look like some avenging angel.

Langdon shook his head. “Tell me you don’t actually trust her,” he signed.

I ignored him, watching Aeris approach Vivienne calmly. Her priority had always been her family. If fucking us over was what it took to keep them safe, she wouldn’t hesitate even for a second. But that didn’t mean I was ever going to let her go.

“Let”—a painful gasp—“me”—a struggled swallow—“go,” Vivienne managed. “Mother’s⁠—”

“Selene isn’t here,” Aeris interrupted, and fuck me she looked powerful as she circled Vivienne, who was still gasping like a dying fish.

“You’re … all … idiots,” Vivienne hissed, struggling against her bonds. “She’s … playing you! Aeris … only cares about … herself.”

Aeris stroked her nails along Vivienne’s shoulder, moving around until she was able to grip her jaw. “You always hated my poisons,” she whispered, pulling a small vial from her dress and holding it up to the light. “I distinctly remember you saying that giving them heart attacks was boring.”

“Aeris … don’t.”

Aeris popped the lid and brought the vial to Vivienne’s lips. “Don’t worry, this isn’t TTX. Although using pufferfish toxin would be amusing, considering your allergy.”

Vivienne tried to pull her head back, but Aeris forced her to take every last drop.

“This particular vial is created with aconite,” she explained, her expression completely cold. “The main difference between the two is that TTX is more of a paralyser, so your body just … stops. Not particularly painful, but it’s the safest poison to use if I want a natural looking death. Because we both know how Selene likes me to kill people quietly. But aconite, well, I’m sure you can already tell, but it’s painful. I don’t use it often, more for the men I track down myself. The ones Selene doesn’t know about. The ones who hurt me when I was too young to fight back.”

I stood with Langdon, who watched the scene without blinking.

“You’re going to start feeling this burning sensation, like liquid fire, starting in the mouth and working its way down, followed by chest pain,” Aeris continued calmly, circling around until she was behind Vivienne. “Next, it’ll affect your lungs, as if you’re drowning, and then your stomach. Eventually, it’ll hit your heart. Your heartbeat will become irregular, and I know you find this boring, but finally you’ll suffer a fatal cardiac arrest.”

“No, please!” Vivienne whimpered, tears and snot dripping down her face. “Aeris … please.”