Page 90 of Venomous Throne

I kissed him violently, as if my life depended on it.

Jaxon moaned into my mouth. His hand slid up my spine, cupping the back of my neck.

When I broke away for air, I gasped, “Thank you.”

A soft, barely there smile, graced his lips. “You’re welcome.”

He remembered. First, the tiger lilies and now the sunset.

“No one has ever done anything half this incredible for me,” I breathed. “That sunset is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

“It’s pretty, I’ll grant you. But there is something far more beautiful, and now you know how I feel when I look at you,” he murmured, and then his mouth was on me again, kissing me hard. Our bodies molded together. My breath hitched. The feeling of him ignited every nerve in my body until I was on fire, mirroring the sun’s last hurrah.

This time, it was he who pulled away. He gazed intently down at me, his thumb tracing my lips and jaw with a solemn reverence.

“I have to take you back,” he whispered, pain lancing his words.

“Just another minute,” I begged.

Turning me, he tugged me close. “Anything for you, bella.”

And so, we stood there, lost in the blinding glow. I knew in that moment with absolute certainty that my midnight stray had me. Body and soul, I was his.

Chapter 34 – Isabella

The scratching came again, more insistent this time, like someone dragging a rake across concrete. My eyes snapped open, heart still racing from the nightmare in which I’d been running, always running, from something I couldn’t see but knew would devour me if it caught me.

I lay perfectly still in my bed, the sheets twisted around my legs from my restless sleep. The digital clock on my nightstand cast a sickly green glow. It was just after three. The witching hour.

There it was again. Not a dream sound, but something real. Something outside.

My breath caught in my throat as I strained to listen. The mansion creaked and settled around me, familiar sounds I’d learned to ignore. But this was different—deliberate, methodical. A soft scraping followed by a gentle tap, tap, tap.

My midnight stray?

I sat up.

“Jaxon?” I hissed.

There was no response.

Or rather, it was delayed.

Bullets splattered the window’s glass.

I hurled myself to the floor as glass rained down around me. The once-peaceful night exploded into chaos—more bullets punched through the remaining window, splintering the antique dresser behind me.

“Boss! Get down!” Johnny’s voice boomed from the hallway. He barreled through my bedroom door, assault rifle already raised. Vincenzo was hot on his heels. The lad ducked beside me, covering me with his body. Johnny stood, fearless or stupid, at the open window. He yelled, returning fire down on our enemies. His hulking frame, silhouetted against the dim hallway light, moved with surprising grace as he dropped to one knee beside the shattered window.

“See? It’s more fun on your side!” Johnny laughed.

The bastard was manic.

The staccato bursts from his weapon lit up the room in violent flashes.

“Two on the east perimeter, another moving toward the garage,” he called out, his voice eerily calm as he squeezed off another round.

I crawled toward my nightstand, glass shards slicing into my palms. The gun was there, third drawer, beneath my journals. My fingers closed around cold metal.