Page 100 of Venomous Throne

I leaned my cheek against his hard, yet somehow soft, shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay,” he promised.

I believed him.

“You said you trusted me.”

“I do.” I did.

“Good,” he rasped. “You’re such a good girl, Isabella.”

Warmed by his praise, I didn’t feel the initial sting. It was only as he depressed the needle into the muscle of my arm that warning bells pealed in my mind.

The scream was cut off by his hand.

“Trust me.”

Those two words were the last thing I heard before the blackness swallowed me whole.

Chapter 37 – Isabella

The ceiling above me was a constellation of popcorn. Spider-thin cracks ran across the expanse, and there was a yellowing water stain in the corner. I blinked at the unfamiliar sight. My head swam with each small movement. There was a sore spot in my right shoulder blade. I wiggled my feet under the soft sheet—worn blue flannel.

I propped myself up on my elbows only to gasp from a wince of pain.

There was a needle in the crook of my left arm.

Panic shot through my veins with an icy sting. I ripped the needle out, throwing the cord as far away from me as the tethered hose would allow. It swung from the sack of liquid, which was hoisted on a metal pole.

Buono dio, what the hell was this fresh nightmare?

It all came back in a rush.

The attack on my home. Hiding in the mansion of my ally, while my men regrouped without me. And then…Jaxon.

I sat up, whipping my head back and forth.

A wooden chair sat in the corner, my clothes neatly folded atop it—too neatly, as if someone else had placed them there. Which meant….

My hands skimmed over my body. I was naked.

Behind the curtain, the small, single window showed it was daylight. But the muted kind that spoke of a cloudy sky. As if on cue, thunder boomed, shaking the room. In its echo, I heard the rain pelt against the glass. I wrapped the thick woolen blanket protectively around my body and crept to the window. Outside, there appeared to be a vast lawn that stopped abruptly at a line of trees. No landmarks, no street signs, nothing to indicate where the hell I was.

Moving on legs that felt like rubber, I trudged to the door.

It opened with a crack and a whine. Thunder covered the noise, and I sent a flicker of gratitude to the heavens for their cooperation.

The inky, rich scent of coffee floated to my nose as I scanned the place. A closed door, mirroring the one I stood in, was across from me. A third door to the right, at the end of the hall, was probably the bathroom, judging by the tile and mirror edge that I could see.

To the left was noise and the smell. It beckoned me forward.

I crept toward the signs of life, bracing myself to fight and knowing I would lose, given the shape I was in and the fact that I was completely defenseless.

“You’re awake.”

Jaxon stood at the sink, mug in hand, staring out into the rain. A single bulb flickered over his head. The yellow glow was cheery, fighting off the spooky ambience.

But it did little to settle the worms churning in my stomach.