Vipers and Virtuosos (Monsters & Muses, #2)

by Sav R. Miller

It’s a tsunami breaking before it hits the shore, whipping against me with the dull aftershocks.

Fear sprays down my spine like a broken faucet, my body recognizing the danger before my brain has even caught up.

My mother used to say beautiful things were wrought from the most unimaginable pain. Then she’d put her cigarette out on my stomach, in case I needed a reminder that whatever beauty I possessed was still a work in progress.

No bec this is sad

My brother Boyd insists that’s a good thing; he says murder changes you. Rewires your soul into something bleak and broken.

I shouldn’t care what they think, I know. But my freedom hinges on their willingness to attend things with me.

Things I simply can’t part with. Just in case.

And fuck me, the dress.

she looks like a fucking angel. An uneasy fish out of water… but an angel, no less.

But that’s insane, and I’m trying to prove to the world that I’m not.

A girl is being accosted in public, and yet there isn’t a single person who seems to mind.

“I’m not going to fight with you over her—” “You’re right, you’re not. We aren’t fighting at all. You were just leaving.”

AHHHHHHHHH

“Chivalry is dead, and all.”

Fuck, how I could ruin this man.

She still clings to the hope that one day, we’ll be whole again. That the stains on our soul might disappear if enough time passes.

But I know better; the darkness in us is a quicksand, seeking out others to devour.

“The fun,” Aiden says, letting his gaze drop to my mouth, then lower and back up, “is that I know what to call you when I collect my dues.”

My mother’s disappointment is almost palpable, but when I glance around the room, she’s nowhere to be seen, so I ignore the discomfort and take another drink instead. Besides, drinking was never a problem for me. Not like pills were for her.

Gasp

“If they noticed me, we’d be swarmed by a sea of paps right now. Trust me, angel, all eyes are on you.”

“You feel that?” “What?” “Fate.” He gestures between us. “It’s working right here, right now.” Oh, good. My childhood crush is a crazy person. “All I feel is annoyed.”

But for right now, I want to stay here. At least for a little while.

It feels like a game, and I’m racing toward victory as I try to uncover what she’s afraid of. Deep down, a sick feeling bubbles up, soaking in her terror. I want it to be me.

Obsessions with things that don’t matter in order to keep the darker thoughts at bay.

Aiden and I are from totally different worlds. He deserves better than what mine would do to him.

fear has me in a choke hold, its claws digging into my throat and refusing to let go.

closing my eyes and imagining that I’m a different person. Someone strong and brave, who doesn’t get panic attacks they can only partially ascertain the cause of.

It’s not often you get to witness a true masterpiece, and I’m not used to being denied beautiful things.

That someone else isn’t calling her the name I gave her. The one that fucking ruined me.

“It really is a shame you turned out to be such a little snake,”

“Intentions mean shit when lives get destroyed. Keep your apologies, angel. It’s too late for them to be of any use to me.”

“Three years. I’ve thought about you all that time.”

Guilt is such a funny, foreign little thing.

“I’m afflicted, and I think you’re somehow both the cause and the cure.”