her up—most importantly, it was thick enough to block the glow.
“Okay?” she asked Venom to be sure.
He nodded, his hair sliding forward a little. “You can still feel it?”
“Oh, yeah.” Slipping her pack back on after stuffing her knit cap in it, as the jacket had a hood, she squeezed her eyes shut for two long seconds. “I may become a liability if these memories take me over. He was consumed with her.”
“Maybe Uram should remember that Michaela was probably the one who stoked up his ego to the point that he—” Venom cut himself off. “It’s fucking irritating that you don’t have the Tower clearance to know certain things.”
“Tell me about it,” Holly muttered. “Who do I have to sleep with to make that happen?”
Her question had been facetious, but Venom smiled slowly. “Let me get back to you on that.”
She gave him the finger.
His smile deepened, and suddenly, she was back to being herself, Uram’s memories held at bay. “Ready?”
A nod.
They flowed down the slight slope, then back up toward the stronghold. When Venom veered left, she didn’t disagree. He was attempting to get them behind the stronghold, which made a lot of sense. The area directly in front of the stunning structure was clear lawn interrupted only by a fountain that created a delicate fall of sound.
Hopefully, the back would be better in terms of hiding places.
Holly hugged the ground when two angels passed by within seconds of each other. The only reason the angels hadn’t spotted her and Venom was that they were in the narrow band of shade thrown by a foliage fence. Her heart drumming inside her chest, Holly padded along behind Venom, and when the green overlay appeared on her vision, she didn’t fight it.
She listened.
And stopped Venom as he was about to go around a corner. Instead, the two of them pressed their backs against the same foliage fence and blended into the night. The guard passed by within a few feet. There was no way he wasn’t going to see them when he turned left to continue his sentry duties.
Shit, shit, shit.
The guard turned.
Holly didn’t realize she’d thrown out her hand until it slammed quietly against Venom’s chest, halting his nascent movement to take care of the threat. His muscles quivered under her touch, his body held at taut readiness.
The guard looked straight at them.
His mouth began to open, but it was too late. Holly had caught his eyes. Caught him. He was an old vampire, but she was something other. And she was far, far stronger than she’d been before Daisy’s energy joined her own.
“We’re not here,” she whispered. “You thought you spotted something, but it was only an animal.” The latter was a deliberate choice of word. She didn’t know if Michaela kept cats or dogs or peacocks for that matter. The guard’s mind would fill in the blanks with the most appropriate image. “You’re on high alert, miss nothing, but there’s nothing here to see.”
The guard yawned before absently scratching his shoulder. She thought for a moment that she’d failed, but then he muttered, “Damn cats,” and moved on.
Holly sagged.
Venom tugged her around the corner before the guard got too far away. He knew as well as she did that the mesmerism had limits. The guard would remember exactly what she’d told him to remember—but once he was far enough away, he might decide to turn, double check.
“That was clever, kitty.”
“Why didn’t you think of it?” He was stronger than her, could control people far longer. “You were going to get physical.” She’d felt it in the violent tension of his body.
“I’m not used to not needing to leave a trace. It’s usually Jason or Naasir or Janvier who do any necessary sneaking around.”
They went silent again, crouch-walking for a distance that was long enough to make Holly’s back ache like she’d been twisting herself into a pretzel. Michaela’s stronghold might be an astonishingly beautiful edifice, but it was also fricking huge. They didn’t hit the turn for the very back of the property until what felt like an hour later.
Thankfully, it was worth the pretzel torture.
Trees filled the backyard—though those trees were controlled and noticeably shorter than the ones on the mountainside. Peaches and apricots hung from the branches of the ones nearest Holly and Venom. “An orchard.”
The night air was a crisp bite as they crept under the trees, sneaking their way to the back of the stronghold itself. The wings inside Holly’s chest, they pulsed,