Shards of Venus

by Tjalara Draper

  The one that stood eye to eye with Matthias glanced at the crate. “Is that all of what you promised?”

  Matthias raised his chin and looked at the thing through hooded eyes. “Like I said before, ‘No queen, no deal.’” He enunciated each word as if speaking to an infant.

  The slith’s features crinkled into a scowl. Then it flicked out its tongue.

  With lightning speed, Matthias whipped out his hand and caught the slimy muscle. It wrapped around his wrist with a squelch, and he yanked hard until the creature’s face was an inch from his. “Don’t you poke this disgusting thing at me,” Matthias hissed through his teeth.

  The slith let out a guttural growl and tried to thrash out of his grip. Matthias saw the rage burning in the pathetic being’s eyes. He tugged once more, then released the tongue and shoved the creature back. It stumbled and fell to the ground. A few hunters laughed; Axel guffawed the loudest.

  A deep rumble reverberated in the chest of the second slith. The thundering sound grew louder as others around the clearing took it up, joining in the war cry.

  Matthias smirked. Despite their warning of an attack, not one slith moved an inch. Interesting.

  Turning to the others, the slith on the ground hissed out something unintelligible. The rumbling stopped. The creature stood up and gestured to the side of the clearing.

  Two sliths stepped out from the shadows, dragging a third between them. Its head was hunched forward, and blue liquid trailed in its wake.

  The one whose tongue was yanked stepped behind the newcomers and, with one hand, clasped the forehead of the slumped slith and tilted its head up. A laborious wheeze escaped its lips.

  Matthias knew a broken creature when he saw one.

  Its eyes flew open and its mouth gaped as an elbow blade burst through the side of its neck. The creature released a throaty gargle, and every breath was a laborious wheeze. Streams of blue coursed down its chest, weaving rivulets through scales and crystal spikes.

  “Are they trying to do our job for us?” Axel mumbled.

  Matthias cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. What on earth was this ridiculous display about? “Wow,” he said, his voice monotone, “I’m so impressed. I could—”

  He cut himself off as blue smoke effervesced from the slith’s shimmering trails of teal blood.

  Matthias snatched his dagger from his belt and took a step back. “What the hell’s going on?”

  Axel’s trident appeared in the corner of his eye, and the rest of the hunters flanked him and Axel, their weapons held out. The blue smoke danced in the air before Matthias, growing thicker until it coalesced into the apparition of what looked like a human woman.

  The hunters’ shouted threats turned to stunned silence.

  She was the most beautiful woman Matthias had ever laid eyes on. Her hair, crown, and outfit were outrageous and downright seductive. A hand rested on her cheek, and her pinky finger stroked the bottom lip of her smug smile.

  Axel’s trident inched forward and stabbed at the apparition. The blue wisps undulated around the crystalline prongs.

  “What kind of trickery is this?” growled Axel.

  No one bothered to answer him. The spectacular woman didn’t even break eye contact with Matthias as Axel continued to stab at her.

  Matthias shoved the trident away. “I thought I said ‘face-to-face.’”

  The wraith’s delicious smile deepened. She dropped her hand and glided forward until her nose was an inch from his. “What do you call this?”

  Her tender voice sent shivers down Matthias’s spine. A corner of his mouth tilted up into a half smirk. “Cheating.”

  She placed a hand on her chest and laughed; the sound was like a glass wind chime. “Did you really think I wouldn’t take precautions?” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Not so clever then, are you, hunter?”

  Matthias’s smirk faded, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Well, then, by all means, educate me.” He gestured to the blue smoke. “Why don’t you start by explaining how you’re doing this?”

  “Hmm . . .” She placed her smoky hand on his chest. Her fingertips trailed across him as she circled to his back. “That, my sweet, is such a dull topic.”

  Matthias’s skin tingled under his clothes. Could he really feel her touch, or was he imagining it? His finger twitched toward his Diamantium blade, but as Axel had already demonstrated, his weapon would be ineffective against this wraith. “Why don’t we discuss the deal at hand?” he said. “Did you bring what I asked?”

  She returned to her position in front of him and steepled her fingers under her chin. “That depends. Have you brought what I asked?”

  For a few moments, Matthias didn’t move. The nerve of this creature, this so-called queen. She was beneath him in every sense of the word. If only she’d shown up in the flesh and not as a coward in the form of this . . . this . . . smoke, he’d have taught her how to show him respect.

  Her steepled fingers began drumming a slow beat, and her pleasant smile began to harden.

  How he wanted to wipe that impatient smile off her face. A few scenarios ran through his mind, but logic reminded him that none of his savage imaginings would help him in this current situation. He’d hang on to those ideas for after he achieved what he wanted.

  For now, let her think she had the upper hand.

  “Axel, move out of the way.”

  The big man hesitated, then let out a few indecipherable mumbles as he shuffled to the side. The smoky wraith’s smiled broadened as she dropped her gaze to the crate. She glided over to inspect the box, trails of blue vapor twisting and curling behind her.

  After circling the crate a few times, she paused on the other side and turned her attention back to Matthias. “How many are in there?”

  “Three.”

  The queen raised a delicate eyebrow. “I thought you said the Yranum were rare?”

  “They are,” said Matthias, unable to resist a smug grin.

  “Hmm . . .” The queen dipped her head slightly. “I must confess, dear hunter, I had my doubts about reaching out to you, but you have succeeded where many of my servants have failed.”

  Matthias smiled. “Like I said to you at the start, this is what I do best.”

  She returned his knowing smile. “If that’s true, then please enlighten me as to why there’s been a delay on the bounty of the male Veniri?”

  Matthias’s jaw clenched as the slith in question flashed through his mind’s eye. Nathan Delano, the one who used to be a detective in his hometown. That slith had been living in plain sight for years. Hell, that thing had even investigated his own daughter’s murder. How had he never picked up on the fact that it wasn’t human? He’d never imagined one was capable of slipping past his radar. Never again would he allow that to happen.

  “Rest assured I have my best men on the case. You will be notified as soon as he’s in my possession.”

  She narrowed her eyes. The expression was probably meant to intimidate him, but it just made him more resolute. He wasn’t ready to give up that slith. Not yet.

  “Forget him for now.” She waved one hand. “There is another I seek more urgently.”

  This was starting to become a trend. What was the story behind all of these bounties?

  A Veniri stepped forward and held out a folder. It was a missing persons case file. With exaggerated indifference, Matthias perused the contents. On top was a grainy surveillance photo taken almost twenty years ago of a woman in a hospital gown. Beneath it was a second much clearer, much more recent photo, likely of the same woman in her mid to late forties. She wore a dark coat and scarf, and her loose brown hair hung past her shoulders. The photographer had captured the woman glancing backward as she walked down a busy city street.

  There didn’t seem to be anything special about her—until he came across the name. Gloria Chambers.

  Chambers? Does that mean—

  “I want this woman acquired swiftly,” said the qu
een, “either alive or dead.”

  Matthias slowly nodded, still scanning the document.

  —disappeared from hospital—last seen wearing—baby girl abandoned—father unknown—

  He slammed the file shut, passed it to Axel, and raised his chin. “Consider it done. My price will be another—”

  “Yes, yes,” said the queen, dismissing him with a flutter of her fingers. “Once I have her, you’ll be duly compensated.”

  Matthias bared his teeth in a wide grin.

  “Where’s the girl?”

  “Ah-ah-ah.” Matthias waved a finger. “I want to see what’s owed to me first.”

  He didn’t miss the subtle twitch of her mouth, the only sign of her irritation.

  She raised an arm. Two more Veniri entered the clearing, carrying a large wooden chest between them. They placed it on the ground in front of Matthias and opened the lid. Shards upon shards of Diamantium glittered within, and from what Matthias could see, they were elbow shards, knee shards, and large collarbone and spinal shards—everything Matthias’s clients demanded the most. To get a stash this large of these specific spikes, his men would have to harvest at least fifty Veniri.

  Axel whistled his appreciation.

  Matthias put his hand on his hips and raised his gaze back to the wraith. “I want to see the tomes.”

  She twitched an amused eyebrow and, after a heartbeat, gestured again. Another two Veniri emerged from the shadows. Matthias’s eyes widened and his pulse raced when he saw the heavy burdens they were carrying. Each Veniri held an ancient tome. Even without a close inspection, Matthias knew both tomes were made from solid gold and inlaid with gems and precious stones.

  This. This was what he’d dreamed of since he was a child. At least, this was the beginning of bringing his dream to fruition. His siblings, father, and grandfather had all mercilessly ridiculed him for years, but they wouldn’t be laughing anymore. How the Veniri had managed to get their filthy hands on these precious Erathi artifacts he didn’t know. But that was a mystery to solve at a later date.

  The two Veniri stood side by side near the queen. Matthias took a step closer, but he stopped when several Veniri hissed and moved in front of the tome bearers.

  He glared at the queen. “I need to confirm their authenticity.”

  She smiled, clearly enjoying this hold over him. “Where’s the girl?” was all she said.

  It was Matthias’s turn to rein in his irritation. He raised a hand and gestured to the hunters behind him. Within a few moments, four hunters brought out a long blue polyethylene icebox and placed it between Matthias and the queen.

  A hungry look entered her eyes. “Open it,” she ordered.

  All the hunters turned to Matthias. He let the moment drag a little longer than necessary, then nodded. One of his men leaned down, flicked up the four latches, and opened the lid. Axel began shuffling again, and Matthias shot him a glare.

  A white fog drifted out of the icebox as the queen swept over to it, blue tendrils swirling in her wake. After a few seconds, the fog dissipated, revealing the body of a young girl lying on a bed of ice cubes. Her long brown hair fanned out over the ice, and blue veins spiderwebbed across her pallid, almost transparent flesh. Across her neck was a gruesome gash.

  Matthias had been furious when he’d discovered the useless hunter he’d sent after Violet had killed the wrong girl. After about a week of being unable to locate their true target, they’d decided to reclaim the wrong girl’s body from the morgue. Fortunately, the girl who was mistakenly killed looked a lot like Violet, and as long as Matthias got what he wanted, he didn’t care what happened after the queen figured out she’d been deceived.

  The blue wisp tilted her head to peer down at the girl. Without looking up, she raised one hand, and one of the Veniri approached the blue icebox. It leaned down to take hold of the girl’s shoulders.

  “What are you doing?” Matthias demanded.

  “I need to confirm her authenticity,” said the queen.

  Matthias narrowed his eyes. He didn’t appreciate her tone, or the reuse of his own words, or the chance his deception was about to be revealed.

  Axel began shuffling again.

  Ice cubes chinked as the Veniri rolled the girl onto her front.

  Matthias frowned. What was this slith looking for? He shared a loaded glance with Axel.

  “No scars,” the Veniri said with a hiss.

  Scars? No one had mentioned anything about scars.

  The Veniri stood and shot Matthias an accusatory look. “This is not Violet Chambers.”

  Within a split second, the queen wraith was an inch from Matthias’s nose.

  “You dared to deceive me!” Her voice no longer tinkled; instead, it was like a nail being dragged across a pane of glass.

  Matthias’s whole body shuddered with adrenaline. He flicked a glance down at his extended arm; the tip of his dagger pierced right where the wraith’s heart would be. Turquoise wisps snaked and undulated around his hand and the Diamantium dagger.

  In Matthias’s periphery, Veniri and hunters alike closed their ranks around himself and the queen, both sides ready to spring into attack at their leader’s command.

  “Careful, slith,” Matthias warned in a low voice. “Just one word from me and none of your kind will be returning home tonight.”

  The queen bared her teeth, not a hint of her former pleasantries left. Even in her fury, she was still a goddess of beauty. “You are failing to comprehend that if I don’t get what I want, then you also don’t get what you want.”

  Matthias’s face twisted into a scowl. The command to attack was on the tip of his tongue, but a glance at the tomes stopped him. Of course he and his men could take the tomes by force and obliterate every last slith in this clearing, but there were more tomes than these two. And as of yet, no hunter had been successful in finding where the Veniri were hiding, let alone where the tomes were stashed.

  His chronic frustration rose. Satellites could track phones and devices all over the earth—they could even provide a close-up image of a car parked in one’s own driveway—and yet, the technology still wasn’t efficient enough to find where this queen and her Veniri scourge were lurking.

  Matthias swallowed bile as panic churned in his gut. He still needed to maintain this temporary alliance. There was no guarantee he would find the Veniri city in the near future.

  Time for plan B.

  “Curtis!” he shouted. Everyone grew still. “Where’s Curtis?”

  “Here, boss.” One of the hunters walked up to him.

  “You were the one who brought in this bounty. Now, tell me, who is this?” Matthias latched on to the back of Curtis’s neck and dragged him over to the ice chest. Curtis grunted as his face was shoved an inch from the dead girl.

  “Who is it?” Matthias roared when Curtis didn’t answer.

  “It’s . . . it’s that girl, Violet.”

  “No,” said Matthias through gritted teeth. He took out his phone with his free hand, pulled up a picture of Violet, and held it under the hunter’s nose. “This is Violet.”

  Curtis’s eyes grew wide. “But . . . but, boss, you said—”

  Matthias raised his voice over Curtis’s stammering. “I will not tolerate being lied to by my own men.” He released Curtis’s neck and turned to address the other hunters. “Let this be a warning for anyone who thinks they can deceive me.” He reached back for his Diamantium machete, swiveled, and with a wide arc of his blade, severed Curtis’s head off at the shoulders. The head thunked to the ground, and the rest of the body collapsed forward in a heap.

  Not bothering to clean off the blood, Matthias holstered his machete and turned back to the queen. “Forgive me, Majesty. My men have failed both of us.” He laid a hand on his heart. “I will ensure this never happens again.”

  The queen’s eyes burned with a wild intensity, and a corner of her mouth rose in amusement. Matthias knew that expression all too well—he himself often made it direct
ly after a kill. Bloodlust, the desire for more.

  She glanced at the Veniri who had inspected the girl’s body, and it lashed out its tongue.

  A muscle twitched in Matthias’s jaw. He swore the next tongue he saw was going to join Curtis’s head on the ground.

  The Veniri turned to the queen and said, “Almonds.”

  Matthias frowned. What could that possibly mean?

  The queen regarded Matthias with a lazy blink. “You say this will never happen again?”

  “You have my word and my sincerest apologies.”

  “Good.”

  Triumph replaced his gnawing panic.

  Her wispy apparition glided over to him, bloodlust still lingering in her placid expression. “Fair warning, hunter, I will not be so merciful next time.” Despite the threat in her words, her tone was low and husky, as if speaking to a lover. “For now, I will uphold the rest of our agreement, the Diamantium for the Yranum. However, I now expect to receive all three of my bounties without any further delay, and this time, I want them all alive.”

  Several Veniri moved forward to take the Metallikite crate away, renewing the cries and whimpers from within. The tome bearers began to follow, moving toward the edge of the clearing.

  “Wait! The tomes!” Matthias called out, taking a rushed step forward, painfully aware that his tone and expression were a little too eager.

  The wraith regarded him with narrowed eyes. “You will get your tomes when I get my authentic bounties.”

  “Then I’ve changed my mind about the payment for the Yranum. I want the tomes instead of the shards.”

  A mix of emotions flashed across the wraith’s face before her features smoothed into neutrality. She folded her arms. “That was not what we agreed.”

  “No, but you’re forgetting that I managed to acquire more than what was agreed. So I’m changing the agreement.”

  The queen narrowed her eyes. Her gaze cut into his very core, and for the first time in a long time, Matthias found it hard not to look away from someone’s challenging glare.

  She’s not human. He reminded himself. She was filth. She was an abomination, an unnatural atrocity.