[Venom 01.0] Venom & Vanilla

by Shannon Mayer

  “Merlin. You’ve been a bad boy,” I purred, the anger and frustration curling up through me. “You made me into a Drakaina. Do you know what that is? Do you understand what you’ve created?”

  Merlin stood and made a soothing, flapping motion with his hands. “Now, Alena, my dear. Don’t get worked up. You could end up shifting into a monster, and you wouldn’t want that, would you? Remember, you asked to be special. I gave you what you wanted and then some. Don’t go and be a bitch about it now. Don’t make me think you’re not the nice girl everyone said you were.”

  For just a split second shame ran over me, embarrassment that I would make a scene.

  No. No, I would not be ashamed of standing up for myself.

  “This was not what I asked for!” Sudden understanding tightened in my gut like a coiled knot of writhing snakes. “You turned me into this . . . because I was a good girl. Didn’t you? You thought I would be . . . what, easy to control?”

  A flash in his eyes was the only clue that I was right before he shook his head. “Of course not—”

  I took a step forward, my anger growing. “Because you thought I was weak.”

  Zeus’s words came back to me. “That I’d be an easy kill . . . for Achilles.”

  Merlin stepped back, the smile on his face not slipping for a second, but I saw the fear in his eyes. “Where in the world would you get the idea that I would want you dead?”

  “Not you. Someone else. Someone you work for.” I closed the distance between us, or tried to. He scooted around the large table dominating the room. I put the pieces together. “For Hera, perhaps?”

  His throat bobbed. “I turn all my clients as per their requests. You asked for something special. I gave you that. What you do with your new abilities, and who you make enemies or friends with, is up to you.” We circled around the table, the rest of his guests not moving an inch, as if they were statues. Some of them barely breathed, if the rapid beats of their hearts were any indication.

  “And what did these two ask to be made into?” I flicked a hand at the two new girls. They glanced at each other and answered in unison.

  “Vampires. That’s what we paid for.”

  I raised an eyebrow, a slow burning recognition flowing through me along with their scent. “Really?”

  I slid over next to them and drew in a breath, tasting the air along the back of my tongue, and locked it into my mind. “You aren’t vampires.”

  They stiffened at the same time. “No, that can’t be,” the dark-haired girl said. “He promised and we paid.”

  One way or another I had to push the warlock to tell the truth. But what buttons to push on him? Let’s try button number one: call him out.

  “He’s a liar.” The scent of their skin flickered something in my brain, something a part of me recognized. An image floated in front of me, superimposing over the two girls. Black and gold feathers layered over them, metallic in nature, with long bronze beaks that jutted from the middle of their faces.

  Merlin tapped the table with his knuckles, drawing all eyes to him. “Ladies, please. I made you into what you asked for. Deadly man-eaters with beauty so bright as to be painful to the eye. That is what you asked for. Isn’t it?”

  The two girls blinked up at me, and I saw in them what I’d been only a few days before. Scared, alone, misled.

  Weak.

  “What are we?”

  “Birds. Beautiful deadly birds.” Just as I was a Drakaina, I had no doubt there would be some funky name for what they were. I didn’t know it, though. The snake in me recognized them as creatures from the same time period.

  They clung to each other, hands interlocking. The dark-haired girl shuddered. “I hate birds.”

  “It’s okay, Sandy. We’ll figure this out,” the blonde said.

  Merlin smiled at the three of us. “Our business is done. Get out of my house, Alena.”

  I moved forward, putting myself between the girls and Merlin. Button number two: take his latest creations from him. “For tonight, we’re done, you’re right about that. Girls, I think you should come with me.”

  Merlin startled. “You can’t take them.”

  I lifted an eyebrow, certainty growing fast within me. Button number three: point out how ineffective he was. “You can’t stop me. And I want my welcome package while you’re at it.”

  His jaw dropped open, and the other Super Dupers in the room shifted uncomfortably.

  “Welcome packages are by the door,” Max said. “Not that there is much info in them. A map of this side of the Wall, things to know about the Supe Squad. That sort of thing.”

  I gave him a nod. “Thanks.”

  The petite girls clung to each other as they walked to the door. I waited until they stepped through and were clear before following. I took a package from the high-backed bar near the door. “I’ll be back, Merlin. You can count on it.” I pointed a finger at him.

  He snorted, his composure back in place. “Bite me.”

  “Be careful what you ask for. You might not like my bite.” I snapped my teeth at him, my fangs dropping down. Droplets of venom flicked off the tips and sizzled on the floor. Chairs and boots scraped on the floor as Merlin and his posse scrambled backward.

  Merlin’s smile finally fell. “Go die, Alena. That’s all you’re good for.”

  And there it was, the words I wanted him to admit to. Of course I thought they were because I was headed to Achilles.

  That was where I was wrong.

  CHAPTER 13

  SDMP members surrounded my car, and the two bird girls were in their clutches. Literally.

  Two sets of scared, confused eyes looked to me. “Boys, you need to let those two go. They’re harmless. Like me.” I smiled, even though my adrenaline pumped like crazy. Smithy glared at me.

  “No more games. All of you are going to the station. Now.”

  Anxiety kissed at my heels; the need to not cause a scene, to do what was lawful made me step forward before I thought better of it. No. That was not who I was anymore, not if I wanted to survive. Not if I wanted to save Tad.

  I stopped, and looked to my bare feet. The top of my right foot had been skinned, and the multicolored scales that blinked up at me seemed to be all I needed to steel my resolve. I slowly lifted my face. “None of us are going with you.”

  Blue Eyes lifted a dart gun and pointed it at my chest. “Get in the back of the truck now or I’ll shoot.”

  Putting my hands in the air, I took a step forward. The new instinct in me suggested closer was better. He didn’t lower the gun, but he didn’t pull the trigger either. Which meant he wasn’t afraid of me.

  “Officer, you said I didn’t have to go to the station today.” I smiled as I spoke, all while continuing a slow pace toward him. His coworkers whispered to him.

  “Shoot her.”

  “She hasn’t done anything,” Smithy said.

  “That’s right. I’m a good girl. Just ask anyone.” I was close enough that the muzzle of the gun was pressed between my breasts, the dart pressing hard against my skin. Not that I thought it would actually pierce my scales. If a sword bounced off me, what was a tiny dart going to do?

  The part of me I was slowly leaving behind would have passed out, fallen down, and begged for mercy. But the new Alena . . . I dropped to my knees and whipped my hands up to grab the muzzle of the gun, jerking it out of his hands.

  The gun went off, and I realized it wasn’t just a dart gun, but a live rifle as well. The bullets ripped through the air, and the vibrations of them cutting through the sound barrier were like slaps against my bare skin.

  I stood and bent the gun in half, snapping it like a twig. “Go home. I’m not a Super Duper. And neither are these two girls.”

  Smithy snarled at me, his face twisting as the wolf in him pushed forward. “Bullshit.” Apparently he wasn’t going to fall for my machinations this time.

  I pulled myself up. “You can smell a lie, can’t you?” Honestly, I was guessing
on that one.

  He nodded.

  “I am not a Super Duper. Not like you at all.” I enunciated each word clearly.

  His eyes slowly widened as he drew in a breath. “Then what the hell are you?”

  “Dangerous. But I don’t fall within your jurisdiction. And neither do they.” I pointed at the two girls. They pulled away from the SDMP members who held them. “The three of us will come to the station tomorrow morning. In a show of good faith. I’ll explain everything.” At least as much as I was able. “There will be no tracking devices. Understand?”

  His eyes flicked over me, then to the girls. “Merlin’s work. Correct?”

  I nodded. “Maybe you should talk to him about what he’s been doing.”

  Behind us, Merlin’s door slammed shut, or as shut as it could with a broken knob and lock. Smithy leaned to look past me, his wolfy side easing off. “Perhaps I will. I expect you at the station tomorrow as the sun rises. Oberfall is going to want to talk to you at length.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “You will be there.” He snapped his teeth at me, and his men tightened their circle around us.

  I curled up one side of my mouth and let a single fang drop. “I will do my best, and you will have to be happy with that, my friend.”

  He took a step back, his face twitching with barely restrained emotions. “Fine.”

  I moved around him and the two girls followed. They slipped into the car on the passenger side, both fitting in the front seat. Their eyes flicked to me and then back to the SDMP members.

  “Thanks,” the dark-haired one said. “My name is Sandy. This is Beth.”

  “Girls. Nice to meet you. Let me give you the quick rundown. Merlin turned you into Greek monsters of some sort. It’s what he did to me.”

  Beth started to cry, burying her face in her hands. “I knew something was going to go wrong. I just knew it.”

  Sandy wrapped her arms around her friend. “It will be okay. I promise.” Her bright eyes met mine. I shrugged. “We’re alive. That’s got to be worth something.”

  Beth’s shoulders shook as she sobbed. She spoke, but the words slurred between hiccups and tears. Where the hell was I going to take them? Where would they be safe from the Supe Squad, and who was I going to get to help me save Tad besides Officer Jensen . . . my thoughts trailed off with a single image of dark eyes rimmed in violet laughing at me. Remo.

  See? You do need my help.

  I drove to the safe house Dahlia had taken Tad and me to. Had it been only three days? It felt like I’d been a Drakaina for weeks, maybe even months. Not days.

  I pulled into the driveway of the two-story house the vampires used for a place to crash within the city.

  As I hustled the two girls in front of me, we entered the house. The place was quiet, and I could only hope that there were no vamps using it. Unless it was Dahlia. I checked the clock hanging on the wall. Eleven. It was dark until seven in the morning, which gave me eight hours if I was really going to do this thing. If I was really going to ask Remo for help.

  A shudder slid through me that I tried to convince myself was sheer revulsion. Except that I remembered the kiss all too well and knew darn well revulsion wasn’t on the list of emotions he invoked in me.

  “You are a married woman. Even if the man you’re married to is a cheating goat penis.” I spoke softly, but Sandy turned her head.

  “Who’s a cheating goat penis?”

  Heat curled up my neck. “My soon-to-be ex-husband.”

  Sandy smiled. “Sounds like my boyfriend. He was cheating on me too.”

  Beth sniffed. “And my fiancé. He cheated on me right before I was turned.”

  I frowned, thinking. That had to be a coincidence that all three of us were cheated on. Didn’t it? Unless it fit into some sort of formula Merlin was looking for. I shook my head. No time for that.

  “Look, you two will be . . . safe here.” At least, safe from the SDMP.

  “I don’t like how you paused there,” Sandy said.

  “It’s a safe house for vampires. I stayed here with a friend, and at least from those goons back there, you will be safe. That’s the best I can do right now.”

  Footsteps echoed to me from the front porch. I lifted a hand to silence the two girls, and their mouths snapped shut in unison.

  I tipped my head to one side, listening for a heartbeat. Nothing.

  Vampire.

  I crept to the door and peered through the peephole. Red hair filled the space. I jerked the door open and Dahlia fell in. I caught her, the scent of blood overwhelming me.

  “Dahlia! What happened?”

  “Rival gang from out east, they’re making a push for territory and I got caught in the middle,” she whispered. I dragged her into the room, a trail of blood trickling behind her. I couldn’t see the wound, but I knew it had to be bad for there to be that much blood.

  “Out of my way.” Beth pushed me off her. “I’m a nurse.”

  Beth smoothed her short cropped blond hair back behind her ears and went to her knees beside Dahlia. “Where?”

  “My side and thigh. They went for the big vein.”

  “The femoral,” Beth murmured. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

  “Manner of speaking,” Dahlia whispered. “I just need some blood.”

  Beth grabbed the edges of her shirt and ripped a large strip off. Dahlia’s side looked like it had been run through a table saw; ribbons of flesh flapped like open fish gills. The pulse of her life could be seen in the organs as they beat as slow as a watch with a dying battery. I swallowed hard, because the sight made my stomach roll.

  With hunger.

  I backed away. Or tried to. Dahlia grabbed hold of my wrist. “I know you don’t have to. But please. I need your help.”

  Beth muttered as she tried to wrap Dahlia’s side. “Whatever you’re going to do, hurry it up, I can’t stitch her up fast enough to stave off the blood loss.”

  I relaxed and let Dahlia draw my wrist to her mouth. She bore down with her teeth, but nothing happened. No pain for me. Well, this was—

  “I can’t break through your skin,” Dahlia said. I looked down. My skin had torn, but not the scales underneath.

  I frowned. “I don’t know.”

  Dahlia’s eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped. I grabbed her shoulders. “Dahlia!” I looked at Beth. “Do something!”

  “I’m tying her leg off, she needs blood!”

  I put my tongue to the roof of my mouth, brushing it against one of my fangs. The tip drew blood from my tongue. I was not about to give her a French kiss, but . . . I tipped my head back and flicked my left fang out, pushing it with my tongue. It didn’t want to drop. Without a strong emotion behind my snaky side, it just didn’t want to do anything.

  Seconds passed as I shoved the fang forward far enough that I could catch it over my bottom lip. Using the tip, I opened up my wrist, cutting through skin and scale alike.

  Blood welled up. Blood that sparkled with rainbow lights, as prismatic as my scales.

  “Wow,” Sandy or Beth said. I’m not sure which. I pressed my wrist to Dahlia’s mouth.

  “Please let this not be too late.”

  Beth took my arm and massaged it from the shoulder down. “The faster we can get the blood in her, the better.”

  Her tiny hands dug into my muscle hard enough to make me grimace. Strong hands for such a small girl. Of course, Beth was an epic monster.

  Just like me.

  Beneath my wrist, the pressure of Dahlia drawing on me on her own eased some of the tension, and I let out a breath.

  Sandy stepped up beside us. “Her wounds are healing.” Beth and I glanced at the same time. The gaping wounds in Dahlia’s side were indeed healing. No, that wasn’t accurate. Healed. The wounds were completely gone without even a scar to prove they’d been there.

  I pulled my hand away from Dahlia’s mouth. “You think that’s enough?”

  Dahlia let out a sof
t moan. “Oh my God. Alena, you taste amazing. An orgasm and fine wine with a hint of chocolate all rolled into a single drop.”

  I grimaced and tucked my wrist under my other arm. Beth grabbed it, took a piece of material from Dahlia’s ripped clothes, and wrapped it around my wrist.

  “Clean it at least twice a day and wrap it with clean cloth. You don’t want an infection.”

  Dahlia sat up, her eyes brighter than the noonday sun, her hair glistening with life and vitality. “I feel . . . ten times better than when I was first turned.”

  Beth tightened the wrap and I flinched. “Ouch.”

  Her dark eyes flicked to mine, instantly filling with tears. “Sorry, I—”

  I waved at her. “It’s okay. I’m tougher than I look.”

  She laughed but it broke into tears, and I let out a sigh. With one arm I pulled her to my side. “You know, it’s not so bad, I think.”

  Dahlia stared at me, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open as if she couldn’t believe what I’d said. “Being a monster isn’t so bad?”

  “Not just any monster,” I explained. “A mythological Greek monster that doesn’t fit into any boxes the SDMP can check off on their forms.”

  Dahlia’s mouth dropped farther and she spluttered. “What?”

  “We’ll talk about it later. I have a rescue to plan.”

  The sudden change of subject seemed to throw Dahlia as much as anything. “I’m sorry, who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

  I laughed softly, but there was no real joy in it. “I ran a business for almost ten years. Like a general, my yaya always said. A general. So . . . I’m applying that to my life now. No more nice girl. Time for the general to make things happen.”

  Dahlia gave a slow grin and gave me a salute. “I’m with you, General Alena.”

  Beth grinned and Sandy gave me a funny look. “You don’t look like a general. You look like an Amazonian supermodel.”

  “Dahlia. I . . . I need Remo’s help.”

  Dahlia’s eyes bugged out. “Why?”