Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy #2)

by Shannon Mayer

  I nodded. “Thanks. I’ll try that.”

  Normally finding any Super Dupers on this side of the Wall was rare, never mind all in one place like the courthouse. But with Oberfluffel gone and his team of enforcers in shambles, any serious cases were being shipped to the local human courthouses. Of course, no one had told the humans.

  Two more Super Dupers passed us, their eyes carefully averted. One was a vampire I didn’t recognize, and I overheard him thank the court registrar for scheduling his date for after dark. I glanced at my watch. It was closing in on five in the afternoon, the end of the day for the court, the end of the sun for fourteen hours, and the start of a vampire’s day. Which of course made me think of Remo and that smile of his. Dang, I had to get that man out of my head.

  Tad relaxed his hold on me, and his words brought me back once more to the here and stinky now. “The smell isn’t too bad. Can’t be worse than family dinners with Auntie Janice and her crew.”

  I grimaced and then slowed my pace so we stopped by a small alcove, a little bit separate from the rest of the petitioners. “That awful lavender perfume she wears. It never covers up the smell of mold. You’d think they’d notice it on their clothes.”

  He nodded and laughed. “It’s like they roll around in it, all four of them.”

  I grimaced. “Mom wouldn’t like us bad-mouthing them.”

  Tad pointed at me. “Mom’s not here. Unless you want her role of Judgy McJudger Pants today?”

  My lips twitched and I laughed. “No, thanks. I’ll pass.”

  My brother leaned back. “You know that Everett lit Uncle Robert’s hair on fire? On purpose while he slept in his chair. I watched him do it, couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

  I spluttered, “He did not.” Then I amended, “When?”

  “When he was about fifteen. Would have made me twelve.” Tad laughed. “That’s why Uncle Robert wears his hair long; it covers the burn mark on the back of his neck. After Everett lit his dad up, he tried to blow out the flames, but that only made it worse. Of course that lavender perfume shit acted like an accelerant.”

  I couldn’t help the laughter; I could just see Everett frantic with his big bug eyes as he tried to put the fire out while Uncle Robert yelled at him. Dad’s side of the family was . . . well, it was hardly straitlaced. “You think that . . . with Dad being a Super Duper that Uncle Robert is too?”

  Tad shrugged. “No, I doubt it. They had different fathers.”

  That they did. But a part of me wanted to believe that Uncle Robert was a Super Duper too. Mostly because I didn’t want to be the only black sheep in the family. Okay, me and Tad, since Dad was in denial, but still the numbers were against us.

  “Maybe we should go visit them.” I shifted my hands on the stack of papers.

  “Alena, what the hell are you doing here?” Roger’s voice whipped me around so fast I slipped on the false tile floor. A few papers fell from my file folders and fluttered to the ground in between my husband and me. Soon to be ex-husband, if I had anything to say about it.

  Roger had brown hair and soft brown eyes, and there had been a time when I’d thought he was the love of my life. Of course, that was before he’d turned out to be a total—

  “Asshole,” Tad snarled, stepping between us. “You brought your girlfriend with you to your divorce proceedings? Really? How much of a douche canoe are you? Never mind, no need to answer that.”

  I blinked and looked around my brother, recognizing the woman behind Roger. Bottle-blond hair and blue eyes, tiny waist and too-long nails, and a rack the size of my biggest mixing bowls. She was pretty, I would give her that. If you liked three layers of makeup and clothes that were tight enough to make you think they were likely painted on in places.

  I smiled and kept my tone sweet, though it was a struggle. “Hello, Barbie, how am I not surprised you’re here? Making sure the money comes through to you? I mean, that is the only reason you’re with him, isn’t it?” Oh, there was more than a little sting in seeing her. Even though I wasn’t the mousy church girl I’d once been, the pain of knowing he’d chosen her over me—even before I’d gotten sick—still lingered.

  Barbie’s baby-blue eyes narrowed so far I thought she might have closed them. “You’re a freak, and you’re going to get nothing. Because it’s the law, and Rog is in the right.”

  A tiny piece of me cracked, and words escaped me before I could filter them.

  “And you’re a whore who is sleeping with Roger to get my money and my house.”

  Her eyes popped wide and Roger sucked in a sharp breath. Tad laughed. “Oh yeah, let her have it, sis. Both barrels—and go.”

  I immediately regretted the words. Not because they weren’t true, but because they were mean. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

  Roger grabbed at Barbie, clinging to her hand. “She loves me, Alena. I know because we were together long before you got sick, and she’s with me now when I’m in the fight for my life and future against a woman who obviously never really loved me.”

  The hypocrisy of his words was not lost on me, but that he couldn’t even hear what he’d just said . . . how could anyone be so blind?

  Tad’s jaw dropped, which was saying something, since he could unhinge it. I glared at him, and he pulled it together. “He . . . he . . .”

  They stormed away as Tad spluttered for words. I stepped in front of Tad, blocking his way so he couldn’t go after them. When it came down to it, he would defend me, and I loved him even more for it. But this wasn’t the time or place.

  “Let it go, Tad. This will be dealt with in court. Where a judge will see how much of a fool he is and how he doesn’t deserve anything, never mind everything.” I held my head high, even though I knew what I was saying was a long shot. No matter how ready Roger was to admit his infidelity, Super Dupers didn’t have the same rights as humans.

  Hence the Wall between us, and usually the two separate justice systems. If it hadn’t been for the shambles of the Supernatural Division of Mounted Police at the moment, I wasn’t sure I’d even have this chance. So I was going to take it and run with it for all I was worth.

  The sound of boots clattering on the floor turned everyone around, silenced the low buzz of chatter, and drew more than a few gasps. Four police officers walked in with a single figure between them, and while the officers looked good in their crisp uniforms, they weren’t the ones who drew the gasps, I was sure of it.

  The detainee stood taller than my six-foot height and his dark-brown hair was a simple buzz cut that made the sharp angles of his jaw that much more pronounced. Dark eyes, the irises rimmed in violet, flicked over me, sparkling as if he’d seen a candy he couldn’t wait to gobble up. Two piercings rested in his jaw, fake fangs that mimicked the real fangs I knew he had hidden behind his lips. There was a faint ghost of stubble over his face that made him even more luscious than before.

  Sure, I was still married, but I wasn’t dead. I could look. And fantasize.

  “Remo, what are you doing here?” I managed to say without completely stumbling over the words. I’d not seen the vampire mob boss since he’d slept—only slept—in my bed after the battle with Achilles. To be crystal clear, I hadn’t slept with Remo. He’d stayed with me, to protect me, I think. At least that’s what I told myself. I also told myself I hadn’t missed him at all.

  Liar.

  According to Remo and the rest of the Super Dupers, there was no cross-species dating. Even Tad and Dahlia were treading a dangerous line by seeing each other.

  I swallowed hard as Remo slowed next to me, and my heart went into double time, tripping over itself.

  “Here, let me take these,” Remo said, scooping the paperwork from my arms and handing the whole pile to Tad.

  I couldn’t look away from him as he slid his arm around my waist and tugged me close enough that I could smell the cinnamon on his breath. My eyelids fluttered, and I battled the urge to moan.

  “I heard you were in court toda
y. I had them move up my hearing so I could be here. In case you needed help. And . . . I’ve missed you,” he said.

  He’d missed me. If I thought my heart was pounding before, it was nothing to the runaway beat of it now. Like a mixer whipping at full speed.

  “Excuse me, my wife and I were having a discussion,” Roger snapped suddenly, cutting through the moment. Damn, where had he come from? I thought he’d disappeared farther into the courthouse.

  Roger grabbed my hand and tried to tug me away from Remo.

  Remo’s eyebrows shot up, and he tightened his hold on my waist, easily keeping me at his side. “You must be Roger, yes?”

  I jerked my hand out of Roger’s, and he glared at me. Like I’d done something wrong.

  He turned his stink eyes on us both. “Yeah, I’m Roger.”

  Remo smiled at him, not quite wide enough to show off his fangs. “Then I have to give you my thanks for being fool enough to set her free. I must say, you are an idiot of extraordinary proportions.”

  I had to fight the smile. Mother always said it wasn’t polite to act smug. Of course, Roger had made sure I had my ego smacked down more than a few notches. Maybe all the notches.

  “She didn’t always look like this, you know. She was a fun sponge: brown hair, brown eyes, boring. In every aspect of her life. And she went out of her way to make sure no one else had fun.” He snorted. “Every aspect, even the bedroom.”

  As if we didn’t all get the implication the first time around.

  I couldn’t help myself from shrinking away from Remo, while anger began a slow, burning build inside of me. Roger was right; when I’d been turned into a Super Duper, there was no doubt my looks became a hundred times what they’d been.

  Remo didn’t let me go. “Her beauty is only an added bonus to the woman she is. Like I said, you are a fool to not have seen it, no matter how she appeared to you.”

  One of the escorting officers tapped Remo on the shoulder, and I recognized Officer Jensen. Funny I’d not even seen him with Remo in the room. But I wasn’t surprised that he was here with Remo. He was Remo’s inside man on the human police force, and I had no doubt the vampire mob boss had arranged the situation to his benefit. No doubt at all. I mean, he’d changed his court date to line up with mine. As far as I could see, there was no end to Remo’s reach.

  “We have to get you to your hearing, sir,” Officer Jensen said, though his eyes flicked from Remo to me. As if questioning what was going on between us.

  Now, there was the small matter of me having used my siren abilities on Jensen when I’d needed help battling Achilles. The impression I’d left hadn’t yet faded, apparently, and it made his loyalties waver between Remo and me.

  Remo nodded. “Of course. I would hate to be the cause of the entire court system being put behind schedule.”

  Without warning, he pulled me fully into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. I melted, unable to stop myself from snaking my arms around his neck. Cinnamon and honey, his mouth was this delectable concoction that made me want all of him, down to the last drop. Heat rushed through my veins as he held me tight, even as he pulled out of the kiss.

  His eyes were wild, filled with unspoken things I wanted very much to hear from his lips. “You undo me,” he said softly.

  I stared up into his eyes, my breath coming in hitches and gulps. “I know the feeling.”

  “You two are disgusting, making out in public, a married woman going on with her lover,” Roger yelled loud enough that I knew everyone within thirty feet would have heard. Maybe even farther, with the echo.

  Remo turned his head without a single hesitation and snarled at Roger, fangs fully exposed. Roger and Barbie squealed in unison and scrambled away from us, falling over each other to get away from him as fast as possible.

  Remo’s eyes slid back to mine, and he smiled. “Go get him, Alena. You are worth a thousand of him, don’t forget it.”

  One more kiss, gentle and so soft it was like velvet brushing over my skin, and then he stepped away. Claiming territory. I don’t know where the thought came from, but I knew it was right the second it crossed the front of my brain.

  “You did that on purpose,” I blurted out, “to make him think we’ve slept together.” I wanted to slap him, but I could barely move with the languor of the kiss still flowing through my limbs. He flashed a small grin back at me, totally unrepentant, as the officers moved him down the hall.

  “I know I did. I want him to know that you are off limits to him. You’re mine, Alena. And I don’t share.”

  His words were dark and full of promises my gutter brain was all too ready to dive into. So I said the only thing I could.

  “I’m still married.”

  “Tell that to the judge,” he threw back, and then he and his entourage disappeared around the corner.

  Someone bumped my shoulder, and I turned to see Tad staring at me. He grimaced. “Here, take your papers. I’m not your assistant.”

  I grabbed the folders and clutched them to my chest as though they were a shield that would keep Remo away, put Roger in his place, and make everything go back to the way it should be.

  “Tad, tell me I can do this. I need one person to believe I can do this. I’m not sure even Remo believes.” I stared at him, willing him to support me. He looked down and away, and my heart fell with his gaze.

  “Alena, you can’t fight the law. Not when you don’t exist to them. All they will do is string you up and use you as an example of what not to do. You could actually hurt the rest of us by doing this. But I’m here, right? I’m with you.” He slung an arm over my shoulder and guided me down the hall.

  I shrugged his arm off and sniffed. “You know, a platitude now and again wouldn’t kill you. A little ‘rah-rah, go get him’ could go a long way to making this day not a total waste.”

  “Alena Budrene versus Roger Budrene,” a voice boomed over the PA system, and I jumped as the vibrations rolled over my skin.

  “That’s you,” Tad said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. But not for long.”

  At least, I hoped Budrene wouldn’t be my name after this.

  CHAPTER 2

  I hurried into the courtroom, Roger and Barbie ahead of me, Tad behind.

  At the front of the room sat the judge, looming over the whole place in his black robe behind a desk that seemed to take up half the length of the chamber.

  The woman to his left cleared her throat. “Divorce proceedings for Alena Budrene and Roger Budrene.”

  The judge shuffled some papers on his desk, and I squinted at the plaque in front of him. Judge Watts.

  He let out a tired sigh and peered over the top of his glasses at Roger first, then me. His eyes widened and he blinked several times. Finally he pulled his glasses off, rubbed his eyes, and slid the glasses back on. “Mr. Budrene, you are divorcing your wife, is that correct?”

  “Yes, but—”

  The judge lifted a hand, then pointed a finger at me while his eyes never left Roger. “And is that her?”

  “Yes, but—”

  The judge pointed at him. “Not a word more than yes or no until I ask for it, or I will throw you in jail for contempt. I have a migraine and I want this over as soon as possible, as I’m sure you both do too.”

  A tiny bit of hope flared in my chest. I liked Judge Watts more with each word he spoke. He shuffled his papers and frowned. “Mrs. Budrene, it says here you died? Tell me, how can that be?” He held up what I knew was a death certificate with my name on it.

  I swallowed and then cleared my throat. “As you can see, Your Honor, I am very much alive. I have my driver’s license”—I dug into the pile of papers—“affidavits, government documentation of every kind to show that I am indeed alive, and I am Alena Budrene.” I smiled up at him with that last bit and dared to use a bit of my siren abilities to help things along. Not a lot, just a little push. The monster inside of me snickered.

  Judge Watts visibly softened. “I can se
e that, my dear. Jacob”—he glanced at his clerk—“we need to clear up this young lady’s snafu with that death certificate. Put a note in to deal with that.”

  The clerk nodded and wrote something down.

  The judge turned back to me. “Can you explain to me why exactly there is a divorce, then? There are far too many people divorcing because their partner doesn’t squeeze the toothpaste tube the way they want.” He paused and smiled gently. “What I want to know, Mrs. Budrene, is, what are the grounds for the divorce? And are you both seeking a divorce, or is one party willing to try and make things work?”

  I had a feeling he wasn’t always so soft with people, particularly when he had a migraine. I placed the stack of papers on the table in front of me and smoothed my top out, tugging the edges of it. “I believe we are both in agreement to the divorce.”

  Roger nodded and then seemed to catch himself. As if agreeing with me on anything would be a sign of admitting I really existed as a person.

  I smiled at the judge. “Well, it started when I got sick, and the doctors thought I might not make it. That’s when I found out that Roger was cheating on me. I mean, he’d been cheating on me a long time, I guess, but that’s when I found out. And he left me in the hospital to die.” I’d practiced this speech in case I was asked, and had the time needed to make an effort to get tears and the right inflection.

  Except now that I was actually telling the story, there was no need to pretend to cry. The pain of what Roger had done welled up. I closed my eyes, and a tear trickled down my cheek. “He told me he was taking the inheritance my grandparents had left me, and he was selling the house they left me to my parents—for a premium price, no less. He had already lined up to sell my business to a woman who had no desire to take care of it. She wants it for spite and nothing else.”

  “Do you have proof that the property in question was deeded to you?” the judge asked.