Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy #2)

by Shannon Mayer

  Her fluffy white hair barely came up to my chin as she took each of my hands in hers. “The hearing, did it go well?”

  I groaned. “I don’t think it could have gone worse.”

  She grimaced. “Come on, take a look at what I’m doing and tell me about your day.”

  The smell of spices and caramelizing sugar filled the air as I approached the work table. She showed me the recipe for a caramel-topped, chocolate-filled monkey bread she was trying to make, and I took a look at what she had going on the stovetop.

  “Here, just too much heat on the caramel, I think; you’re going to burn it.” I turned it down and leaned back, took a breath, and told her all about the hearing, the vampires, shifting, and then getting all the way back to the Wall before Hermes caught up with me. I deliberately left out the piece about Remo and me making out, or how I’d turned him off with a single question about his past.

  Maybe Jensen was right. Maybe Remo was using me. I mean, if he really liked me, wouldn’t he want me to know things about his past? I’d shared everything about myself with Roger when we’d started dating. I didn’t think there was a childhood story he’d not suffered through at least once. Now that I thought about it, Roger hadn’t bothered to do the same.

  The thought of Remo and Roger having any similarities made me ill, and I had to take slow breaths to ease the quick onslaught of nausea.

  “Are you okay, Lena?” Yaya touched her hand to my cheeks. “You went a bit green there, avocado in color.”

  I waved her off. “Just a bad thought.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Keeping secrets from your yaya?”

  I snorted. “I learned from the best, didn’t I?” Yaya had been keeping secrets my whole life, and we—Tad and I—had only just found out. One, Yaya was a priestess of Zeus. Two, she’d had a fling with the god of thunder and lightning that resulted in a curse being laid on our family. Three, well, I didn’t know what three might be, but I had no doubt there were more secrets rolling around in that fluffy white head of hair.

  She snorted right back at me. “I was protecting all of you the best way I knew how.”

  “Well, maybe I’m doing the same.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter. “What am I going to do, Yaya? I have the paperwork for the bakery, so I’ll have a few weeks at the most. They won’t be able to get duplicates very fast.”

  “I know this bakery means the world to you, but you won’t be the first person who has had to start their life over again after a divorce.”

  I stared at her. She never talked about Pappou other than to say he was gone and she was glad of him being gone. My mom was their only child, and from what I understood, he’d left shortly after Yaya had announced her pregnancy. Another family secret. I grimaced, knowing that it wasn’t important to what we were dealing with at the moment. Even if I wanted to know.

  I pinched my lips together. “It isn’t the starting over I’m worried about, it’s that . . . damn it, it’s not fair Roger should get everything. I’d be fine with giving him half. I’d even buy him out so I would have the house and the bakery.”

  She pulled a pan of monkey bread out, put it on the counter, and drizzled the caramel sauce over it. “Here, try a piece.”

  I pulled a chunk of squishy dough out, chocolate oozing from the middle, and popped the whole thing into my mouth. “Hot,” I said around it. The flavors burst in my mouth, and I groaned as I chewed. Yaya bit into a chunk and nodded.

  “Yes, that’s better.” She nodded to herself. “The first two batches didn’t taste quite right.”

  I licked my fingers and once more went over what the judge had said. “How am I going to find a lawyer who will work without pay, for a Super Duper, no less?”

  Yaya squinted one eye and looked at a spot somewhere past my left shoulder. “You need someone who is a good liar, for sure.”

  “I said lawyer.”

  “Same thing.” She waved her hands at me. “Someone who can spin a good yarn and make you believe him no matter how outrageous. Maybe someone with a little bit of magic on his side.”

  I leaned forward. “You have someone in mind?”

  She nodded. “Someone who could talk his way in and out of a deal with the devil himself.”

  I reeled back; she couldn’t be serious. There was no way she was suggesting who I thought.

  “Oh no. I’m not asking him.” I shook my head and hunched my shoulders. “He lied to me about everything, Yaya. And he’s working for Hera, I’m sure of it. That alone strikes him off the list of possible help.” Merlin. Of all people for her to suggest, I was shocked he was even on the list, never mind at the top of it.

  “Be that as it may, use his talents, Lena Bean. Merlin is good at what he does; even you can’t deny that. And I think you have made him sit up and take notice. You haven’t fallen as you were supposed to. I think you should give him a chance to make things right.”

  I popped another hunk of monkey bread into my mouth and chewed it so I didn’t have to say yes or no. Because the truth was, Yaya was correct. There was no one as slick as the warlock who’d turned me from a quiet little church mouse who had never said a bad word in her life and never broken a rule without confessing instantly into a siren that could take on the toughest of heroes and win.

  I swallowed my piece of the sweet chocolaty bread. “Fine, I’ll go talk to Merlin. But I doubt he’ll help.”

  Yaya laughed and said, “I think he may just surprise you. And one more thing.”

  I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “What now?”

  “Your parents’ thirtieth anniversary is coming up, and you don’t want to miss that. I’m going to talk to your mother about having you make the cake.”

  I snorted. Right, because between dealing with a legal case from hell, Theseus, and being put on a rival vampire’s gang poopy list, I was going to want to attend my parents’ anniversary. Also known as the father who loved me and the mother who was trying to pretend I didn’t exist now that I was a supernatural.

  Perhaps I could call in sick on that one.

  CHAPTER 5

  The protestors waved to Yaya and me as we drove through the main gate of the Wall. “You think the Supe Squad will get back into action soon?” I looked at my grandmother, knowing she had more knowledge about such things than she let on. A lot more, depending on her cache of secrets tucked away like someone’s hidden candy stash.

  “Perhaps. Their captain is gone, and until the second-in-command truly steps up, we won’t know.”

  It was after one in the morning when she dropped me off. I waved as she pulled away, and she honked several times. As if I wouldn’t otherwise know she’d seen me as she left with her clunking baby-blue Granada. Though it wasn’t pretty, it did the job. “At least she has a car,” I muttered.

  Once more back at house number thirteen, I headed up the steps, fatigue nipping at my heels.

  I pushed the door open and heard the soft lull of voices speaking in whispers. A smile crept across my lips. Tad and Dahlia were so darn cute together. Almost sickeningly so, actually.

  “Coming in, please keep the nudity to a minimum,” I called out so I wouldn’t catch them in a compromising situation. The last thing I wanted to see was my brother getting down and dirty with my best friend. Even if I was happy for them.

  I kept my eyes averted as I passed the living room, their usual make-out place.

  “Alena, I want you to meet someone,” Beth called to me.

  Surprised, I turned. I saw her first, the short blond hair in a messy do that was both cute and carefree. Her eyes sparkled as she grinned at me. She’d met someone in the few hours I’d been gone? My first thought was Too bad. I’d been hoping to gently push her toward Jensen. My next thought was How had she found someone so fast?

  Then I saw the man whose lap she sat on. His long dark-blond ponytail, his blue eyes, the slick suit with silver threaded through it.

  “Theseus.”

  “No.” Beth laughed. “His nam
e is Tim.”

  I raised both eyebrows even as a cold chill worked its way up my spine. “Tim?”

  Her smile widened. “Yes, he saved me, Alena. After we cleaned the kitchen, Sandy and I went for a walk—we were talking about the bakery, you know?”

  I nodded, keeping my mouth shut, and she went on. “A car was coming, and I didn’t see it. He literally swept me off my feet.” She beamed at him, and the only word I could come up with was “lovestruck.” This couldn’t be real. I had to have fallen and hit my head and I was now hallucinating.

  “Beth . . .” I took a step toward her. “You would have demolished the car if it hit you. He didn’t save you. Not really.”

  She frowned at me. “Alena, he saved me. And he doesn’t even care that I’m a Stymphalian bird. He’s the right guy, like you said.”

  “I’ll bet he doesn’t mind,” I muttered under my breath. “Look, his name is not Tim. This is Theseus, and he’s using you to get to me. He doesn’t care about you; his job is to kill monsters like you and me!”

  She sucked in a sharp breath and stood up, her eyes no longer sparkling with good humor. More like sparking with anger. She took a step toward me, and the air around her shimmered. Like she was going to shift into her bird form. What the heck, why wasn’t she listening?

  I wasn’t even sure if we could hurt each other, but I didn’t really want to find out either.

  “Beth.” I held up my hands. “Don’t do this. We need to talk about just what is going on here.”

  The clatter of feet on the stairs almost turned me around. Except I didn’t think that what was behind me was going to be a problem.

  “Beth, what’s going on?” Sandy called from the stairs. Maybe I was wrong. A Stymphalian bird in front and behind was not something that made me feel safe. Not when I was no longer sure if they were my friends. My heart clenched. How could things have changed so much in such a short time?

  As if reading my mind, Theseus held up a tiny arrow and swirled it across his knuckles. An arrow just like the ones Ernie had to make people fall in love with one another.

  “Oh, you little bastard,” I whispered.

  Beth ignored Sandy’s question. “Tim is not Theseus. Theseus would want to kill me, not save me. Sandy was there; she saw him save me.” Each word was bitten out, and each one pitched higher than the next.

  Sandy took another step, the stair creaking. “He did pull her out of the path of the car.” Her words were careful, like even she wasn’t sure what was going on. I dared a glance back at her, and she shrugged, her eyes worried.

  I took a step back, seeing the pickle Theseus had put me in. Behind Beth he smiled at me, the smug satisfaction evident in every line of his face, the tiny arrow tucked away somewhere. His arms were thrown over the back of the chair, and his legs were stretched out as though he were preparing to watch a prizefight.

  In that moment I knew there was no way I’d be able to convince her he was anyone but Tim. The best thing I could do was back off and try to find a different route.

  I held up my hands to her. “Fine. I retract my statement. He’s not Theseus.”

  She slowed her advance, and the shimmering around her eased off. “I think we should go, Tim.”

  “Of course, beautiful girl.” He stood, stepped forward, and slid an arm around her waist, though his eyes never left my face. “We can go to my place.”

  She beamed up at him. “I’d like that. Sandy, you’re coming too, right? You’re with me? You know he’s not Theseus. Alena is wrong.”

  “A threesome, really?” I couldn’t help the words. Beth glared at me and I glared back. We were friends, we’d survive this, I had to believe it. Even if it felt like something was broken that couldn’t be fixed. A crème brûlée spilled on the floor, ready to be tossed in the trash.

  “No,” she snapped. “I just don’t want her around you.”

  Anger coursed through me, and a low hiss rumbled through my chest. Theseus tightened his hold on Beth’s waist and slowly guided her to the door while I stood there shaking with the growing fury.

  “Alena, lovely to meet you.” Theseus winked and they were out the door. Sandy crept down the rest of the stairs and paused at the door. “I’m sorry, Alena. I have to go with her. I don’t want him to hurt her.”

  “I get it, just . . . be careful. He is Theseus, and he’s here to kill us all.”

  Her eyes were sad and she looked away. “I don’t know. I . . . I just don’t know.”

  She closed the door behind her with a soft click, and I counted to ten in an attempt to get control of myself.

  “Son of a bitch!” That word slipped from me in a burst of emotion. I stomped through the house, looking for something to hit, something to . . . I don’t know, destroy, maybe.

  “Your scales are showing.”

  I spun and glared up at Ernie, my voice coming out in a fair imitation of Yaya’s you’re-in-shit-now-you’d-better-run-if-you-want-to-survive tone.

  “You! You gave him one of your arrows! I thought you were my friend, you little fat-bottomed jerk!” I took a step toward him, and he floated to the ceiling, his eyes widening.

  “What? No, I didn’t . . . Oh my gods.” He put a hand to his face. “I thought there was one missing. I . . . he took one, I didn’t give it to him, you have to believe me.”

  His eyes begged, and I tried to see through my anger and betrayal. Tried and failed.

  “How could he have taken it from you? You just leave them sitting out there on the street to be grabbed?” I snapped.

  “No, it . . . they’re made for me. I leave them behind at the forge, though, because I don’t want them to be taken.” He held his hands out to me. “Please believe me, I didn’t give it to him.”

  “Maybe you should hide them better.” I slumped against the wall and stared up at him. “Your timing is rather suspicious, even without the arrow business. Theseus was here, and he’s got Beth in his thrall because of your arrow.”

  He nodded and slowly dropped from the ceiling. “You believe me?”

  “While I probably shouldn’t”—I watched him draw closer—“I do. I don’t think you’d actively try to get us killed. So if it isn’t because of Theseus, why are you here?”

  Hurt flashed over his face, and I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s been a poop-filled day,” I apologized.

  The flutter of his wings stopped. I opened my eyes to see him sitting on the back of the recliner. “I’ve been trying to find a moment to talk to you all day. I didn’t want to interrupt you and your yaya, even though that monkey bread smelled amazing. And I was pretty sure you didn’t want me interrupting your . . . talk”—he waggled his eyebrows—“with Remo.”

  I glared at him even as my face heated. “So instead you decided right after Theseus walks out with two of my friends is a good idea?”

  He sagged in the air. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry? I’m torn in two directions. If I completely tell Hera I won’t help her, I will get no inside information for you, something that you need.”

  I put my hands on my hips and glared up at him. “And do you have any such info?”

  “Well, no, not yet—”

  I snorted and turned my back on him, struggling to breathe through the anger. Theseus . . . damn him to hell and back. I might not say the words out loud, but I could say them in my head and not feel too bad.

  “Alena, tell me what happened. Please?” Ernie dared to float in front of me, lowering himself to the edge of the sink.

  I let out a sigh, and with it the worst of the anger faded.

  “He has Beth believing his name is Tim, and that he cares about her. She was ready to fight me just because I tried to tell her he was Theseus and not Tim.” I rubbed a hand over my face. I slumped into a kitchen chair. “Why isn’t he just attacking me? I hate to say this, but at least I could do something with that.”

  Ernie pulled one wing around him and played with the feathers. “Look, Theseus isn’t like Achil
les. He was king of Athens, and the goddess he’s tied himself to is Athena. Goddess of wisdom . . . so he’s not going to play a purely physical game with you. He’ll twist your world inside out and then some. He handles things almost opposite to how Achilles does. I mean, look at Achilles. He didn’t even update his clothing or weapons; he came at you with all the old-school stuff, including the Bull Boys. Theseus is smarter than Achilles. A lot smarter, and the fact that he’s lining your friends up against you . . . I hate to say it, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

  His words made sense. “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. Can you tell me anything about him, other than what you already have?” I looked at Ernie, watching him for one of his tells. His left foot bobbed several times before he stilled it. I looked away with a soft snort. “Never mind.”

  “No, I want to help, Alena, I do. Let me think a minute what I can tell you.” He flew to the table and sat on the edge next to me. “Okay, it’s obvious he’s learning what the world has to offer him in terms of taking you down. He would have watched that video your idiot husband took of you fighting Achilles in the stadium. I mean, it’s all over the Internet. He’ll have learned from it. That is his style. He’s feeling things out right now and trying to make your life harder by taking away your allies. And he has some abilities with charm. I bet that’s why Sandy went with him. Yes, he took my arrow and used it on Beth, but not on Sandy. But she still went with them, right?”

  I frowned as I nodded.

  He went on. “It only works on those who are susceptible.”

  I waved both hands in the air as if batting away steam. “Yeah, but he’s still going to have to fight me at some point, right?”

  “He may not. What if . . .” He stumbled to a stop and clamped his mouth shut. “I can’t tell you anything else.”

  My jaw clenched and I fought against the tears. Forget it, I needed a good cry. I lowered my head, hid my face, and let the tears fall. Mostly angry tears, but I’d lost two friends in the space of as many minutes, and the pain of that hovered in me as well. Ernie fluttered down and patted my back. I took a swing at him.