[Venom 01.0] Venom & Vanilla

by Shannon Mayer

  I made myself stay standing straight and not slump. “Long story short, Achilles has my brother, and he’s going to kill him the second I step into the stadium at CenturyLink Field.”

  The walkie-talkie took that moment to gasp to life, Officer Jensen’s voice crackling over the airwaves. “Alena. We’ve got a problem.”

  I tugged the device off my waistband and pressed the button. “What is it?”

  “We’ve got a huge number of unfriendlies here. Along with enough humans that the stadium is going to be full in a matter of half an hour. As in all seventy thousand seats.” The squawk box hissed off.

  I pressed my button again. “How many unfriendlies are we talking?”

  There was silence for longer than a minute. Was he counting? Had he been caught?

  It hissed to life. “Over a thousand.”

  My heart sank. “Any idea how these people showed up in time for the . . . show?”

  “Hang on.” The line hissed with empty white noise for a solid minute, the longest minute of my life, before he came back on.

  “They’ve got flyers. Says it’s a free show two thousand years in the making. And that two lucky people will win a million dollars each when the show concludes.”

  I closed my eyes. With a flyer like that, I was not surprised they filled the stadium. “Jensen, there is no money waiting for anyone. See if you can get people out of there. Quietly, though.”

  “Roger that. I’ll check back if anything changes.”

  I put the walkie-talkie back over my waistband and put a hand to my head. “Dahlia, how fast are you?”

  “Not fast enough to get through that many. I think you’re right. You need help. More than I can give you.”

  “Darn it all to . . . to hell!” I snapped as I paced the room. There was no choice. I had to save Tad.

  Even if it meant making a deal with the devil himself.

  “Dahlia. Call Remo. Tell him I’m ready to take him up on his offer.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I shook my head. “No. Not at all.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Dahlia went to go find fresh clothes and, I assume, contact Remo. I continued to pace. Beth and Sandy sat beside each other on the couch. I glanced at them from time to time, seeing the overlay of birds on them here and there. They didn’t look like songbirds, that was for sure.

  “Alena, how long have you been . . . a monster?” Beth asked softly, her voice trembling. I was surprised at the shift in her demeanor. When Dahlia had needed help, Beth’s training had kicked in and the timid woman had been washed away in what needed to be done. Maybe she was like me, stronger than she realized. That was a good thing, if I could get her to see her own abilities for the good they were.

  “A few days.” I kept up my pacing, feeling the snake in me coil and uncoil, agitated with the lack of real movement.

  They exchanged a glance. Sandy cleared her throat. “How can you be sure we’re what you say we are? Merlin saved us from the virus. Maybe you’re just mad at him because he turned you into something you didn’t want.”

  “He saved my life too.” I snorted. “And now I can shift into a snake the size of a house. Not exactly what I asked for.” Yet a part of me realized I’d made the mistake of not being more specific.

  No. I was not going to take the blame for this. Dahlia stepped back into the room, her face grim and the phone in her hand. She held it out to me. “He’d like to talk to you.”

  I strode over and all but snatched the phone from her. “Hello?”

  His deep bass rolled through the phone and over my skin. “Alena. Lovely to hear from you.”

  His voice did bad things, took my mind from the task at hand as it conjured up images of satiny soft sheets and body parts dipped in dark chocolate.

  Time to cut to the chase. “I need your help.”

  “No proper hello? No thank you for answering the phone?” His soft rebuke held no real heat to it.

  “My brother’s life is on the line. I don’t have time to be nice anymore.” I had to focus to keep from snapping the phone in half.

  “Well. That is a predicament, isn’t it?”

  “I . . .” I swallowed my pride and what was left of how I’d been raised. “I want your help to get him out.”

  “And what will you give me in return?”

  Dahlia snatched the phone from me and put her hand over the mouthpiece. “Offer him blood. Your blood, for his help this time. Don’t tie yourself to him.”

  I nodded and took the phone back. “A drink. On me.”

  He chuckled, low and deep, and the vibration did bad things to my mind-set. Something about him made me forget I was supposed to be repulsed by the vampire and the things he epitomized.

  “While I appreciate the offer, it’s not enough. I want you. All of you. I can get blood anywhere.”

  Dahlia shook her head and I took a slow breath. When my bakery clients balked at the cost of my goods, there was a surefire way to reel them in.

  “I’ll give you a taste test. To show you just how good it is.”

  He was quiet for a full ten seconds. “A taste test? Where are you?”

  I handed the phone back to Dahlia. “Safe house number thirteen.”

  Of course it was.

  She nodded several times. “She’ll wait.” A click of the button ended the connection, and I glanced at Dahlia.

  “Do you think the blood will be enough?”

  “Right now I’m sure of it. I think I could take him, if he tried to fight, Lena. I’m brand-new and he’s over a thousand years old. I should never be able to take him. Your blood is a game changer.”

  Game changer . . .

  “You mean because of the rival gang?”

  “Yes. You could clinch Remo’s victory. We were looking for info on them in the SDMP detachment the other day. We think the gang is working with them to wipe Remo and us out.” Her eyes glittered. “You have the upper hand with these negotiations, remember that.”

  Beth and Sandy sat crouched on the couch, just like the birds they were, and a thought crossed my mind. “Do you have a computer here?” I asked Dahlia.

  She took me upstairs to a room decked out in the newest gadgets, computers, and hardware, most of which I didn’t recognize. “Here.” She sat at the computer and flicked it on. The screen came to life, and Dahlia clicked on an Internet browser. “It’s blocked from social media, but we can get information. What are you looking for?”

  “Greek monsters. The two girls . . . the monster in me recognizes them, but I don’t know what they are. Or what they’re capable of.”

  “What does it matter?”

  I sat down beside her in the only other chair in the room. “I think Merlin is turning people into Greek monsters to be killed by the heroes of old.”

  “What? That makes no sense.”

  I rubbed my hands on my thighs. “It does in a twisted sort of way. If Merlin turns people he thinks are weak willed, or weak in heart, into monsters, how easy are they to kill? Me and Beth and Sandy . . . he turned us because he didn’t think we had it in us to embrace what he’d made us.”

  “But what would be the point? His clientele is based on referrals. There are other warlocks who can turn people; he would lose too much business.” Dahlia sat facing me, her hands unmoving on the keyboard.

  “Someone else hired him to do it, I think. Someone with a lot of money and power.” Of course, I was assuming Hera had money.

  “You know who it is?” Sandy asked from the doorway.

  “Shit, I didn’t hear them.” Dahlia sucked in a quick breath. Neither had I. Good to know they could sneak up on even me.

  “I think so”—I grimaced—“but I’m hoping I’m wrong.”

  “Because if you’re right?” Beth’s eyes were wide, the dark pupils blending into the dark of her iris.

  “If I’m right, I’m not sure I can survive this.” There it was, the words that had been rumbling through my head.

  The four o
f us were quiet. I cleared my voice. “Let’s see if we can figure out what you two are.”

  Dahlia moved aside and let me type. The search didn’t take long. After making a few queries and searching one online encyclopedia article, I found a picture and description that fit.

  I read it out loud. “Stymphalian birds.”

  “Keep going,” Beth said.

  “Well, it looks like you two are literally man-eating birds. You should have beaks of bronze and sharp metallic feathers you can launch at your enemies.”

  Sandy leaned forward for a better look. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “So says the monster in me when I see the monsters in you.”

  Beth reached out and touched a name on the list of monsters, the picture beside it something I knew all too well. Drakaina. “At least we aren’t that.”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of me. “Well, it wasn’t my choice either. But it’s not so bad, it’s come in handy.”

  Beth paled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize . . .”

  I waved at her. “Don’t worry about it.”

  The click of a door opening froze all four of us. I motioned for Beth and Sandy to stay while Dahlia and I headed downstairs.

  “You really are kind of a general once you stop being so worried about offending anyone.” Dahlia kept pace with me down the stairs. I smiled.

  “Thanks.”

  We found Remo in the kitchen, leaning against the sink. He didn’t fit in the room. Not his frame, the piercings in his chin, the tattoos curling across the bit of flesh I could see of his chest, or the heavy army boots he wore.

  His smiled, showing off his fangs. “I came not for your blood. But that will be part of the package.”

  I drew in a breath. “Dahlia drank some of my blood earlier. To keep her from dying.”

  His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly. “Are you looking for my thanks? I have a hundred soldiers like her.”

  I put my hands on my hips, hoping that Dahlia was right about my blood. “I doubt that. Dahlia. Show him just how much my blood is worth.”

  She grinned. “With pleasure.”

  I blinked and she was on him, tackling him to the floor like a linebacker gone wild. She followed her body slam with a flurry of punches and kicks, and her teeth dug into the back of his neck while he tried to fight back. He might as well have been a small dog being mauled by a giant wolf even though he was twice her size. The fight was so one-sided as to be laughable.

  She pinned him to his belly while holding both his hands with one of hers. “See, Remo? You should want her blood more than anything.”

  He stared up at me. “This is not possible.”

  “It is. Now. I need help getting my brother out of the stadium. What I want from you is simple.”

  I reached out and took Dahlia’s hand, pulling her off him and putting her behind me. Just in case he decided to lash out. He stood slowly, dusting off his clothes. But he held himself together. Perhaps the patience that came with a thousand years was finally showing.

  “Simple? I doubt that. This deal will be done without witnesses.”

  “Not a good idea, Lena. He could fleece you later,” Dahlia said. I kept my eyes locked on Remo’s. He didn’t move, hardly even breathed. Not that he needed to, being dead and all that.

  “Dahlia, go and check on our guests. Please.” What I didn’t say was that we knew she would be able to hear from upstairs.

  She sucked in a sharp breath but did as I asked and left the room.

  He didn’t close the distance between us, not the way I thought he would. Maybe I was a little disappointed.

  I lifted my chin. “I need you and your vampires to get my brother out of the stadium. As soon as Achilles sees me, he’ll kill my brother. I can’t take the chance I won’t make it to him in time.”

  Remo slid his fingers over the piercings in his chin, his dark eyes thoughtful. “How many men does this Achilles guy have?” He motioned for me to sit at the table.

  I moved to the chair closest to me and sat down. “The Achilles, to be clear. And according to my reports, over a thousand.”

  Remo paused in midstep. “What do you mean, the Achilles?”

  “The Greek hero. Come to save the world from monsters.” I pointed at my chest. “From me and whatever other monsters Merlin dreams up.”

  He sat down across from me, the bruises and cuts from his tussle with Dahlia already fading. “Achilles is here to kill you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because you’re a monster?” His lips twitched and I realized he didn’t believe me.

  I drew in a breath and let it out in a long low hiss, along with the lowering of my fangs. “Want to make something of it?”

  His eyes snapped wide and he leaned back in his chair. He’d not want me in his bed now at least, now that he’d seen my fangs. More than a small part of me was hurt, and disappointed; if I was honest, I’d wanted him more than any other man I’d been around. Certainly more than Roger.

  He reached across the table and scooped up one of my hands, pinning it between his. “Oh, you are an intriguing one. More than I realized.”

  “Are you going to help me or not?” I pulled my hand away while I tried to keep my lips from smiling, to stop the heat that flared between us. “And I’m married. Remember? So stop with the flirting; it will get you nowhere.”

  Grinning, he leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs out so that he brushed up against my bare feet. A move like that shouldn’t have held as much heat as what spread up my legs. I swallowed and tucked my feet back under my seat.

  “I’ll help you, for a month of feeding off you.”

  “Too much!” Dahlia yelled from upstairs.

  “I know that!” I yelled back.

  “Sorry!”

  Remo laughed. “The supernatural world hasn’t been this much fun in years. Two weeks of feeding, then.”

  “I’ll give you two feedings from me,” I said, folding my hands on the table. “And one taste test.” I unwound the wrap from my wrist and tossed the saturated rag to him. My wrist wasn’t healed up, and I pressed my fingers over it to stem the steady flow.

  Remo lifted the rag over his head and let it drip into his mouth. Two drops fell and he lowered the rag. His eyes had a strange look to them I’d only ever seen in clients who’d fallen in love with my baking. I had him.

  “A week of feeding,” he said.

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Two feedings. And not a drop more. Take it or leave it.”

  “What about your brother?”

  I leaned back in my seat and smiled at him. “I heard something about a rival gang in town. I’m sure I can get them to help me.”

  “You are a shrewd negotiator.” He grinned. “I can’t wait until you get into trouble again. Consider the deal done.” He held out his hand and I placed mine in it. He closed down and pulled me across the table on my belly. I gasped, the wood surface slick enough I might as well have been on those satin sheets I’d imagined earlier. With a quick twist Remo spun me so my legs swung around. He grabbed my hips and sat me up so I faced him, his head now level with my chest.

  “There, that’s better.” He lifted my wrist to his mouth, his eyes on mine as he licked along the wound. “I’m going to enjoy this, though I must admit I would have preferred to take it from your neck.”

  I jerked my head to one side, breaking his gaze as if it were a physical thing. “You have a time limit as far as I’m concerned. You can use it to play your games or feed.”

  He grunted and bent his head over my wrist. Unlike Dahlia, who’d been out cold, Remo was anything but. He latched onto my wrist as if his mouth were a suction cup, and the first drag he took . . . hurt. I closed my eyes and counted, knowing that Dahlia had had at best a minute of blood.

  For Tad, I could do this. Even as with every second that passed, the pain increased, easily doubling. Sweat slid down my cheeks, neck, and arms. At fifty-eight I jerked my hand away from him. “Enou
gh.”

  Remo barely moved except to let out a long whisper. “My God.”

  “Don’t use his name here,” I whispered. “Don’t.”

  The vampire smiled as he tipped his head up. “Fine by me. He left me long ago and I do not miss his passing.” His eyes sparked with a light burning hot from within, as if a fire burned behind them.

  “Now we can go for Tad.”

  “I took a lot of blood from you. I think you should rest,” Remo crooned, and his words made perfect sense. Of course I should rest. No, that wasn’t right, I needed to get to Tad, to get him away from Achilles.

  I blinked and glared at Remo. “Stop that.”

  His dark eyes widened ever so slightly, showing a hint of violet once more, and a smile curled his lips. “Stop what?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. Stop trying to make me do what you want,” I snapped. Though even I had to admit, the snap was more of a breathy whisper. I shook my head and slid off the table. My legs wobbled as I moved sideways to the counter. The granite was smooth under my hand, and I gripped it for all I was worth. A loud crack rent the air, the granite cracking under the pressure.

  Remo cleared his throat. “I’ll gather up my mob and head to the stadium. I’ll wait for you across the street.”

  I nodded. “How long before you’re there?”

  “An hour.”

  One hour to get past the SDMP at the gate, and all the way to the stadium. This was going to be tight. Remo stood and stretched, his shirt pulling up, giving me a glimpse of pale belly and a thin line of dark hair that disappeared into the waistband of his jeans.

  “Married, huh?”

  I whipped my head up, but what could I say? “Looking isn’t the same as touching. I’d have to be dead not to look.”

  He laughed. “I’ll see you in an hour, Alena.”

  I closed my eyes as he passed by me, the smell of cinnamon and honey the only thing that told me he had moved. When it faded I opened my eyes. The room looked no different and yet . . . I was different. I’d made a deal with a devil: a devil I rather liked the look of.

  “‘I’d have to be dead not to look’? You realize that is rather ironic since most of the ass he taps is dead.” Dahlia strode into the kitchen, Beth and Sandy trailing behind her.