[Venom 01.0] Venom & Vanilla Read online

  Shivering, I forced myself to move forward. Every table was full of men, dressed like the ones outside with only slight variations in where the leather was placed. And where it wasn’t, as I saw more than once. Good grief.

  Their eyes tracked me as I moved through the club, and I fought not to notice how many of them were next to naked. Or completely naked. A man wearing nothing but a leash sat at the feet of another man who petted his head, as if he were a dog.

  Every step I took showed me far more than I’d ever thought I’d see in my life, never mind what I might have imagined was out there.

  I’d walked the entire length of the building before I saw the god of thunder and lightning. Zeus was at the back of the club, leaning against the wall with an arm over each of the shoulders of two younger-looking men. He kissed one, then the other, but his eyes never left mine. I flushed and looked away.

  As he lifted his head he grinned as though just noticing me. “Ah, you made it, Alena. How did you get in?”

  Was he serious?

  He held his hands out. “They wouldn’t have let you in without some sort of show. What was it?”

  Embarrassed, I all but spit out the words. “I choked one of the patrons.”

  He slapped his hands on his leather-clad legs, laughing uproariously. “Oh, I wish I had seen it. Who did you choke? Jimmy? He can be a pill, and I would like to choke him myself a time or two, for the sheer joy of it.”

  I had to remind myself I needed his help. That was the only thing that kept my feet planted firmly where they were. “I don’t know. Some guy in line wearing a face mask. I only threatened Jimmy.”

  Zeus’s grin widened. “Too fun. Okay, boys”—he slapped them on their leather-clad behinds—“I have business. Come find me later.” He patted the two men on the head as they slunk away, alternately pouting at Zeus and glaring at me.

  I rubbed at my arms. “Is there somewhere the music isn’t so strong?”

  “Nope.”

  I realized that was why he wanted to meet me here. I was at a disadvantage by not being able to pick up on any vibrations other than the music. Not that I knew what to do with the vibrations on my skin, not really. But obviously Zeus knew it was something I could use in my favor, or he wouldn’t try to block it. Not that I really knew myself well enough to even use all the tricks in my bag.

  He gestured for me to slide into the booth behind him. I did and he slid in the other side. Ernie floated in and dropped onto the middle of the table.

  Zeus waved at him. “Go get us drinks.”

  “You got it.” He zipped off and Zeus slung an arm across my shoulders.

  “I don’t trust him. I think Hera has him in her secret pocket.” His eyes scanned the crowd, and before I could formulate a question in regard to what he meant by a secret pocket, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, he plowed on. “We don’t have much time. A few minutes before he’s back with the drinks. Here’s the deal.” He leaned in close so his mouth was against my ear, his coarse short beard tickling the edges of it. “Hera is up to something, and for whatever reason you’re at the center of it. If Achilles kills you, he proves he is a hero. People will flock to him like they did in the old days.”

  “What does that matter?”

  Zeus pulled back so he could look me in the eyes. “Belief is a powerful thing, young Drakaina. The more people who believe in you, the more power you have. The more power Achilles has, the more powerful the goddess he worships will become. He’s working for Hera. She could climb the ranks in a way she’s never done before.”

  Ernie flitted back to the table, drinks in each hand. He handed Zeus the beer and handed me a fluted glass that sparkled with something bubbly. “Beer for the boss, champagne for the lady.”

  I took the drink but didn’t sip from it. Thinking about what Zeus could tell me in front of Ernie, I weighed my options. Not that I believed him that Ernie wasn’t on my side . . . but I was quickly learning that not everything was as it seemed. Just as Yaya had said.

  “Tell me about my grandmother. What is the curse on her?”

  Zeus nodded, his eyes sparkling with approval. “Well, after she and I had our tryst, Hera was as usual peeved.”

  Ernie snorted. “Peeved is a bit light of a term, don’t you think?”

  “Well, the details don’t matter now. Hera is always peeved about something.” He rolled his eyes, and I thought about Roger cheating on me. How it had sent me into a flurry of self-doubt, anger, and shock.

  I put the drink down and glared up at Zeus, thinking that perhaps all men—and male gods—were alike. Obviously Zeus thought nothing of stepping out on his wife. Neither did Roger. Were they all just primed and ready to hump anything that smiled at them?

  “I’ve been cheated on, and if all she got was peeved, I think you got off light. In fact, I think perhaps you deserve whatever you get.”

  “A lifetime of penance, eh?” He shook his head. “Please, you have no idea what it is to be tied to someone you haven’t loved in years. Someone who doesn’t even love you but is such a territorial bitch she won’t give you up.” His words so closely echoed Roger’s, I felt like I was talking to my husband for a split second.

  I slapped my hands on the table. “I do know what it is to be tied to someone I can’t get away from, so don’t you talk down to me. You might think of yourself as a god, but you aren’t any different than any other stupid man who thinks he can cheat and has all the reasons and excuses to do so.”

  “You’re a child who doesn’t understand life,” he shot back. “People who are happy don’t cheat. If you got cheated on, maybe your husband wasn’t happy. Ever think about that?”

  “Or maybe he’s just a damn asshole!” I shouted, shaking all over. I was so angry that I didn’t even care that I had just sworn for maybe the first time in my whole life. Mostly because I worried a part of what he said might be right. What if I’d put more time into my marriage and less into my business? Would Roger have strayed then?

  There was a moment of stunned silence, and slowly the tension fell.

  Zeus grimaced and waved a hand at me as if to wipe all the words away. “The point is, Hera was not happy. Since she can’t really do anything to me, she always punishes those I’ve dallied with. In an effort to scare them off from this goodness.” He slapped at the small beer belly that edged out over the top of his pants.

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. My yaya. What was the curse?”

  “That she and her family would never find real love. And if they ever stepped back into the supernatural world, they would be destroyed. Which is why Flora let herself get sucked into the Firsts.”

  “Oh, is that it?” I drawled even as my heart skipped a beat. “Destroyed? That’s it?”

  Zeus’s jaw dropped, but he covered it by taking a sip of his beer. “You’re taking this rather well.”

  “Listen, I’ve faced more in the last few days than any good girl should ever have to deal with in her entire life. What’s a curse of a loveless life and ultimate destruction added to it?” I leaned back in my seat. “Will you help me with Achilles?”

  Ernie’s head whipped from side to side, looking from me to Zeus and back again, but he said nothing.

  Zeus shook his head. “No. Not my area anymore. ‘No dabbling’ is my motto now.”

  “Not even a suggestion?” I leaned toward him, wondering if I could work my siren magic on him the way I’d done on Officer Jensen. That slow unfurling of power within my belly curled up through me.

  Zeus laughed softly. “Won’t work on me. But nice to see you’re falling into your role as a monster.”

  I jerked back from him as if he’d slapped me. Ernie shook his head. “That wasn’t nice. She is a good girl.”

  “Good girls get fucked over, Ernie. You know that.” Zeus stared at the cherub. “Either she embraces what she is now, or she’s going to die. Achilles will kill her. End of her story.”

  I pushed out of the booth. “Thanks for all your help.
”

  “You aren’t leaving, are you?” He seemed genuinely surprised. He slid out of the booth, following me.

  “My brother is being held by Achilles. I can’t leave him there.”

  Zeus’s face went a careful, neutral blank. “Your brother?”

  “Yes.” I frowned. “Does that mean something to you?”

  Zeus cleared his throat and leaned over the table. “Don’t try to save him. That’s Achilles’s style. Hold a hostage, use them against his enemy, and kill the hostage right as you step onto the stage. To send you into a rage that will make you sloppy.”

  The music faded into a buzz. “No, that can’t be, he won’t kill Tad just to make me angry.”

  “It is. That has always been his style.”

  Ernie shook his head. “His methods could have changed. He hasn’t faced a monster like Alena for years. Maybe he’s got a new trick up his sleeve.”

  Zeus stared at me. “Heroes are, if nothing else, dependable in how they do things. They have their tried-and-true methods; I’d be surprised if he varied from his.”

  I pushed to my feet, said, “Thanks for the drink,” and strode away from the table, through the club, and out the front door. There had to be a way to stop Achilles and save Tad. I refused to believe otherwise. Jimmy tried to grab me as I went by, and I spun around and hissed in his face, spit flicking from the tip of my tongue. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

  My skin prickled down around my neck, and Jimmy backed away, his mouth flapping. “You’re a Supe.”

  “You bet I am. And not just any Super Duper. I am a bona fide monster that could snap you like a twig if you don’t do as I say.”

  The crowd sucked in a gasp as a unit and Ernie groaned. “Maybe not the best moment to claim your title.”

  “Shut up, Ernie,” I snapped, then strode through the line, pushing men out of my way where I had to, glaring at those who dared to meet my gaze, to where I’d parked my car. I didn’t know if Zeus was telling the truth, but I couldn’t take the risk that Ernie would turn on me. Or that he’d been leading me astray deliberately.

  He popped into existence in the passenger seat. “Where we going?”

  I revved the engine and backed out. “We aren’t going anywhere. Thank you for your help, Ernie. But I’ll do the rest on my own.”

  “What? Why? What did Zeus say to you?”

  “Nothing that concerns you. This is my deal, not yours.” I pulled onto the main road and headed north. To the Wall. There was only one person left I could tap into. And seeing as he’d put me into this mess, he owed me. Besides, he had my welcome package.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Get out, Ernie. I don’t want you to be part of this, I don’t know whose side you are on.” I clenched the steering wheel and pressed my foot into the gas. We shot down the highway, Officer Jensen right behind us. I’d almost forgotten about him. A thought clambered to the front of my brain: I needed to pull the troops I could trust together. Which meant only Jensen at the moment. I pulled over to the side of the road, popped the car into park, and got out. Officer Jensen was out of his car in a flash.

  “Is everything all right?”

  I stepped in front of him, reached up, and touched his face. My plan that had been slowly forming kicked into high speed. “Do you have a walkie-talkie?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Get one for me.”

  He hurried back to his cruiser and dug around in the front seat for a moment before bringing me back a black heavy-duty walkie-talkie. “What’s the range?”

  “Close to forty miles.”

  And the stadium where Tad was being held was about twenty from the Wall. “I want you to go to the stadium, the new CenturyLink Field. Wait for me there and report to me on the activity. People in, people out. Anything you see.”

  Ernie fluttered closer. “What are you doing?”

  I spun and faced him, clutching the walkie-talkie behind me. “I need you to leave, Ernie. I can’t risk anyone finding out what I’m planning. Please.”

  “Without me, how are you going to know things?” His eyes darted from me to Officer Jensen. “He’s just a human, there’s nothing he can do.”

  “Ernie. You’ve been great. But I have to do this on my own. I have to. I would feel awful if you got hurt.”

  “But not if Officer Jenny there gets hurt?”

  Good grief, was Ernie pouting? Looked like it. I smiled at him, trying to think of a way to soften things. “He’s doing surveillance for me.”

  “I could do that for you.” Ernie brightened. “I can get Hermes to run messages between us.”

  I thought for a minute. Zeus said not to trust Ernie, but maybe I could work that to my advantage. “Go watch Zeus. I think he’s up to something, I don’t think he told me the truth at all.”

  Ernie’s eyes widened. “What did he tell you?”

  I leaned close, beckoning him to me, the lie forming with an ease that frightened me. “Hera. She wants me to work for her, so she’s testing me.”

  Ernie nodded. “That makes sense, she likes the powerhouses to be on her side. Okay, I’ll go watch Zeus. Hera would be good to you, Alena. She’s tough, but”—his eyes darted to the side—“I’ve worked with her. She’s been a good boss in the past.”

  My heart fell, but I smiled at him. “Keep an eye on Zeus. Send me a message only if he moves toward the stadium.” Which I was almost positive he wouldn’t do. “I can’t have him trying to help me.”

  Ernie saluted and was gone with a small puff of feathers.

  I turned back to Officer Jensen. “Stadium. Go.”

  He saluted and ran back to his car. I flicked on the walkie-talkie and slid the clip over my waistband. This was just like running the bakery. Plan. Rally the troops. Implement. Deliver the goods. I could do this.

  I had to or Tad was going to die for real this time.

  A huge sigh slid out of me as I drove away from Jensen and Ernie.

  Two hours later, after about as much planning as I could manage as I drove, I came to the Wall, and the only official entry point on the southwestern side. The border crossing was only two lanes. One in and one out. In theory. There was no traffic to speak of other than the two large Supe Squad vehicles that sat to either side of the gate. I slowed the car and rolled my window down.

  Looked like my luck was not going to hold. Smithy, my old friend, strolled up to the car and peered in, his icy-blue eyes nailing me to my seat. He braced his hands on the edge of the window, his fingers digging into the metal with a low grinding screech. The smell of donuts rolled off him. “You.”

  “Missed me?” I blinked up at him, batting my lashes with more than a little exaggeration.

  “I’m taking you down to the station. Get out.”

  I took a deep breath and pouted up at him, pursing my lips. That uncoiling sensation rolled through me and I put a hand on his. “Wouldn’t you rather help me?”

  He shook his head and blinked several times. Confusion washed over his hard features. “What?”

  “Wouldn’t you rather help me? There are worse people out there than me. I’m harmless.” The words flowed out of my mouth and seemed to tighten around him in a slow constriction.

  His body stiffened and he began to tremble. Those blue eyes darted from me, away to the Wall and back again. “You’re going to stay on your side of the Wall from now on?”

  I widened my eyes. “Of course. I don’t fit over in the human side anymore. They don’t want me. Maybe you know someone who does?”

  His eyes softened and he leaned in toward me. “Maybe I do. But I have to . . . you’ll go down to the station on your own?” His words were tense but verged on slurred. I increased my hold on his hand.

  “Of course. I’m free to go now?”

  He pulled away from me, his hand red where I’d clung to him. He glanced back at his comrades. “This isn’t the Supe we’re looking for.”

  He waved me through the gate while his buddies stared with open
mouths, obviously recognizing me. But not one of them argued with him. I checked my rearview mirror. He stood in the middle of the road, staring after me while he shook his head as if trying to clear cobwebs.

  I waited until I was out of sight of the Wall and the guard tower before I hit the gas hard. Screeching the tires, I hurried, knowing time slipped away faster with every second that ticked by. How long would Achilles hold off before he decided he didn’t want to wait on me? Before he would torture or even kill Tad? My throat tightened and I tried not to think about what might be happening to my brother. How hurt he might be. I had to do this right and plan his rescue right, or we’d both end up dead.

  Merlin’s house was lit up like a beacon as I approached, and even from down the street the sound of music spilled toward me. I tightened my lips to keep from snarling. Here I was fighting for my life and for my brother’s, and Merlin was having another poker-night party.

  I pulled into the driveway, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door shut behind me. I didn’t bother to knock on the house door. Just grabbed the knob and twisted. Locked.

  I raised my knuckles, paused, and reconsidered. Really, if I was such a powerful Super Duper, I didn’t have to play nice. I took a step back, lifted one heeled foot, and snapped it forward, aiming for the knob. My heel caught in the keyhole, and the door burst inward, taking my shoe with it. I slipped the other shoe off so I didn’t walk in lopsided. No need to be undignified.

  Two steps and I stood in the main part of the house, with every pair of eyes locked on me. A couple of vampires, including Remo’s man Max; the same werewolf as before; and two new girls were the full count. Max gave me a wink I didn’t understand. Maybe he was here on Remo’s request? Not that it mattered to me.

  I didn’t recognize the two girls, but by the shell-shocked looks on their faces they were newly turned. One was dark-haired like me, her eyes pale enough they were spooky in their incandescent nature. The other girl was the reverse. Blond hair cropped short to her head and dark eyes the deep black of midnight. I turned my attention to the warlock who’d started all this.