Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy #2)(41)

“Tell that to my spoon.” Instinct took over, and I hammered the handle through his chest as if I’d been staking vampires my whole life instead of mixing batter.

Twin number two crumpled to my feet, and I looked up. Two more vampires faced me from the path immediately over my head, their eyes wide.

“She killed Bub and Bob. With spoons.”

The other vamp shook his head. “I’m not throwing my life away, not for Santos.”

I steeled my shoulders. “Don’t think I won’t spoon you too!” Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the toughest thing I’d ever said. But it made the point.

They ran back up the way they’d come, scrambling so fast they sent rocks flying in their wake.

I listened to them bicker as I stood there.

“Tell Santos they got away. That they killed the twins and got away.”

“Yeah, good plan.”

I stood there, two spoons dripping with blood and a light tremor running over my body. Adrenaline and grief mixed together.

I forced myself to pay attention and jump down the mountain after Dahlia. Maybe we were home free, but it didn’t feel like it. Not one bit.

In fact, it felt like things were tightening around me, like the snake catcher as it closed over my leg, an image I couldn’t banish no matter how hard I tried.





CHAPTER 11


We took the Viking’s truck and drove as though demons chased us all the way back into town, though there was no one behind us. I drove and Dahlia sat with the silver flask clamped between her hands, her hands on the lid. My two wooden spoons lay somewhere on the side of the mountain, evidence that I was more of a killer than I’d ever thought possible.

Dahlia kept glancing at me. She’d open her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. Finally, when we closed in on house number thirteen, she managed to spit out a question.

“What happened back there? Why did they stop chasing us? They don’t give up easily.”

I pulled over, thought better of it, and pulled back onto the road. “I don’t think we should park this in front of where we’re staying.”

“They know where you live, Alena,” she pointed out. “And what the hell happened? Talk to me. There is no way they would have just given up.”

I slowed the truck and backed up, the engine rumbling as I hit the throttle. We reversed so fast I ended up partly on the sidewalk, the truck half in and half out of the road. I slammed it into park and slid out of the driver’s side. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Dahlia met me at the front of the truck. “Why? Did you shift? No, you couldn’t have; you still have your clothes. What the hell happened? You’re whiter than—”

“A bowl of flour?” I offered with a weak smile.

She rolled her eyes. “How bad could it be? I mean, it’s not like you killed any of them.”

I stepped back and tucked my hands into my pockets. “Yeah, it could be that bad.” I took a step and then another, moving quickly toward the house. “Come on. It’s getting close to morning.”

Dahlia fell into step behind me. I knew she wouldn’t be upset that I’d killed them. Surprised, yes, but not upset. She didn’t understand what it meant to me to break that rule.

Being raised to believe that killing was a mortal sin, that my soul, whatever was left of it, would be cast into utter darkness when I died . . . that prospect was not exactly comforting. Besides that, killing people was just . . . wrong. Even if I hadn’t been raised as a Firstamentalist, I would have believed it was wrong. Killing people was wrong.

As if reading my mind, Dahlia touched my arm. “They would have killed you, and then me. I don’t know much about church stuff, but I’m sure there is something about defending your own. Isn’t there? Like looking after your family?”

I hunched my shoulders as I stepped into the house. I listened for heartbeats and picked up two upstairs. Sandy’s by the flutter of the first, and . . . Beth’s. A sigh of relief flowed out of me. She had to have seen what Theseus was up to. That was a weight off me. I didn’t realize just how worried I’d been about them until I heard their hearts and knew they were home and safe.

“Alena?”

I turned to Dahlia and motioned for her to follow me. “Let’s see if we can tell what this stuff is.”

“No, you answer my question. Isn’t there something about defending your family?”

Why was she pushing this so hard?

I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, thinking about all the studying I’d done, all the reading and meditating about the teachings of the Firsts. “There is one section about it, yes. That if there is no other route, you should defend your family. But not yourself; if you are attacked, it says you should turn the other cheek.” I opened my eyes. “I was defending myself, Dahlia. They were attacking me, not you.”

Her green eyes softened. “Alena, you are like a sister to me. And so I’m only going to say this once.” She put her hands on my shoulders and shook me gently. “Pull your head out of your ass.”

My eyes bugged out, and she went on as if I’d agreed with her. “Those vamps were after me too. They would have killed me. They are trying to kill Remo, and even if you aren’t in love with him, I know you care about him. This is war, not just between you and whatever heroes come, but between you and the vamps now too. And maybe in some ways they are going to be even more dangerous. Because there isn’t just one. They are an army of supernaturals with no morals. No desire to make nice. That’s why they are with Santos.”