Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy #2)(57)

“Enough!” Theseus roared. “We—”

He bent at the waist and puked all over Samantha, who was down on her knees next to him.

Dahlia guffawed, then gagged. “Oh my God, this is brutal.”

As all the people who’d eaten my cupcakes lost their supper and what looked like their last week of meals, the smell of vomit filled the room like some horrible incense. I couldn’t take it, my own gorge rising. No need to add to the mess. I scrambled away, Remo, Dahlia, and Yaya right with me as I escaped out the front door to the sounds of retching, crying, and cursing behind us.

Hurrying, I all but ran to Remo’s car.

“Alena, stop. Theseus is vulnerable right now,” Remo said. I slid to a stop, my fingers wrapped around the door handle of the car.

“What are you saying?”

“Kill him while you have the chance,” he said. “He’s unable to defend himself. Beth is incapacitated. Though you may not have planned this, the timing is right.”

I gripped the handle, the cold metal biting into my fingers. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Dahlia asked. “He’s right, this is the time to do it. End this before he uses the fennel on you.”

Yaya touched the top of my hand, drawing my eyes down to her. “Dahlia and Remo are right. This is war; you can’t turn away from this chance. You could save your life right here.”

I closed my eyes, hesitating. Fighting with my desire to indeed end things with Theseus, but not like this. Not in cold blood. Not in front of my mom.

That was the real reason. A small part of me still wanted her acceptance. If she saw me kill in cold blood, there would be no hope, no convincing her ever that I wasn’t a monster.

I shook my head. “No, I . . . I can’t.”

Remo sighed and walked to the driver’s side, his footsteps fading. “I’ll take you home. This will come back to haunt you, Alena. I know. I had my chance to deal with Santos, and I didn’t.”

I bit my lower lip, a warring mixture of anger and hurt flowing through me at his chastisement. “I have things I need to do. Without you.”

His eyes met mine across the space between us, concern thick like molasses in them. “At least keep Dahlia close. Will you do that much?”

I glared at him, and the snake that seemed to live inside of me let out a low hiss. “None of you think I can take care of myself.”

Dahlia snorted. “You’re getting there, but you aren’t there yet, my friend.”

“Yaya, I’m taking the Granada.” I strode away from Remo’s car and headed straight toward the baby-blue clunker Yaya so dearly loved.

“Only if I get to come with you,” she chirped. “Not like I’m going back in there”—she jerked a thumb toward the house—“before they get that place cleaned up. Gods, what a mess!”

Ernie floated up in the backseat of Remo’s truck, a yawn stretching his face as he rolled the window down. “What did I miss? Anything?”

“Grab the cupcakes, Ernie.” I amended, “Please.” He disappeared for a split second, then was through the window with my package of wicked cupcakes. One for Merlin, and one for Zeus.

“Got it.”

Yaya threw me the keys, and I caught them in midair as a thought rolled through me. Obviously the venom was strong enough to cause issues, but would it be enough to totally incapacitate Merlin? I had no idea how long the puke session was going to last in my parents’ house, and I didn’t really want to stick around to watch.

Remo and Dahlia pulled away in his car, and for just a split second I wished he’d stayed. That whole wanting him to want to stay, even though I’d told him to leave.

No, that was the old me. The one who wanted a man to help her feel like she was fulfilled. “Yaya, start it up. I left something inside.”

I sprinted toward the house, took a deep breath at the door, and plunged back in. The stomach rolling smell of regurgitated food tickled at me even though I held my breath. I grabbed the container with the last few cupcakes and then backed away to the door. Aunt Janice glared at me from the floor where she lay. “Horrid beast,” she whispered.

“Coming from a goblin, I’ll take it as a compliment,” I said, then gagged and backed away. Honey puffs, the smell was beyond atrocious.

Her eyes popped wide and her mouth opened as a slew of pale-green chunk-filled liquid flowed out.

I looked over to where Theseus and Beth had sat. Their places were empty and the back door was open. I put the cupcakes down and scooped up a knife from the table. Just a steak knife, nothing special. But if Theseus was down with the pukes, then it would do the job, and my mom wouldn’t see. He’d barely been able to hold his sword up.

I made myself walk to the sliding glass door and out into the backyard. The part of me that was Drakaina approved; Remo was right. Take your enemies out while they were down to minimize casualties.

Out into the backyard I went, steak knife held tight in one hand. My ears strained, listening for the staccato beat that was Beth’s heart. The shrieking cry of a bird shattered the night, and I jumped.

A metallic feather buried itself into the ground at my feet where I’d stood only a split second before. I backed up, staring into the sky. A whoosh of wings, another cry, and then the sound of her heart faded. And with her went my chance to end Theseus.