Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy #2)(75)

The blinking red light on the camera behind the reporter went off, and she nodded at me. “Well, that’s going to be quite the piece. Thank you.”

Behind us, the door busted open. I was thrown forward with the explosion. The news crews all yelled and ducked. Except for one of the cameramen, who held steady. The red light above the lens came back on, blinking. I stared at the open door but couldn’t see through the smoke that filled the space other than the flicker of movement. Shadows that shifted, lurching toward us.

This was what Theseus wanted: an audience—not just the judge and a courtroom full of people, but the world too. He was far more organized than Achilles had been.

Remo looked at me. “Run, you need space to fight him. I’ll hold them back.”

I nodded and pushed myself up. The window over the sink beckoned. It had worked for me before; no need to change methods. I leapt up and crashed through the window, falling to the cool grass outside.

My leg that had been hit with the fennel oil buckled under me, weak. Above me came the hunting cry of a bird. I ran around the side of the building. Lights blazed to life, blinding me. I threw a hand up to block the lights. More reporters, cameras, and microphones at the ready. In front of them stood Theseus. He had his hands in the air, as if soothing them all. Not a single strand of his hair was out of place. Of course not; he hadn’t been fighting me, chasing me. He had Beth and Santos for that. He’d sat back and put his pawns into play.

He spoke to the reporters in a booming voice that echoed with a confidence and power even I felt vibrate along my skin.

“Justice will be served. I will not allow a monster of the Drakaina’s size to terrorize anyone a second longer than I must.”

Enough of this nonsense. “I am not terrorizing anyone, you dumb jock!” I limped toward them. Theseus held a hand out to me, as if that alone would hold me back, then he swept a sword up into the ready position.

“Stand back,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll protect you.”

I blinked, at first thinking he was talking to me, then realizing he was talking to the reporters about me. My jaw ticked and then I laughed. Because it was beyond ridiculous.

Except that Theseus was a performer, and he knew the game we played far better than I did. One of the Stymphalian girls swept into view, hovering in the air above Theseus. He flicked his sword tip in my direction, and a multitude of metal feathers shot at me. There was no way I’d be able to dodge them all. I tried, though. I threw myself to the side, missing all but two.

They hit me in the hip and right near the oil damage in my thigh. There was no stopping the snake in me this time. She roared up through me, smoke curling around my body as the shift took me.

I blinked and was looking down at the reporters from twenty feet above. My body coiled and twisted as I tried to protect the spots where I’d been hurt. Apparently another monster could do damage to me, as I’d feared, because the feather burrowed under my skin, digging hard as though it actively sought its way into my flesh.

I let out a long, low rumbling hiss and snaked my head toward Theseus. Which happened to be toward the crowd too. I figured it out at the last second and reared back. I flicked my tail around and smacked him in the side with it, sending him flying away from the crowd. The screech of two birds snapped my head up. Beth and Sandy streaked toward me, claws outstretched. I bared my fangs but at the last second ducked, dodging them both.

“Drakaina, come to your death!” Theseus beckoned. I twisted around, my scales glittering in the bright lights. I had no words for him in this form, but someone else did.

Ernie flew up by my head, huffing and puffing. “You have to stop the girls first. Without them, he has nothing. Remo is dealing with the vampires; he’ll keep them off you.”

I nodded. But I didn’t really know what to do. Theseus held back, and I realized Ernie was right. He was waiting for Beth and Sandy to do the work for him. Just like Achilles with his Bull Boys.

I sucked my coils in around me into a tight ball, hiding my injuries. The open wounds were an invitation I didn’t need to give.

One of the girls swept past my face and shook her head. Sandy, then. I bobbed my head toward Theseus, begging Sandy with my eyes. Help me. Help me stop him.

I could only hope she still had her own mind, that unlike the others she wasn’t completely lost under the influence of Theseus.

Slowly she came around in a circle and flew beside me. Our eyes locked. She was close enough that, with a single swipe of her claws, she could blind me if she chose. With a wild screech, she flicked her wings . . . at Theseus. I wanted to cheer. Sandy was with me.

Theseus leapt out of the way of the metallic feathers, barely dodging them. Then again, she’d thrown only two.

From behind us came Beth, screaming. She slammed into Sandy, and they spun through the air, gold and silver glittering under the bright lights in flashes like camera bulbs going off.

Good enough. They would keep each other busy. I opened my mouth and hissed at Theseus.

Ernie floated close by. “You have no choice. Your venom will do the trick; just do it fast.”

He was right, I knew it, and I hated it. I shot forward, mouth open. Thinking it would be that easy. More the fool was I for that.

Theseus bolted out of my way and straight back toward the crowd. They fell back from him, but not fast enough. He grabbed a young man with gangly legs and a long, narrow face. He pulled the youth around in front of his body, using him as a shield.