Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy #2)(79)

The woman I’d saved from the werewolf at the Wall ran up to me. She grabbed my face and kissed me on each cheek. “We are all the same. I knew you would be the one to show the world.”

She was pulled away by two police officers, one from the SDMP, one from the Seattle Police Department.

Around us, I could hear a mixture of reactions. The protestors cheered, but there were others that did anything but. I saw them circling around like vultures. Firstamentalists, there to assert their beliefs. They held signs up too. “Monsters Rot in Hell.” “The Soulless Shall Destroy the World.” “Kill Them All.” You know, the usual happy signs they carried. I sighed and turned away, feeling the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. My mom was going to kill me for this.

Ernie high-fived me, snapping me out of my musings, and my yaya kissed my cheek. Everyone was happy. But I could barely keep a smile on my face. I knew Hera wasn’t done with me—our battle was far from over. There was a Hydra out there somewhere, working with a new and even deadlier hero in an effort to finally take me down.

Instead of fear, though, determination filled me. I stood straight and stared into the cameras. Words rose up in me, words that felt right and true, even if they were not something I would have ever said before.

“My name is Alena Budrene, and I am a Drakaina. I will protect this city, my family, and my friends from all who would do them harm. Let them come.” I smiled and let my fangs slowly drop. “I will stop them.”