Chapter 37 – VENOM
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
VENOM
Ikeep my eyes fixed on my little beast. She’s the only thing giving me what little strength I have right now. I’ll let them take whatever they need from me.
I’ll break for her over and over.
Explosions shake the building and Ivy’s eyes widen at something behind me. I know what she must be seeing and relief washes through me.
Men scramble about. When I look over to locate Ivy through the smoke taking over the room, a long whip comes shooting out in front of me in a blur, but I still catch the distinct difference in this whip.
Metal and bones.
The room erupts further into chaos as men drop, some convulsing on the floor and others missing limbs, choking on their blood-curdling screams.
I twist the gem off my custom ring made specifically for this evening and turn it inward. Then I grab the ankle of the guard holding the whip and inject a heavy dose of venom into his leg. He falls back.
I quickly slip free the secret stash of small blades hidden in my belt buckle and throw them, pain burning across my back with the movement. I take out two more men before someone shoves me to the ground in the commotion.
Men scream in agony and fear. Guns fire. People flee, or at least try to.
When I spot Ivy through the haze, she pounces on a guard’s back, digging her nails into his eyes as he screams. She’s all claws and sharp teeth, and I fucking love it.
The man spins blindly, trying to throw her off of him. I whip my last blade into his neck just as Ivy falls off him and collapses to her knees, catching her breath.
Another goon with a bloody gash across his face suddenly takes notice of Ivy and lines up his knife to throw.
I instinctively reach for another blade, but I’m all out.
The little energy I have left is replaced with the visceral need to protect her, to keep her alive.
She won’t die here.
No one else I love is dying.
She’s closer to me than the guard, so with a surge of adrenaline, I run toward her, dropping to my knees in a slide as the knife flies through the air.
I reach her just in time, clutching her to my chest as the blade sinks right below my left shoulder blade. The force jerks me forward.
“Venom!” Ivy shouts in horror.
“Pull it out!” I groan.
“What? I can’t do that!” she says in a panic.
“Pull it out, darlin’. Now!”
She reaches for the knife and yanks it out of my back. I feel the trickle of warm blood travel down, mixing with my other wounds as I quickly take the knife from her and whip it back at the guard who was storming closer, business end plunging into his left eye.
He stumbles back.
Then we watch as a whip of bone and metal wraps around his neck. It’s given a harsh jerk, the sharp metal of the whip severing sinew and muscles, causing the guard’s head to flop back, barely hanging on. He drops. Dead.
I grab Ivy again, clinging her to me. “Stay down and hold your breath!” I growl, then cover her head with my body as gunshots continue to ring out and more explosions wreak havoc through the mansion. Her nails claw into me as I feel her tremble beneath me.
Perhaps I had Luther make too many bombs, but I had to be thorough in this situation.
Ivy twists her head to look at me. Fear consuming her expression.
“I’ve got you. We’re gonna be alright, darlin’. Give me your trust.” She nods and presses her head back into me as I continue to shield her from the mayhem.
Silence soon falls.
I slowly uncurl myself from Ivy, looking her up and down, making sure she is unharmed.
Then I turn to stand and come face-to-face with a hand held out. Following the outstretched hand, I look up and meet the eyes of…
The Bone Reaper.
“Did you purposely take your time?” I groan.
He helps me stand before saying, “I needed you to bleed a little first.”
I force a smirk through the pain I feel.
Ivy sways, coughs, and collapses in my arms. “Do you have the extra dose?” I ask Reaper. Her coughing rattles against my chest. “Breathe shallow, darlin’. Just—hold on.”
“Here.” Reaper pulls the syringe from his pocket and hands it to me quickly.
Without giving her a warning, I inject her with the contents to counteract the poison she was exposed to when the bombs exploded.
“Sorry, darlin’. There’s poison in the air. You’ll be alright in a minute.”
She nods, her eyes searching mine as she holds onto me.
A few moments later, Ivy is able to stand with little help from me and clearer eyes, although her skin is still a bit pale.
“Thank you,” I say to Reaper.
“Hey! He doesn’t get all the credit,” a sweet voice calls out from behind Reaper. “The rest of the house is clear.”
Sauntering over, covered in blood, is the fiery little minx, Charlotte.
“Next time you miss us, Venom, can we just do lunch instead? No need for all the theatrics.”
“Oh, darlin’, you know theatrics are my specialty.” I chuckle.
She smiles and leans in to hug me, avoiding touching my torn back. “Good to see you again. Although I gotta say, you’ve looked better.”
“Don’t lie, little minx. You know you like your men bloody.” Reaper grunts in amusement. “Nice whips by the way. I wonder whose unlucky spines those belong to.”
“Thanks, it’s an upgrade since my last set got ruined in a rather large house fire last year.”
“Ah, yes, good times, great memories.”
Reaper scowls, and I shoot him a wink.
“So, this is her?” Charlotte chimes in.
“Yes, this is Ivy.”
Ivy clears her throat, her voice coming out a bit hoarse. “Hi.”
“I’m Charlotte, and this big fella is Reaper.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. And… thank you,” Ivy says.
“Yes, thank you for your help,” I repeat again, trying to push through the pain.
“I owed you one,” Reaper says through his bone mask.
My knees buckle, vision becoming hazy and weakness taking hold. It’s now my turn to feel the effects this evening has had on me.
Ivy and Charlotte catch me before I hit the ground.
“Whoa there. He’s losing a lot of blood. We gotta get him somewhere,” Charlotte tells Reaper.
“Give me a second.” He pulls out his phone and walks away to make a call. A couple minutes later he returns. “Think you can handle a four-hour drive?”
“With you two? Doubtful.”
“Four hours is too long, Venom,” Ivy interjects, voice laced with concern. “You need a hospital, like now.”
“Who has my phone?”
Reaper pulls out my cell from his pocket and hands it to me. I quickly select the contact, and it’s answered on the third ring.
“Venom? Since when do you call me?”
“Since I need your help this time, Alice,” I groan.
“Are you alright?”
“Just peachy.” I stumble again, vision tunneling. I rapidly blink and shake my head as Reaper steadies me. “And by peachy, I mean I’m bleeding all over my new slacks and boots and I could use some medical attention asap.” The words rush out of me.
“I see. You’ve been good to Wonderland, so send me a location and I’ll send a chopper.”
“You’re the best, Alice.” I end the call and slip my phone into my pocket.
“Come on.” With Reaper and Charlotte now holding me up on each side, we make our way outside, Ivy following behind us.