Venomoid

CHAPTER 1

WEREWOLVES 3, VAMPIRES 0

Trampled vegetation littered the werewolf’s trail. A full moon punched a hole in the darkness; clouds drifted over it, their wispy forms tugged by strong autumn winds. A massive gray wolf shoved through the bushes. Full moons disoriented werewolves, which explained the sloppy stalking, but it also granted them immense strength. I’d brought my stun gun along with a tranquilizer rifle just in case.

A twig snapped under my foot. I froze. Had he heard?

The wolf stopped, then lifted a leg. A blast of wind brought the faint scent of urine. Testosterone and adrenaline sharpened my senses. I rested the rifle stock on my shoulder. With one flick of my finger, a needle loosed, then embedded into the werewolf’s haunch. The beast jerked, throwing back his head in a long, furious howl.

Okay, that was bad. Underbrush crunched in the distance. How many werewolves could I handle at once? I had to be fast.

The wolf ahead crumpled. His paws churned the dirt; dust motes drifted into moonlight fractured by the trees. Let’s get this over with—I don’t want to be caught out here by multiple wolves if he called for backup. I stood, resting the rifle against my shoulder, then approached him. His muzzle curled, revealing yellow teeth.

Sir, I am Lorin from the International Paranormal Organization, I said, stopping out of the wolf’s nipping range. You have violated Section 4.1 of the Werewolf Breeding Regulations. A report was filed against you by anonymous tip. Before attempting to sire a litter, you must submit a form of intent—

A loud snarl made me jump. A second wolf leapt from the bushes and knocked me on my back. We hit the ground hard. Her scratchy gray fur suffocated me. Hair filled my mouth, and hot drool splattered onto my cheek. She snapped at my face. I turned my head just in time to avoid her teeth.

I slashed at her eyes. She screeched, backing away. Her dull claws frayed my suit. I kneed her in the face; that jacket had not been cheap. She shook her massive head, her lips spraying drool. I yanked my stun gun from my belt then rolled to my feet.

A third large form hurtled at me. I sidestepped, ending up beside the first she-wolf. Her jaws clamped on my forearm. I screamed and dropped the stun gun. The other she-wolf knocked it away with a kick. Oh, god!

I raked my claws across the first wolf’s face. She released my arm with a snarl, her teeth cleaving lines in my flesh. Pain climbed up my arm.

Attacking an operative is illegal, I hissed, holding a hand against the wound.

One she-wolf transformed. Her spine bent upward, body shrinking. Fur retracted into pink skin; her head shrank and muzzle pushed into her face, paws lengthened into hands and feet. The shift took seconds. A naked woman now faced me.

You don’t have a right to dictate whether we can have a pack, she said, glowering. The other she-wolf’s hackles bristled. Go away and leave us alone!

Yeah. I got that a lot, but I didn’t make the rules. I just enforced them.

You violated the Werewolf Breeding Regulations, I repeated, stalling as I backed toward my rifle. All intentions to copulate must be reported one month in advance for approval.

You can shove your rules up your—

If you won’t come peacefully, I’ll use force, I said.

She returned to wolf form in the blink of an eye. Obviously she didn’t want to talk to me anymore, so I lunged for my rifle.

Her weight bowled me to the ground. My fingers clasped the barrel; I smashed it against her head. It didn’t work—her jaws aimed for my neck. I wedged the rifle in her mouth, my injured arm shaking. The other she-wolf ripped my clothing. Blood stained the fabric and dripped down my skin.

I jabbed my rifle at the first wolf’s nose. With one mighty snap, her jaws closed over it and tore it from my grip. I kicked the second wolf in the face, then squirmed out from under the first. A sharp crunch told me my rifle was history.

Great! Second time this month, I snarled.

I sprinted away from them. My stun gun was my last lifeline—I had to find it. There was no way my claws would get through a werewolf’s thick fur. I spotted an opening in the forest and darted for it. One wolf blocked me. The other circled behind, trying to trap me.

Bloodsucker! shouted a male voice.

I twisted around. The male werewolf had changed to human form and wobbled on unsteady legs, his gaze darting between me and his two females. He clutched my stun gun in one hand. My heart sank as I stared at my lifeline. He sneered, then threw it deep into the forest.

Die, vampire, he growled, collapsing to his knees, one hand pressed against the tranquilizer needle’s puncture wound.

Seeing no other option, I tore after the stun gun. Both she-wolves lunged, smashing through underbrush. I sped up, darting around trees and bushes. Where was my gun?

Something metallic sparkled in the moonlight, the object wedged between two vertical tree branches. Yes, there it was! I sprang for the tree, then dug my claws into the bark and scampered up. The wolves snapped at the air beneath me. I yanked my stun gun from the V-shaped branches.

You really don’t want to do this the easy way? I asked.

Both wolves snarled. The hard way it was. I dropped from my perch, flipping my stun gun’s on switch. It came alive with an electric hiss.

I shoved the gun into the first wolf’s chest. She lurched, throwing me sideways, then collapsed. I landed hard but kept the gun in a steely grip. One wolf down. The second wolf smashed into me without pause. I jabbed my gun against her neck. She dropped like a sack of rocks. Her weight shoved me down; I struggled to breathe.

The wolf’s breath stank. I grunted, pushing, until she rolled aside. My stun gun wouldn’t immobilize them forever. I needed my containment team out here, and fast.

With a deep breath, I yanked my smartphone from my pocket then dialed my containment team’s secure line. They were two miles out, waiting for my signal. Would they get here in time? Both she-wolves were already twitching. One growled.

The line picked up. This is containment five. Can we move in, Lorin?

Move in quickly, I urged. The females are here, too. Hurry, they won’t stay down long.

The operative muttered something that sounded like, Crazy vampire, taking on three werewolves. Bless my sharp hearing. All right, we’re coming. Give us three minutes.

Sounds good, I said, then hung up.

One she-wolf snarled as she struggled to her feet. I shoved the stun gun into her neck. The shock made her drop, hard. I let out a long exhale. The team would expect all three wolves together. The two females had fallen beside each other, so I picked up the human form male and moved him to them. A chill wind hissed through the trees’ naked branches, cooling the sweat running down my face and neck.

I sighed, collecting my broken rifle. Last time it broke, the IPO board of directors lectured me—"vampires are so careless with human technology." I swore they hated me. But I was their only paranormal operative, so maybe they tolerated me for my skills.

A helicopter’s approach shattered the silence. Wind whipped my hair back and forth as the chopper landed in a clearing nearby. Seconds later, ten armored men rushed toward me. One held back with a grin, his lean body catching a beam of moonlight. A warm tingle of joy spread through me at the sight of Jud’s smile. My fangs lengthened, the sensitive nerves in them pulsing.

You took down three wolves? he asked incredulously. He was an operations leader and my best friend. I nodded, and his dark eyes widened with excitement. If you keep this up, the rest of us are gonna be out of business.

I moved both halves of my rifle to one hand, then smiled back. Yep, three of them. I’d bet you five dollars the she-wolves are pregnant.

I’m not betting against you. You cheat. The moonlight glinted off his black helmet. Maybe you can squeeze a vacation out of the board with a few more missions like these. Think so?

I doubt it, I murmured, showing him the rifle.

The board never gave me vacations. They owed me nothing. Because I was seventeen, a teenager by human standards, my mere existence was illegal. Instead of destroying me, they’d offered me a job—after all, what better to fight paranormals than one of their own they could keep on a leash? That was the catch. If I failed missions or displeased my employers, they could kill me.

Didn’t you break one last week? Jud asked, eyeing the rifle halves. They’re going to burn your ass for this.

I groaned. I know. I hope they’re not too mad.

They’ll complain, but it’s part of the job. Don’t worry.

The team secured the werewolves to a table beneath the copter. An operative pushed a thick hypodermic needle into one wolf’s neck. The extra sedative ensured they wouldn’t wake. I’d seen one do that before. It hadn’t been pretty.

Jud climbed into the helicopter and plopped into one of the grungy seats. I looked back over the clearing and felt the adrenaline ease from my system. Ghostly claws scraped at my chest, and howls still echoed in my ears. I breathed in, pine scent washing away the smells of battle.

We’re going to leave you here, Jud called out.

No, you won’t, I said, then boarded the helicopter and claimed the seat beside him. A smile crossed my face. Missions were getting easier. Those wolves had put up a fight, but it hadn’t been very hard. I’d only gotten a few cuts. My suit suffered worse.

Stop grinning. You look freaky when you do that, Jud said, prodding my side. I jerked, glaring at him. The tips of my fangs tingled as my gaze traveled over his smooth, tanned neck. Why are you smirking, anyway?

I curled my lips over my fangs. I shouldn’t have looked at him that way. What? It’s funny. One vampire fought three werewolves and won. I laughed, pulling my knees up to my chest as the helicopter’s liftoff jarred us. I’d say that means vampires get a point and werewolves get nothing.

Nah, they beat you.

How? Because they broke my rifle?

"Nope. They’re getting laid."

I scowled. You’re almost out of your twenties, you old man. You can’t talk like that anymore.

He snorted, clapping me on the back. "No matter what you think, it’s werewolves three, vampires zero. His gaze traveled down to my arm. I tensed under his stare; what was he thinking? Get something for that arm. It doesn’t look good."

I looked away. It’s not deep enough to bother. It’ll heal in a day or two.

If you say so. Don’t complain to me when it gets infected.

Have I ever? I said, smiling shyly.

Despite my claim, he passed me a handful of antibacterial wipes. The smile grew wider on my face. I peeled back the sleeve of my suit. Angry red gashes covered my arm. The wound burned when I applied the wipes. I blinked away tears, both from pain and happiness. His concern meant so much; I loved when he noticed me. I turned toward Jud to thank him.

His head bowed over his smartphone. I paused, frowning. He scrolled through his e-mails, his expression growing grim. "This does not look good."

What? I asked, sitting up straighter.

New paranormal species, he said. Apparently they kill and eat humans. We’re getting a ton of reports about it. He looked at me. Despite the news, he smirked. "You know what this means, don’t you? Overtime!"

CHAPTER 2

ZOMBIE EX-WIVES

The steel International Paranormal Organization building loomed an imposing eight stories and stretched a football field’s length. Our helicopter landed on a rooftop pad. The copter’s blades sent dust flying in the moonlight. No other lights glimmered in the distance—our headquarters existed far from any nearby cities, primarily because rule-breaking and dangerous paranormals were brought here for containment. Only rugged mountains backed the building. If any prisoner escaped, they’d have nowhere to go.

A team came back saying they saw one of the new paranormals, Jud shouted over the chopper noise as he jumped out of the cabin. Let’s see if they’re still here.

Jud and I raced from the whipping blades. We hurried down the narrow stairwell, our shoes tracking mud on the concrete. An operative team stood crowded around the large gold ouroboros insignia—a painting of a dragon eating its own tail—on the main floor. One of them gesticulated wildly as he spoke, his face lit up with excitement.

You’d think the thing was a cat by the way it moved, but it was humanoid! He curled his fingers like claws. It had these glowing yellow eyes and a mouth full of fangs. I was scouting the area with my partner, and when we turned a corner, one of those things had just jumped a hobo up the alley and smashed his skull open! It tried eating his brains, but I shot at it. Then it ran off.

I frowned. No paranormal species ate humans. Sure, we vampires fed on human blood, and sometimes werewolves mauled humans, but never in human form. Jud was right; this was a new species. New paranormals came out of the woodwork every few years. The last I’d encountered was a type of territorial gremlin that lived in trash dumps. Boy those things could be mean.

What in the hell eats people’s brains? asked an operative. Zombies?

I’d have voted ex-girlfriends, Jud said, grinning.

Maybe it was a zombie ex-girlfriend! That thing was fast and vicious!

I looked at Jud, my breath quickening. Joy fluttered in my chest as I watched his expressions change with comic speed—first a wide grin, then a wide-eyed stare, then a deep frown that wrinkled his forehead as he listened to the gruesome details from the other operatives. He glanced over. I tore my gaze from him and focused on the operative telling the story. I blushed as my fangs tingled.

"I still don’t get how he crushed the guy’s head with his hand, said the operative. These new paranormals must be strong."

Can you imagine how many missions we’ll get off this? Jud asked, slipping his hands into his pockets. Of course he wanted more missions; Jud would take on death itself if he could. The muscles in his neck rippled as he swallowed, their movement smooth under the warm skin. No, I’m not supposed to be looking there. "This is going to keep us busy for weeks. I love it."

Don’t you ever get tired? I asked, forcing myself to look away.

Nope, he said. Did you guys call the board about this? They’ll want to know.

Of course I did. I radioed in that sucker the second it left. We couldn’t find it afterward, though.

Why did I keep looking at Jud’s neck? It was wrong.

I watched the elevator glide down its cord at back of the atrium. Surrounding it was a waterfall and fake plants. This was the board’s way of introducing color. The cold steel walls made the place feel like an institution. That wasn’t far from the truth.

Jud elbowed me. My fangs elongated and bit into my bottom lip. Bet you a dollar we get a mission within two days.

You probably already got our assignment, I said, swatting his head. He stood much taller than I did, so that was pointless, but he still ducked and laughed. I’m not letting you steal my money anymore.

What? I don’t steal your money. I…accept forced donations.

I snorted. "Forced donations is right."

Hey, guys, I’m beat. I’m going home, said the operative who’d told the story. Jud, if you get any intelligence about these weird creatures, keep me in the loop.

No problem, he said, then turned toward me. You want to grab something from the cafeteria before you go to sleep? I can tell you’re thinking about a nap. You always get that dazed expression when you’re tired.

I looked down, embarrassed that he’d noticed anything in my eyes. Yeah, I guess. It’d help get the taste of wet dog out of my mouth. I coughed, then picked a strand of fur from my teeth. Wow, I needed a shower.

Awesome, he said, watching the other operatives leave.

How long are you staying? I asked. Should I go get Scrabble?

I lived on the fifth floor, though not by choice. As an illegal underage vampire, I wasn’t allowed outside except on official business. Jud didn’t live here, but sometimes we spent an hour or so in the cafeteria with a game of Scrabble. I appreciated his friendship more than he knew. No one else gave me the time of day. Jud didn’t seem to have a fear of anything, otherwise he probably would have been like all the other operatives: businesslike and stilted around me, yet so lively and playful with each other.

Jud glowered, and I couldn’t help but laugh. "Fine, but I’m demanding a handicap. Give me one hundred points to start."

I guess. You might actually win this time.

I’m just warning you. If you dare spell out ‘zombify’ on a triple word score tile, I’m never playing with you again.

I snickered. Jud always overreacted to Scrabble games, especially when I pulled obscure words out of nowhere. Seeing him trying to balance his annoyance at losing and his pride in my technique never ceased to amuse me. He’d always puff out his cheeks, snort, then grudgingly offer a good game. I tried going easy on him, but words popped from the scrambled letters like magic. I couldn’t resist using a juicy one when it showed.

Okay, okay. I’ll limit myself to six-letter words. I turned and almost smacked into a woman. She yelped, dropping her materials. I mumbled my apologies and gathered her notepad and pen from the floor before she could even finish her shriek. She straightened up, smoothed out her skirt, then looked me up and down. You’re Lorin, right?

Uh, yeah, I said, handing her the materials then taking an uneasy step back. Her name tag read board assistant. Oh no. What did they want?

She continued studying me, as if she expected to find me physically different from humans. Truthfully, I wasn’t. The only things that set me apart were my fangs. I kept those tucked under my bottom lip, but sometimes when I was around Jud or thinking about a meal they’d get longer. My claws were almost always sheathed. Besides that, I looked like an average seventeen-year-old ginger-haired nerd. Okay, maybe I was a little thinner.

The board of directors wants to see you, she said finally.

Wait, what? I asked. The board didn’t usually meet outside of standard business hours. Is it about the rifle?

She frowned. Hmm? They have an emergency briefing.

You owe me a dollar, said Jud, a smirk flitting across his face.

I shoved him away. I never agreed to that.

The assistant’s full lips pursed together. "If you don’t mind, they’d like to see you now."

I looked at Jud. Do you mind waiting a little?

He shrugged. No biggie. I’ll still be here. Go have fun with the board.

Follow me, please. She walked toward the elevator. Her high heels clicked against the floor. The noise aggravated my sensitive hearing, giving me a headache.

I shot Jud a look of thanks, then shuffled after the board assistant. At least he’d still be here when the IPO board finished reaming me out, as they tended to do.

Working for the IPO had its ups and downs. The most obvious down was being on call any time of the night. The ups? Free lodging, free synthetic blood, and an extended deadline for an invasive surgery. IPO law required all vampires to have their fangs removed by making them venomoids. I also had to undergo the operation. They didn’t want me to envenom anyone, even accidentally.

As an operative, I wouldn’t be forced to undergo it until I turned eighteen, as that was the age I’d be allowed to leave. That had seemed so far away until about three months ago. Now the word venomoid haunted me, making it hard to concentrate. Anxiety built in my stomach. I tried not to think about my operation, but once I started I couldn’t stop. My fangs ached, shrinking.

My claustrophobia flared a touch as I stepped into the elevator beside the board assistant. Vampires couldn’t stand enclosed spaces; it made us nervous. Our most famous ability was speed—we could move faster than the eye could see, but that didn’t help in a cramped space. At least the fear displaced my other anxieties. I contemplated the markings on the ceiling as the elevator carried us to the fourth floor. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the woman’s gaze intensifying.

Excuse me, but how long have you worked here? she asked.

Seven years, I said, looking out the elevator’s clear glass backing toward the atrium. Jud’s dark hair stuck out in the throng of people. He’d found a small group and was laughing with them. Jealousy twisted a thorn in my chest. Oh wait, you said worked. I’ve only worked here three years. I didn’t start missions until I turned fourteen.

So you’ve been here since you were ten?

Yes, I said, then turned away. I didn’t want to think about how I’d become a vampire. Violent red eyes leaked through my mental barricade. I released a slow breath and focused on the thin bar of light between the elevator doors.

How did you—? The elevator’s ding interrupted her.

I could have fainted from relief. Um, sorry. I have to get going.

Shame burned in my chest as I stepped past the opening steel doors. I sucked at ending awkward conversations. I’d been told before I sounded aloof, but I didn’t know how to fix that. Friendliness didn’t come easily to me, especially when people acted like I might kill them. I thought she might follow, but the elevator doors closed, leaving me alone in the hallway.

Sighing, I started toward the meeting room at the far end. My pulse quickened. Maybe I was sensitive, but the board treated me like an inferior. They could also decide I didn’t deserve to live. I dreaded speaking to them. I wished I could be downstairs with Jud instead.

Voices reached my ears. I neared the door, my shoes tracking dirt. I winced, but there wasn’t much I could do about the muddiness. They’d called me after finishing a mission. I smelled awful and had sweated out a bucketful on the way back. As someone