Venom by Jennifer Estep

Author:Jennifer Estep [Estep, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9781439148013
Publisher: Pocket
Published: 2010-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Venom

Footsteps smacked, fabric swished on the deck behind us, and I felt another blast of ele- mental magic—Fire magic. Dozens of tiny, hot, invisible needles pricked my skin, and my jaw locked even tighter as I struggled to keep my face impassive. To show no sign that I felt any- thing out of the ordinary. Especially not Mab Monroe’s elemental Fire magic dripping off her body like hot candle wax. Slater stepped back, dragging me with him, to make room for his boss, Mab Monroe. Evidently the giant was making too much of a scene, and the Fire ele- mental had decided to get involved and see exactly what was going on. “Is there a problem here?” Mab asked, repeating Owen’s words. The Fire elemental’s low, breathy voice always reminded me of delicately rasping silk. But there was also power in her tone, raw force that couldn’t be denied, a clear presence that said fuck with me and you’re dead. For a moment, the Fire elemental regarded me with her black gaze. Unlike most element- als, whose eyes glowed brighter when they reached for their magic, Mab Monroe’s darkened. The blackest ink would have seemed pale in comparison to her ebony orbs. A flicker of recog- nition sparked in Mab’s gaze. She realized who I was and seemed just as surprised to see me here as Jonah McAllister had. Hardly shocking. After all, I was just a lowly restaurant owner. It wasn’t like I moved in her rich, highfalutin circles. At least, not as Gin Blanco anyway. As the Spider, I’d had my share of dealings with a good portion of those in attendance tonight. I met the Fire elemental’s gaze with a steady one of my own. I wasn’t going to pretend to be cowed by her. Not by the bitch who’d so viciously murdered my mother and older sister, who’d taken such glee in torturing me all those years ago, who’d ordered the murder of my sister Bria just yesterday. No, I wasn’t going to pretend that Mab Monroe scared me anymore. Not now, not ever. “No problem at all,” Owen replied in a smooth voice. “Seems your giant mistook my date for someone else.” He reached over and tapped on Slater’s hand with his index finger. The giant looked at Mab. The Fire elemental stared at Owen, who looked right back at her. Owen’s gaze never wavered. Neither did Mab’s. All around us, conversation had stopped. Even the slot machines were quiet as folks stopped feeding coins into them to watch this much more interesting gamble by Owen Grayson. After a moment, Mab jerked her head. The motion made her coppery hair spill over her shoulders like a bloody fan unfurling. Elliot Slater huffed his disappointment at his boss’s obvi- ous order, but the giant released his grip on me. Owen held out his hand, which I stepped for- ward and took, slipping my palm into his.

Slater stared at me, but I didn’t rub my upper arm where the giant had held me.

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