by Brenda Trim
Movement from the corner of his eye had his arm up and swinging in that direction. His entire fist was buried in the side of a smelly, slimy, green demon. Dante gripped his weapon and slashed around as he pulled his hand back.
He hit the beast’s heart because it slumped to the ground unmoving a second later. His shoulder burned and his stomach was on fire. There were a couple more demons, but the Dark Warriors had them under control.
“Help Dante. I’m going to take care of the humans.” Dante turned his head in the direction of Zander’s voice and watched as he crossed to the remaining humans while Izzy approached him.
Dante’s legs gave out when he realized the immediate danger had passed. Izzy caught him before he could land on his ass. “I’ve got you.”
Dante locked his knees and used the Princess to steady himself. “We need to clean this up before anyone else comes across this mess.”
Jett dumped a demon carcass on top of the pus demon Dante killed. “We’ve got this. You guys get back to Jessup House. We need to ask Chloe what the Daeva looked like. If this wasn‘t him then we have another one to hunt.”
Dante nodded and started walking back the way they’d come with Izzy at his side. The entire scene in that park didn’t make any sense to him. Were the demons trying to infuse more dark energy into the area?
There’s been plenty of murders in Central Park over the years, but nothing like the battle on the land in New Orleans. The battle wasn’t big enough to create the amount of energy they would need.
Zander jogged up and joined them. “What are these archdemons up to now? That was a shite show.”
“I think this one was merely getting his jollies. I can’t see it fitting into a larger plot to free Lucifer.”
Izzy shrugged her shoulders. “Everything demons do is for a reason. Doesn’t matter if it’s about Lucifer’s agenda or their own. They need to be stopped.”
Dante couldn’t argue with that. Sometimes they got caught up in uncovering the larger plots that they forgot none of their behavior could be tolerated. They were evil beings that needed to be eradicated from the realm.
Blood continued to drip from Dante’s wounds as they exited onto the street. He hoped Chloe was back. It hadn’t been long since he’d met her, but he was already addicted to her presence and hated being apart from her. Goddess, he was becoming one of those males!
Chapter 12
Hayden lifted a hand and waved to the alpha as he approached the mess hall. The fresh air and energy of his kind surrounding him rejuvenated him despite being up all night obsessing about his plans.
His mind wouldn’t shut off no matter what he did. Shortly after midnight he shifted to his bear form and went for a run then drank a liter of bourbon then jacked off, but nothing helped turn shit off so he could sleep.
It was around four in the morning when he dismissed his doubt and resolved to continue his search for the right humans to come out to. As soon as he made that decision he finally dozed off.
Jason approached him before he made it inside the building. “Sire. We need to talk.”
Lydia was standing next to the buffet table smiling coyly at him. Hayden ran a hand through his hair wishing he could hold onto the calm reassurance he woke up with. “Let me grab a coffee. I need the boost this morning.” He hadn’t gotten that much sleep.
Jason’s eyes grew somber. “You might want to pick up a breakfast sandwich while you’re at it. You’ll need it too.”
“Fuck.” Hayden hurried into the hall and straight for Lydia. The female was making her interest obvious. Hayden made a point to connect with his shifters as often as possible. He’d love to get lost in her and ignore whatever Jason had to tell him.
Unfortunately, as the Omega he couldn’t do that. “Good morning Lydia. Can I get coffee and a sausage sandwich to go, please?”
Lydia’s smile tightened and her head bobbed. “Absolutely, Sire. Perhaps later we can go for a run.”
Hayden smiled and accepted the paper wrapped food. “I would love that if there’s time.”
Lydia smiled and turned to help Matt with the pans of eggs and bacon he was bringing out from the kitchen. Hayden opened one end and took a bite of buttery, meaty goodness.
Chewing and swallowing the bite, he returned to Jason. “What’s happened?”
Jason started walking away from the hall in the opposite direction Hayden had driven last night. “Three of our males have disappeared and I believe Angel’s Kiss is behind it.”
Hayden’s heart went wild, beating so hard in his chest he became dizzy. Sweat beaded his brow while his mind went into overdrive. “Why do you say that? Is there any evidence the drug is involved?”
He was sick and fucking tired of that drug destroying his kind. It didn’t just affect shifters. It was killing supernaturals and humans everywhere. And it wasn’t just the drug harming others. Those making it killed Nikko not long ago. And that was after they’d killed the female responsible for creating the drug.
Unfortunately, everything they’ve done hasn’t been able to stop the distribution completely. In the year since her death, her followers have continued her work. Evzen and Jace had been working overtime trying to break the sick bond Lady Angelica had over her worshippers. Every damn time they thought they had eradicated the last of it something new popped up.
Jason ducked under a low hanging branch as he approached a group of cabins in the back of the property. “I haven’t discovered evidence, but when the rumors started this morning everything suddenly made sense. I’m hoping we might pick up something at their house.”
“What suddenly made sense? I sent out a list of symptoms a couple years ago. Did they fit?” Hayden barely held back his growl. If one of his alphas ignored information, he was going to beat the information into his skull.
Jason’s head swiveled his way before he lowered his eyes. “It wasn’t as obvious as what you outlined. They were edgy but hadn’t lost interest in everyone around them. They didn’t have sores and weren’t exactly withdrawn. It was more that they were almost manic. Not sleeping and more volatile than usual. Initially, I ascribed it to the fact that several of our females were going into heat. It makes everyone a bit testy.”
“That might be it, but it’s not a reasonable answer. After all, only our mated females go into heat. As you know our reproductive systems are blocked until we find our fated. They shouldn’t be driven toward a female that belongs to another. Their scent is too similar to their mate’s. Let’s check their houses.”
Ever since Zander found Elsie it seems as if everyone has lost their damn minds. It was a slow progression at first, but it has sped up since Angel’s Kiss came on the scene. It was one of the reasons Hayden believed humans needed to become involved in their protection.
The air sweetened as they approach the first cabin. Jason opened the door and glanced back at Hayden. “Drew and Eli live here together and Rick’s house is next door.”
Three? It wasn’t until that moment that the oddity of the number hit Hayden. “Having a group become involved with the drug is odd. We’ve only ever seen individual usage. I’m not ruling it out, but it’s something to keep in mind.”
The sweet scent of berries was tempered by that of thunderstorms the moment they stepped over the threshold. A growl left Hayden when he saw the messy room. Shifters are clean creatures. Most supernaturals are because of their sensitive noses, but especially his kind because they have an even greater sense of smell.
Yet, these two males have been living in filth. Garbage was everywhere. There were empty bags of chips on the coffee table, floor and sofa. There were also rotting apple cores, stale pizza, and half eaten muffins covered in green fuzz.
“Holy shit. It’s the drugs isn’t it? No way could they live like this otherwise.” Jason picked up a blanket and something fell to the floor with a splat.
Hayden gagged as feces overrode decay in the room. “It’s looking more and more likely that you’re right. From what we hav
e seen this scene is consistent. And, I hate to say it but it’s probable that these males are deep into their addiction to Angel’s Kiss.”
Jason shook his head and released a sigh. “I should have visited sooner. Maybe I could have done something before it got this bad.”
Hayden placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder and squeezed. “There is no way you could have known. Besides addiction progresses rapidly with these users. Humans die the first time they use it where our kind lasts much longer. But I’ve seen users near death after only four uses. I need to have evidence. Something Santiago and Orlando can investigate.”
Jason tossed the dirty blanket to the side and picked up one of the sofa cushions. “You can always reach out to Papperdero House. The Dark Warriors there would be happy to help. And, Richmond isn’t far, so they can come to us.”
Hayden was breathing through his nose as he used the toe of his boot to move shit around on the ground. Pausing in his search, he took his cell from his back pocket. “Good call. We could use the help searching for clues. At a minimum, I want to find these guys so I can determine if I need to force them into rehab or biofeedback therapy. Cause if there’s no drug use, they need some serious fuckin’ help.”
Hayden typed out a message directing the warriors to return to the pack to help. Gunnar responded immediately with a thumbs up while Oscar actually replied with words. The differences were evidence of their ages.
Is there anything you can tell us? I assume there is an emergency and I can have Diego and Jon on standby.
Hayden considered what to tell them and settled on the basics. We have three missing shifters suspected of Angel’s Kiss use.
Hayden chuckled at the emoticon Gunnar sent back. The hands to the cheeks and wide eyes of the yellow face said it all. Yes, it was shocking to think shifters were still using the drug after all the education they’d been doing realm wide.
Oscar’s response skipped over the information entirely. Be there in 20.
Hayden returned his cell to his pocket. “Oscar and Gunnar are on their way. What else can you tell me about the missing?”
Jason turned to the kitchen where he opened cabinets and drawers. “Drew and Rick work from home. Drew is in computers while Rick is an accountant. Eli worked for a human marketing firm in Richmond, but recently quit to start his own company. I haven’t heard how that’s going for him. Drew and Eli are siblings and grew up with their mother and grandparents after their father was killed by demons. Rick’s parents and two sisters moved to California six months ago.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary then. Any connection to sorcerers?” Hayden held his breath and tried to tune into his surroundings. Angel’s Kiss carried a certain energy that his kind could often sense if they tried. There was no foreign energy in the house.
Jason opened the fridge. “We all have friends in the core alliance species. Are sorcerers responsible? You haven’t issued a warning about them.”
Hayden growled as he bent to check the fireplace. “We can’t put the blame on any specific group. Regardless of who started it, it never would have caught on if we had all been more vigilant. I ask because the last person known to create and disseminate the drug was a sorcerer. He’s responsible for killing Nikko.”
“Who killed Nikko? I’d like to find the fucker and say hello,” Oscar announced when he entered the house. Hayden stood up and smiled at the canine.
Gunnar stepped through right behind Oscar. “Good to see you again, Sire.”
“You too, Gunnar. Oscar. As for who killed Nikko, it was the sorcerer last responsible for making Angel’s Kiss.”
Gunnar wrinkled his nose as he looked around while Oscar lifted his upper lip. The two took in the room before Oscar met Hayden’s gaze. “I think it’s a safe bet that these males are addicts.”
Looking around again, Hayden had to agree. “It sure seems that way. Start searching. We need to find information about where we can find them before shit goes completely sideways for them.”
Gunnar paused at the head of the short hall and looked back to them in the disaster area of a living room. “I just pray we aren’t too late. I’ve heard from too many what happens to our bodies from this drug. Santiago painted an awful picture of skin and bones covered with hundreds of sores leaking green shit.”
Hayden’s chest tightened at the mention of Santiago. He dismissed the Dark Warrior and his claims about a substance ravaging their kind like everyone else. At the time it was unthinkable. Now they knew better. And in the end, Santi stuck to his guns and ended up spending six long, painful months incarcerated during a time when he should have been caught up in the mating frenzy.
Shaking off the remorse, Hayden refocused on the conversation at hand. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Pus demons are a different breed entirely, but what Angel’s Kiss does is far worse than they look and smell.”
Gunnar grimaced then continued down the hall along with Gunnar. Jason resumed his search of the kitchen. He found a stack of bills and picked them up. “Is there any hope Drew, Eli and Rick will recover? It sounds as bad as the rumors which doesn’t leave me with much hope for their future.”
Hayden lifted the lid of the laptop that was on the table and buried under stale bread. “If we can get to them before they travel too far down that road there’s a chance, but once they reach a certain point, the rate of survival goes down to less than ten percent.”
“Then we have some work to do.”
“Yes, we do,” Hayden agreed as he booted up the computer. He sent a silent prayer to the Goddess for information that would lead them to these males before they lost them.
As much as Hayden hated to admit it, he was forever grateful Zander broke the mating curse all those years ago. They were no longer on the endangered list with extinction a few short decades away. But they weren’t stable by any means. They’d suffered too many fucking losses over the centuries of the war against demons that it would take a couple decades for them to find solid footing again.
Hayden was going to do whatever it took to ensure his kind thrived and moved forward.
Chapter 13
Chloe’s skin prickled the second she stepped onto the sidewalk. The scent of demon was faint, but there and the street was quiet as a mouse. It reminded her of the night she was kidnapped by that Davea.
The mere thought of him and her heart started racing in her chest while her skin froze over. She swore she got cold enough to see her breath when she exhaled. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her chest and climbed the steps to the brownstone.
It wasn’t until she had turned around and was ten feet down the sidewalk that she realized they had strong protections around their property. Shaking her head, she tried to make her way back to the house. When all she got was static and she remained immobile, she had to reach deep to find a way through the enchantment.
Dante must not have considered she wouldn’t be able to return very easily. For a split second she considered calling another car and returning to her house. If he hadn’t been attacked by Spider demons yesterday, she would have done exactly that. She had no desire to fight.
It hadn’t been easy to accept Dante’s help, but she had. And, she’d agreed to give them what information she could about the Daeva demon. The world would be a safer place for all beings if the archdemon was sent back to Hell. There had to be a way to reach the door.
Her heart fluttered as she recalled her time with Dante. Warmth radiated from her the center of her chest. When she focused, she detected a thin string connecting her to her sexy cambion.
Keeping that front and center, she tried once again and managed to make it up the stone steps and rap her knuckles against the door. Axel tugged the panel open and she was hit with demonic energy.
Any lingering effects of the alcohol she imbibed with Tris disappeared in an instant. “What happened?”
Axel ran a hand over his jaw and sighed. There was dried blood crusted on one shoulder and black goo on his cheek near
what looked like a healing burn. Demon blood. It had to be. It’s the only thing that would cause a wound like that.
“We fought and killed a Daeva along with several beasts he let through the portal he opened.”
Chloe’s eyes went wide as she considered what Axel said. Her feet were carrying her further into the house as she spoke. “How did they get in here? Are they still here?”
“We didn’t fight them here,” Axel replied from behind her.
Her angel blade was in her hand as she rounded a corner and ran into Jett. The Dark Warrior narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you here to get revenge for the death of your boyfriend? His plan to trap us failed, by the way.”
Chloe rolled her eyes at Jett. “Fuck off. Where’s Dante?”
The sound of a wet cough echoed from the room behind Jett. It was the location where she’d first woken up in Jessup House. “Fucking hell.” That was Dante’s voice cursing. “Leave her alone, Jett.”
Chloe pushed past the warrior and stopped in her tracks. Dante was sprawled on the couch in nothing but a pair of stained leather pants. There were bite marks on his shoulder, cuts across his abdomen and blood everywhere.
Zander and Izzy were dabbing the wounds while Dante clenched his eyes and jaw shut. Chloe continued and knelt by his side. “What the hell happened? Axel mentioned a Daeva demon. Did you find the fucker?”
Dante cracked one eye open. The tension in his body was so intense she was surprised he didn’t snap. “I’m not sure if it was the one that took you, but we faced one in Central Park that opened a portal to the Underworld.”
Chloe ran a hand along one ragged wound. Dante’s body jerked at the contact. “If he had short black hair and eyes as dark as night then you got the fucker.”
These guys must have seen the mate mark on his back. They must know what she was to him. Well, what he claimed she was. Suddenly, it felt as if every eye in the place was watching her every move. It was really fucking unnerving. She wanted to turn tail and take off.