Cambion Lord (Dark Warrior Alliance #23) - Brenda Trim Page 0,44

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 They didn’t have sores and weren’t exactly withdrawn.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 have seen this scene is consistent. And, I hate