Page 46 of Visions in Blood
Decker cleared his throat.“There was a specific reason Devon asked for this meeting, but I recently uncovered something you both need to hear.”He glanced around before pulling his chair closer to lean in.“One of my regular fighters went crazy yesterday.Almost beat a guy to death.It took four of my vampire security to pull this guy off.He’s another vampire, who’s been working at the club for over a year now.Not once in all that time has he lost it like that.”He downed a shot and looked directly at Devon.
It wasn’t difficult to see the dread in his friend’s stare, and Devon pushed his own growing anxiety down.“Magic Poppy.”
Decker nodded while Elijah released a small, troubled whistle.“I called off the fights for a couple of days and have him drying out in one of the cages.He swears he didn’t buy it.He thinks somebody slipped it to him.I made some calls but couldn’t get anyone to talk to me.Most were clueless, but some seemed…I don’t know…not exactly afraid.”He shook his head.“Hell, maybe they were scared shitless and hid it beneath that vampire facade.But I found one guy who finally opened up.He’s not one to scare easily, but I didn’t think the others were, either.”He wiped his forehead and glanced around the club.“He said there’s been a spike of the Poppy in SoCal, mostly in the smaller towns, but it’s been moving closer to L.A.”
“This has happened in the past.”A cold chill swept Devon.“The Council will send in the Sentinels and shut down the dealers.”The Council had exterminated the major suppliers of the addictive drug that made vampires go mad, or so he’d thought.The drug had almost doomed him to a similar demise, and while they weren’t the suppliers, any infected vampire unable to recover had been put down for everyone’s safety.
Decker shook his head and mopped his forehead again.“No one knows who’s supplying it, and nobody’s buying it.They just get slipped some and go nuts.Most come out of it after a day or two, but some seem to stay hyped-up longer, like maybe someone keeps dosing them.”
“That actually matches with something Remus heard from the southern packs.They’re also seeing similar instances of vampires raging out, but no one knows why,” Elijah said.
“And now we have our first incident in the north.”The thought of someone slipping the drug to unsuspecting vampires was terrifying, and Devon recentered his aura to douse the growing shakes.“They’re not selling it, so profit isn’t a motive.And why give what appears to be a single dose to some but more to others?It sounds like some type of experiment.”
“Or someone’s sick joke."Elijah’s brows drew down, either in concern or concentration, Devon couldn’t be sure.“Maybe whoever’s slipping the stuff has access to certain vampires while others are simply chance encounters.This could impact our timeline.”
What the shifter didn’t want to say was that this could be the tip of a larger push toward war between the factions.With the Council waffling over their future, vampires hopped up on Magic Poppy could incite fights and territory disputes, forcing a war with the shifters.He and Remus both believed the shifters would be the ultimate losers.If that happened, the shifters wouldn’t just disappear, they’d be subjugated—forced to survive under complete and total vampire domination.
Decker sat back, hands folded over a stomach that had grown too lean since the two of them had reconnected.“This could create chaos for decades, if not centuries.”
Elijah typed a text then stuffed the phone back in his pocket.“The shifters won’t be tamed.You know this.”
He knew they were only voicing their worries, but his anxiety nipped at him, and he snapped his response.“I understand what’s at risk.We know there are members of the Council and a handful of dominant Houses who believe things should return to the days before the House Wars.This is what our partnership is meant to prevent.”
“If we’re not successful, there will be bloodshed on both sides.”Decker’s hand shook as he reached for his drink.
“But this time, the humans will be caught in the middle.”Devon’s first thought was of Cressa and whether he could protect her if that eventuality happened.He might be vampire, but the Council knew his thoughts on this matter quite well.For those who forced the change in the paradigm, he might not be considered on the same level as the shifters, but any new Council would likely take his House and family from him.While he didn’t have the numbers of other Houses, and though censored by the Council, no one today would dare threaten the Trelane House.But if Lorenzo had his way, that would no longer be the case.They wouldn’t want him to have his own army.And though this issue alone should be enough to find a way to break his censure, it wasn’t the only reason.“In the days of the House Wars, there were far fewer humans.They were superstitious, unorganized, and had little in the way of weapons that could harm us.”
“This time—” Elijah leaned in to finish Devon’s train of thought, “—the humans are more advanced, with organized armies and fearsome allies.They won’t go down easily and could possibly destroy us all.”
“With the Council’s long-ago decision to allow the making of vampires, humans could be turned and used against their own.That was why my father was against the Council’s decision.”What he didn’t bother sharing, though Decker knew part of it, was that his father’s opposition to that vote occurred the same time his family’s troubles had begun.Something he’d originally assumed were coincidental—a string of bad luck.He’d been naïve.
“We need more intel on this situation.”He turned to Elijah.“With my history with the Poppy, I’ll need to assign this to one of my personal guards.”
“I’d like to work with Sergi if possible,” Elijah said.“I know him from a mutual issue we had over in Hayfork.”
He remembered the incident.Sergi had been impressed with the shifter.“I’ll arrange for him to make contact.Do you think the shifters down south could be of help?”
“I’ll speak with Remus.That was who I just texted.He’s probably already making calls.”
Decker sat back and kicked Devon under the table while pointing his chin toward the entrance.“The main reason for our meeting has just arrived.”Decker turned his back, leaving Elijah in the best position to watch the entourage approach.“Based on the description Van, the owner of this club, gave me—” Decker checked his watch, “—and it being close to midnight, I’d say the blond man in the lead is Christopher Underwood.”
Devon allowed his hair to dangle in his face so the man wouldn’t recognize him should he glance over.Underwood had his arm around a lithe, raven-haired vampire.It had been three years since he’d met Underwood, and it had only been the one time, yet he never forgot a face, especially with humans.He’d always done business with them, even before his censure, but since then, his ventures were split between the humans and shifters.
There was no question as to his identity, but he was surprised when the vampire at his side smiled and her fangs dropped.Not enough to be threatening, but enough for anyone to not mistake her species, or for Devon to mark her as a young blood.Younger vampires dropped their fangs whenever they got excited, and that included when they were enthralled with someone.They simply had no control over their new baser instincts.
Did Underwood realize the danger he put himself in?With a mature vampire, a person didn’t have to worry—until they did.But at that point, there was no question as to whether shit was going to go down.With the young bloods, one moment they’re excited and happy, and next, someone’s throat was mistakenly ripped out.Children, what was one to do?He chuckled to himself.
“It seems Underwood must know Lorenzo is a vampire or at least has connections to them.”He couldn’t shake the feeling something else was going on, but with everything else he’d heard tonight, his focus had been shattered.
“Maybe Lorenzo picked him because Underwood already had underground connections,” Decker suggested.
“Who is this human?”Elijah asked.
“He has some type of partnership with Lorenzo and has recently become a thorn in my side.If Lorenzo dug far enough, he’d find a brief business encounter between our two companies.Underwood’s current interest in one of my other ventures is bringing Lorenzo closer than I’d like, considering our arrangement.”
Underwood was trailed by two men and two women besides the one hanging on him and pinching his ass.When they kissed, there was no doubt they were more than acquaintances.
“Do either of you recognize the others?Strangely enough, it appears to be a combination of shifters and vampires.”None were familiar to him.
