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“I’ve never seen you want for company.” His partner drew women like flies to a rotting carcass.

Colin wiped his hands on his faded jeans. “Think I might lay off the ladies for a bit. See where things take me with Doc’s hot little assistant. Got a date with her tonight, in fact.” He pulled up the hem of his vintage T-shirt, revealing a pathetic excuse for a wound.

Jericho shook his head. “You keep running to Ivy for every minor scratch, and Doc Randall will strap you to his operating table and carve out your spleen.” Ivy had seen through his partner’s charms a long time ago.

Colin toed the rogue’s arm. “And there it is.” Black veins tracked up the inside of the male’s forearm. “Just like the other ones we found.”

“Check his pockets.” With any luck, they’d find something that would lead them to his dealer.

Colin wrinkled his nose, probing the ratty denim. “Bastard smells like a wet dog. Hello. What do we have here?” He held up a vial. Inside was a small black crystal. “Black ice, big surprise.”

Black ice, that’s what the civilians were calling it. In its purest form, it was a crystal. Dissolved, it was a pale blue injectable liquid. The darker the color, the stronger the dose and the more damage it caused. Given the condition of the rogue, he’d been hitting it hard.

Colin heaved a disgruntled sigh, glancing up at him. “Drug addiction is a human vice. You’d think the underworld was above this.”

“We’re not. There’s simply been little to tempt us in the past.” With their higher metabolisms, their systems burned off most of the street drugs before they had any effect.

Black ice wasn’t the newest drug on the market, either. It was theonlydrug on the market. It was no wonder so many of their kind were willing to risk the side effects.

From the other pocket, Colin withdrew a hot pink tube of glittery paper. He winced, seeming troubled at the discovery.

“What is it?”

“Cocktail umbrella off a Purple Mamba. Only one place that serves them.” He fell silent, for once measuring his words.

Jericho hesitated to ask, though he feared he already knew the answer. “Where?”

“Howlers,” Colin replied, confirming his suspicions.

Liam’s bar. Jericho exhaled a conflicted sigh. Months ago, the Council decreed anyone who was in possession of the drug or involved in its sale would be punished. Liam was no saint, but it seemed unlikely he’d take that chance. Although, his old friend had been making a number of bad choices lately. Worst being the woman he’d claimed as his Chosen.

Colin’s tone was guarded. “If the higher-ups suspect Liam is connected to black ice…”

They’d show no mercy to the underworld bar owner. For years Jericho had dreaded a situation where loyalty to his lifelong friend would come into conflict with his sworn duty to his clan leader. Given Liam’s track record, it was more of a when not if, that day would come.

Jericho preferred to see things in black and white. Break the law, pay the price, except where it came to Liam. With Liam, there were varying shades of gray. Jericho learned early on to turn a blind eye, not dig too deep or find himself in a difficult position.

He schooled the concern from his expression and grabbed the bottle of oil from the floor. “Let’s see this done. Victor will be waiting for us to make a full report.”

While he doused the bodies, Colin used the male’s lighter to ignite the umbrella, then tossed it onto the pile. “Oops. Will you look at that? Darn thing just caught fire.” As the corpses ignited, the evidence connecting Liam to the rogue turned to ash. Colin held his hands out to the flames as though to warm them, smacking his lips. “Burning corpses is thirsty work. Sure could use a beer. Doubt anyone will mind if we’re late with that report.” As usual, his partner was far from subtle.

Should Jericho fail to prove Liam’s innocence, the least he could do was warn him. If the Council found his friend guilty, Jericho would have to obey their command. The Council was the only thing standing between the underworld and chaos. He’d fought in too many wars and seen firsthand what happened when there were no laws.

“True,” he agreed, and Colin perked up, blue eyes shining in anticipation of a cold beer. That was until Jericho added, “I see no reason for both of us to be late, though. While you file the report, I’ll head to Howlers.”

Three

Electricity sparkedalong theglyphon Alex’s spine, causing her to fumble the glass she was polishing. She puffed out a breath, stirring her bangs.That was close.She hated it when everyone cheered after she broke something.

She set the rocks glass on the back shelf of the bar. What the heck was that, anyway? As long as she avoided skin-to-skin contact, she could usually avoid the whole tasering aspect of her curse. Yet another reason she had the fastest hands in town. The less she touched people, the better.

Maybe it was another glitch. Her freakish abilities had been pretty hit-and-miss the last few weeks. Stronger. Unpredictable. Harder to suppress. With any luck, the damn thing would short-circuit and go away.

Fingers of awareness stroked her nerve endings, slipping past the reinforced mental blocks she’d tugged into place. Screw supernatural radar. Women’s intuition alone said she was being watched.

She turned and jolted.

Jericho!