Page 92 of Contested Crown
“Yeah. Reaper. It’s a drug that turns werewolves feral. Immense strength, crazy power. The sort of high that makes your average werewolf feel like an alpha.” I frowned, thinking about the new street drug sweeping Los Santos and the suburbs around it. “It even works on humans. Imagine angel dust, but now you can punch through a brick wall and not feel it until it wears off.”
“Why would anyone take such a thing?” Cade asked sharply.
“Because it leaves you feeling like a king. Most will take it just to enjoy the power. They don’t go destructive.” I thought about the number of people we supplied, the pounds of it that we could move in a single week. “Imagine that you’re powerless. You’re kicked around by society. You can’t hold down a job, and even in your own pack, you aren’t the alpha. Or you have an alpha who likes to use you as his whipping boy. Worse, what if you don’t even have a pack? What if you’re stuck, rejected by society, rejected by all the packs?”
For a moment, my mind went to Jay unexpectedly. The strange shape of his wolf, the way he was so hesitant around me, how even my blunt acceptance had almost been too much for him.
“Wouldn’t you want to take a drug that makes you feel all-powerful?” I looked at Cade, trying to determine if he understood.
“But if it makes you so aggressive, like those wolves we ran into earlier, why would you take it?” He blinked at me, raising both eyebrows.
“No. They weren’t on Reaper. Reaper makes you powerful, and when someone’s more powerful, they might become more aggressive, but I’ve never seen anyone on Reaper try to punch through a moving car.” I thought back, remembering the man we had run into at the homeless encampment. “Or attack a healthy alpha for no good reason. They were on Thorn.”
“And what is Thorn?” Cade asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before. But if it’s here in the city, that means Declan is running it.” I looked down at the small plastic in my hand, rubbing my thumb around it. “Maybe that was what he had here.”
But that didn’t make any sense. The woman we had run into said Thorn was designed for werewolves, and this had been a mage bar. Also, Declan didn’t like to mix his two main sources of income.
His drugs were in one area of town, one set of buildings; his establishments—his bars, his clubs—those were in different buildings. It was smart business: in case someone took down one, the other was untouched.
Frustrated, I pocketed the lid. What would make Declan change his best practices?
“This woman—the one you didn’t kill—you have feelings for her?” Cade raised both eyebrows, and I stared at him, my mouth working for a moment before I barked a laugh.
Cade’s entire face shut down, closing, his brows drawing together as he glared at me. “Why are you laughing? It’s an honest question. I understand that we… That is… I understand what we’re doing now?—”
Cade broke off, and I blinked at him slowly, letting my smirk color my words. “And what are we doing now, Cade?”
“We’re partners.” Cade swallowed, his throat working, and he raised his chin, meeting my eyes with a glare. “You said you would become my consort.”
My mouth fell open, breath catching fast. When he said that, there was a tone to it. When he saidconsort, he didn’t mean partner. He didn’t mean lover. He meant something deeper. The way he said it, I understood that he meant I would be his.
A surge of possessiveness rose in my chest. Fine, I would be his, but that meant he was going to bemine.
“No. I didn’t have any feelings for her. She was an alpha. She reminded me a little of my mom. I don’t know what Oedipal issues mages grow up with, but I didn’t want her.” I let myself linger on the last word, drawing it out so Cade could hear what was underneath. I had no desire forher. But I had plenty of desire forhim.
Cade nodded. “So do you think she has something to do with what’s going on now? If what the men said was accurate…”
I blinked, surprised I hadn’t made the connection myself. Cade was right. They said I had thrown away my life over whatever was going on, whatever new business Declan had. That meant two things: it had to do with Tabitha, and I needed to talk with her now.
ChapterThirty
The way I had left things, I thought Tabitha had fled, disappearing into a different city. “Go help someone somewhere else. Somewhere that isn’t controlled by Declan Monroe.” That was what I had told her.
But Declan’s men had talked like maybe she was still an issue, like maybe she was still being a pain in Declan’s ass, only this time, she was smart enough to not get caught. Either that or Declan’s new guys weren’t half as good as I was.
“Where can we find her?” Cade asked. His voice brought me back to the present, and I blinked.
“The last time, she was helping junkies in the Mission. That’s where we’ll start.” It gave me a line to focus on, something to hold tight to when everything else seemed to be spinning out from underneath me.
“All right.” Cade looked at me, and I couldn’t help smirking at him.
“Are you sure you’re ready, Your Highness?” I took a step forward, unable to resist, unable to break away from the pull of Cade’s gravity. “We’re about to go where no mage prince has gone before.”
“You would be absolutely shocked what bored, rich, spoiled young heirs can get up to. Anyway, I truly doubt it can top where you insisted we spend last night.” Cade’s eyes were hooded, and he glanced up at me through fine blond lashes.
“So you admit to being spoiled,” I said. I took another step forward, enjoying the way his breath hitched, his eyes having to move up even further to catch mine. “When this is all done, is that what you’re going to expect? Your consort to wait on you hand and foot?”