Evans, Gabrielle - From This Moment [The Moonlight Breed 7] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic Ma by Gabrielle Evans (best desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

More than that, it felt very wrong to endanger so many people who had put everything on the line to help them. He knew he couldn’t fight this battle alone, but there had to  be  something more he could do to help than just sit around and wait for more bad guys to come.

“What are you meeting about?” Oscar asked his mate, though he was still staring at Zavion with a look that said he was going to grill him for details the minute they were alone.

“Cole thinks he might have some information about where The  Hive is located,” Demitrius answered as he slid a plate in front of  Oscar. “Eat.”

Oscar picked up his fork and stabbed obediently at his eggs. “And

what about the meeting with Stavion?”

36                        Gabrielle Evans

“Just stuff.” There was an unease to Demitrius’s tone that

immediately caught Zavion’s attention.

“What kind of ‘stuff’ exactly?”

“The Drones we captured are finally talking. More to the point,  the vampire Enforcers were able to compel information out of them.”

“That makes sense. Thank you,” Zavion added to Cian when the  man slid a plate full of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him along  with a steaming cup of coffee.

“My pleasure, darlin’,” Cian replied with a kiss to Zavion’s brow and a lingering caress down his neck. It seemed the guy just couldn’t  keep his hands to himself, and Zavion couldn’t have been more  thrilled about it. “What makes sense?”

“That the Drones couldn’t be compelled. They have all kinds of  pharmaceuticals in that lab.  They gave us D-212 to enhance whatever  makes us shift. Then there were the drugs that actually prevented us  from shifting.”

“Don’t forget those little blue pills that made us horny,” Zuriel  said with a little shiver. “Those were horrible.”

Zavion bobbed his head in agreement. “Then there were the green pills that kind of heightened our susceptibility to suggestion, like a mind control drug, I guess.”

“So, it makes sense that the Drones would be given some kind of pill or shot to  prevent mind control,” Oscar concluded as he set his fork down and folded his arms over his chest with a glare up at  Demitrius. “What’s going on? You’re obviously hiding something, so spit it out.”

“I don’t want you to get all worked up, but we might have a problem.”

“What problem?” Oscar, Zavion, Zuriel, and Cian all asked at the

same time.

Demitrius winced, a strange reaction for such a large man. “Those

little microchips in your necks?”

From This Moment                       37

“Yes?” Oscar asked dangerously.  Zavion recognized it as his “big  brother” voice, the one he always  used on him, Zuriel, and Cicero  when he was getting annoyed with them.

Speaking of Cicero, where the hell is he?

“Talking to the new head doc,” Zuriel whispered to him,  obviously having read his thoughts. The poor guy did his best to stay  out of everyone’s head, but it wasn’t an easy task.  Zavion didn’t  mind, though. He didn’t have anything to hide from his twin.

He hoped the psychologist or whoever they’d brought in could  help Cicero, but he had his doubts. Three months, and the guy still  hadn’t spoken a word. Zavion didn’t exactly see him opening up to  some stranger if he wouldn’t even talk to his friends.

“They’re not just tracking devices,” Demitrius continued, but he  didn’t look very happy about it.

“Well, what are they? Self-destruct buttons?” Oscar snorted and  bit into a piece of toast. “Good one.”

Except Demitrius didn’t look like it was a joke. His eyes  tightened in the corners,  his eyebrows dipped into a shallow  V, and his lips  pressed together in a grimace.

“You can’t be serious!” Zavion yelled,  jumping up from his chair  so quickly that he banged into the table and knocked over his coffee.  He barely paid any attention to it. “We’re just walking time bombs  and could fall down dead at any second? What the fuck?”

“Tell me you’re joking,” Oscar said quietly.

“He’s not joking,” Zuriel  confirmed with a terrified expression.  “Oh, crap. Oh, crap.” His eyes misted with unshed tears, and he began  to tremble. “I don’t want to die.”

“No one is dyin’ today,” Cian said firmly as he pulled Zavion into  his arms and hugged him tightly. “Easy, little fox.” Cradling the back  of his head, Cian brushed his warm lips over Zavion’s temple.  “Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”

“Would I ever let anyone hurt you?” Demitrius asked in a subdued  tone as he lifted Oscar into his arms and crushed him tightly to his

38                        Gabrielle Evans

chest. “From what this Drone said, The Hive will activate the  microchips if you aren’t returned within ten days.”

“How long is that?” Did their time start from when the Drones left  The Hive? Or did the ten days begin  from the time Oscar was  kidnapped? It was some horrible game of Russian  roulette, and  Zavion hated it.

“I don’t know.” Demitrius squeezed his eyes closed and held  Oscar even tighter. “I’d guess soon, though.”

“Great,” Zuriel huffed. “So I could just keel over in my orange  juice right now. Yes, that’s a perfect way to fuck up my day.”

“The microchips are designed to release a small amount of toxins  into your systems over a period of two weeks. From what we  understand, it’s completely untraceable and with no  known cure  outside of The Hive.”

“The drug is untraceable, no one knows how we died, and  without evidence, The Hive can’t be faulted in any wrongdoing.”  Oscar sighed and wiggled out of his mate’s arms. “I guess I really  shouldn’t be surprised.”

“The toxins take about  fourteen days to run their course and…”  Demitrius trailed off, apparently unable to finish his thought.

Zavion understood perfectly, though. “Fourteen days to run their  course and kill us,” he clarified. “Well, I guess that’s better than dying tomorrow.”

“No one is dying!” Demitrius roared. “We just have to find that  fucking lab.”

“Then what?” Oscar demanded. “Are you going to waltz in there,  kidnap a Doctor, and force him to  give us the cure?”

Demitrius crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. “That’s the  plan.”

“What about the Drones?” Zuriel asked. “That place is crawling  with them.”

“Not a problem,” Cian answered before