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Roman takes a big sip of his beer and shakes his head. “Shit…I don’t know, man. I want to help Cassie, but I’m not…”
“Roman,” I nod, my focus sharpening. “Talk to us.”
“Like I was saying, there’s a split in the Eclipse,” he starts, eyes hard as flint. “Caius’ crew is losing ground to Nero’s. They’re at each other’s throats, and it’s only a matter of time before it spills onto the streets.”
“Great,” Aisling breathes, a hand raking through her hair. “Just what we need, another war.”
“Seems to be coming no matter what,” Roman says. “With the Rossi brothers fighting, Vance Solace breaking omegas out of Eclipse bars…”
“Sounds messy,” I tell him.
“Yeah, that’s because it is,” he says. “But that’s partially because a lot of us don’t agree with what Caius is doing. This new street drug…it’s fucking people up. Nobody in my circle trusts him anymore.”
“Yeah…we’ve noticed,” Aisling murmurs. “It isn’t great. Eros, right?”
“Right. Eros is causing chaos,” Roman nods. “It triggers heats and ruts like we haven’t seen since the Mutation hit.”
I lean back, the leather of the booth creaking under my weight. Heat and rut—primal words that only began to apply after the Great Mutation, now twisted into a nightmare by some street chemist’s fantasy. The Mutation destroyed the world, set whole cities ablaze. Even Pacific City barely made it out without falling into ruin.
Now, Caius is trying to start a new one—or at least that’s how it seems.
“We don’t want another Mutation,” I mutter. “That would be…”
“Catastrophic? Yeah,” Roman says. “And that’s not even the half of it. This shit is intensifying.”
“Intensifying?” Aisling questions, her fingers tapping a staccato rhythm against her bottle.
“Beyond anything natural. The users lose control, become a danger to themselves and others.” Roman’s gaze is locked on mine, ensuring I grasp the severity. “Makes them strong, too. Unpredictable.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some personal experience with that,” I say, a sour taste in my mouth not entirely from the beer. “They dosed me with that shit when I was in their fucking torture dungeon or whatever the hell that was. Made me someone I’m not. Aisling had to bring me back from the brink, and it was like the worst possible detox you could ever go through.”
“Was wondering how you got away,” Roman mutters. “Didn’t know it was that bad. You okay, dude?”
I don’t respond, waving him off. It’s a loaded question, and one I’m not quite ready to answer.
“We have to stop this,” Aisling cuts in. I resist the urge to flash her a grateful smile. , Her eyes are hard as steel when she speaks. “We find the source, we cut off the head.”
I flick the cap of my beer, watch it spin on the scarred table. “So, where’s this eros drug coming from? Any leads?”
“Nothing solid,” Roman admits, eyes scanning the room before settling back on us. “There’s talk of a man—face marked by a tree, inked deep into his skin. They call him Pan.”
“Poetic,” Aisling murmurs, sarcasm lacing her voice as she takes a swig of her drink.
“Doesn’t have the ring of a nursery rhyme, that’s for sure.” I can almost see the guy in my head—or at least someone like him—offering me help then injecting me with an experimental drug. “Got your hands on any of it?”
Roman shakes his head, a shadow crossing his features. “It’s tight. The ones holding are clammed up good. Only the top dogs seem to be playing with this stuff.”
“Figures,” I grunt. Power plays and control, all part of the game we’re forced into.
“Speaking of which,” Aisling cuts in, turning to Roman, “what’s the word on the Eclipse? Anything new since…you know?”
“Since the split?” Roman’s face hardens. “Caius is pushing boundaries, wants to reshape Pacific City. Nero…” He pauses, choosing his words carefully. “Nero’s playing a different angle. Wants to keep things as they are. Profitable.”
“Brothers at odds.” I run my finger along the bottle’s label, peeling at the edges. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“But I’ve got a lead for you,” Roman says. “I was hesitant to offer because it’ll get you into a hell of a lot deeper trouble, but…I could hook you up with Nero, if you want me to.”
Aisling’s brows raise, and she glances from me to him. “For real?”
