Read Midnight Craving: Midnight Vice, Book 1 for Free Online

recognized
    it as the scent of her grandfather, a prince of hell she’d met only once. It wasn’t a smell one ever forgot. But
    there was something else in the air. “Ammonia,” she whispered.
    “Yeah? I don’t smell anything but rotten eggs.” He eyed the marble staircase. His aura pulsed against
    hers as he used his powers to search for others in the house. “We’re alone. I’m heading up. You do the rest
    of the downstairs?”
    Isla nodded. “Yell if you need me.”
    “You do the same.”
    With quiet steps, Isla moved through the connected rooms. She approached every closet and doorway
    with extreme trepidation. As she cleared each space, she kept energy burning in her palm, ready to strike at
    a moment’s notice. The ammonia stench grew heavier toward the rear of the home. It was tainted with other
    chemical smells she wasn’t used to breathing. The caustic stench irritated her throat and nasal passages so
    badly she threw up her arm and used the thick hoodie fabric as a breathing shield.
    In the kitchen doorway Isla coughed and blinked. Her eyes burned and watered. She couldn’t believe
    the sight before her. The kitchen had been completely converted to some kind of drug lab. By the looks of
    the various empty chemical bottles, she surmised someone had been cooking meth here. Realizing the
    danger, she quickly backed away and retreated to the main hallway of the house.
    Jace hurried down the stairs. He shot her a concerned glance as she coughed loudly. “What’s wrong?”
    “You aren’t going to believe this, but they’re cooking meth back there.”
    “ What? ”
    “Yes, totally. They’ve got a full lab setup in the kitchen. Stinks to high heaven.”
    “Let’s go.” Jace grabbed her arm and hustled her toward the door. “You need medical attention?”
    She shook her head. “Just some fresh air.”
    Once outside, Jace pulled his cell from his front pocket and started dialing. “We’ve got to get narcotics
    out here. This place is a danger to this entire neighborhood.”
    “No shit.”
    As they hurried back to the Tahoe, Jace alerted narcotics and HazMat. He made sure to request the
    Midnight Vice units rather than the regular Houston police and fire teams. With vampires and demons
    involved, who knew what kind of drugs they were cooking up in that kitchen.
    “Demons. Vamps. Meth,” Jace said as they drove away. “Not what I was expecting to find.”
    “Me either. Seems really odd,” Isla added. “Demons have the local drug trade firmly in their pocket.
    Renata’s racket is sex and blood, and she and the higher-ups in the Houston demonic circles don’t play well
    together.”
    “Exactly,” Jace agreed. “That house was cleared out fast so either Renata knew we were coming or the
    demons found out about her new side game.”
    “Either way it’s not good.”
    Isla continued to ponder the various realities behind their discovery as Jace navigated the streets of
    Houston toward the next house on their list. Like all the other houses they’d searched, the fifth provided no
    useful information. It was abandoned and looked as if it had been for weeks. Even though the dead ends
    annoyed her, she found it comforting that there were only two more places Renata could be hiding.
    Isla eyed the skyline. Her stomach lurched. Fall sunsets came early. They had only a couple of hours
    until Renata would be free to move about the city.
    “We’re going to find her.” Jace’s reassuring voice calmed her fears. He looked over and smiled as he
    took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I promise.”
    “From you that actually means something.”
    A strange expression flashed across his features before he returned his attention to the traffic. Still
    holding her hand, he spoke softly. “I’m glad to hear that.”
    Isla enjoyed the calming sensation of her hand resting in his as they made their way to the seventh
    house. The neighborhoods became progressively crummier, the houses more dilapidated