The thick chain around his neck dissuaded any kind of escape, but the beast wouldn’t admit defeat.
The key turned in the lock, the door creaking as if it hadn’t been opened in ages. Heart pounding at the risk, she eased inside the pen. She kept her head down and washed out the cage. “What’s your name?”
A minute passed with no answer, the stubborn cuss pretending that he didn’t understand. Raven wouldn’t be deterred. “Fine, I’ll call you Leo. Eat the food. You’re going to need your strength.”
The large cat looked away, nose stuck in the air, blatantly ignoring her.
“I left the poison out.”
“Go away.”
Raven nearly fell on her ass when he spoke in her mind.
The need to help at least one of them get free surged through her. “And if I can help you escape?”
He snorted, stood, turned his back to her and sat. “I’m bound to the pack. They will hunt me down and kill me.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me you’re here of your own free will like all the others?”
The beast huffed and stared at the forest in defeat.
Raven peered at him from under her lashes, carefully spraying the pen of the filth he’d been living in. “You’re worried about being hunted. Why does that matter when you’re killing yourself anyway?”
The lion roared in anger, lurching to his feet and charged her. Raven flattened herself against the bars, but stubbornly stood her ground. He stopped seconds before being jerked off his feet by the chain, leaving only a few inches between them. No doubt if he could reach her, he would’ve tried to remove her head from her body.
Raven glanced at the open door and raised a brow.
Freedom beckoned.
The lion stilled, gazing longing through the opening, hesitation leaving his body rigid with indecision. More than a hundred pounds had been whittled off his frame, his skin hanging on him. Matted hair covered most of his body, while patches of his hide were bare where the fur had fallen out. “What are you?”
Raven shrugged, glad the dragon remained hidden. “A friend.”
He shook out his scruffy mane, but didn’t say anything for a long moment. He mouth opened, tasting the air as if suspecting she were more than human, but Raven kept herself locked down. He hesitated a moment longer before finally making a decision. “They will blame you. Punish you. Or worse.”
She squeezed the hose harder at the ominous tone, cleaning a small section of the floor off before answering.
He was right. Helping him would put her whole plan in danger, but a deep foreboding chilled her blood with the urgency to help him escape. If he didn’t leave today, he wouldn’t be leaving at all.
“I’m new. I made a mistake. They can’t risk killing me until we’re bound to the pack. I’m willing to risk it.” She switched to another section of the glorified kennel, careful to keep out of range. “Are you?”
There wasn’t much left to clean. The circus would begin soon. The sweltering heat cooled off as the night drew nearer.
Not much time remained.
“You can get help.” He gazed at her with dead eyes, all unmoving, a hunter catching sight of its prey. She switched course, her words emerging nothing more than a murmur. “Or you can get revenge.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” The question was nothing more than a growly reply.
Raven closed her eyes and stirred up the energy in her body. As it built and spread through her system, she opened her eyes and saw the world come alive with current as her second sight kicked in. She scanned the lion, noticing weak lines of energy danced around him, a thin thread that still connected him to the pack disappearing off in the distance. It would be easy to cut the cord tying him to Clancy using a sharp burst of current to disturb the energy, but the backlash would reverberate through the whole pack. If the boost of energy didn’t kill him outright, it could send his beast into a frenzy and destroy the tiny shred of his humanity that remained. Only what little remained of his tattered control would prevent his beast from taking over and possibly killing her.
Even if she rescued him, he’d been animal too long. She wasn’t sure he could turn completely human again without the help of a pack.
It was a catch twenty-two.
Either way, she’d end up destroying him … unless she channeled the excess energy from the backlash into his human form.
She blinked twice, and her vision shifted back toward normal. “The pack bonds are already weak. I can give you a boost of power, enough energy to snap the ties. It will force you into a rogue and hurt like a bitch, but they won’t be able to track you.”
Neither spoke as she finished cleaning the cage. The beast twisted to keep her in view, but made no overt threats.
“Dangerous.”
He appeared contemplative, as if he were actually considering their asinine scheme. Giddiness fluttered in her gut.
“Chances are good that you’ll die. Your beast will be stronger than ever.” She strode toward the door. “Are you willing to risk it?”
The lion began to pace, his rolling gait smooth, all predator on the prowl. “Why me? I’m weak. Worthless.”
Bitterness tainted the words, reminding her what it had been like when she and Rylan were imprisoned in the labs. She been suspicious of anyone trying to help. It usually meant a trap and lead to pain and punishment.
Leo was a loose cannon, totally wild and unpredictable. A complete ass. If he left, she doubted he would ever return. Despite all that, instinct said it mattered that he be free. Her vow to be human flew right out the window. “I almost gave up once, and someone pointed out my stupidity. I’m returning the favor to you. You don’t have a choice. If you stay, you’ll die.”
He lumbered closer, his teeth flashing as he drew near. Her body braced for his charge, but she didn’t back away. She was not prey. She would not run. Metal gleamed from around his throat, the chain dragging behind him like a steady rumble. “Do it.”
Air rushed out of her lungs, and she licked her lips, suddenly nervous at her rash promise. Unless she timed everything perfectly, they’d discover she had more power than a human could possibly contain.
Her fingers twitched in anticipation of dipping into the pool of current she carried. A tiny spark of hope that the energy had time to heal and purge the taint of ancient magic from her body, but a sickening lurch of nerves told her that she wasn’t going to be that lucky.
He stared at her expectantly, but when she didn’t move, the fragile hope in his eyes brutally dimmed until only ashes remained. Helping him would jeopardize everything. So why did doing nothing leave a gaping pit in her stomach? When he turned away, she quickly grabbed the chain with both hands until it stretched taut between them. “Wait.”
He stilled, his body practically vibrating with the need for action, but he didn’t turn.
Raven took his silence as acceptance. With a deep breath, she braced herself for a world of pain.
“This is going to hurt.” Not waiting for his reaction, she fed power into the metal. A tumbling mix of caustic energy rose from her bones, so strong it was like pure bleach burning in her veins for a few seconds before she grabbed control.
Everything went as planned for a few seconds, the blue current pooling in her hands, and she welcomed the cool tingle. Then it changed, turned darker, red twisting through the blue current like vines. The soothing burn changed until if felt like someone was filleting flesh from bone. Without her core or her beast to funnel the magic, it hurt like a bitch, but she didn’t stop.
The blue and red current quickly ate up the length of the chain, heating the metal to scalding, before splashing back into her body like molten lava. Her body jerked, trying to make her drop the chain and escape the agony.
Stubborn to her core, Raven tightened her grip and refused to let go. She funneled the excess energy back into her body so the others wouldn’t sense what she was doing. When the pain became unbearable, tiny plates under her skin cl
icked into place, the armor shielding her from the worst of it. Without her gloves, she saw faint lines of silver bubble up on her hands, a liquid metal scoring across her skin, leaving a delicate filigree behind as it cooled.
It took her seconds to recognize the tiny pattern.
Scales.
She curbed as much energy as she could away from Leo, but could smell singed fur as it continued to burn up the metal. A low grumble vibrated from the beast’s chest, his hide rippling as static bit and snapped along his body.
Her muscles tensed as she waited for his fangs to sink into her flesh, but those pale brown eyes met her own with a grim determination to hold out as long as possible. She directed a fraction of the energy to his aura and encountered a silvery static film wrapped around his beast.
A shield of some kind.
She’d never looked at the aura of an animal, surprised to learn they even had one.
The energy was animalistic.
Wild and primitive.
Nothing like a human, more of a shield, and she wasn’t sure how her energy would affect it.
She needed to connect to his human side or all their plans would all be for nothing. She pushed through the silver curtain, the static crackling along her mind like icepicks being jammed into her skull. Acid crawled up her throat just as she poked through the shield and slammed into his beast.
Stuck between the two layers, energy rose like a cloud of fireflies as his shield steadily fed off his aura.
There was no balance and without it, one part of his soul would wither and die.
His beast was stronger, fighting to live. He staved off the inevitable for as long as possible, but if he didn’t shift soon, his beast would consume his human self completely.
Once the human side of him vanished completely, he would turn feral.
There was no coming back from that.
Ignoring those troubling thoughts, she focused on his aura. Darkness slashed through it in spots, the muted colors all faded. The only thing that burned bright was the deep-seated need for vengeance.
She could work with that.
She stitched tiny strands of current together, weaving a safety net around him, enough to cover his scent.
Colors became more vibrant, almost glowing as she planted the false aura.
When he turned human, this new aura would take over. Unfortunately, without a steady stream of energy, he would burn through it fast.
Just when her brain felt ready to boil, the metal turned to taffy. She grabbed his collar and pulled down as hard as she could.
And fell on her ass when it tore in half in her hands.
“It worked.” She stared at the collar dumbly before turning toward him. “You need to change into your human form as soon as you can. They won’t expect it. I managed to alter your scent, so it will be harder for them to track you, but it won’t last long before it fades. An hour tops.”
Without waiting for his reply, she grabbed the weakened pack bonds and drew down hard. The strands snapped like a rubber band, the reverberation felt by everyone in the pack.
Awe and a painful hope brightened the big beast’s eyes. The lion took one last look at her and hesitated as if he didn’t want to leave her behind to face the consequences, the human and beast in him at war.
If he stayed, they’d both be caught and punished.
“Run.” The word scraped painful against her throat.
Understanding darkened his eyes. He leaned toward her, then lowered his massive head. She expected to feel teeth and claws, but the majestic beast remained perfectly still.
Bowing.
A show of submissiveness to her.
She tentatively reached out and ran her hand down his nose then drew back and closed her fingers into a fist. The armor was gone, leaving behind a deep ache. “Go.”
He lifted his head high, a tall, proud king of the jungle, then leapt out the door in a powerful display of muscles.
Raven watched him lope toward freedom, then tore her eyes away to see if anyone had noticed. The lax guards consisted of nothing more than a group of dissolute circus workers, greasy hair slicked back, smoking cigarettes as they played cards.
Unfortunately, one happened to look up at that exact moment. The lion only reached the halfway mark to the forest when the first shout rose. The men scattered, the table tipped and crashed over. Drinks went flying, cards fluttered in the air before drifting to the ground like confetti.
Three men ran to get help, while the fourth grabbed a gun he had stashed under one of the trailers. She recognized him from the first night—the coward who lingered in the shadows as the three werebeasts took her captive.
He was calm, no rush to his movement.
He must be head of security.
He was a tad overweight with thin, shaggy hair, just this side of forty-ish, but still in good shape. His hazel eyes observed everything. He had a hard edge, nothing penetrating his Zen-like calm. The way he caressed his gun like a prized pet, but his brutish features indicated he wasn’t opposed to getting dirty.
Humans were beneath him.
He felt apart and distant from them.
Better.
He jogged in her direction, searching for the perfect shot, his eyes locked on the lion. The man knelt, lifted the rifle to his shoulder, the movement smooth with the ease of long practice.
A soldier of some type.
Possibly a mercenary if working here.
Spit dried out of her mouth as he took aim. She couldn’t watch someone be killed in cold blood. Jumping to her feet, Raven hurtled herself from the cage. The dragon gave her a boost of pure energy. For one second, she defied gravity and glided effortlessly through the air as she cleared the ten-foot gap in a single bound. Wind rippled in her hair and tugged at her clothes as she smashed into the man, and they crashed into the hard-packed earth.
Raven rolled and landed face-first in the dirt, her breath knocked out of her.
The gun discharged harmlessly in the air.
With shaky arms, Raven pushed herself upright and saw the lion disappear into the thicket.
“You stupid bitch. Your little stunt just cost us a fortune.”
Raven didn’t point out to him that killing the shifter would’ve done the same. When she turned and glanced up, she met the clear, thunderous gaze of a sociopath. The butt of the rifle slammed into her face, much too late for her to dodge.
Pain cracked across her temple.
She didn’t even feel her head bounce against the ground.
She told herself to move, but her body no longer obeyed her commands. Buzzing filled her ears, and she focused on just staying conscious.
People gathered … more soldiers.
Raven very much doubted the man gave a shit about the money. He was pissed she messed up his hunt and allowed his prey to escape. Even now, his heart raced with the thrill of the chase, the chance to stalk something bigger and deadlier. It didn’t matter he used guns and a veritable army against one shifter who had nothing more than teeth and claws to defend himself.
“You think you’ve helped him. You only made it worse. We’re going to hunt him down.” The man who hit her grabbed her hair and wrenched her head back. He leaned forward, his caustic breath working like smelling salts. She twisted to get away until she feared she was going to be scalped. “When we bring back with his corpse, I’m going to enjoy taking the cost of losing him out of your hide.”
Raven couldn’t help it, she smiled. “Good luck with that.”
He shoved her away so suddenly, Raven fell backward. Before she could rise, a kick to her ribs took her by surprise, and she lost the ability to breathe. Another kick hit her low in the back, the stunning pain wrapping around her body.
A giant roar reverberated in the air.
Durant.
She saw him charge the cage, his claws hooking into one of the bystanders, shredding flesh as he slowly reeled the man toward his open maw full of inch-long teeth. A terrible scream rippled in th
e air. The man writhed on the claws, trying to get loose before he finally managed to yank himself away, tearing the flesh of his shoulder to ribbons in the process.
His actions probably saved his life.
It all happened in seconds.
Energy gathered around Durant in waves as he prepared to shift, and she gave a short shake of her head.
He couldn’t change, or they’d lose their ace in the hole.
He wanted to ignore her, fight to save her. Only when his great head dropped to hang between his shoulders did her heart break at his defeated posture.
So distracted by the action, she missed the chance to block the third kick to her stomach.
It took all her control not to grab his leg and rip it off.
She had to appear human.
Weak.
A small rumble of protest filled her chest, and she swallowed it back without giving it voice.
Her hair fell forward and covered her face. More importantly, covering the glow in her eyes as the dragon tried to peer out at their tormentor.
Flashes of the labs came back to her with the force of a freight train. The frequent beatings, the torture—it was all too easy to remember how to act. She curled into a ball and shouted to be heard above the screaming man in the background. “The chain broke while I was working in the cage. I couldn’t stop him. All I could do was get out of the way.”
As suddenly as it started, the beating stopped. Every inch of her throbbed and burned, and she was too afraid to move and bring attention to herself. She cautiously lifted her head a fraction and spotted the beast-like trackers gathered around, crouched like well-behaved dogs, salivating and waiting for the command to attack.
She wondered if he would set them on her just to watch them tear her apart.
Petrifying fear held her frozen, and probably saved her life. Any defiance and she didn’t doubt he would’ve continued beating her.
As if the screaming interrupted his enjoyment, the mercenary bellowed over his shoulder, the fingers wrapping around the trigger of his gun. “Shut that man up, or I will do it myself.”
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 10