The other two humans quickly followed, chuckling between them. “A hundred that the female doesn’t last an hour in the dens.”
“I’ll double that for half an hour.” Their voices faded as they rounded the bend.
Shifters and witches weren’t friends, and sending Raven into the pits was a death sentence. Since she was female, it was guaranteed to be a slow death. But being torn apart would be a blessing compared to years of torture and testing the scientists had in store for her.
“Get moving.” Tara shoved her silver baton at them, only their quick reflexes saving them from being bashed in the head. A woman like her didn’t understand the theory of catching more flies with honey than vinegar. Her world revolved around using pain and terror to get what she wanted.
While that attitude might have help her survive, it garnered her no friends.
Raven inhaled, filtering out the smells, centering on the male shifter. Mack had some power to him, a certain cunning in his gaze as he watched her, and she barely held back a flinch.
He knew—or at least he suspected—she was something other than a witch.
He was waiting to see what she would do.
Of the two, he was clearly the more dangerous, though she doubted Tara would agree.
As much as she wanted to rip out the bitch’s throat, she couldn’t, not with Rylan still imprisoned.
Tara’s smile turned smug, believing she had the upper hand. The male just watched, as if knowing better, his lack of emotions beginning to creep Raven out.
“Hurry up.” When Tara lifted the silver baton to prod them along, Durant grabbed the rod, preventing it from cracking into Raven’s back. His skin sizzled, the stench of burned flesh churning her stomach. Tara chuckled for a few seconds at the pleasure of causing pain, but when Durant didn’t back away, her amusement faded.
Raven finally yanked him to her side when it looked like he wanted to jerk the weapon away from Tara and bash the twit over the head with it.
Durant reluctantly obeyed.
“Move.” Tara snapped, pretending she had been in control the situation the whole time, acting as if she hadn’t been challenged.
The bunker melted away to reveal the raw cave beneath. Whatever improvements they made never reached this far. The lights were less frequent, leaving Raven very little access to energy. When they rounded the next corner, the only light came from behind them.
Raven couldn’t see what lay ahead, Tara’s silence only making her more suspicious, and she double-checked the map in her head, barely wrenching Durant to a stop. “Watch out!”
Two feet in front of them, the floor simply vanished into a bottomless chasm.
They whirled to find Tara smiling again, holding the rod in one hand and the cursed electric buzzer in the other. “Jump.”
“The drop will kill her.” Durant growled the words, his eyes shading to gold as he shoved her behind him.
Tara shrugged. “Not my problem.”
“The doctors want her alive.” Durant flinched when the crazy bitch jabbed the silver wand into his gut, the action forcing Raven closer to the edge.
The ledge crumbled dangerously beneath her boots. Pebbles plinked off the rocks, dropping at least thirty feet below. The jump wouldn’t hurt her, but it would reveal her secret long before she was ready.
Tara raised a brow, suddenly accommodating. “Sure, let’s turn back and go to the lab. It’s been close to a year since the doctors had a pure. I’m sure they’d love to do more testing.”
A muscle bunched in Durant’s jaw. He swallowed hard, then squared his shoulders, willingly choosing to be tortured to save her from harm. He’d only been in the lab for a day. He didn’t understand how bad it would get, how days could be stretched to feel like weeks, while they tested his physical stamina and endurance. Durant was in excellent condition, a rare pureblood. He would be considered prime stock. One of the first things they would do was harvest his seed, and not in a fun way.
“Durant. No.”
At her soft protest, he stiffened. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and Raven very deliberately took a step backwards…over the edge.
Durant didn’t hesitate and dove after her, wrapping her protectively in his embrace.
She locked her arms and legs around him while he twisted midair. They landed with a jarring thud that knocked the breath from her lungs. He rolled, cradling her within the protection of his arms. Even weakened by blood loss and torture, he carried her additional weight as if it wasn’t a burden.
Female laughter echoed down to them. No doubt she expected Raven to be torn apart within minutes. “Have fun. Training starts tomorrow…if you live that long.”
Chapter Eighteen
They came to a stop, her lying sprawled across Durant, his arms still holding her tight. The luscious smell of leather she associated with him wrapped around her, and Raven snuggled closer, feeling safe and warm for the first time since they started this godforsaken journey. His hands roamed very slowly over her, and she gave a sigh of regret when his touch remained impersonal. “I am unharmed.”
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” His hands clamped down on her hips, holding her in place.
“Keeping you from doing something foolish.” Raven pushed away in exasperation, levering herself up until she was sitting on his lap. “Now let me check how badly you’re injured.”
She ran her hands over his chest, very aware that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, his lovely muscles on full display. The warmth beneath her fingertips begged her to linger. Bruises and cuts marred his smooth skin, breaking the spell, and without conscious thought, she reached for his tiger through their connection, giving the beast energy to help him heal.
After a few minutes, Durant caught her hands and pulled them away. Ignoring his grip, she poked at his shoulder, pleased to see the deep bruising fade. His cuts had healed over. He was still banged up a bit, but the residual, bone-deep aches were gone.
“Raven.”
Curious by the amused quality of his voice, she looked up.
Only then did she become aware that they were no longer alone.
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted in warning, and Raven took in their surroundings in a sweeping glance. They appeared to be in some sort of habitat with about a dozen or so ragged men watching them intently. The oval cave had giant boulders placed strategically around the enclosure, so it appeared to be a large jungle gym. There were metal fences suspended ten feet above the floor, serving as catwalks for the men to scramble across.
Half of the men were crouched on their hands and feet, giving up any pretense of humanity, their eyes glowing in the dim light. A few even wore their teeth and claws, silently watching their every move with an unnerving intensity.
Though they acted like animals, they weren’t a pack, none of them strong enough to hold such a large group of shifters together. Without the pack bonds to stabilize them, shifters were slowly driven insane, their more dominant animals taking over entirely. This group was holding themselves together by sheer will, barely surviving while they struggled to remain human.
Durant rolled and crouched in front of her, angling his body to protect her from their invasive stares. Unease rippled through her, their hunger a living, breathing thing…and she was a tasty morsel just waiting be gobbled up.
A good number of them appeared to be lab rats or rogues snatched off the streets. She scanned the room again, noting the exits…or lack of them. She craned her head back, judging the distance that they fell, but unless they learned to fly, there would be no escape that way. Not willing to turn her back on the shifters, she twisted to keep them in sight.
Only one of them had moved.
Much to her surprise, she recognized him as Nadia’s man. “Reed? I had hoped you escaped with the rest. Did the soldiers manage to capture anyone else?”
“I woke up in here a few days ago. You two are the first I’ve seen.” Reed didn’t look like he came willingly. Even with his s
hifter’s healing abilities, his eyes were nearly swollen shut, his jaw bruised, and she had no doubt his body had sustained far more damage.
“What is this place?” The cavern was like an enclosure.
Reed gingerly cupped his ribs, and settled next to Durant, forming a protective circle around her as they watched the others slowly close in on their position. The aggression swirling in the air dissipated slightly, but it didn’t mean the others wouldn’t attack if they found an opening. “They call it a den. Welcome to the Delta Team.”
Raven flexed her hands until her claws slipped free. Welcoming the slice of pain, she angled her body to protect their backs if it came to a fight. “So there are three other teams?”
“From what I gathered, they started off with four. You’ve met what remains from the Alpha Team.” He glanced at her then pointed up.
Raven followed his gesture, then scowled. “You mean those two?”
“They are the only survivors out of a group of thirty. They’ve graduated…after proving themselves to be the most vicious by killing off the rest of their team.”
“Graduated?” Raven wasn’t sure she wanted to know what that meant.
He ran a hand over his scalp, then winced. “For their prowess, the doctors have promoted them to the elite guards. They have the run of the place, liberally terrorizing everyone as they see fit.”
“They have no honor.” Durant flexed his shoulders, as if wishing he could teach them the meaning of the word. “No shifter would waste time fighting each other when they have a much bigger threat to battle.”
“And the Beta Team?”
Reed shook his head. “Dead. They didn’t survive the trials.”
Raven was speechless at the tragic waste of it all.
The shifters surrounding them didn’t seem to be in much better condition. Trusting her instincts, Raven retracted her claws and loosened her stranglehold on the energy, allowing it to spread through the room. They needed it more than she did. When it hit the nearest shifters, their bodies relaxed, their aggression eased, until they grew more curious than threatened.
Durant cast her a sharp look, but didn’t protest.
“Only the Charlie Team is left.” A younger wolf piped up. When she locked eyes with him, he ducked his head, picking at the frayed seam of his pants. A loose group of three others his age lingered near him, and she was horrified to see they were nothing more than teenagers.
Then understanding dawned as she recalled Grady’s memories, and her insides frosted over. “They chose teenagers, because they’re still growing and can accept the blood transfusion more easily.”
“Instead of a one percent survival rate, they jump to a whopping seven percent.” Reed nodded. “They pick up transient and homeless kids from around the state. The remaining dozen you see are mostly rogues.”
“None bitten like you?”
Reed’s mouth tightened, as if she’d insulted him. “It’s too risky. Too few survivors. They don’t have strong enough shifters to help pull them through the transition.”
“He mentioned the Charlie Team.”
He cradled his ribs, then pointed to his face. “I met them. They’re abominations, nothing like what you find in nature.”
“Where I was from, we used to call them lab rats, creatures the scientists created. Most hybrids don’t survive, but the ones who do are abnormally strong.”
Durant cracked his spine, bringing her attention to the collar around his neck. When she looked around the room, she noticed everyone had one. “Let me see if I can remove those collars.”
“Whoa.” Reed held up his hands. “No good. These things are hardwired into our systems. If they are tampered with in any way, the magic triggers a self-destruct sequence.”
“But I can short them out.” Raven reached for Durant’s collar when Reed’s next words stopped her cold.
“Anyone who tampers with them gets their brain fried. The few shifters who had tried to remove them, so they could take their animal form again, did not survive.”
Raven jerked her hands away, letting her arms drop to her side, unable to imagine the despair the shifters must feel at having half of their soul ripped out of them.
“Why don’t you have one?” A few of the shifters edged closer, and began circling again. Durant twisted to keep them in view, but there were too many. If they attacked, Durant would do what he needed to protect her, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Raven gently placed a calming hand on his arm. “Frankenstein thinks I’m a witch.”
Another wolf, his face covered in a shaggy beard that had begun to gray, snorted at Raven’s nickname for the doctor. The wolf’s hair was matted with dirt, his face barely visible under the grime. White, sharp teeth gleamed when he spoke. “Why would they think that?”
Raven smiled slightly. “I am not something they’ve run across before. When they assumed I was a witch, I let them.”
A few of the wolves circled closer, some curious, chuckling at her answer, while others remained leery.
“That didn’t work out for you very well, did it?” The man turned away, remaining hidden in the shadows, his back to the group, clearly a lone wolf. The rest of the shifters fell silent, some even retreated as he glared at her over his shoulder. “I mean, you ended up here anyway.”
“We were supposed to be sent to the labs, but Tara has taken a dislike to me. She wanted to teach me a lesson by dropping me here.” She pointed to the small gap at least thirty feet straight up.
“No doubt hoping we would kill you.” Derision twisted his face. “She enjoys being the only female. She likes being in charge. It gives her certain privileges. You’re upsetting the balance. I bet she’s not pleased.”
“No.” Raven glanced back up at the crack in the ceiling to make her point, then lifted a brow at him. “Not even a little.”
“She’s no longer their special little snowflake. I bet it burns that you’ve stolen her thunder.” A few shifters who were mostly animals gave a wuffling laugh.
“That wasn’t my intent.”
He snorted and smiled, warmth entering his expression for the first time. “Which only makes it worse.”
The man was the oldest of them, his appearance around thirty-five, maybe forty if she pushed it, and she wondered if what he’d seen had aged him prematurely. Either way, he was considered ancient to have survived for so long inside the labs. A shifters metabolism ran so high, it slowed down the aging process by decades. When a healthy shifter could live hundreds of years, it was a travesty that so many would die so young.
“You were lucky. Females are rare down in the dens. If they find out you’re part shifter, they will send you off to the bigger labs for breeding and testing.” The amusement drained from his face, a devastating loss dulling his eyes.
“Do you know where they are sent?”
A shrug was his only reply. “No one has ever been seen again after they were shipped off.”
Her thoughts once again went to Grady’s brother and the impossibility of finding him, and she couldn’t help wondering if she would be haunted for the rest of her life.
One of the younger cubs dangled down from the catwalk overhead, leaning over so far, she was amazed he didn’t topple over, his nose scrunching up as he tried to catch her scent. Durant launched upward in one powerful lunge, grabbed the young pup by the throat and hauled him down.
“Durant!” Raven jumped to her feet, and a few of the other cubs scampered away, yipping in fright. A couple of the eldest wolves looked resigned, but no one stood up to protect the kid while he hung, limp as a rag doll, from Durant’s grip. “Don’t harm him. He’s just a child.”
Durant scowled down at her. “You see the young as harmless, but they are shifters. They don’t have control over their animals. It takes a lifetime for them to learn. Why do you think cubs are raised within the confines of their pack until they come of age?”
Raven waved away his explanation, hearing the kid’s heart beat like a rabbi
t caught in a trap. His green eyes didn’t glow with power like most shifters, but remained dim, as if something precious within him had been shattered.
The dragon peered out through her eyes, its curiosity piqued by the boy’s will to live. Instead of being fearful, the kid leaned toward her, wanting to get closer. Claws scraped at the underside of her ribs, and Raven winced at the demanding gesture. Very gently, she tugged up his shirt, then hissed in a sharp breath between her teeth to see he was just one massive bruise. “What’s your name?”
The kid stilled the instant she touched him, the way only an animal could when it caught the attention of a predator, both leery and fascinated at her nearness.
“He can’t talk.” The lone wolf edged nearer the group, but didn’t seemed any more inclined to interrupt what was happening. “We call him Felix.”
When Durant went to lower him, Raven shook his head. “Hold him.”
Durant nodded, and wrapped the boy in his arms, leaving the kid’s feet dangling off the ground, and a whine of anxiety escaped the young pup’s throat. Raven locked eyes with the kid as she drew near, and he ceased his struggles. When she probed his ribs, he trembled at her touch but didn’t try to harm her in any way. “Broken bones. Repeatedly. He’s been starved for a few weeks. I’m surprised he’s still alive and that his animal hadn’t taken over.”
“He’s a breed. He doesn’t heal as fast as natural-born shifters.”
Raven glanced up at Durant. “You’re not going to try and stop me?”
With a crooked smile, he shrugged. “Nothing I say will change your mind. Why waste my breath? You already know what you’re doing is foolish, but you have a weak spot for strays.”
Raven grabbed the kid’s jaw, noting it had been crushed a time or two, and pity stirred in her gut. She tried to reach for his wolf, but the creature was weak, no more than a pup, and barely strong enough to bare his fangs at her. She withdrew from him, then exhaled and braced herself.
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 46