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Acknowledgments
For those who have been with me from the
beginning…
And for those who are reading
me for the first time…
Thank you! It’s hard to say good-bye to characters
that I’ve been living with for years.
I hope I’ve done them justice.
To my husband—
Thank you for showing me what
Happy Ever After really means.
Chapter One
DAY ONE – MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
The stench of urine and feces assaulted Raven’s nose, burning her throat and rousing her from the nothingness of unconsciousness. When the cold, unforgiving stone floor beneath her confirmed she was no longer in her nice, soft bed, the events of last night swarmed back.
She’d been abducted.
Right out from under the watch of her pack.
They would not be happy, especially since she had promised them things would change.
Raven pried open her eyes, then squeezed them shut again, repressing a groan when it appeared she’d been dumped on the floor of a prison cell.
Again.
The walls were rough, the cinderblocks crumbling and stained a mysterious black. The ground beneath her was lumpy, the dirt having long since bubbled up through the cracks of the fractured cement. The soil smelled moist and dusty, the soot creeping into her lungs with every breath.
She mentally reached for her pack, only to receive static in reply, and the first hint of true unease slithered through her mind. Magic saturated the cell and buzzed in her ears, as if trying to crawl inside her head. The interference must be blocking her attempt to contact her men. The only thing she could read from the connection was that they were alive.
It was enough for now.
After nearly dying in the labs, she was more than ready to settle down with her pack. She was done with pushing them away.
They were her family, one that fit perfectly into her crazy world, and she no longer believed they were safer without her. She was strong enough to protect them, and they kept her sane, kept her from slipping too far into the chaos.
Not wanting to overstay her welcome, Raven decided it was past time to leave. The last thing she wanted was to wait for her captors to return. She wasn’t sure she was up for another fight, and definitely wasn’t ready to endure whatever torture awaited her.
Blowing out a breath, she pushed aside her worry and rolled onto her back, groaning when her body protested. Knowing she might need to move quickly, Raven took inventory of herself. While her outer injuries were mostly healed, her insides remained bruised and battered from the recent abuse. She gingerly probed the ache in her jaw, then remembered who’d slugged her…Gavin.
“You’re alive.”
Speak of the devil.
She’d recognize the voice of that cantankerous bastard anywhere. The same man who allowed himself to be captured and tortured in order to follow a lead to find his missing brother—and lied to her about everything.
He even went so far as to take her captive.
Raven pushed herself upright, fighting the urge to vomit when the world spun. This must be what a hangover would feel like if her metabolism didn’t process liquor so quickly. By the time her head cleared enough to see, she was shocked to find Gavin in a cell across from hers.
“Oh, that’s rich.” Ignoring her clammy skin, she staggered to her feet, the small chore exhausting the last of her reserves. “How in the world did you manage to get yourself captured too?”
Gavin glared at her with stormy grey eyes, and she had a hard time remembering he was the same man who’d been imprisoned in the labs with her. She wasn’t used to seeing him clean-shaven, his dark hair trimmed, his rough exterior groomed, giving him a handsome, almost rugged appearance…if one could get over the I’d rather kill you than speak to you attitude he exuded.
Very little of the scraggly wolf from the pits remained. Except for one thing…his wolf was so dominant, she half expected the beast to spill out of his human skin.
But the ferocity was ruined a little, since it appeared someone had beaten the crap out of him. Despite his accelerated healing abilities, blood crusted his battered face. He held himself carefully, which told her he was even more injured than she first surmised. The small tell spoke volumes—he wasn’t the kind to show any weakness unless he was on the verge of dying.
As much as she hated to admit it, they needed time to heal before venturing out. Neither of them were in any condition to fight. Right now, they had targets on their backs, and were safer behind bars than out in the open.
Despite being caged, they were both alive and relatively whole. If whoever captured them wanted them dead, they would’ve already done it.
No, their captors had something else planned for them, something much worse.
“Why didn’t they kill me outright?” Gavin said she was being hunted by the Cadre, a group of mercenary killers…and he was a member. She peered around her cell, the sour smell of desperation and anxiety from the previous occupants so overwhelming she half expected to see ghosts haunting the cell. “I mean, why go to the trouble of capturing us both? Don’t I have to be dead for either one of you to earn your points?”
He refused to answer, just continued to scowl, and Raven pinched the bridge of her nose when another thought popped in her head. “Unless they consider you valuable, too.”
Shadows flickered in his eyes, and she tipped her head as she studied him, knowing she was on the right track—then the only logical answer hit her. “Your name is on the kill list as well.”
When he remained silent, she pushed. “What did you do to get your name on the list?”
If anything, his scowl darkened. “I refused to play their games. They must have discovered I helped some of the targets survive.”
That was the last thing she expected him to say. “So you didn’t murder—”
“Don’t make me out to be a saint.” He crossed his arms, then winced when his ribs protested the move. “I killed those who needed it.”
Raven wandered closer, rubbing at the static that bit along her arms, the magic radiating from the walls just shy of being painful. “And those who didn’t?”
He huffed out an impatient breath. “I helped a few innocent people escape their fate. If they managed to survive the month, the contract on their lives became void. Many times saving the people on the list was more lucrative than actually killing them.”
Raven didn’t believe his sole reason was monetary gain, but let the matter drop. The reasons didn’t matter. Gavin might be an ass, but weeks ago his brother contacted her from beyond the grave, urging her to help him. It was a plea she couldn’t refuse, and she had no intention of stirring up a vengeful ghost by going back on her word.
But in order to save Gavin, she needed to save herself first.
She examined her cage. As she neared the edge of her cell, the magic she sensed since waking flared to life. Sigils were carved all along the stone walls, the faint glow from the markings lighting up her small cell. There were so many symbols, so many different spells, they overlapped each other.
The closer she got to the magic, the more her nausea churned.
She rubbed her arms again, unable to stop the ache resting just under her skin. It wasn’t an itch, more like she had a severe case of sunburn.
She reached for the barrier when Gavin spoke again. “I wouldn’t do that.”
Raw power crawled over her skin. White sparks flickered like tiny bursts from a sparkler, the small jolts charring the tips of her fingers. She sucked in a sharp breath and jerked back.
“I told you.”
Raven didn’t spare a glance at the smug bastard, his very presence annoying the hell out of her. “There’s something wrong with the magic, something malevolent lurking underneath.”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Gavin snorted. “Magic is just evil.”
She edged toward the opening of her cell and peered down the dilapidated tunnel, spotting small glimpses of light flashing intermittently down the passageway. She couldn’t see any daylight, or any people either for that matter. The walls were damp, full of mildew, and reeking of urine.
Then the ground began to rumble, the air vibrated, the walls trembled, and small trails of silt rained down from the ceiling. The clack of wheels on metal was unforgettable, as was the loud blare of a train’s horn. Lights flashed on and off down the tunnel, almost too fast for her eyes to register, as a train charged past in the tunnel next to theirs.
Then everything fell silent, leaving her ears ringing.
Gavin had his head bowed, his chest billowing as he struggled to breathe. The deafening noise had to be agony for his wolf’s super-sensitive ears. He stood so still there was no mistaking that he wasn’t remotely human. Tension practically vibrated off him, his wolf ready to tear free of its human form if anyone so much as sneezed in his direction.
Standing in his dank cell, partially hidden in shadows, he looked more isolated and alone than ever. One wrong move and he would be swallowed up by the darkness. She’d been where he stood, only her pack had saved her from being consumed.
Shifters needed a pack, they needed touch, or they turned feral.
A lone wolf wouldn’t last long on his own. Only the drive to avenge his brother’s murder had kept Gavin sane for so long. But that indomitable will of his was cracking.
They needed to get out of there before one of them lost their shit.
Raven backed away from the invisible barrier, the white sparks of magic fading more with each step.
But instead of feeling better, the skin along her arms continued to crackle with energy.
And it kept building.
She instinctively reached for the dragon that normally rested under her skin, but it felt like she fell into a vat of acid. Energy seared along her insides, knocking her to her knees and stealing the air right out of her lungs. She mentally jerked herself away from the swarm of magic, struggling not to fall unconscious.
“You must stop.”
Raven forced her head up to see Gavin staring at her with concern, noting that he carefully maintained his distance from the barrier of his cell. “Stop what?”
“They created the wards to keep you from escaping.”
Plopping back on her ass, she concentrated on breathing. “What do you mean?”
“Why do you think I’m not tearing my way out of here?”
She resisted the urge to step back at his heated words. “The magic is preventing you.”
“That’s the least of our problems.” He looked disgusted with himself, but the dread shadowing his eyes worried her. He’d spent years in captivity. So why did he look so unnerved now?
When he spoke again, her world ground to a halt. “The spells are preventing me from going wolf.”
Blind panic clawed up her throat. At one time in her life she wanted nothing to do with her animal counterparts, but now she didn’t know how she would survive without them.
Without her dragon, there was nothing to curb her magic but sheer will. She thought her symptoms since waking were due to her recent ordeal, but she was wrong.
It was magic sickness.
Raven stared down at her hands in horror. Without her dragon, her magic would rage out of control…meaning just a brush of her fingertips could kill.
She closed her eyes, unconsciously reaching to trace the metallic tattoo embedded in her side, but felt no reassuring touch of warmth, no sign of her dragon at all…as if the beast had never existed.
Terror pierced her soul, and she frantically reached for the pack bindings, nearly sagging in relief when they remained fuzzy but intact.
The dragon wasn’t responsible for the connection.
She hadn’t lost them.
Shaking out her hands, she rose to her feet and approached the edge of the cell again. “I don’t understand…why waste such resources to contain us? Why don’t they just kill us outright? Or turn us over for the reward?”
Gavin dropped his arms and leaned against the wall as if he could no longer support his own weight. “The people who captured us aren’t with the Cadre.”
“What?” Raven stopped examining the sigils etched into the cinderblock and turned to face him again. “How do you know?”
“This is a refuge for strays. I’ve been in and out of here for years.”
But she sensed it was more than that.
“You lived here.” Raven couldn’t imagine how anyone could survive living underground, much less keep their animal sides from going insane from the lack of freedom and fresh air. When he didn’t say more, she understood. “They were waiting for you.”
Gavin grunted in response.
“So much for honor among thieves, huh?” She regretted her comment when his eyes flashed yellow, though he appeared angrier at himself for underestimating them than at her snarky question.
Then the bright glow in his eyes dimmed back to human, whether from restraint on his part or the spell on the cell, she wasn’t sure. “You can never trust a tunnel rat. The only one you can rely on down here is yourself.”
The defeated slump to his shoulders said more than his words. “This is where you sent your money from the Cadre, isn’t it? Why would they betray you?”
A growl rumbled in his chest, quickly turning into a whine when the magic in his cell flared, swarming around him like a cloud of wasps, and he slumped to the floor, landing heavily on his ass. Raven stepped toward him, but received her own nasty shock when the barrier to her cell shimmered white in warning, and she hastily retreated.
“If they wanted me to claim the money, why beat you? Why am I still alive?” When he didn’t answer, she gave up on learning more. She was turning away when he spoke.
“I refused to turn you over to them.” Disgust twisted his lips.
Raven was practical—his decision wasn’t sentimental, he hadn’t been trying to save her—keeping her alive ensured his own survival.
“They didn’t turn us over because they have plans for you,” he admitted grudgingly.
Raven froze at those ominous words, then slowly turned to study him. It was never a good sign when anyone showed interest in her. “What do they want?”
He snorted, then bent his leg, resting his arm across his knee, his eyes ever-watchful. She was unnerved by the intensity in the light bluish-grey color. There was a new element in them, one more dangerous than his normal predatory gaze—curiosity. “They want you to claim one of their men. Once the connection is made, you will be free to go.”
“Why?” Her voice went hoarse, the idea of claiming anyone who wasn’t pack was repugnant.
Only she chose who entered her pack.
“Power.” He spoke the one word succinctly. “Once you make your claim, you will be allowed to leave.”
Her blood went cold with understanding. “Just me?”
His mouth flattened into a grim line. “They will keep your man here—”
“To ensure that I will do whatever they want.” Raven couldn’t help the laughter that escaped. “Do they really expect their ploy to work?”
Gavin lifted his head, his pale eyes dead serious. “It’s a system they’ve perfected over the years. Trust me, it works.”
Raven was already shaking her head. “Maybe, but there’s a flaw in their reasoning.”
Gavin raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“A shifter would never leave one of their own behind.”
“Even if it means they’ll kill him if you don’t?”
That left her at a loss for words. To force a claiming and then sever it would devastate anyone. It was barbaric and beyond cruel. “Who would do this?”
His mouth twisted in a grimace. “Vampires. They infested these tunne
ls years ago, assuming command of everyone who takes up residence.”
Raven began pacing her cell, her mind whirling with dread, her heart slamming so hard against her ribs her chest ached. “This is just for power?”
Current crackled along her skin, her hands beginning to glow a pale blue as her control began to fray.
“Not just power. They want to stake a claim on you before the shifters can. You’re too big a temptation to resist. This is their way to guarantee you’ll obey them.”
Raven was no longer laughing.
Gavin glanced away, the pity in his eyes making it hard to swallow.
“What happens if the person they captured refuses to claim anyone?” Blood rushed in her ears as she waited for his answer.
Gavin pointed around the room. “You won’t refuse. These cells were created to ensure your cooperation. While the magic might repress your beast, prevent you from changing, it doesn’t suppress the cravings. The moon is full. Without an outlet, your desires will continue to grow. Eventually, your beast will take over and you’ll enter a mating frenzy. Then you won’t give a shit who they put in front of you…any male will do.”
Raven shook her head, backing away from his flat, almost clinical description, but there was no escape.
She was royally screwed.
Without her magic to suppress her beasts, there would be no evading the urge to mate. Unfortunately, she couldn’t risk using her magic without the dragon to help her filter it. She was more likely to blow herself up than cast magic.
The urgency to escape rekindled.
As if picking up on her panic, Gavin got to his feet and stood facing her from across the way. “You will either mate the man they select or kill him. You won’t have a choice.”
Raven suddenly understood why she couldn’t sense her dragon. The beast knew what was happening, knew if the magic couldn’t reach her dragon, she couldn’t be forced to do anything against her will…like change or claim anyone.
The beast was saving her ass…again.
While she was beginning to trust the dragon side of herself more and more, neither of them were ready for the beast to take control completely.
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 58