Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet

by Stacey Brutger

  Raven finally understood. “And I killed her.”

  He gave a grim nod.

  They would never give up.

  They saw her as the person standing between them and their mates.

  They took another sharp turn, and Raven tripped, barely catching herself before her face smacked the ground.

  And came face-to-face with a grinning skull.

  She scrambled upright, more bones cracking under her feet, her boot punching right through a ribcage.

  As she peered down the tunnel, the gleam of stark white bones mapped the way out, and the empty stares of dozens of skulls looked back at her. Thousands of carcasses littered the cave…more than half of them human. She couldn’t help but wonder if something worse lived in the tunnels. “Did they—”

  “No.” Gavin came back to her side, the crunch of bones under his feet making her flinch. “This is to dissuade anyone from venturing further.”

  Raven wasn’t sure she believed him, but the stench in the cave was so strong she couldn’t detect a lie. She waved her arm to indicate the pit of bones. “You don’t worry about cops or people reporting them?”

  “They know better—any who’ve tried soon found themselves added to the boneyard.” Gavin herded her forward, glancing frequently over his shoulder, trying to rush her along. “We’re almost to the surface. One more level and we’ll reach the subway system. We need to keep moving.”

  The feeling of being watched sent a cold shiver down her spine, and she glanced back, noticing the shadows in the tunnels were moving toward them at an alarming rate, their hunger for vengeance a living thing saturating the air.

  Gavin growled low in his throat, then dropped back, turning away from her. “Go. I’ll delay them as long as possible.”

  Even before he finished speaking, one of the shadows detached from the wall and launched through the air, a wolf in human form, the gleam of his yellow eyes and speed giving him away.

  Gavin and the cave dweller collided with a heavy thump. Gavin twisted and used his momentum to toss his opponent against the wall. While distracted, he missed the second shape barreling toward him out of the gloom. He glanced over his shoulder, and spoke one guttural word. “Run!”

  Then his legs were swept right out from under him. The second creature was younger and fought like a man possessed, pure determination to kill hardening his face. Gavin traded him punch for punch, blood scenting the air, each blow flaying open skin. Gavin was ruthless, no finesse and all brute force, but he was still weak from his stay in the labs and recent beatings.

  Without help, he would never make it out.

  Raven didn’t hesitate.

  She picked up the closest object—a skull, then strode forward and slammed it into the back of the head of the first wolf, who was struggling to rise to his feet. The sickening crack dented the skull she held, and it crumbled in her hands. A small whimper escaped the wolf before he collapsed.

  She scooped up a cow femur, hefting the weight, and turned to see Gavin fling his attacker away from him. The body landed with a thud next to the live third rail. A zap of electricity sent up a shower of sparks, the body twitching as current coursed through him, the smell of burned flesh nearly gagging her.

  The boy resolutely dragged himself away from the current, then collapsed. Not quite dead, his chest heaved, no doubt already healing due to his shifter heritage.

  But she and Gavin weren’t free yet. The rest of the pack turned the corner in the tunnel, snarling as they caught sight of them. They fanned out and began working their way down the passageway, almost completely silent, their eyes shimmering in the darkness, their grace eerie in the dim light.

  She and Gavin were already weak. They would never be able to fight that many without being taken.

  Raven stared down at the fallen shifter, the way smoke rose from his body, and she bit her lip as she turned to face Gavin. “I have an idea.”

  He gave her a skeptical look and shook his head. “I told you to run.”

  Gavin was bloodied and bruised, his elbows tucked close to his battered ribs as he took in the new arrivals.

  She ignored his order. “I can slow down the trackers, but it will put me out of commission.”

  Gavin grunted, glancing at her over his shoulder. “Are you sure it’ll work?”

  Raven refused to lie. “No, but I think it’s our best bet.”

  The shifters began to gain speed, their fangs flashing. An off-pitch screech, like nails on a chalkboard, echoed down the tunnel as one wolf scraped his claws against the stone wall.

  “Do it.” Gavin clenched his jaw against saying more.

  Now that Gavin had agreed, she doubted the wisdom of her grand idea. She swallowed hard, calling herself all kinds of stupid. “Get behind me.”

  Gavin hesitated, looked at the pack swarming toward them, and retreated reluctantly, as if it went against everything he believed to leave her vulnerable.

  Raven edged toward the third rail, stepping over the piles of half-gnawed bones, the energy in the rail calling to her, begging to be used. As she reached out, a spark of reddish-purple arced from her hands, and she quickly drew back.

  No, she couldn’t use her untested powers until she knew how it would affect her targets and what it would cost her.

  But it didn’t mean she was helpless.

  She might not be able to use the energy, but she could direct it. She resolutely reached out.

  “Don’t!”

  Before she could change her mind, Raven slammed her hand down on the rail, ignoring Gavin’s shout. Even before her hand reached the metal, power sliced into her, bowing her back as raw energy surged into her. She grabbed hold of the current, refusing to release it, even when it felt like her eyeballs were floating in a vat of acid.

  When she couldn’t withstand any more current, instead of striking the pack directly and only taking out one of them, she reached for the old, rusted railing a couple of feet away to complete the circuit. Electricity funneled through her. She ignored the pain, ignored the way the current began to singe the tips of her fingers black.

  Current pinged between the two rails and lightning zigzagged down the tunnel almost faster than her eyes could track, electrifying everything in between. The first row of shifters toppled over like statues. The second row tried to avoid the same fate, leaping over their packmates to the side of the tunnel, but there was no escaping.

  The current followed their movements like a living beast, reaching out relentlessly for those trying to evade its wrath. The more energy she used, the faster it channeled into her. Her skin blistered, her insides felt brittle, ready to shatter, her body not bouncing back as quickly after having suffered so much abuse in the past few weeks.

  The shock was so strong, some of the shifters were yanked into their animal forms, their human side fully subverted, driven wild and completely mad. They tucked their tails and ran from the pain—and the more dangerous predator.

  Her vision began to dim around the edges, the last sign of burnout and unconsciousness, but Raven didn’t relent. Behind the shifters stood three vampires just waiting to tear her and Gavin apart. The static in the air became so dense, every hair on her body stood at painful attention.

  Raven pushed for more, felt the current stutter, saw the lights flicker, but she didn’t stop despite the pain threatening to turn her to a crispy critter. The strands lashed out at the vampires, wrapping around them like barbed wire.

  Uncertain what to expect, she was stunned when all animation vanished and they fell to the ground as if dead. Unfortunately the power didn’t kill them—she and Gavin weren’t that lucky—but the current knocked them offline. By nightfall they would be fine and hunting once again.

  The current inside her sputtered, along with her heart, and Raven knew she had to let go. But no matter how hard she tried to drop the current, she couldn’t break her death grip on the railing. With every thud of her heart, she suspected the current was the only thing that kept it beating. />
  “You have to let go. They’re gone.” Gavin was crouched in front of her. He’d obviously been trying to get her attention for a while, but she could barely hear him over the sharp ringing in her ears. “We have to go. You did it. Let go.”

  Raven stared down at where she gripped the railing, and it took three tries before she was able to pry her hands away. The tips of her fingers were charred, her hands stiff, her palms blistered and cracked so badly she could see the bones beneath.

  She poked at the remnants of the magic inside her but couldn’t even get a spark to ignite.

  Gavin approached cautiously. “I’m sorry, but we need to go.”

  Then, without another word, he gingerly reached down and hefted her up in his arms.

  At his touch, her wolf surged forward, slamming into her hard enough to knock the breath clear out of her. Though her wolf wanted to mate, the beast only craved her men.

  Gavin felt wrong.

  “Stop.”

  Raven stilled at Gavin’s gruff command, completely unaware that she’d been arching away from him until he glared down with his stormy grey-blue eyes.

  “Breathe deeply. My scent will help.”

  He couldn’t be more wrong. His light earth scent was repugnant, leaving her wolf wary.

  He wasn’t pack.

  He couldn’t be trusted.

  Raven wanted to insist that she could walk on her own, but knew she would only end up slowing them down. She detested being weak, and her wolf rumbled in agreement. With every step, her wolf pushed closer to the surface, allowing Raven to borrow her strength.

  A brush of fur rubbed at the underside of her skin, a silent entreaty to be let out to finish hunting their prey. She felt wild, almost feral, the impulse to charge after the others nearly overwhelming.

  “Calm.” Gavin brushed the bottom of his jaw along the top of her head. “We’ll be back with your pack soon.”

  Her wolf stilled at the mention of her men, lifting her muzzle to scent the air for a lie.

  And detected none.

  Very reluctantly, her wolf settled back under her skin, conserving the last of their strength, and Raven very much feared they would need it later. The tunnels gradually became cleaner the closer they climbed to the surface, the rotting stench replaced by grease and urine. The rattling and clacking of the trains became more frequent, the scattering of bones smaller, rodents more than anything else.

  With every step, Gavin’s moves became more fluid as his injuries gradually healed, his breathing less strained.

  Raven wasn’t so lucky. While the blisters covering her hands had vanished and the charring had faded, her fingers remained stiff.

  “You can stop looking behind us.” Gavin’s chest was so close his voice was a rumble in her ear. “The real threat is in front of us now. Once we reach topside, we won’t recognize our enemy. It could be anyone we pass on the street.”

  Chapter Four

  DAY TWO – MIDNIGHT – SUBWAY STATION

  Raven saw the lights from the subway station up ahead and sagged with relief. “Put me down.”

  For a second Gavin’s hold tightened, and her breath caught in her throat, unable to bear the pain of his touch any longer. Even the slightest brush of fingers felt like a brand. “Please.”

  Gavin’s expression was grim, but he relented and lowered her gently. “Your wolf is fighting you.”

  As soon as her feet hit the ground, she lurched away from him. She expected the pain to leave, but the opposite was true. Heat began to build under her skin to the point where she was no longer comfortable in her own body.

  When Gavin came to walk next to her, guiding her to the pathway at the side of the tracks, she noticed sweat beading along his hairline, and knew that he wasn’t as unaffected by her as he wanted her to think.

  She appreciated his restraint.

  Not to mention that he kept his word.

  He could’ve left her to suffer alone. Left her for the others to pick off.

  Instead he kept his word despite the cost to him.

  As they drew closer to the subway platform, fresh graffiti marked the walls. Next to the tags, bold as you please, were deep grooves etched into the concrete.

  Markings created by claws.

  “They’re warnings.”

  Raven didn’t have to ask what they meant—death to the unwary.

  Gavin edged in front of her, taking the lead, his stride becoming more aggressive. As they neared the platform, he leapt the four feet in a single bound, leaning down to offer his hand when she neared the edge. She hesitated for only a second, then braced herself for the pain and set her hand into his.

  He swung his arm, launching her through the air, and she twisted, landing on her feet. Just as she turned to face the crowded platform, Gavin took the lead again, clearing a path for her, and she released a shaky sigh of gratitude. As they mounted the stairs and emerged from the subway system, she gulped the fresh air, hoping to get the stink of sewers out of her system.

  Despite being in the middle of the night, they emerged into a bustling city.

  As they passed through the crowd, she stuck close to Gavin while he navigated the busy streets. The press of sweaty people from every direction put her on edge. There were too many to keep track of. She had no way to tell if any of them were watching her and Gavin out of just curiosity or if they had a more deadly purpose in mind. Only a few people noticed their rumpled appearances and bloodstained clothes, and gave them a wide berth.

  “Will any of your crew follow?”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw, and she winced. Even from their very first meeting, it had been abundantly clear he was a lone wolf. She’d given him the choice to leave her behind more than once, but he refused. He wasn’t like the rats who lived in the tunnels. “Sorry.”

  Gavin deftly guided her away from a group of people spilling out of a bar. She cast him another glance from under her lashes, having a hard time picturing him as the same ruthless man she’d met in the labs. Without his beard, he looked so much younger than she expected.

  “It’s doubtful.”

  When he said no more, she sighed. Talking to him was like trying to communicate with a wall. “We’re topside now. It’s my job to protect you now. I need to know what kind of danger I can expect.”

  Gavin gave her a scathing look, scanning her from head to toe, no doubt laughing to himself at the idea of her protecting him in her current state.

  Since he had been forced to carry her for miles less than an hour ago, no wonder he thought her weak.

  Raven wasn’t insulted. She was used to people underestimating her. Most weaknesses were an illusion when dealing with the paranormal world.

  She tipped back her head. From where they stood, she couldn’t see any stars. The farther they traveled from the center of the city, the dingier and more broken-down the buildings.

  He guided them away from the crowds, where they were less likely to be recognized and could fight without onlookers. They kept to the side streets, slipping through rat-infested alleyways, dodging from shadow to shadow. Neither of them were willing to put others at risk by being caught in public.

  The roads became less maintained, the cars older models, the bars grungier, the patrons rougher. Raven didn’t recognize any part of the city, but Gavin seemed to know where they were heading.

  “You used to live underground.” Gavin refused to look at her as he scanned the streets, taking a left down the darker path, and she realized how isolated he was from the real world—and, thanks to her, he just lost his home and his pseudo-pack. “You took me there because you believed we would be protected.”

  Suddenly wary about the way he abandoned the people who were his pack, Raven slowed her steps. She’d just killed his leader and onetime lover.

  He couldn’t be pleased with her.

  As if reading her mind, he spoke over his shoulder, picking up his pace to discourage more conversation. “She would’ve sacrificed me to you.”

&n
bsp; A muscle ticked along his jaw, his eyes splintering yellow for a brief second before he regained mastery over his beast. She couldn’t help but be impressed.

  He had been slated to be given away, mated to a stranger, with no guarantee he would survive the process.

  “She wanted revenge,” Raven murmured. “If she wanted payback, she would’ve just killed you. You vanished without her permission when you went in search of your brother. She wanted to punish you.”

  Gavin grunted in response.

  “Which one of us was she trying to control?” She was nonplussed to realize that she might not have been the main target, but just an unlucky bystander.

  Gavin wasn’t a follower. No leader would be pleased about having their reign challenged by their second or third in command. And based on the way he handled himself, she had no doubt that he was the next in line for the leadership of the pack. His abandonment of them would have been seen as treachery by any vampire. Lucinda couldn’t allow it to stand without punishment. That she didn’t kill him outright showed just how strong and important he was to her rule.

  “Both.” Gavin urged her forward as he scanned the streets. “Come, we must hurry. We left a trail. It won’t be long before we’re discovered.”

  Raven scowled, but dutifully picked up her pace. “But you said they wouldn’t come after us.”

  He flashed her a dead look. “I said it was doubtful. It doesn’t matter who catches us. If we’re found, we’re dead.”

  He was right.

  She ignored his gimlet stare that called her an idiot, and inhaled the fresh cool, almost crisp air helping her calm the fire racing in her blood. His stride was stiff, his shoulders tense. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen him relaxed. Being a lone wolf meant that relying on others could get you killed. A man of his skills would’ve been welcomed into any pack, but he’d turned his back on all of that…for his brother.

  Though she tried to fight it, she felt herself softening toward him.

  They had more in common than she wanted to admit.