Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet

by Stacey Brutger

  Shit.

  The men looked physically fit, if a bit skinny, lacking muscles mass. Their hair was limp, greasy, their skin a shade too pale, as if their bodies could no longer keep them healthy.

  But trained, if the smooth way they moved was any indication.

  They wore weapons, pieces lined with silver, designed specifically for paranormals. Protective vests covered their torsos, which wouldn’t stop a wolf from tearing into them, but it would delay the animal long enough for the humans to grab a weapon and gut their attacker.

  One had a hunting knife longer than her forearm strapped to his thigh.

  Another wore brass knuckles coated with silver.

  A third lazily swung a silver-tipped baton, eager for the hunt to begin.

  She was already familiar with the gun the last one wore.

  She rolled her shoulder, wincing when the wound on her arm protested.

  Silver bullets.

  She would heal, but it would take longer and be a hell of a lot more painful.

  Then the driver of the first vehicle locked eyes on her. Something in his expression shifted, and he charged toward her, moving faster than what should’ve been possible for any human. When he was just a yard away, Gavin shot forward and tackled the man, lifting him clear off his feet and plowing him into the ground.

  Raven gaped in shock. While he had promised to help her escape, she never expected him to come to her rescue.

  Then she had no more time to think, because the other three men were practically on her.

  Baton-man reached her first. He pulled back his arm, dropping his shoulder, giving her plenty of time to dance out of the way of his baton. She grabbed his wrist, wrenched his arm down, then slammed it over her knee, breaking it at the elbow.

  The weapon fell uselessly to the ground.

  He bellowed in pain, a snarl curling his lips, revealing a double set of fangs that didn’t look natural. Scars checkered his lips where his own fangs had repeatedly cut into him. “Fucking bitch. I’m going to enjoy tasting a piece of your ass.”

  Without giving him time to recover, she put her hands on the back of his head and slammed his face down as hard as possible, bringing up her knee to finish the job.

  Before her leg could connect, he twisted away, kicking her in the chest and launching her through the air.

  Brass knuckles followed her, leaving his injured colleague lying on the ground, his green eyes just a shade too yellow to be natural. His ears were longer, the tips had tufts of hair like a cat, and a sick sort of understanding hit her…they weren’t paranormals, they were humans created in the labs…and they were dying.

  Raven was horrified that they’d survived the transition. The pain alone had to be excruciating. Their bodies weren’t conditioned to hold a beast.

  The revelation also meant the humans were getting close to creating their super soldiers, and that scared the bejesus out of her.

  It meant war was coming sooner than anyone expected.

  Then there was no more time for thought as the feline launched himself through the air, slamming into her, and they both hit the ground with a thump. Raven used the momentum to flip the slim man over her head, quickly following to pin the guy beneath her. Instead of defeated, the feline snapped at her with wickedly sharp fangs, and Raven barely brought up her arm in time to stop him from setting fangs into her throat. She pressed her forearm against his neck, leaning in hard to cut off his air supply.

  He thrashed violently beneath her, grunting and snarling defiantly, and she suspected the transformation he suffered through made it impossible for him to speak. He used his claws to gouge large ruts in her arms, so intent on killing her he didn’t even bother to defend himself. He brought up his other arm, hammering her ribs and side with the brass knuckles, the blows reverberating through her, leaving her ribs creaking with every blow, sending tiny fractures splintering along the bones.

  Gavin fought in the distance, vicious growls and meaty thumps a continuous racket in the background, but the odds weren’t in their favor. They were too weak.

  Another one of the soldiers circled around them, coming up on her rear.

  She was running out of time. She couldn’t fight two of them at one time.

  Raven snatched a rock near her knee and smashed it across the man’s temple, the sickening crack of bone echoing in her ears. He only gradually stopped struggling, as if he didn’t understand why his arms no longer worked. Only a small trickle of blood dribbled down his temple, and his eyes lost their focus.

  An arm came across her neck, choking her, lifting Raven up off her knees. She flailed, trying to twist free, when the first man who went after her approached.

  “I’m going to fucking enjoy this.” When he smiled, his yellow, chipped fangs dripped saliva.

  She kicked out, but he easily swept her legs aside, then swung his baton, striking her with a force that emptied the remaining air out of her lungs.

  “Stop fucking playing around and knock her out. If we don’t bring her back, we’re all dead.” The man holding her muttered, his grip tightening as he strained to hold her while the injured man swung back to hit her again. There was no emotion in the man’s voice, and nothing but glee on baton-man’s face.

  Mercenaries.

  Raven reached up, grabbed the arm of the man holding her, then swung her legs out, wrapping them around baton-man’s neck. Claws sank into her thighs, but she refused to loosen her hold, twisting her hips until she managed to wrench his neck at an impossible angle.

  With a soft crunch of bones, baton-man’s head flopped forward loosely and he collapsed.

  She lost her hold when he dropped, nearly dragging her down with him, but she didn’t have the strength to hold him anymore.

  As her will to fight drained away, Raven realized something important.

  While they didn’t care if they damaged her, they obviously wanted her alive.

  Unfortunately, her body had been pushed beyond its limits. Her vision began to dim. Magic swirled in her veins, begging to be used, but she couldn’t risk the infected magic spreading. She had no idea what effect it would have on the man holding her.

  Her wolf had no such qualms.

  Claws burst out of her fingertips, tearing a muffled scream out of her already-damaged throat. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to penetrate the super soldier’s vest, and unable to reach anything vital before she passed out, she quickly reached back and raked her claws down his neck, satisfied when blood drenched her shoulder.

  The putrid smell intensified, the stink of rot coming directly from the soured blood, and she shivered at the decaying, viscous liquid dribbling down her arm. The blood felt thick, syrupy, and slightly lumpy, and she was almost grateful that her damaged throat made breathing difficult.

  He dropped her and clutched his damaged throat to stop the flow of blood.

  Raven dropped to her knees, gasping and wheezing for air, not in the least bit troubled by the violence. The man fumbled with his gun, and Raven mentally began cursing.

  Gavin staggered up behind the man, bruised and bleeding like a stuck pig. He lifted a tree branch almost as big as Raven and cracked it into the back of the man’s skull, immediately toppling him.

  Gavin staggered and dropped to his knees across from her, the killer lying prone between them. He released the branch, letting it fall to the ground, his chest heaving, his body weaving, only sheer determination keeping him upright. Dozens of wounds littered his body and limbs, a few of them bone-deep, his blood freely dripping and splattering to the ground. His wolf stared out at her, his yellow eyes almost feral.

  She suspected only his stubborn wolf kept him conscious.

  “Thanks.”

  He raised a brow at her, then shook his head. “You were foolish to come back for me. You should’ve left.”

  Raven sighed, flinching when her throat protested, turning away from him as she struggled to get to her feet. Fuck. Moving hurt. Bones ground in her chest, and she cupped the sh
attered ribs to hold them in place so they could heal faster. “I gave you my word.”

  Her eyes landed on the last remaining man, his sightless eyes starring dully up at the sky, his prized hunting knife sticking out of his ribcage.

  “You damn well know I didn’t mean for you to get your hands bloody, you little fool. You could’ve been killed.”

  At first she thought he might genuinely care, but quickly dismissed it. “Right, because if anything happened to me, where would that leave you?”

  He recoiled, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

  When he opened his mouth, likely to reprimand her again, she cut him off. “They were human, but not. They had no restraint, their behavior almost feral. They had only one thing on their minds.”

  “You.” Gavin’s voice was grim. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it off, then ripping it into strips. To her shock, he staggered toward her and began to bind the gouges on her arms. “They were human enough to still fight like humans. They weren’t as vicious and instinctive as animals in the wild, or we would be dead.”

  He yanked a knot on the last wrapping, diligently avoiding her gaze and ruined his kind act by speaking. “Once they get a whiff of your blood, they will be able to track you.”

  “Of course.” Being near him eased her wolf to the back recesses of her mind. She was either comforted by his presence or didn’t want to be near him, Raven didn’t know which, and her claws retracted with a sharp sting.

  She pulled away from him and clenched and unclenched her hands, a little freaked out at the change. She always expected to die if she tried to shift into an animal. While she was grateful for the help, she was also leery of what it might mean.

  She was headed toward the road when Gavin caught her arm. “You’re going the wrong way.”

  Raven dismissed his concerns. “I won’t leave Rylan out there alone.”

  “Don’t be foolish. He doesn’t expect you to go back for him.”

  Fury burned in her chest. “I don’t know how shit is done where you’re from, but he is part of my pack. We don’t leave one of our own behind. He came—”

  A terrified scream echoed in the distance, and Gavin smirked, cutting off her rant. “I don’t think he needs your help.”

  She huffed out a breath, part of her anxiety easing, then grudgingly admitting, at least to herself, that she wasn’t in any condition to help Rylan.

  “They were expecting to fight paranormals.” Gavin nudged the silver weapons with the tip of his boots, and Raven experienced a twinge of jealousy that his injuries were already beginning to knit shut.

  “Of course. That’s all part of the game, right?” Raven frowned, not sure she understood what was bothering him. “You sound surprised. Why?”

  When he glanced up, her stomach dropped at his troubled expression. “Humans have never participated in the hunt before. These guys were specifically trained to hunt us. They were professionals.”

  She wasn’t sure what disturbed her more…that humans were now officially hunting paranormals, or that she was their first target. “They were expecting us.”

  He shook his head. “They were expecting you.”

  Dread tightened her gut. “Meaning that when they don’t return, more will follow.”

  Chapter Six

  Raven set a fast pace back toward the mansion, as fast as her abused body allowed, feeling very much like the Tin Man with rusty joints. The moment she set foot on her land, energy sprang up like an excited pup welcoming her home. It swirled over her skin, then sank into her body, as if sensing she was at her breaking point.

  Injuries began to knit close slightly faster, her body gaining strength with every step. She always assumed shifters felt immediate relief when they healed, but all she felt was pain while her bones cemented back together.

  They had taken two more steps when she sensed a group of shifters heading toward them at an incredible speed, moving too fast for her to get a read on them. “Incoming.”

  Gavin moved closer, standing protectively in front of her, turning to look in every direction. When the group charged into the clearing, she broke into a smile when she saw London in the lead.

  “Fuck.” Gavin tensed, a snarl escaping him as his wolf bristled at the threat.

  The large Kodiak bear moved low to the ground. He should be lumbering like his bear counterpart, but he was too fast and graceful for that. He came at them with the speed of a freight train, and Raven quickly stepped around Gavin. “London?”

  He didn’t slow until he was right in front of her, then plowed to a stop in a spray of dirt, glaring at Gavin over her head as he tucked her tightly against him. The deep rumble from him was low and vicious, vibrating through her body, and she gaped at him in shock.

  When he tried to set her aside and sweep around her, she quickly placed a hand on his chest. Instead of throwing off her touch as she expected, he froze. “He’s a…friend. For now. We were attacked at the road. Rylan is taking care of things, but I fear that we’ve left a mess in the woods.”

  Only then did London lower his gaze. His black hair was a little longer than his normal buzz cut, and he had thick brows and a square, strong face meant to intimidate whoever he pinned under his ferocious look. Those massive arms of his flexed when he noted her wounds, as if fighting to hold his beast back. “We’ll dispose of the bodies and clean the area.”

  Part of the tension holding her upright eased at knowing he would take care of everything. Just being back on pack land made her wolf feel less savage, her beast retreating to give her a few moments of peace.

  More shifters poured in from the trees around them, and she recognized Jamie and his group of rogues. He was a big redhead with a wild mane of hair, the leader of the rogues who lived next door. Ever since she helped him find land where his people could live peacefully, he and his rogues had been faithfully devoted to protecting her and her pack.

  The rogues looked healthy, no longer starving and seconds away from turning feral.

  And she was about to ruin their peaceful existence by bringing a shitload of trouble to their doorstep. “I’m afraid more will be coming, and soon.”

  Instead of being pissed, Jamie and his wolves grinned. “We’ll double the patrols. Do you want them alive?”

  Raven smiled at their eagerness. “The moment they step on our land, they’re dead.”

  A chorus of howls split the air, several of the men already stripping out of their clothes to shift. She lifted her brows at Jamie, a little surprised at their blood-lusting ways.

  “Rogues have always fought for their place in society. Not only do they want to repay you for your generosity, they’re excited to be given legal permission to kill the bigots who would’ve sentenced them to death just for being born.”

  “They need to work in groups no smaller than three or four.” Raven scanned the clearing, feeling protective of them, and Jamie smiled at her in amusement.

  “Go. Your men are waiting for you. We won’t let anything happen to them.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and began organizing his motley crew with the finesse of a four-star general. In less than a minute, the clearing was empty.

  Secure in knowing her pack was close, her body began to shut down.

  She was just so tired.

  “Come, little one. I’ll escort you back.” London’s gruff voice was gentle.

  Raven allowed him to take the lead, wishing she could lean into his strength, but didn’t dare risk him becoming infected. Though he was pack, he wasn’t one of her mates.

  To her shock, London swept her up in his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather. She wiggled and squirmed in protest, conscious of her blood touching his skin, but his grip only tightened. “London—”

  “I don’t think you understand how important you are to your pack.” His words were barely above a rumble. “To all of us.”

  She blinked up at him in complete shock, and sputtered, “But you don’t even like me.”

  From as far bac
k as she could remember, he barely tolerated her presence, so she couldn’t make sense of what he just said.

  London just heaved a sigh and shook his head. “I’m a patient man. I’ve been content to protect you from a distance, but things are becoming too dangerous now. Without Dominick at your side to help you lead, you’re vulnerable. Your pack is small. I don’t intend to lose the one place I consider home because you don’t want to face the truth.”

  It was the longest speech he’d uttered since they first met.

  Everything inside her stilled, her chest so tight she could barely breathe. “The truth?”

  He smirked, amused by her docile question, not bothering to look at her. “You’re in love with me.”

  Raven snorted in amusement at his declaration. “I am?”

  “You just don’t know it yet.” He gave one decisive nod. “Give it time.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it, at a complete loss for how to respond. He was utterly serious. She wanted to tell him he was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t deny that she was amazingly comfortable in the protective warmth of his arms. He smelled of fall leaves, the soothing scent relaxing her even more.

  She trusted him with her life, but she never considered him anything more than a friend.

  Right?

  But then why did she feel so comfortable in his arms when she had spent most of her life not touching anyone out of fear for their safety?

  Gavin rolled his eyes when she looked at him, completely baffled. “Bear, right?”

  She nodded.

  “How long has he been with you?”

  Her brows furrowed. “Years. Why?”

  He shook his head, as if he found her foolish. “Bears are roamers. They only settle in one place when they find their home.”

  She shrugged, and he gave a tired laugh. “When they find their mates.”

  Raven stiffened, suddenly uncomfortable aware of London’s arms around her. A growl rumbled from him, and he glared at Gavin for disturbing her. They traveled the rest of the distance back to the house in silence. London didn’t slow or show any signs of strain from carrying her. In truth, he seemed more relaxed than she’d ever seen him, and she settled more comfortably against him, lured by the steady drum of his heart.