“It’s much too late to keep this a secret. Too many people know.” She resolutely turned away from the fury that darkened his stormy blue eyes. Gazing at Gavin, she lifted her hand, allowing a spark to snap between her fingers. “I discovered that a small pulse of electricity can either kill or bring a person back from the dead.”
Gavin gawked at her, not even blinking.
“I also discovered that when my heart stops, my power builds up under my skin. Instead of dissipating, it continues to collect until the burst of energy is too much to hold, at which point a nasty shock will surge through my system and jumpstart my heart.” Raven looked down at her desk, lining up all the pens in a row to keep herself occupied.
“So…” The word emerged as a croak, and he cleared his throat, the sound loud in the room.
“When my heart re-starts, my system reboots, and the healing process kicks in. It happens fast, and it’s extremely painful.” She risked a glance up at him.
“Which means someone knows about your ability.” He didn’t speak above a whisper, his brain beginning to fire again. “And they want you captured. Why?”
Luca snorted at the back of the room, then flushed a bright red when everyone turned to stare. “Isn’t it obvious? What would you pay to be able to live forever?”
Gavin’s head swung toward her, his eyes full of speculation. “Is that even possible?”
“No, but I doubt anyone will take my word for it.” She rubbed a hand down her face, suddenly tired of it all. “I was created in the labs. They experimented on me while my abilities were forming, and I think my magic adapted to protect me. Every time they killed me I came back faster.”
The interest on Gavin’s face turned to revulsion. Experimenting on paranormals was nothing new, but it was brutal, and they usually ended up butchering their test subjects. It was eventually banned by the government, but that didn’t stop people from doing it…including the government.
“Unfortunately, I was recently infected with a sort of ancient magic.” She gave Gavin a crooked smile, confessing her worst fears. “I’m no longer certain that I’ll come back if they manage to kill me this time. Next time I die, it might be permanent.”
The room was so silent, she didn’t think anyone was even breathing.
Something in Rylan broke, and he streaked across the room, moving around people in a blur of speed, heading straight for Gavin.
Raven leapt over her desk, barely managing to lodge herself between the two men. Rylan stopped short of slamming into her, not even an inch separating them. Taggert reached behind her, pulling Gavin free of his chair and out of danger.
Rylan followed the move with feral black eyes.
Very carefully, so she wouldn’t startle him, she lifted her hands and cupped his face, surprised when he allowed the touch.
“He’s a liability,” he snarled
“He saved my life.”
“Doubtful.” Rylan snorted, not believing it for an instant. He set his hands on her hips and pulled her closer, his touch possessive, his spicy scent going straight to her head.
The rest of the room fell away as she shuffled closer.
“What did you find in the tunnels?”
“Very few stragglers remained.” He gave her a frustrated frown. “They didn’t know anything.”
From the gleam in his eyes, she wisely decided to keep her mouth shut and not ask him how he extracted the information.
“By the end of the week new rogues will have taken over the territory.” He leaned closer, inhaling her scent. His shoulders relaxed, the killing rage fading a fraction, the dangerous aura around him bled off and dissipated into the air. Static crackled along her arms, as if his rage called to her magic, and something dark stirred inside her.
Her body hummed with pleasure, and she realized she was responding to his emotions. His blue eyes glowed, no hint of madness lingering anywhere. He showed no signs of imprisonment, starvation, or bloodlust, but she still worried that he was concealing the truth.
She would shatter if he self-destructed because of her, but he appeared stronger than ever.
More intense.
And completely focused on her.
She reached for his mind…and he allowed her entrance. Instead of the damage she expected, instead of a deteriorated mind, she sensed…pure happiness.
Because of her.
She gently pulled back, overwhelmed by his emotions, not sure she could survive the pressure of being the center of his world. If she screwed up, made a mistake, they would both be destroyed.
He was amused by her reaction, and a blush warmed her cheeks. Their connection was forged the first day they met…in prison. There was no running from their future. It was set in stone years ago.
As if sensing she needed room, Rylan retreated a few inches. “We will do this your way, but the moment he steps out of line or puts you in danger, he’s mine.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then retreated across the room, his sole focus on her, like nothing else in the world existed.
Taggert took pity on her stupefaction and pulled out her chair, gently guiding her back into it. When Rylan smiled at her again, a hint of fang flashed. “I say we make him useful.”
Raven was immediately suspicious. “What do you have in mind?”
“You’re afraid of the reaction other shifters will have to you and your altered powers. I say we test it.” This time when Rylan smiled his fangs were fully on display. “On him.”
“No!” Dina protested, and Raven spoke at the same time. “Absolutely not.”
“He’s right.” Durant nodded. When she glared at him, he shrugged. “It’s better to know now than be surprised later.”
“If you don’t want to test on him, then you’ll have to choose one of us.” Jackson didn’t seem the least bit afraid, the foolish man.
“I’m not sure we’re valid test subjects.” Taggert spoke to the guys as if she wasn’t there. “I suspect we won’t be as affected by her powers. Thanks to our proximity to her over the past few months, we’ve been inoculated.”
Like she was a damn virus.
“I’m not experimenting on anyone, and that’s final.” She shuddered at the very thought, and turned toward Gavin, halting the conversation altogether. “Can you access the site where the hit list information is stored?”
Gavin gave her a measured look, tension holding him stiff while he tried to read her intent. As if coming to a decision, he resumed his seat, pulling the chair up next to her desk and pointing at the computer. “As long as my access hasn’t been revoked.”
Taggert pushed the laptop on her desk closer to him, then took up a protective position between them, clearly not liking that the other man had moved closer.
“How are the names selected?” Griffin asked, completely in cop mode.
“Usually no large targets are chosen, no alphas and no females.” His gaze flickered toward her for a second, his brows furrowed.
“Lucky me.” Raven sighed and leaned back in her chair.
“I’m actually surprised that anyone took your contract. It’s taboo for a shifter to even think about hunting a female, much less an alpha.”
“So the person who submitted her name is most likely human.” Durant rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowed.
Raven didn’t believe it. “I don’t think you can eliminate everyone because of that. I’ve made my share of enemies and stepped on some pretty big toes. I know of a few shifters and witches who would be more than happy to see the last of me. Not to mention that many believe I’m the catalyst for war.”
“But you proved my point.” Durant rose and began to prowl around the room as he talked. “You’re our secret weapon against the humans. It makes no sense to kill you. Everyone knows that without you we’ll eventually lose the war. Shifters might be vindictive, but we’re big advocates of self-preservation. They won’t kill you if they know you’re our only hope.”
She couldn’t disagree.
“I’m in.
” Gavin continued to type on the screen. “We have seven targets this month.”
“How many hunters?”
Gavin didn’t lift his head, answering distractedly. “Anywhere from five to fifteen hunters play at a time.”
Her stomach twisted with disgust that he would call brutal killing play.
As if sensing her judgment, he shrugged. “Most people join for the sport of it. A few for payment.”
“How often do people survive the hunt?” London cut through to what mattered most, and everyone glanced at Gavin.
His hands paused on the keys, a telling sign. “Unfortunately, only the best, most cunning survive.”
“Which means it’s rare.” Raven drummed her fingers on her desk, worry for the pack at the forefront of her mind.
“It’s not impossible.” He met her gaze directly, a promise in his eyes. “I’ve been playing for a long time, and my clients survive nearly ninety percent of the time.”
Raven didn’t doubt for a second that he enjoyed hunting the hunters, and he was good at his job. He was more beast than man. Without a pack, without his brother, nothing else mattered to him.
“The good news is a person can only be put on the list once. If you survive, you’re exempt.”
“Who can add names to the list? If we can locate the person, we can figure out who nominated you.” Jackson rose as well, casually resting his hip against her desk, as if he wanted to stay close in case anything happened.
Gavin was already shaking his head. “The list is hosted on the dark web. There is no way to tell who submitted your name or anyone else’s. They created the system to be completely anonymous. Players never learn the names of the contributors.”
“Don’t they run the risk of not getting paid?”
Gavin didn’t lift his head. “To list a name, payment must be made upfront.” Then he stopped typing abruptly and sat up. “Your contract had been purchased.”
The room bristled with tension at his announcement.
“What does that mean, exactly?” Raven didn’t have a good feeling about this.
He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around the room a little warily. “They own you.”
Her magic began to swirl in her veins, the intensity almost painful, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. The men reacted even more strongly, their growls resonating throughout the room. Durant’s eyes flashed gold, while Taggert’s claws sliced through the tips of his fingers, his fangs cutting into his lips.
“Does that mean that I’m no longer being hunted?”
Gavin carefully lifted his hands in surrender. “No, it means someone outbid the original request, doubled the payment. They’re going to want to collect their property.”
Yeah, not going to happen.
“Is there any way to know who took over my contract?”
He shook his head, slowly lowering his hands when no one attacked. “No.”
Raven wasn’t surprised. “Can you get me a copy of all the names on the list? Maybe we can track down the killers before they hunt the others, and we can eliminate the threat that way.”
Gavin grunted an affirmative and hammered his fingertips on the keyboard again. Seconds later the printer whirled to life.
“How many of them have already been eliminated?”
Gavin fiddled with the computer again, then lifted his head to meet her eyes. “Three have been reported. All apparent accidents.”
“Already?” Raven was shocked at the speed. The list had only been active for a few days.
“The number of names on the list varies. Each person is assigned points according to difficulty and money. You’re worth twenty points, Raven, which means someone was willing to pay a steep bounty to own you. I doubt they’ll give up just because someone else bought your contract.”
Griffin gave a growl of disgust, and she completely agreed.
“Does this mean they no longer want her dead?” Luca glanced at everyone. “That’s a good thing, right?”
Unfortunately there were some things worse than death.
She was glad that he hadn’t learned that lesson yet. If it was up to her, he never would.
“We’ll split the list. A team will go to the morgue to look over the bodies for clues while the others will try to track down the survivors…if there are any.”
Chapter Twelve
Less than an hour later Raven was dragged up to the rooftop by Luca and Taggert.
“The rest of them won’t go anywhere without you.” Taggert prodded her up the stairs when she began to drag her feet. She wasn’t sure if she believed him, but unless she could prove to them that she wouldn’t lose control of her magic, she wasn’t going anywhere.
“When a witch comes into their power, they’re not allowed out without a guard, not until they can get a handle on the most basic skills.” Luca walked backward up the stairs, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. If she didn’t know he was a wizard, she would’ve mistaken him for a wolf because of all that boundless energy.
“So, until they can show mastery over their magic.” She gave him a crooked smile.
“Exactly.” He stumbled over a step, then turned and crawled up the last few steps on all fours.
He burst out of the rooftop door, and a stream of sunlight blinded her for a few seconds.
She peered over her shoulder at Taggert. “And you’re coming along…why?”
She didn’t need anyone to witness her humiliation while she tried to master her powers.
He didn’t crack under her gimlet stare. “You need someone nearby in case your symptoms appear again.”
She grimaced. He meant in case she went into heat. “I thought you were supposed to keep your distance.”
“I’m also the one who has the most contact with your power.” He appeared unconcerned that she could seriously maim him. “If anything goes wrong, I’m the only one who’d have any chance of keeping you stable.”
She glanced behind him, but didn’t see anyone following.
“They won’t be coming. They would only be a distraction.”
Part of her relaxed at knowing she wouldn’t have an audience.
She paused before the door, unable to get her feet moving. “You’re not afraid.”
His chocolate-colored eyes were slightly splintered, shards of green from his wolf peeking through. “Your magic recognizes me. If it wanted me dead, it would’ve killed me a long time ago.”
She wanted to protest that her magic wasn’t a sentient being, that her dragon had always helped keep it in check.
Unfortunately, that was no longer true.
“What do you hope to accomplish today?”
He gave her a steady look. “I want whatever makes you happy.”
She ducked her head, but Taggert caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet his gaze, not letting her escape. “What do you want? Don’t think about the answer, don’t hesitate. What is your gut instinct?”
“My dragon.” Raven was surprised by her own answer. She’d repeatedly cursed both her magic and her beasts, but when it came down to it, when they vanished she’d realized they were as much a part of her as a limb.
Understanding reflected back at her from Taggert’s soft brown eyes. He knew what it was like not being able to shift. “You still aren’t able to call her forward?”
Raven grimaced. “I haven’t sensed her since I triggered the curse.”
Her greatest fear was that when she needed the beast most, the dragon would be gone, and it would be much too late to save any of them.
“Then let’s see what we can do.”
Raven leaned into his touch, a bit of her worry easing at his promise. He reached past her and held open the door, nudging her forward.
When she turned and headed toward their corner of the rooftop reserved for training, she stopped short to see Luca and his friends waiting for her.
Jase, Kyle, and Brant were all rogues who had found their way into her life. They watched her with varying d
egrees of wariness. Jase was their unspoken leader, while Kyle and Brant were pups who had yet to crest. The last time those two participated in an experiment with her, their wolves came out to play…and so did hers.
“You’re sure?” Despite knowing the risks, all three men nodded, and Jase relaxed infinitesimally when no one attempted to throw them off the roof.
Seeing them was a painful reminder of Felix and how she couldn’t save him, how she wouldn’t be able to protect everyone. But maybe she could teach them how to be strong enough to protect each other.
If they were going to do this, she wanted it done right. “Very well. You three will be in charge of keeping Luca safe. Taggert, you’re in charge of—”
“My job is to watch over you.” He didn’t smile, didn’t flirt, and didn’t drop his eyes submissively as he had when they first met. He had a sole purpose now, and her face warmed at knowing it was her.
“S-sure. Fine.” Her blush burned hotter when she stumbled over the words. She caught Luca smiling, but it quickly disappeared when she turned her attention to him.
“Oh.” He cleared his throat awkwardly for all of two seconds before the discomfort fell away and he was back in his element. “Let’s start with the basics. I want you to call your magic and hold onto it as long as possible.”
Raven waited for more instructions, but none came. She took a few steps away from them, edging closer to the ledge. Taggert immediately noticed the change in her position and scowled, but didn’t protest. If things became too dangerous, she would dive over the edge to protect the others.
Magic rose at her beckoning, blue and red sparks dancing along her fingers. Even as she watched, the colors began to blend into a deep, royal purple. She quickly dropped her magic and shook out her fingers. “Shit.”
“Why did you stop? Were you unable to hold onto it any longer?” Luca stepped closer, watching her hands, not appearing the least bit concerned, and she quickly backed away, edging closer to the ledge.
“Don’t.”
Luca skidded to a halt, his eyes jerking up to meet hers, but he appeared completely unconcerned with the danger. “You promised not to get close.”
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 69