Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet

by Stacey Brutger

  A slight buzz sounded, and she quickly pulled open the door. The caustic, antiseptic smell invaded her nose, but nothing could vanquish the rotten stench of death that lingered underneath.

  Nausea threatened to suck her under as memories of the previous medical examiner flashed in her mind…the prick of the needle, the burn of poison as it spread through her system, and the subsequent kidnapping. He had been using shifter DNA in an attempt to cure human illnesses, not caring that he was killing shifters in the process when he harvested their blood and tissue. The doctor believed she was the key, and she didn’t escape his testing unscathed.

  She’d stopped him, but it was those who survived his experiments that made sure Ross would never hurt anyone again.

  No one here was a threat, but she couldn’t shake off her unease.

  The dim hall was empty, the guard station unmanned, the only illumination was the emergency lights at the end of the passageway marking the exit.

  Raven turned down another hall, repressing a shudder as chilled air curled around her ankles and snaked its way upward. She’d swear she could actually hear the dead calling out to her, even from this distance. The smell of decay increased in strength with every step, trying to crawl up her nose, invading her clothes and hair.

  The door marked morgue loomed in front of her before she was ready. She paused, the air in her lungs suddenly gone, and she wasn’t sure if she could force herself to move. A chill sliced down her spine, and she half-expected to see her breath fog the air.

  “Raven—”

  He broke off abruptly when the doors to the morgue began to open.

  A petite, full-figured woman, stood in the doorway, not even startled to find four people standing outside the morgue in the middle of the night. Raven gave her credit for having nerves of steel. The woman’s blond hair was pulled back into a severe bun, her face surprisingly young, if strict and disapproving, and Raven recognized her. “Dr. Shade.”

  Her bad luck was holding.

  The woman hated paranormals, and Raven in particular.

  “Raven.” Though she was shorter, Dr. Shade managed to look down her nose at them when she spoke, her blue eyes like shards of ice, a chilling frost coating her words. “You’re no longer on the police force, so you’re not here on official business. Mind me asking how you were able to enter?”

  The bitch probably cheered on the day Raven handed back her badge. Her gaze flickered toward Durant, dismissing Raven as inconsequential, and interest brightened the doctor’s eyes.

  When Durant gave his most charming smile, something dark and vicious inside Raven rose up and snarled, and she barely managed to hold back the sound.

  But not well enough, apparently.

  Jackson immediately stepped back, dragging a frozen Gavin with him, and both had their eyes lowered. Durant stilled and bowed his head toward her in submission. There was no smile on his face, no humor in his eyes. He was completely submissive, and she nearly stumbled back from them.

  Dr. Shade turned and frowned at her, as if sensing she was missing something, and Raven managed to gather her wits. “We’re here to view the bodies.”

  “No.” Dr. Shade began to close the door, but Raven slammed her foot in the way.

  “They are paranormals who died under suspicious circumstances—”

  “—accidental, and they are no longer your concern. Stop prying into matters that don’t concern you,” the doctor interrupted, and Raven’s dislike for the woman swelled.

  Raven stared down at her until the doctor fidgeted before she could prevent it.

  “Not accidental. And it is my business.” Raven lifted her chin. “The law states that you are not allowed to examine the bodies without permission of their pack.”

  “And you’re pack?” She raised a pencil-thin brow in challenge.

  Technically, if the others were to be believed, Raven was queen. Which meant they were all hers. “We are here to view the bodies and confirm their identity and then make arrangements to collect them.”

  “Do that in the morning.” Dr. Shade began closing the door again.

  Raven didn’t move her foot from the doorway. “The law states you cannot deny us access—”

  “In the morning.” Shade tightened her grip on the door, refusing to budge.

  “City morgues must have an attending available at all times for this very reason. The last thing the city wants is for a vampire to wake up and go on a rampage.” Raven waited a heartbeat. “Open the door.”

  Shade shrugged, then released her hold on the door and stepped aside. “Be my guest.”

  The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Raven, but she didn’t give a shit, not when her pack was at risk. When she entered the morgue, she half expected to find something nefarious happening because of the way the doctor was protesting, but the room was empty. The morgue must have been drenched with antiseptic chemicals, leaving her nose burning and almost succeeding in drowning out the rot of decay. Almost.

  Instead of offering to help, Shade stood to the side and watched them closely, as if expecting them to walk off with a corpse. Raven opened the large refrigerator doors, and frigid air wrapped around her wrist, skating up her arm, the bite of cold leaching away her warmth. The blackness beyond was so thick she shivered, but not from the cold.

  She felt the bodies resting in the darkness, almost as if their disembodied spirits were reaching out for her from beyond the grave. Jackson leaned forward, flipping on the light, and the inky blackness retreated. There were fourteen bodies total in refrigeration, but Raven didn’t have to look to find the three paranormal creatures. Even after death their energy signatures were different from humans.

  Raven peered at the men over her shoulder. “You might want to stay out there.”

  Every one of the guys, including the doctor, looked at her with varying degrees of incredulity.

  Raven didn’t bother asking for the charts. Shifters were notoriously hard to poison. If they had toxins in their systems, she would be able to smell it.

  Moving toward the first body, she pulled down the zipper of the body bag. Putrid stink of decay swirled in the air. As she suspected, the body didn’t have even a hint of toxin. She leaned closer and forced herself to breathe deeper, but couldn’t detect even a trace of his attacker.

  As she straightened, she took her first look at the corpse.

  Young was her first impression, and she quickly shook it off. The man was an unnatural pale gray, and a quick exam of the body showed no sign of injury—which should’ve been a red flag. Shifters had enough healing ability to survive almost anything, even old age.

  Accidental death, her ass.

  Shifters always died violently, one way or another.

  Raven flexed her hand, then laid her palm flat against his chilled, almost clammy forehead. Biting cold sank into her flesh until her fingers felt like blocks of ice.

  Her powers were unpredictable at best.

  She hoped this worked.

  It was her one chance of finding out who wanted her dead.

  She refused to raise the dead, uncertain if they would come back whole, not to mention the trauma for someone waking up trapped inside a rotting corpse. It could drive even the strongest person around the bend.

  She could still get answers, but the process was a bit trickier.

  Raven closed her eyes as the cold traveled up her arm, leaving her skin feeling heavy. Then it felt like her hand was sinking into his flesh while tiny sparks of current snapped around her fingers. She pushed more energy into the body, watching the current attach itself to the decaying cells. Only when the magic settled did she draw the current toward her, absorbing what remained of the energy lingering in his body, until her hand felt like it was surrounded by a liquid shadow. It swirled and clung to her hand, moving as if it had a mind of its own.

  Before she could think about the wisdom of what she was doing, she clutched the squishy, spongy liquid until it squelched between her fingers, the sensation similar to t
rying to hold a jellyfish, and she yanked down hard, pulling her hand out of his body. She turned so cold at the contact with the spirit her fingers burned, and she released her grip, her eyes snapping open.

  Gasps echoed around the room as a form took shape before her, the ghostly image desperately trying to gulp air, drowning out the startled squeak from Shade and snarls from the men.

  In front of her stood a fully formed, if somewhat transparent, ghost of the man resting on the table. Even now those tiny sparks that kept him alive began to flicker and go out. Unless she gave him power to keep him alive, he would fade to nothing in a matter of minutes.

  “Tell me how you died.”

  The man looked around in confusion, then his eyes locked on his dead body.

  “What the fuck!” But when he reached out to touch himself, his hands passed right through his corpse.

  Knowing she needed to get his attention fast, Raven shoved away the morgue cart and stood in front of the apparition. “Tell me how you died.”

  He stared at her owlishly, but automatically answered the demand from an alpha. “Water.”

  Even as he spoke, liquid began to trickle out of his mouth. His eyes widened in horror, and he grabbed his throat as he began to choke, reliving his death, his image fading more with every grasp. His eyes dulled as his ghostly form flickered, then winked out of existence.

  Tiny sparks of energy remained swirling in the air. They slammed into her, seeking any entrance, slithering past her lips, worming their way through her ears, even wiggling up her nose, sensing she was the source of his return and seeking to prolong his life.

  Raven didn’t fight them, allowing the energy to absorb back into her, while she endured the unfortunate side effect of seeing his last few minutes of life. The man was being held underwater by someone who apparently didn’t need to breathe air. The dead man slashed and clawed at his attacker, bloodying the water, but nothing he did loosened the killer’s hold.

  Her body convulsed, as if starved for air, then everything went quiet.

  She watched the attacker drag the man to the surface, haul him out, then calmly drain the lungs of water by shoving a tube down his throat. Once done, he washed and dressed the corpse like it was an everyday occurrence, never showing an ounce of emotion.

  Then the body was loaded into a vehicle and calmly dumped in front of the victim’s own house.

  When the image went black, Raven gasped for air, her eyes flying open. She nearly sagged in relief to see the familiar image of the morgue swim into view. Her heart beat a mile a minute, as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. Her stomach churned, her body feeling too light as she struggled not to lose her shit and fall into the ghost’s memories.

  “Raven.” Durant’s angry face filled her vision, and she flung herself at him, unable to stop from burrowing into his arms, the warmth of his body almost painful against her chilled skin. The scent of leather eased the tightness in her chest as the ghostly sensations finally faded. Only when his tiger growled uneasily did Raven release her hold and reluctantly pull away.

  His grip tightened painfully before he released her.

  “What the fuck was that?” Shade demanded, her eyes wide, her face pale, her normal unbreakable ice-queen facade one step away from cracking.

  “A ghost.” Raven wrapped her arms around herself, the cold having taken up residence in her bones. She gave Shade a bitter smile. “It seems that we both have an affinity for the dead. Sometimes I don’t even have to touch the body for their ghosts to find me.”

  Shade shuffled a step away before she could stop herself, torn between disgust and fascination. Curiosity won. “What did you see?”

  Raven smiled bitterly at the suspicion. “He was drowned. A tube was shoved down his throat to drain out the water.”

  Shade glanced at the body, then turned and grabbed a pair of gloves and a flashlight. She shoved her way past them, her face all business. She opened the man’s jaw and did her own investigation. When she straightened, she turned and unzipped the next body bag, and repeated the process for the other two bodies.

  “You’re right.” She straightened, snapped off her gloves, then turned toward Raven with a frown. “The bodies will remain with me until an investigation has been initiated.”

  Medical examiners were not permitted to do an examination on any paranormal creature…unless they suspected foul play or had permission from the pack.

  Shade expected her to fight over the bodies, but Raven had gotten what she needed. All she wanted to do now was leave. Even now, since she raised one body, the others were begging to awaken. They wanted justice or vengeance, while others just plain refused to believe they were dead and weren’t ready to cross over.

  Most souls remained tied to their bodies or lingered where they died. If they were strong enough, they could take the energy they needed from Raven and bring themselves back to life…at least temporarily.

  Raven nodded to Shade. She had no intention of interfering. “Thank you for allowing us access.”

  She turned away, practically running out of the meat locker. Jackson kept himself between her and the bodies, as if he could somehow prevent them from getting to her.

  “The dead—” Shade broke off as she followed them out and closed the door, a troubled expression on her face. “You saw his death.”

  Raven stiffened, swallowing back her instinctual need to deny everything. “Felt his death.”

  The men scowled, and even Shade winced.

  “For the most part I’ve learned to protect myself from all but the most vengeful.” Raven gave Shade a wry smile, ignoring the men as they searched the empty room for a threat. “I don’t call on the dead very often, since contacting one usually draws the attention of others.”

  Instead of being fearful, Shade’s look turned speculative. While the distrust between them remained, a touch of respect softened her hard blue eyes.

  “Will you share with me what you find?” Raven expected an immediate rejection.

  But to her surprise, Shade agreed.

  “There will be more bodies, won’t there?” The doctor tossed her latex gloves in the garbage, not waiting for an answer. “You’re going to stop them.”

  Raven nodded. She would either stop them or die trying. She just hoped it wouldn’t spark a war.

  Shade appeared satisfied with the answer. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the back office. Dismissed. Raven took that as her clue to leave.

  Gavin beat her to the door, opening it for her.

  He appeared spooked by the events of the evening, and she couldn’t blame him. Being a shifter was one thing, learning that there was something more out there, something he couldn’t see or fight, had to be disconcerting.

  Raven was careful not to brush against Gavin, not really paying attention to her surroundings…and stepped into a cold spot that left frost crackling along her skin. Her breath clouded the air, and all the oxygen was sucked out of her lungs. A thin layer of ice spread and crackled across the floor.

  Dark shadows circled like a swarm of locusts before slamming into her, nearly dropping her to her knees, the shadows searching for a way past her shields. The guys grabbed for her, cursing when she shook off their hold. She would not give the ghosts an opening into them.

  When the ghosts began to circle again, Raven thrust out her arm in a feeble attempt to hold them off. To her shock, purple flames danced over the shadows, engulfing one of the ghosts, revealing the image of a mutilated female. A tortured, angry scream echoed down the hallway as tiny bits of ash began to float in the air.

  The other ghosts scattered.

  The temperature began to return to normal as the image flickered out of existence. She didn’t hold out hope that she managed to banish the girl, but the ghost wouldn’t be returning any time soon. Gathering enough energy to turn physical, much less attack anyone else, would take it years, if not decades.

  When she turned to face the others, both Durant and Jackson were
blocking the hall. She wasn’t sure whether they were protecting her or blocking her escape route.

  “Since when have you been able to see and talk to ghosts?” Jackson gave her a frowning look, as if by not telling him she’d compromised her safety and his trust.

  She rubbed her arms, her skin suddenly irritated by the return of normal air temperature. “I’ve always had trouble with the dead. You’ve known that about me from almost the first.”

  “Don’t make light of this.” His frown turned into a scowl. “You didn’t see when you almost hit the floor. You didn’t see yourself gasping for air while we were unable to do anything to help. You didn’t see yourself get attacked by an entity no one else could see.”

  Raven sighed, looking to the others for help, but neither of them said a word. “It only happens when too much energy builds up, or if I purposely try to call the dead.”

  Jackson stormed up to her, grabbed her chin, lifting her face to his. “You will never do that again without coming to get me first, understand?”

  Jackson held his fury close to his chest, bottled up and ready to explode. His whisky-colored eyes were shaded to neon green as he struggled to contain his wolf. She grabbed his wrist, wanting to soothe him, and was stunned to feel his pulse racing.

  Finally, after she gave him a meek ‘okay,’ he blew out a gusty breath. He studied her for a second longer before his stiff posture eased a fraction. When she dropped his arm, he held his hand out between them. “You discovered everything you could learn here. Let’s go home.”

  Raven accepted his hand gratefully.

  As she passed Durant, his attention dropped to her hand, or more specifically, where she was clutching Jackson, and he gave her a knowing look.

  The mating heat was back.

  Raven cursed, not even sure when the first symptoms started this time. They were so subtle she hadn’t noticed. If she had to guess, it was either when she began using her powers, or possibly when the doctor stared at Durant with a little too much lust. While she was embarrassed that they could sense her need, she was also grateful for their silent support. They didn’t try to force her to do anything, didn’t lock her away like other female shifters.