Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet
Page 89
“Tell me.”
They looked at each other, as if no one was sure where to start. Raven solved it for them. “How was I able to shift? I was under the impression that if I ever attempted it, I would die.”
“We think the ancient magic was the key that allowed you to change.” Jackson began cleaning the bed off almost distractedly, avoiding her gaze as he removed the dishes, and the pleasant evening soured.
“I thought you’d be happy that I could change.” She ducked her head, suddenly uncertain. It would kill her to have them afraid of her.
Rylan sat up straight, then grabbed her leg and dragged her toward him until she was practically on his lap. He cupped her face in his hands, not letting her duck away from his piercing blue eyes, forcing her to see the truth.
“You were incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The awe made heat sting her cheeks.
So why didn’t he sound happy or even excited?
“But…” She waited for the other boot to drop, barely able to breathe past the tightness in her chest.
“What did you feel when you changed?” Jackson interrupted as he edged closer.
“I called the darkness around me until it caught fire.” Raven could still feel the change hovering around her, waiting for her call. Instead of being pleased, the guys exchanged a look that was guaranteed to annoy the crap out of any woman. “Why is that wrong?”
“Not wrong.” Taggert hedged.
“What we saw when you shifted was different,” London added, and she turned her attention to him. “We felt the draw of power. We saw you erupt into flames, saw darkness swirling within the blaze, and the dragon stepped out of the firestorm. You were gone.”
Raven waited, but no one spoke, each of them watching her expectantly. “Why is that bad?”
“How did you feel when you were a dragon?” Durant avoided her question by asking one of his own.
“I felt fine.” Their pussyfooting around was starting to piss her off, and heat began to gather around her. “I felt like me, not some monster.”
“You were losing yourself.” London didn’t mince his words.
Raven shook her head. “No, I was fine—wild and free for the first time in years.”
“You enjoyed it.” Taggert nodded in complete understanding. “You enjoyed the destruction.”
Raven opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. She had enjoyed destroying the building where so much evil had taken place. “Is that bad?”
“You were playing with molten rock, swishing it around with your fingers.” Jackson spoke without inflection, but she could tell it bothered him, and she wasn’t sure why.
“What did you feel when we called your name?” Rylan asked.
“I…” She’d been annoyed, not recognizing them at first, and that disturbed her more than anything else. “What did I do?”
“Some new shifters become lost when they shift.” Jackson softened his voice.
Raven immediately shook her head. “No, I was completely aware—”
“You were thinking about leaving us,” Rylan interrupted with a brutal honesty that she couldn’t protest. “It’s why the witches are so afraid of you. It’s the same thing that happened to the royal lineage who were infected with ancient magic—they lost themselves to the darkness and forgot the kingdom they were trying to save.”
The joy at being able to shift turned bitter.
“And if I shift again?” She couldn’t stop the terror from choking her. Shadows began to swirl inside her, a familiar heat building under her skin, everything inside her protesting the idea of not being able to shift again—it would be like cutting out her soul.
As if sensing her rising panic, each of them touched her.
They calmed her rising panic, the shadows re-absorbing back into her bones, lying in wait to watch.
It would not be chained again.
“One of the things the witches said came back to me.” Durant brushed his hand down her arm, and she wasn’t sure if it was to comfort her or himself. “They allowed you to leave with the sword because of—”
“You.” Raven remembered the moment the witches decided to allow her to live. “They allowed us to leave because they believed each of you, individually or together, would be able to control me.”
“Not control,” Taggert denied as soon as he noticed the way she flinched at the word. “We think our presences keep you from getting lost.”
“We balance you.” Jackson nodded without a hint of fear or doubt. “We keep you from being consumed by darkness.”
The men fell silent, each of them watching her expectantly. Did they really think she would hate them for trying to protect her? That she wouldn’t do the same for them in a heartbeat?
Raven smiled at each of them, her heart overflowing. “Fate called us together for a reason. I suffered through hell so I would be strong enough for what was to come. It forged a spine of steel that wouldn’t bend or break. Your touch called to my beast, you woke her from her slumber—so it only makes sense that you’re also able to tame her.”
None of them moved, the men studying her for a moment longer. Durant broke first, snorting as he tried to hold back his laughter. London just grunted and nodded, as if he’d expected nothing less. Taggert grinned unabashedly, while Jackson blew out a breath and chuckled. Rylan leaned forward, and gently kissed her forehead.
Raven stared at them like they were crazy. “What?”
Durant shook his head, his smile softening as he gazed at her. “Shifters are driven by their beasts, especially alphas. The stronger the alpha, the more dominant their beast. They would never accept anyone else challenging them. Yet when we called your name, you submitted to us without hesitation. You didn’t fight.”
“Of course not.” It never crossed her mind. It wasn’t a question of dominance. She trusted them with her life. She would do anything for them, and she knew without a doubt that they would do the same for her. “So where does that leave us?”
“The world is changing.” Jackson stood, brushing away the remaining crumbs of their picnic. “You averted a war. I think you deserve a night off from worrying.”
Durant scooped her up in his arms while Taggert pulled back the blankets, and she was soon surrounded by her pack when they stripped down and joined her. They didn’t lie in a row, but circled her until she was surrounded. “After your display of power, both the humans and the paranormals are going to be reluctant to wage war anytime soon. You’re too unpredictable, too honorable for either of them to try any trickery.”
She stifled her laughter when he made it sound like such a bad thing.
“They also know the danger of separating us.” Rylan nudged her foot, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You would literally rip apart the world to find us.”
“Which means we’re at a stalemate,” London grumbled, the bed shifting as he rolled onto his side and rested his head on her thigh, boldly making himself at home. “Peace won’t last, so we should take advantage of it while we can.”
“In the meantime, word of what happened will spread like wildfire throughout the human and paranormal communities.” Taggert snuggled down at the bottom of the bed, his hand encircling her ankle possessively. “We’ll be flooded with calls and visitors eager for a chance to speak with you.”
Raven cringed, barely resisting the urge to pull away from his hold and kick him, but she knew he was only telling her the truth.
“Not to mention every alpha will want to strike a deal with you.” Jackson sounded grumpy about the coming chaos, and the rest of the guys groaned at the thought of the mansion being flood with a bunch of entitled idiots demanding attention.
“Or we could disappear for a while.” Raven bit her lip as a totally irrational urge to run swamped her. “We could visit Dominick, take a few weeks for ourselves, and let the council do their job by cleaning up this mess.”
No one said anything for a few seconds.
“All in favor?” London asked w
ithout preamble.
Without hesitation, they each spoke as one. “Agreed.”
Raven closed her eyes with a smile, lulled to sleep by their touch, her beast giving a contented rumble. Her last thought was to wonder how long they would be able to go without trouble finding them.
She’d give it three days.
Tops.
She couldn’t wait!
~The End ~
About the Author
Stacey Brutger lives in a small town in Minnesota with her husband and an assortment of animals. When she’s not reading, she enjoys creating stories about exotic worlds and grand adventures…then shoving in her characters to see how they’d survive. She enjoys writing anything paranormal from contemporary to historical.
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OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
Paranormal Romance
BloodSworn
Coveted
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An Academy of Assassins Novel
Academy of Assassins (Book 1)
Heart of the Assassins (Book 2)
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A Druid Quest Novel
Druid Surrender (Book 1)
Druid Temptation (Book 2)
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A PeaceKeeper Novel
The Demon Within (Book 1)
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A Raven Investigations Novel
Electric Storm (Book 1)
Electric Moon (Book 2)
Electric Heat (Book 3)
Electric Legend (Book 4)
Electric Night (Book 5)
Electric Curse (Book 6)
Electric Bundle (Books 1-3)
Electric Bundle (Books 4-6)
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Coming Soon:
Claimed by the Assassins (Book 3)
Queen of the Assassins (Book 4)
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