“They thought humans would be more pliable.” Raven snorted at the idiocy of it.
“It didn’t take them long to learn the results were the opposite. The shifters were poor stock, even less obedient, and none even able to shift.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Many of them couldn’t handle the change, and went insane while they went through the transition.”
Raven scooted nearer, not liking the way he pulled the tablet closer to him.
“In the first year, they learned it didn’t matter if their subjects were given a blood transfusion or if they were bitten. They thought the virus would be more potent in purebloods, but later gave up that line of testing when they couldn’t prove their theory.” He slipped through a few more screens, a steady growl rumbling in the space around him. “Through trial and error, they next learned that the younger the human, the better the survival rate. They believed they were still developing, and the growth hormones helped the transition.”
“Durant. Stop.” He didn’t need to know what had been done.
He lowered the tablet, his bright golden eyes pinning her in place as he studied her. “This is your past. This is what you refuse to share with anyone.”
Raven flinched like he had reached out and slapped her. Her secrets were being stripped bare, and she felt exposed. It took her a second to cover the hurt that blossomed in her gut as he continued to poke and prod her most horrible memories, the pain spreading like acid through her veins. Worse, she was terrified he would look at her differently if he knew everything. “Leave it alone.”
As if sensing she was upset, the dragon narrowed its eyes, then casually sent a snap of current arcing through the room, slamming it into the tablet.
The charred mess clattered to the ground, a black hole torn clear through, the caustic scent of melted plastic poisoning the air between them.
“I’m sorry.” Raven hastily backed away, unable to look away from the destruction, which could so easily have been Durant. Her gut felt like it was trying to wrap around her spine.
Instead of using his wits and retreating, Durant stormed toward her. “Tell me.”
Raven gulped, but couldn’t seem to get enough air, her ribs feeling like they were trying to crush her lungs. “Animals and vampires have their own magic. It’s what makes their existence possible, but none of it is compatible with humans, or even other races. It’s impossible to extract, because it’s built into their essence. To make the perfect soldier, they need the correct combination of magic and blood.”
Durant stopped like he’d hit a wall, a horrified expression entering his eyes as the truth slammed into him…she was the missing formula.
The door behind him slid open, revealing Josie, followed closely by Randolph, who was still dressed like an orderly. Nothing in his expression gave away what he was thinking, and Raven wanted to curse that he so blatantly ignored her order to remain upstairs.
A scratchy speaker clicked to life.
Then came the command. “Heal the boy.”
Her legs locked in protest, but it didn’t matter. Felix dragged himself to his feet, his shoulders bowed as he stumbled to a stop in front of her and dropped to his knees. She shook her head in denial. The more she used her power on others, the more they became addicted. Already, she could see the plea in Felix’s eyes.
“If you don’t, they will just kill him.” She flinched at Griffin’s comment, aware of him pulling himself to his feet, ready to act.
She opened her hands, then gently set them on Felix’s shoulders. Power spilled over his skin, his body quickly absorbing the charge, his wolf eagerly rising at her touch. Pain and pleasure tore through him as she systematically healed his wounds one by one.
When she was finished, she lifted her hands, and Felix dropped forward, barely catching himself before he face-planted onto the unforgiving stone floor. Josie’s eyes widened at the transformation, her hands partially lifted as if she could feel the current floating in the air.
The speaker crackled to life. “Can you duplicate?”
Josie slowly shook her head, her eyes glued to Raven. “She pulls too much raw energy. It would burn out a normal witch in minutes.”
Frankenstein wasn’t detoured. “Could a coven manage it?”
Josie didn’t hesitate. “I doubt it. She’s not casting a spell, she’s actually communicating with the shifter on some level that no witch would be able to duplicate.”
A scowl marred the doctor’s face, when he leaned forward and pressed the speaker again. “Break the kid’s arm.”
Randolph calmly strode forward, snatching up the kid’s arm, and snapping the bone without a second’s hesitation.
Bile rose in her throat at Felix’s muffled scream.
Josie jumped at the brutality, her lips tightly clamped shut.
Durant narrowed his eyes dangerously, his threatening growl filling the room.
“You son of a bitch!” It was all Raven could do not to break through the glass separating them and do the same to him.
The doctor didn’t bat an eye, ignoring her and spoke to Josie. “She said she’s using the shifter as a familiar. If she can do it, so can you. You will watch and learn the spell.”
“It’s not that simple,” Josie protested.
“Explain.” Frankenstein barked the one word.
“While a familiar would take most of the cost for casting magic, a witch would still have to pull it through her body in order to use it. Some magic is easier to use. Working on a shifter is nearly impossible. Witches and shifters are enemies. As soon as the wolf senses me, he will fight my magic…even if I’m trying to heal him.”
The speaker clicked again as he stabbed at the button. “You will heal him or we will move on to more invasive testing.”
Felix gazed up at her with pain-etched eyes, resigned to his fate, bravely lifting his chin. “Do it.”
The speakers went fuzzy as Raven amped up the electricity in the booth, everyone covering their ears as the feedback screeched in the tiny closet-like room. Raven used the distraction to speak with Josie. “We’re getting out of here.” Determination hardened her face. “I’ll remove your cuffs if you agree to help us escape.”
Josie scoffed, then nearly choked when she realized Raven was serious. After a second of hesitation, she nodded. “Whatever you need.”
“When I heal the boy, get as close as possible.” Josie edged closer, pretending to watch everything Raven was doing.
Not wanting to hurt him any more than necessary, Raven placed her hands on either side of the break, then began to infuse his body with a steady stream of current. When the bone snapped back into place, a static film wrapped itself around the injury, gradually mending the cracks. Then she left his wolf to do the rest, and focused on Josie’s cuffs, sucking as much energy out of the metal as she could, working fast so the magic didn’t have time to compensate.
The spell broke, the sound like glass shattering, and Raven nodded. “The rest is up to you.”
Josie barely nodded. Magic swarmed back into the room in a rush, her skin pebbling at the strength, surprising Raven at how much power the witch actually wielded.
She tore her attention away from Josie and focused on Felix. The second healing taxed the boy too much, and he crumpled to the floor. Even as she tried to catch him, the speaker came alive again.
“Can you duplicate?”
Josie shook her head. “Magic is genetic. It adapts to the wielder’s surroundings as a survival tactic. Her magic will only work with her bloodline.”
“Can her magic be harvested?” The question was impatient, Frankenstein clearly frustrated things weren’t turning out the way he wanted.
“The amulets and charms aren’t strong enough. They’d crack and shatter before they could be used, possibly killing anyone who tried to touch them.”
The doctor rubbed his chin, his mind working out the possibilities, his lackeys gathering around him as they all chattered at once.
Raven ignor
ed him and turned toward Josie. “Wait for my signal.”
“What signal?”
Raven let the dragon rise, knowing her eyes flashed silver when the girl jerked back in alarm. “Get the people above out. You won’t have much time. I’ll worry about those down here.”
Josie shot Randolph a narrowed look, and Raven gave her a brittle smile. “He’s one of ours. He’ll help.”
Randolph’s eyes sparkled at the claim, and her mouth went dry when she realized he was going to hold her to her word, a promise that she wouldn’t be able to break.
The speaker clicked, and Frankenstein’s smooth voice rippled into the room. “Injure the witch.”
Without warning, Randolph punched the woman right in the face, knocking her to the ground. It was all Raven could do not to smack him, despite knowing she was the one who asked him to play his part.
He didn’t have to play it so damn well.
“What the hell!” Raven knelt at Josie’s side, glaring up at the doctor, wishing she could get her hands on him.
“I want to see if you are able to heal other species.” The doctor had no remorse, as if nothing mattered but the results.
“You could’ve just asked,” Raven muttered under her breath, cursing herself for not learning any spells. She helped Josie sit, touching her jaw to see the damage. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to heal you. I’m afraid if I try, I might accidently kill you instead.”
Or worse, infect the witch.
She had trusted her magic would get her out of everything.
A foolish mistake.
Each time the doctor spoke, her dragon inched closer and closer to the surface, just waiting to pounce. Despite her resolve to remain in control, Raven wouldn’t be able to hold the creature back forever. She was afraid that if push came to shove, she wouldn’t be able to stop her beast from devouring her if it meant it could get the vengeance it craved.
Patience.
Wait.
To her shock, the dragon grumbled but complied by easing back a smidge, retracting the claws it hooked into her bones.
When Raven gently touched Josie’s broken jaw, magic swarmed up from the young witch. Pain darkened her eyes as she activated a healing spell, covering for Raven, and she knew she’d chosen the right woman to trust.
When the magic faded, sweat beaded Josie’s face, her hands shaking, the big spell taking a lot out of her.
“I knew it.” Frankenstein’s voice rank with triumph. “Take the witch back to her cell.”
Frankenstein didn’t even watch while Randolph dragged Josie out of the room. “You’re the key to unlocking our problems with the shifters.” Madness gleamed in his eyes, and she knew if she didn’t act now, it would be too late.
Raven took a chance. “And vampires.”
Frankenstein raised a brow, his chuckle full of glee that echoed off the walls. “How?”
Durant tensed, cursing her in his mind at the wild chances she was taking.
“Raw energy has the same effects on all creatures…including vampires.”
The constant buzz of the speaker snapped off when the doctor turned to have a heated discussion with his colleagues. Murmured voices reached her ears.
Some argued she was too precious to risk, but Raven knew she had the doctor.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She was his key to achieving greatness.
He would never give her up.
Felix began waking, the shattered green eyes of his wolf shining back at her.
“Are you okay?” When she reached for him, he scooted out of the way, but nodded.
His rejection stung, and she curled her hands into fists, not blaming him. She knew firsthand that being healed using raw energy was painful. She watched Felix resume his spot against the wall, her throat aching at the horror he’d endured during his short life.
No one deserved to suffer like that.
When thirty minutes had passed, Raven began to doubt the wisdom of her plan.
Just when she was ready to give up hope, the door at the opposite side of the room slid open.
A blurred figure shot out, and her heart leapt in her throat. “Rylan.”
Her hope was short-lived.
As their gazes connected, she realized she’d been a fool.
Bloodlust had Rylan in its unrelenting grip.
The only way to appease the craving was to consume large amounts of blood.
She thought she’d been manipulating Frankenstein, when it was the other way around the whole time.
He called her bluff.
If she didn’t find a way to stop Rylan and bring him back from the edge of insanity, they were all dead.
Chapter Twenty-five
Raven dove, barely rolling out of the way in time, quickly coming up on her feet. “Grab him.”
Durant didn’t hesitate, throwing himself between them, when Rylan whirled and charged after her. The men collided with a brutal impact, neither giving an inch.
Rylan’s fangs snapped down, ready to take a chunk out of him, when Durant twisted and threw him off. Rylan skidded over the top of the stone altar before disappearing over the opposite side with a heavy thump. The light, spicy scent she associated him was darker…more primitive.
“Are you sure you can help him anymore?” Durant rolled his shoulders, never once taking his eyes off where his target had fallen.
Her stomach pitched in denial, and she swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I have to try.”
Rylan dragged himself up, ragged claws tipping the ends of his fingers, and her heart thudded hard against her ribs when his pitch-black eyes found hers, and he very slowly licked his lips. His once immaculate clothes were in tatters, his hair in disarray—everything he once prided himself on had unraveled.
Bloodlust had only one weakness—while starvation might drive them insane with the need for blood, it also weakened them. His movements were wild and unrefined, his training completely gone.
Turning him into the very creature Rylan feared most.
When he pulled himself on top of the altar, his muscles bunched as if he was preparing to leap over Durant to get to her.
Griffin shot across the room, sliding across the altar, taking Rylan out at the knees.
“Don’t kill him!” She hurried after them, uncertain if she was issuing the command to Griffin or Rylan.
Rylan’s mouth latched onto Griffin’s upper arm when he didn’t leap out of the way fast enough. Durant tackled the struggling pair, slamming his fist under the vampire’s chin to unlock his jaw, and forcing him to loosen his hold.
Griffin tore himself free with a grimace, frowning at the blood flowing freely from his arm. When Rylan struggled to follow his escaping meal, Durant threw himself across Rylan’s torso, barely dodging the snapping fangs. “If you’re going to do something, better do it now.”
Griffin grabbed one leg, pinning Rylan in place, then grunted when the remaining foot landed in his still-tender ribs. He twisted and grab one leg in each arm, snarling as he fought to contain the vampire.
When Raven walked toward Rylan, he stopped his frantic thrashing, his eyes locked onto hers as if he recognized her—or the taste of her blood. Energy swirled in the room, soaking into her blood as the dragon stretched under her skin, and her claws emerged. Very deliberately, she ran a tip across her palm, forcing the nail deep.
Rylan stilled, then his chest heaved as he inhaled the fresh scent of blood.
She held her hand over his mouth as blood dribbled down her closed fist.
As the first drop fell, Rylan lifted his head, his muscles straining to get closer, snapping the drops out of the air as they fell. In seconds, his lips were strained red, and he licked them clean, never once removing his gaze from the pulse at the base of her throat.
His wounds began to knit together, but the desperate hope that the power in her blood would save him as it had in the past, slowly shriveled and died a painful death when the madness in his eyes did
n’t dissipate.
“Raven…”
Durant was asking for permission to put him out of his misery, but her throat was so tight she couldn’t speak a word.
Everything they’ve been through…it was for nothing.
She’d failed…again.
Tears burned her eyes as she dropped to her knees next to Rylan, not ready to say good-bye.
As she ran a finger down his face, he gasped for air, his back arching at an impossible angle, flipping Durant off him in the process. He lurched forward, his fangs sinking deep into her flesh as he latched onto her wrist. After the first swallow, the pupils in his eyes shrank, the sea blue color returning as sanity flooded back, but he didn’t stop drinking.
Durant grabbed his leg, ready to drag him away, but hesitated, knowing he risked ripping her arm to shreds if the fangs didn’t retract. “He’s back.”
If anything, Durant’s scowl deepened, and he kicked Rylan in the leg none too gently. “Then he should know better than to feed from you.”
As if his words were magic, the fangs retracted, but Rylan remained curled around her, his body shaking uncontrollably, and she worried what her blood would do to him. Normal blood provided nutrition, but she was different. Infused with energy, her blood offered vampires the illusion of life, but if they consumed too much, it also brought a risk of an overdose and possible changes to their DNA.
When Durant neared, Rylan shoved her behind him and hissed at the other male in warning.
She wrapped her arms around him, shooting Durant a concerned glance. “He’s fine. He just needs a few more minutes.”
She wasn’t sure which one she was trying to convince, the vampire or the tiger.
She twisted to meet Rylan’s eyes. Recognition fluttered across his face as he blinked, then he collapsed, unconscious.
“Was that supposed to happen?”
“I don’t think so.” Raven carefully lowered Rylan to the ground, painfully conscious of his near-skeletal frame. She peered up pleadingly at Durant, needing his calm presence. “Did we wait too long?”
Electric Night (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 5) Page 26