Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend

by Stacey Brutger

  She wanted to protest the way they dissected the shifters, and it was Taggert’s turn to grab her arm.

  “The shifters can protect themselves. They won’t thank you for your interference, more likely even resent you for making them appear weak.”

  Raven bit her tongue against a protest.

  Taggert was right.

  Two people wheeled out a cage large enough to hold a man, the bars so thick it would keep a shifter in … or humans out. She wasn’t sure which. The man who stepped onto the stage was ginormous, close to seven feet tall, and all muscle. His hair was cut brutally short, his clothes designed to show off every inch of him. He walked to the kennel, his head down, back hunched, his eyes focused on nothing but walking.

  Everything about him shouted defeat as he marched toward his doom.

  Then she noticed his stooped shoulders, his ribs and hips poking out, a shifter pushed to the breaking point. He looked old. Since shifters took decades to age, his deterioration was shocking.

  He entered the gate of his own free will, stood in the center, shrinking the tight space into nothing. His bent head brushed the ceiling, his elbows banging the sides of the cage as he settled himself.

  Then he looked up.

  Despite the crowd, their eyes connected and pure wolf stared back at her. As she watched, fur sprouted along his skin in patches, the bones of his shoulders cracked and hung forward awkwardly. His fingers stretched, claws ripped through his fingertips, while his jaw crunched and a snout slowly pushed forward. Fangs dropped down, cutting brutally into his lips, and blood spattered his chest. A few girls in the front screamed. A couple more turned away, unable to view more.

  Ears elongated, his back hunched, his eyes growing wider apart as he struggled to remain standing on two feet. The frat boys no longer joked, pale and shaken at the slow change, unable to look away as the monster from their nightmares emerged.

  She’d never seen the process so drawn out, the pain had to be excruciating, but no expression betrayed what he was feeling.

  In ten minutes, a full-grown wolf sat panting in the middle of the cage. The two-hundred-fifty-pound man was now a monstrous grey timber wolf. The shift left him weak as a mouse, but everyone leaned back in their seats as if he were a vicious beast ready to launch an attack.

  Then the process began in reverse.

  At the ten-minute mark, he stood half-beast, half-man and Raven knew something had gone horribly wrong. “He’s shifted too many times. He’s stuck.”

  Taggert tightened his grip on her, not in protest but in horror.

  Shifting was exhausting. Too many shifts could be damaging. Not only did they risk getting caught mid-shift, but also going insane with a wolf trapped in a human body or a human stuck in wolf form.

  Panic brightened the wolfman’s eyes before slowly dimming in defeat.

  He knew his fate.

  He would be given time to change, but the longer he remained in half form, the more permanent it became.

  It was a death sentence.

  She waited for his alpha to step forward and lend his strength, but no one moved. A small spark of anger in her gut burst into an inferno that they’d let him suffered needlessly.

  Even knowing that it could be traced back to her, Raven couldn’t stand by and idly watch the poor man be caught between forms … possibly forever.

  It was worth the risk to try and save him.

  She dipped into the pool of energy that rested just below the surface of her skin, catching a single strand and swirling it between her fingers. Taggert stiffened at her side, instantly alert, but he made no move to stop her. He watched the crowd, ready to stand at her side and protect her.

  She could’ve kissed him.

  Instead, she released the energy, guiding it down to the soles of her feet and forcing it into the earth. Foot by foot, it forked its way forward. She fed it more and more until it reached the cage. Electricity instantly arced into the metal cage, sparks snapping like static.

  The beast shifted nervously as the energy soaked into him.

  She twined it around his beast, then drew down hard.

  The wolfman grunted as if kicked in the nads.

  At first nothing happened, and she wondered if she’d done more harm than good. Then their eyes connected.

  The man knew.

  Hope brightened his face.

  As she watched, the wolf melted away, shrinking his features down into his human form. It all happened fast, less than thirty seconds, and it dropped the man to his knees.

  He never once looked away, and the hope began to wither, replaced by insurmountable fear … for her.

  Gears clinked as the cage was unlocked, and the man emerged. He gave her a nod, then threw his arms wide, and howled for the audience.

  There was a smattering of applause, but most people were left twitching uncomfortably in their seats. Morphing into a beast was a private act, not something they willingly shared in public as it left them vulnerable. Raven whirled, not wanting to see more. Taggert turned to follow, but his larger form got lost when the crowd swelled toward the exit to escape the monster.

  She pushed open the tent flaps, gulping as the cool air washed over her, but it did little to ease her hot temper.

  She managed two steps when someone reached out of the shadows and yanked her between the tents.

  Raven brought up her fists, then dropped them when she caught sight of the man. “You.”

  The wolfman immediately released her as if he feared retaliation, wiping his palms on the pants he’d hastily donned, a slight tremor to his fingers.

  “You can’t be here.” He glanced at the shadows, his fear nearly suffocating. His words were rough and growly, too much animal left over from so many shifts to speak normally. Even given time to heal, she doubted he would ever be fully human again.

  Sweat coated his chest, but she didn’t think it all had to do with the hard transition. He reeked of fear, and Raven didn’t understand what could terrify such a big man. “Are they forcing you to shift? I can help.”

  He frantically shook his head. “There is nowhere else for us to go.”

  It wasn’t a no, and her concern for him spiked.

  No one ever left a pack alive without permission from their alpha, and no matter how unconventional, the circus was a pack.

  “Cooper!” His name was a bellow. The big man blanched, his body jolting as if he’d been struck by a whip.

  “Don’t let them catch you.” The man backed away until he was nothing more than shadows. “Run.”

  His fanatical plea that she leave transferred to her, and her legs twitched to get far away.

  The circus wasn’t under attack as she’d thought.

  The circus was the source of the danger she’d been sensing all night.

  And they were stuck in the middle of it.

  Chapter Six

  Taggert rounded the corner, carefully watching the crowd bubble out of the tent as the people searched for the next thrill. Two shifters alone would be an easy target. He grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him.

  They wound around three tents when she dug in her feet. “Taggert—”

  “We’re being followed. We have to go.” Taggert whirled, pushing himself right into her personal space, staring at her so intently that her protest became garbled.

  “Someone figured out what I did.” Raven went lightheaded at the possibility. “I was careful.”

  “The wolf.” He said it like a swearword, a growl rumbling in his chest.

  “That’s impossible.” Raven hesitated, then blurted out the truth. “He was with me.”

  Taggert stopped dead, and it was her turn to prod him forward. The ground was a combination of grass and gravel, the uneven surface leaving her stumbling every other step. “He knew I’d helped him. He told me to run.”

  Taggert didn’t need any more prompting. They stayed within the confines of the circus, for as soon as they left, they would be forced out in the open and vulne
rable. However, no matter how fast they moved, they couldn’t lose the shadows chasing them

  Conceding defeat, she tugged him to a stop and dipped inside the nearest tent. Darkness immediately swallowed them. She reached forward and encountered another curtain. Peering through the slit, she saw nothing but a giant glass tank that resembled a full-sized pool. “It’s clear.”

  “We have to keep moving.” Taggert’s voice never rose above a whisper of breath.

  His lips nearly brushed the tip of her ear when he spoke, and she shivered, her stomach dipped as she waited for him to take advantage of the situation. Seconds passed before his words registered. Mortified by her reaction, she slowed her breathing and pushed away her inappropriate fantasy.

  They needed a way out.

  She couldn’t risk using her power while surrounded by shifters, not when it could force them to shift into their beasts. Shifters might be dangerous, but their animal sides were infinitely more trouble. So she had to rely on her herself alone.

  She hated feeling helpless and didn’t know how humans lived that way every day. Knowing they couldn’t linger, Raven stepped into the small space.

  There were no seats, no place to stop or hide.

  A path led around the edge of the tent.

  Raven couldn’t help but look into the murky water. Algae smeared the tank so thickly she couldn’t see through the other side.

  Her steps slowed as the water began to ripple.

  Raven instinctively took a step back despite being separated by the thick glass.

  “There’s something in the tank.”

  Taggert narrowed his eyes, leaning closer for a better look. Raven grabbed his shirt and jerked him back, not wanting him anywhere near it. A face emerged out of the depths, pushing forward so slowly the features appeared as if they were forming out of nothing but water.

  The pale skin had a slight greenish tint, the delicate features female and so beautiful they could lure sailors to their death. “A siren.”

  Fine, silvery hair floated around her when she shook her head. She pushed closer. Small shoulders took shape, large breasts barely covered by itty-bitty scraps of material, a tiny waist that merged into a … tail. The scales were different shapes, changing from larger to smaller as it traveled down the length, almost iridescent even in the dim light, and so delicate it encouraged a person to reach out and touch.

  But even in the murky water, Raven saw something wasn’t right.

  The algae floating in the tank wasn’t from the water, it came from her, almost as if her very skin was sloughing off. Revulsion and pity stirred through her at the abuse. Little pieces of slime clung to the tail, and Raven suspected they weren’t feeding her properly or the PH of the water was wrong.

  “A mermaid.” Taggert whispered the words with reverence.

  The woman smiled at Taggert and nodded, the change in her appearance stunning as she floated closer. She couldn’t be older than mid-twenties, but the water made it difficult to tell, not to mention that shifters aged amazingly slow. Something about her eyes told Raven that she was much older. Any man looking at her would see a princess, something to guard and claim for their own.

  “I didn’t even know mermaids existed.” It made her wonder about unicorns and elves and all the other creatures from myths and legends. But one thing picked at her relentlessly, bothered her worse than anything—the way Taggert gazed at the woman—the same special look he reserved only for her.

  Raw jealousy gnawed at her insides, and she curled her fingers into fists to keep from reaching out and staking her claim. Swallowing hard, Raven turned away before she did something stupid, like smashed the glass and kill the bitch.

  Claws sank into her chest, the action so unexpected that she nearly gasped in pain as the beast swarmed up and threatened to take control.

  Mine.

  Desperate not to let Taggert know of her struggle, she tried to pull back, but it was like holding back the tide.

  Senses became sharper, tingling painfully as they came back to life as the dragon woke with a vengeance.

  A small noise, a brush of cloth only, sent her whirling toward the opening.

  They were about to be discovered. “We have to go.”

  Taggert and the mermaid glanced toward the door. The woman’s eyes widened, and she pointed toward the back of the tent, mouthing one word—

  Hurry.

  Raven grabbed Taggert’s hand and dragged him away from the blasted tank. She ran her hand along the tent. They’d almost completed a half circle, and she feared she might have missed the exit when her hand slipped through a hidden opening.

  The canvas rippled, and she knew whomever was stalking them had entered from the opposite direction.

  Taggert must have heard something as well. He shoved her through the opening and followed quickly behind. When he pushed forward to take the lead, Raven put a hand on his chest. He halted immediately, and she couldn’t stop her fingers from tracing over the delicious muscles she knew the shirt hid. Damned stupid dragon was messing with her emotions. She had so little contact with others that each touch still threw her for a loop. She cleared her throat twice before she could speak. “He’s too close. He knows the layout. We’ll never get out by running.”

  “I’ll distract him.” Taggert’s face darkened, and he stood in front of her, seeming to bulk up as he faced down the threat. “You run.”

  “No, we must stay together.” A stupidly dangerous idea took hold of her mind. The memory of him flirting with the mermaid still burned, which made the idea all the more appealing. “How about we do it my way and improvise.”

  She yanked him closer and heat immediately soaked into her skin. Fighting her desire, feeling awkward, she cuddled up to his chest.

  He didn’t move, didn’t react in any way.

  Not encouraging.

  “We need a reason for snooping around.” A fiery blush filled her cheeks. “Kiss me.”

  His eyes darkened with hunger, but it was the yearning there that nearly dropped her to her knees. His gaze skimmed her lips, leaving them tingling, and she struggled to remember how to breathe.

  He still didn’t move.

  “No time.”

  She grabbed his face and pulled his head down, determined to stake her claim so he wouldn’t forget. Going up on her toes, she met his lips. The rest of the world dropped away. After the initial shock, Taggert took full advantage of the situation and control of the kiss.

  He tasted wild and forbidden and totally delicious. His hands brushed her hips gently as if she were something precious. Raven sank her fingers in his hair, wanting more, and bit his lip hard enough to sting. “You’re holding back. Don’t.”

  At the invitation, his hands clamped down possessively on her hips, slid around to her back, then down to cup her ass. Taking it as an invitation, Raven wrapped her legs around his waist, humming at the press of his arousal.

  She should’ve been intimidated. In the past, she’d always backed away from anything intimate. Knowing her touch could kill put a damper on getting close to anyone. But it was different now. She had more control. She had a pack.

  She ran her fingers down the back of his neck and brushed them over his shoulders, cursing the clothes separating them. She’d worn gloves most of her life to shield others from her deadly touch. With her pack, the precaution wasn’t needed, and she relished touching skin to skin.

  Then all thoughts vanished as Taggert pushed her against a pole. She shivered at the friction. He twisted, moving his body in a way that wasn’t possible for a human. Like he didn’t have any bones.

  She felt surrounded.

  Cherished.

  “Get the hell out of here. This area is off limits.”

  Raven tore her lips away from Taggert, completely dazed. A flashlight beam locked on them, blinding her so she couldn’t see the person who issued the demand. It took her a few seconds to realized they were being watched, and another few seconds to unwrap herself from Taggert.
She expected to feel embarrassed for all but crawling up Taggert’s body, but she only felt disgruntled at being interrupted.

  “Sorry.” She ducked her head away from Taggert, brushing the back of her hand against her lips as she fought to catch her breath and cool her overheated cheeks. She grabbed the small stuffed animal that had dropped from her nerveless fingers at the first taste of his kiss.

  The man at the entrance stood a bit under six feet and smelled of sweat and wet fur. She lifted an arm up to block the beam from the flashlight he held in his ham-like fists. The man was dressed in a ringmaster outfit, his bulk almost overflowing.

  She’d never seen an overweight shifter before, their metabolism usually burning through the calories too fast for fat cells to grow. She must be looking at the alpha, but no matter how long she stared, she couldn’t sense what type of beast he carried.

  That meant he was incredibly strong—or weak but vicious enough to keep the others in line.

  From the look on his brutish face, she suspected the latter. His features were too close together, his forehead a little too big, his jaw a little too square. Hair covered nearly every inch of the man, springing up from his knuckles, sticking out of his ears, even peeking from the collar of his shirt.

  Taggert grabbed her hand and tugged her after him as they scooted past the man. The ringmaster eyed them suspiciously, but their act must have convinced him as he allowed them to leave without a word of protest.

  * * *

  “We can’t stay here.” Taggert dragged her directly toward the exit this time, the desire in his eyes banked as he glanced back at her. “I won’t risk losing you.”

  The edge of the fairground stood less than thirty feet away, his determination to protect her instinctive. Not only was she female, she was his alpha as well. Raven hadn’t grown up in a pack and didn’t realize how much the need to protect her was built into their existence.

  They would do anything for her—even kill.

  She should find it barbaric, but she couldn’t help be drawn to them all the more. Part of it was primal, years of evolution built in her DNA, attracting her to the strongest protectors. The bigger part, though, feared their lack of self-preservation when near her. Worry churned in her gut, leaving her wondering how she was supposed to keep them safe.