Electric Moon

by Stacey Brutger

  Aaron twitched in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with all the information she was sharing. She ignored him. What did the paranormals expect would happen when they voted in the Regions?

  Lines bracketed Scotts’ mouth. “And humans will be caught in the crossfire.”

  It stung that he accepted and dismissed the death of so many shifters, the destruction of such a fundamental way of life for them, and compared that to the loss of a few normals that might or might not be affected. “More than likely.”

  “Then why kill these two shifters now?”

  “Practice?” Raven shook her head. “This is all guessing.”

  “Do you have any suspects?”

  Aaron cleared his throat. “It could be anyone. An alpha thinking to get rid of his rivals, rogues who detest their bottom-rung status, slaves who live so precariously between worlds, vampires who want shifters to revert back to servants again, or even magic users who want to reduce the animals to nothing more than familiars. Let’s not discount the humans determined to kill all the monsters. The list is endless.”

  Raven blinked in surprise, but she shouldn’t be. Shifters were predators. They were trained to always be aware of all possible threats.

  They fell silent at the daunting task of finding the killers before the full moon when shifters were at their most vulnerable. Raven grabbed the reports, determined to dig deeper.

  She’d been contained in the labs during the first war ten years ago. Now war was coming to her, and she’d be dammed if she allowed anyone to steal what was hers before she even had a chance to claim them.

  “Don’t forget these.” Scotts tapped his desk.

  Raven curled her lips at the gun and phone. “A suggestion?”

  “Can I stop you?”

  She gave a tight smile. “Give the Regions Tasers or stun guns. They’d be more effective against shifters than a gun. The only drawback is that the voltage would have to be turned up a few notches, but not so high that a shifter might be forced to change.”

  Police had a right to use deadly force if confronted by an animal without a harness and tags. They were considered deadly weapons. “It would keep your officers safer than a gun as bullets would only enrage shifters into attacking.”

  Scotts didn’t outright deny her. She’d take that as a small victory. “I’ll consider it, but for now, take the damn gun.”

  Raven reluctantly shoved the clip home and strapped the gun to her waist. The bulk settled awkwardly at her hip. The phone slipped easily in her back pocket, but she didn’t hold out much hope it would survive the trip home.

  “Here.” She grabbed Scotts’ files and shoved them at Aaron. “Let’s bail.”

  Aaron obediently grabbed the papers and rose. Instead of his normal loose limbered gait, his shoulders were stiff as he dutifully followed her. “You told them too much.”

  “All Regions will be paranormal. I didn’t say anything they wouldn’t already have known.” She gave him a side look as they wound their way through the maze of desks.

  “These Regions will have a hard enough role to face, their job made more dangerous without someone to watch their backs. I shared as little information I could in order to protect them.”

  Aaron shook his head. “You sound so idealistic, but what are the chances that it will turn out that way?”

  “I would say the same percentage of good and bad cops.” They rounded the front counter when a prisoner, cuffed to the floor waiting for booking, lazily lifted his head. Raven’s steps slowed, apprehension thickening the air as their gazes clashed.

  Matted hair clung to his scalp. Dirt was caked to every surface of him as if he were allergic to water. Those eyes of his flashed when they locked on her then darkened with rage. He flexed and the chains binding him snapped like dental floss. In a smooth move only a shifter could duplicate, he sailed out of his chair and charged them with a roar so loud that the primal sound resonated in her chest.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dressed haphazardly in a weathered military jacket, the filthy man shot toward them with amazing speed. The odor of offal and vomit crashed into Raven first, the strength of it making her flinch. Shouts sounded, officers reached for their weapons, but no one would get there in time.

  Raven turned and shoved Aaron behind the desk partition. That twang of discord around him increased and rubbed the inside of her skull raw like sandpaper. “Stay here.”

  Then there was no more time to do anything else.

  The impact of a body launched her into the wall. Her spine cracked, her head slammed into the drywall hard enough that her vision blurred for a few panicked seconds. Her feet barely touched the ground then he was on her. Fetid breath clouded the air around her, stinging her eyes with its potency.

  She twisted away from one fist, only to receive a blow to her ribs with the other. His fist, like lead pipes, cracked into her, and she lost the ability to breathe. But instead of dropping her like he’d intended, she snagged the edges of his jacket and refused to let go.

  No way in hell would she allow anyone else to get hurt because she couldn’t fight her own battles. She never expected anyone to physically confront her inside the police station. She only had her own stupidity to blame for letting down her guard. She’d been so confident, cocky that no one would attack them, that she’d become lax.

  A police officer snaked his arm around the were’s throat and received a head-butt for his trouble that knocked him out cold. Another officer quickly darted forward and dragged him to safety. Using the distraction, Raven dipped into the pool of electricity that churned at her core, and slammed her palm against his chest.

  The shifter’s eyes widened as he stumbled backward. His arms windmilled to remain upright.

  She’d shoved enough current into him to cook a human’s heart to a dried lump of coal. As a shifter, the very least he should’ve been rolling on the floor in pain. All it gave him was a bad case of heartburn and pissed him off.

  Damn indestructible shifter.

  “Freeze.” More officers piled into the cramped entrance, weapons drawn. No one took aim. They couldn’t. They didn’t have a clear shot.

  Neon green eyes assessed her, ignoring the humans around them as of no importance. That’s when she knew.

  Rogue.

  And he meant to kill her.

  The discord around her increased, and Raven automatically glanced at Aaron, fear for his safety paramount.

  The shifter followed her gaze. A satisfied smile kicked up his lips when his eyes lit on the boy.

  The rogue bared his teeth.

  Heat flashed through the room.

  Then nothing.

  He failed to turn furry.

  Then she knew Aaron was doing something to prevent the change. The rogue figured it out at the same time. Those big hams at the end of the shifter’s arms fisted. Another hit would cave in her ribs. She tensed for the attack, determined to just be faster.

  Jackson burst through the doors at that moment. The police tried to hold the line, but he charged through and tossed himself at her attacker. The prisoner whirled to face the new threat, and both men smacked to the floor hard enough that the impact reverberated up her legs.

  They twisted, struggling to gain control. Snarls echoed in the small space, the sounds vicious.

  Jackson received a blow to his balls that loosened his hold, and the slippery man came at her on all fours.

  “Use Tasers,” Raven shouted to the officers as they watched the display.

  One police officer was ready, and the snap of electricity sizzled as wires zipped through the air. The shifter jerked and batted at the cords like they were annoying bugs.

  “Again.”

  Two more police officers reacted, and the unkempt man snarled as the darts hit true. He grabbed the live wires, the voltage nothing to him, and ripped out the cords without flinching.

  Then Jackson kicked the man’s legs out from underneath, preventing his advance. The rogue turned and slammed hi
s elbow at Jackson’s throat with enough strength to crush his windpipe.

  Jackson barely blocked the blow in time. Raven was afraid to interfere. No way would she ever be able to win in a physical fight. It would be a quick way to get them both killed.

  “Raven!”

  Scotts tossed her a stun gun. The cool plastic stung her palm on impact. She pressed the button, enjoying the lovely blue and white sparks that crackled between the prongs.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  The bastard was too strong.

  Despite the fear of discovery, she allowed the power under her skin to gather. Jackson and the rogue quickly exchanged blows, the hits landing harder, doing more damage.

  They wouldn’t last much longer.

  She had no more time to wait. The current she’d gathered had to be enough. She took a running start with no sort of plan in mind other than to save Jackson.

  When she drew closer, she dropped to her knees and slid across the floor. She raised her arm, the stun gun firmly in her grip. The prongs landed on the corded muscles of the rogue’s neck, and she took great pleasure in holding down the button.

  The stream of electricity called her own, and they blended together seamlessly, her current amplifying the charge.

  A gurgle emerged from his throat, those claws he called hands went for her neck. She felt a tiny prick of pain on her skin where he touched her when his body suddenly went lax.

  That had been too close.

  She only let up when his eyes rolled up in his head, and his body collapsed.

  Now that the threat had been neutralized, her powers calmed as if satisfied. Carefully skirting his still form, Raven crawled toward Jackson. “You okay?”

  “I’ve been better. You?”

  Raven probed her ribs then grunted. “Bruised, not broken.”

  Scotts reached down, offering her his hand. She hesitated a second with a thought of what her power could do to him then took the proffered hand.

  Nothing happened.

  One on her feet, she closed her eyes in silent thanks, and then held up the stun gun. The prongs were tarnished, hot to the touch. She offered it to him with a shrug. “Sorry.”

  Scotts shook his head, shoving another toward her. “Your team will have their Tasers.” Then he strode off to monitor the process of locking up the prisoner in the cages housed below the police station created to hold shifters.

  Feeling self-conscious at being the center of attention and getting her ass handed to her in public, she ignored the gawking. “Call me when you interview him. I want to be there.”

  She needed to know why they were targeting her, why they wanted to kill her. Part of her wondered if they knew about her past, but dismissed it. Dominic had assured her that all the files from the labs had been destroyed.

  All she received in acknowledgement from Scotts was wave that she took as agreement. His broad back disappeared out of the room, barking orders after the six officers it took to carry the now unconscious shifter.

  Though some of the officers looked grateful not to deal with the shifters, others appeared resentful that they just couldn’t up and shoot every last one of them.

  Aaron drew closer, his face pale, his eyes never leaving hers. Fear and resignation drained him of his normal animation. The static around him was gone, vanished as if she’d imagined it.

  But she knew she hadn’t.

  He’d managed to block their attacker from shifting somehow. Now that the threat was over, the animals she carried beneath her skin were back, acting almost fearful of the young man. They clung close to the surface, their fur brushing comfortingly against her, but otherwise remained silent.

  “Ready to blow this joint?” She kept her tone light, half-fearing that Aaron might bolt if she gave him a chance. It was only when they arrived home that she spoke again. “Aaron, I want to see you in the study, please.”

  He acted like she were dragging him to the gallows, tugging at his collar as if a noose was already around his neck. When Jackson made to follow, she grabbed the doorknob and placed her hand on the frame to bar his way. “Not you.” She wrinkled her nose at the smell that seemed to have transferred from the prisoner to him. “You need a shower.”

  No matter how much she wished she could stop it, her mind immediately flashed to earlier this morning.

  Him.

  Naked.

  He must have read her expression, smiling a dangerous grin that lit a fire deep in her gut.

  The animals woke with a vengeance, very much wanting to touch what was blatantly being offered. She licked her lips at the temptation then took the only defense she could.

  She slammed the door in his face, wondering when her sanity had abandoned her. She thunked her head against the door, but she could still see the flames of lust in his eyes. “And tell Griffin I need to speak with him.”

  Sanity slowly seeped back into her body as his scent faded, but not without taking its pound of flesh as it sank into her bones with a heaviness that hurt.

  When she turned, she drew up short. Aaron stood ramrod straight in the middle of the room, his hands behind his back in military precision, every inch a future alpha. Stillness wrapped around him.

  And such loneliness her heart clenched in sympathy.

  “What are you going to do?”

  Raven stood in front of him, surprised to find herself peering up at his face. His hair no longer stood in spikes, resting limp against his head as if the starch had been taken out of him.

  If she concentrated, the hum around him remained. Not as strong. Not as obvious. “About what? The attack?” She waited a heartbeat for his reaction. “Or your knack to null others ability to shift?”

  Those husky pale eyes flickered to her before they went back to surveying the wall. His voice lacked any inflection, but the acidic smell around him sharpened suddenly. “I don’t understand.”

  “Then let me make it clear. What you do is your business unless it affects my pack. I’m your bodyguard, not your jailor. I think we’ve both had enough of being locked away. As long as I keep you alive, I’ve fulfilled my part of the bargain. Understand?”

  Even before she finished, his gaze landed on hers and stayed. “You really mean that, don’t you?” He was talking more to himself than her. The sharp smell of worry that clung to him slowly lightened.

  “My main concern was how did they know we were going to be at the police station? We weren’t followed.”

  The boy’s military pose eased, and she hadn’t realized how tense he always held himself. “I didn’t recognize the man. His scent was so offensive, I’m not able to place him. It also makes it impossible to track him back to his pack. It’s a common practice for hired assassins.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, exhaustion placing dark shadows in his eyes. “This isn’t the first attack made on me over the past few weeks.”

  “Your mother.” Most people would be shocked a parent would kill their offspring, but it happened often in the wilderness. Even Raven’s own mother sold her to the labs as a toddler. The painful truth behind her mother’s abandonment still stung.

  Aaron’s arms came down to his sides, his posture relaxing more as if sensing the danger had passed. “I’m strong enough to threaten her reign. In a matter of days, I’ll be asked to pledge myself to the pack. If I challenged for leadership and won, she wouldn’t be the leader of a pack anymore. I would be allowed to choose my own mate.”

  “And she’s not the type of person to give up something that’s hers.” Raven remembered the blatant display of ownership, the brutal mark Vivian took pleasure in delivering to her mates face. Vivian obviously saw her more of an obstacle than a threat.

  “Is she aware of your gift?”

  “She suspects something. If she knew, she would’ve used me as a weapon.”

  A normal alpha could help others in the pack shift, could force a shift. Others had the ability to stop a shifter from turning, but only in pack mates. None she knew of could cut off th
eir animals so completely like Aaron.

  “You are starting to understand my predicament.”

  Raven did understand, everything but one important fact. “But why come to me?”

  “Father’s done everything he can to protect me, but he can’t take any overt action against Vivian. Other packs would see it as a weakness. My mother is too strong. If they fought, she would see him dead, somehow, someway when he couldn’t protect himself. The pack needs him too much to risk it over me. Any protection he could provide from inside the pack would keep dying. The closer the conclave draws, the more desperate her attempts have become.”

  Raven closed her eyes, feeling stupid for not seeing it sooner. “So if she comes for you herself, I’m the only thing standing in her way. Another female alpha can kill without the worry of immediate extermination. You’re using me.”

  He shrugged as if her death were of no consequence. “You accepted the deal. You’re getting what you want in return. Besides, you’re the only other alpha that might be able to win. We’re just hoping it doesn’t come to that.”

  Her shield pulsed in reaction to her emotions, increasing in intensity until the kid shuffled his feet. “Does Jackson know?”

  Aaron shook his head. “No one would ever think to kill a female. Whatever he told you for the reason of me being here is the truth as far as he knows it.”

  Raven reluctantly stepped back, her fingers curling into fists as she resisted the need to use the energy sizzling under her skin. It bit at her, angry at being denied. She was coming to hate the convoluted pack politics and all their hidden agendas.

  “You’re different than I expected.” He paused a moment, appearing stumped by her. “Genuine.”

  A harsh knock sounded on the door a second before it popped open. “I didn’t realize you were busy.” Griffin acted all innocent, but she had no doubt he’d been listening at the door for some time. How much had he heard?

  “Liar, but come in anyway.” Raven nodded to Aaron, secretly pleased when he returned the gesture so seriously before he left.