At one time, Raven might have agreed with him. “You talk of peace, but you have no clue what it’s like to be an alpha.” She swallowed hard. “We saw the bodies. They killed each other as they battled for dominance. If this drug ever got out, no shifter would be able to remain in the same city. We’d hunt each other to extinction.”
Professor waved away her words, her stubbornness at not seeing things his way beginning to wear thin. “No, you’re purposely looking at it wrong. I just need to adjust the drug to weed out the aggression.”
“You want to change us. The humans will view us as monsters again. You’ll destroy everything that we’ve built in the last ten years.” With each word, rage swelled in her chest, spreading heat in its wake.
“Don’t say that. My work is the next step in evolution.”
Raven understood then that no amount of reasoning would change his mind. The only way out was to make him mad enough to shoot her, giving Taggert the chance to run. “When we first revealed ourselves to the human world, they experimented on us. They acted out of fear. You’re just a coward desperate to escape your fate as a rogue. You would never amount to anything in the pack.”
A deathly pall washed over his face, a calmness to him that sent a shiver up her spine. “You’re wrong. I’ll show you.”
Raven tensed to leap, but realized her mistake too late. She surged forward, only able to watch in horror as Professor’s finger flexed on the trigger. Taggert flinched, grabbed at his neck even as he crumbled. She fell to her knees, her injured leg giving way when tried to catch him.
Professor raised the gun. She braced to be shot, but he only held it level at her.
“Stop, not any closer. We can’t risk anyone else being infected. You know what happens when two alphas fight.”
They would battle to the death.
Raven jerked the dart from of Taggert’s neck, heaving it into the woods. She watched Taggert on his hands and knees, chest heaving as the toxins coursed through his body. Blood rushed in her ears as she waited. She half expected to see Taggert shredded before her very eyes.
“You’ve killed him.” Sorrow nearly swallowed her whole. Raven waited for wrath or hatred to overwhelm her apathy and take control but guilt left her incapacitated.
She brought him to this by involving him in her cases.
“On the contrary, I saved him. With this new mix, his body would’ve reacted by now.” Victory reflected off his face. “I granted him a gift. He will know what it feels like to be a true alpha.”
She reached out with trembling fingers to reassure them both, only to have him snap his teeth at her.
The rejection stung.
Never in her wildest nightmares had she ever anticipated that reaction.
The truth of his words reflected back in Taggert’s yellow eyes. Instead of the need for belonging she normally saw there, possessiveness bordering on cruelty, gazed back at her.
Raven retreated and stood. Taggert growled and mimicked her movements. He inhaled as if he could smell her then licked his lips.
Randolph studied her reactions like a bystander. Her lips tightened, her anger growing at his passiveness while her people suffered. Neil ignored the scene unfolding, his attention unwavering as he stared unblinking at the Professor.
“Tell me doctor, what happens to all the women in your grand new world? They will be fought over, hunted down and slaughtered. No more pure lines. Our race will die out. Do you think the humans will allow us to steal their women when none are left?”
Professor shrugged. “It’s no better for them now, bartered like cattle.”
“They are protected by the pack. They are our future.” Anger heated her chest, her outrage nearly making her step toward him.
Taggert’s muscles bunched, and she froze.
One more step and he’d be on her.
Shifters always carried their beasts close to the surface. She had no idea how much control the human side of them exuded to remain in charge. How much more she had yet to learn. The drug had ripped away Taggert’s filters, leaving her with a wild animal.
Nothing of him remained.
“You’re smart, but you forgot one thing.”
A frown creased Professor’s brow, and he slowly shook his head. “I can assure you that I have not.”
“You’ve discounted the strength of pack.” Raven lifted her chin, staring at Taggert in challenge.
His lips pulled back, revealing sharp, canine teeth. Her pulse fluttered, but not in fear of his threat. The fear came from what she had to do to save them.
She had to show dominance.
Normally, not a problem, but all she had left was the creature.
There was no choice.
She couldn’t lose Taggert.
Raven slowly dropped the shields she’d spent a lifetime building. The talons in her chest flexed at the new freedom, and Raven surrendered to the pull. The creature immediately dropped into the pure energy.
Cracks spidered along the edges of her core before it slowly crumbled. Heat sizzled through her, speeding along her veins as if someone injected her with acid. Pressure built until her body felt too small to contain it.
The cold that had followed her dissipated and delicious warmth took over.
Raven lashed out. Her hand gripped Taggert’s throat, and she dragged him near. A growl rumbled up her throat, angered that he’d dare test her. She fought against the need to rip into him and teach him a lesson.
Taggert dropped to his knees and offered his throat. The yellow eyes splintered to chocolate brown, an alpha recognizing himself as prey to the creature she harbored.
At his recoil, she managed to pull herself back from the edges of her rage, but her power would not be tucked away.
Never again.
Her hair fell about her, swirling in the current only she could see. The silver tips shimmered in the dimness, the color spreading up the darker strands, slowly consuming her.
Raven didn’t look at anyone. Didn’t want to see the rejection. The revulsion.
Her secrets were well and truly exposed.
She was a monster even amongst the monsters.
“That’s not possible.”
Raven raised her head at Professor’s voice. Her vision sharpened until she saw each pore on his face, counted each follicle of hair. His scent turned sour, and she watched him stumble away from her, his face ashen.
“What the hell are you?” Horror made his voice hoarse. He lowered the gun, stumbling over his own feet in his haste to get away.
At the opening, Neil leapt, a snarl twisting his lips. Professor lifted the gun, automatically pulling the trigger. Four darts whooshed through the air until all she heard was an ominous click.
Each dart struck dead center of Neil’s chest. They kid moved forward uncaring, his focus on bringing down his target.
Chemicals bloomed in the air, clogging her nose.
“What have you done?” Professor’s voice squeaked in panic. He scrambled backwards, but Neil would not be denied vengeance. The kid closed the distance between them in a brutal tackle.
Their bodies landed with a heavy thud.
Professor ripped into Neil, a desperate animal trying to escape his own trap. Claws rented through the body like cutting paper, fangs ripped out large chunks of flesh from the kid’s shoulders and neck, but Neil refused to relent, not even bothering to defend himself as he held onto his prey.
Then the realities slammed into her of what he’d done.
What the kid sacrificed.
“Everyone down!”
Jackson blanched.
Instead of listening, he ran toward her...directly into the blast zone.
Chapter Thirty-five
LAST DAY OF THE CONCLAVE: WANING MOON
Raven ran toward Jackson, determined to protect him, all the while knowing she would never make it in time. Hands grabbed her from behind. Though she recognized Taggert’s hold, she struggled to move forward.
He couldn’
t die on her, not now.
“Damn it. Get down.” Taggert tightened his grip.
Randolph solved the problem for her by tackling Jackson at the knees, and they both went sprawling. The trained assassin stared at her with real fear, as if the pieces had finally settled into place.
He knew her greatest secret, one she’d never spoke out loud and secretly prayed had died in the labs.
That awareness stopped her cold.
There was nowhere left to hide.
Taggert took advantage of the moment. He spun and shoved her down, protecting her body with his own. A gurgled scream rented the air, brutally cut off a second later.
Raven didn’t hear the blow. Bits of blood and gore exploded through the air and pelted them.
Her gaze landed on Taggert. He grunted. Color slowly drained from his face. His grip flexed on her hips, but he didn’t waiver.
“You’re hit.” Taggert reached up to her face.
Raven felt nothing. She couldn’t say the same for him. She grabbed his wrist to prevent him from moving and sending the shards deeper. Bone splinters stuck out of him like a dartboard, some shallower with the protection of clothing, but there were hundreds of them all along the line of his body.
Tears crowded her eyes as blood began to trail down his skin in rivulets. His pulse stuttered under her hand, and his breathing followed suit.
Raven allowed her mind to sink deeper until she saw the damage to his aura. Each injury was like a pinprick of darkness where his body had been pierced.
So much darkness.
Even as she watched, it spread to consume the rest of him.
His wolf wasn’t strong enough to heal the massive injuries.
Death was stealing him from her.
But the fear never came. Raven leaned over until her mouth hovered over Taggert’s. “You do not have permission to die on me.”
She slammed her lips against his and kissed him. Power pulled up from her bones, passing from her to Taggert. The drugs still lingered in his systems, and she drew upon it, forcing him to become alpha.
Forcing him to heal.
He trembled, his wolf slowly pushing the shards out of his body. When he wasn’t healing fast enough, she pushed the animal to his limit by calling him to her.
Even dying, a shifter couldn’t refuse the call of their alpha.
His scent wrapped around her.
Her mouth watered in hunger.
She shuffled closer, drawn to his wolf and the ravenous need to taste. Raven flinched, realizing the intense hunger wasn’t hers, not completely, and no matter how she tried to curb the craving, it lingered at the back of her tongue.
She dropped her hold on him, terrified of her reaction and what she might do if her control slipped even a little.
Taggert collapsed.
Her mind screamed to help him, but she couldn’t risk touching him again. The darkness around him had lessoned. He would survive, but she wasn’t sure in what condition after the things she’d done to his wolf.
Without his touch, the hunger receded. Blood dripped from her hand, and she couldn’t be sure if it was her own or his. She stood, legs trembling, and stepped back, hoping to ease the urge to snatch him back up and take.
She reached for her core to help stave off the hunger.
Only to find nothing.
The power had soaked into her body. There was no turning it off. As if her thoughts triggered it, tingling rippled down the left side. Her flesh knitted together.
All but the void spot.
It burned cold like frostbite under warm water.
She lifted up her shirt. Her pale skin shimmered like silver in the moonlight. The bruised area had grown in size. She probed her side and encountered a hardness that was not her own flesh.
Raven dropped her shirt. Things have progressed too far. Being around her pack put their lives at risk. She couldn’t be trusted around them, not until she learned what the hell was happening to her. She refused to believe that she could be cresting.
She had to leave.
The devastation of the decision nearly crippled her.
Her gaze landed on what remained of the two bodies, the destruction pushing home the truth. The five-foot radius looked like someone had dropped a can of paint, but the pool of blood and shattered body parts belied the image.
Only pieces remained of the stupidly brave kid who’d saved them all. His body, what was left of it, would barely fill a Ziploc bag.
Professor had died much too quickly for her vengeance to be appeased. Most of him remained intact...if you discounted the holes that made him nothing more than a glorified flyswatter.
A hazy mist lingered over the bodies like steam. When she squinted, she’d swear she recognized Neil’s features before the fog dissipated in the darkness.
Her breathe trembled in her chest. Part of her wondered if all the dreams she had of the dead were really dreams or someone reaching for her from beyond the grave.
“You’re hurt.” Jackson reached to touch the uninjured side of her face, and she flinched away from his probing fingers. He couldn’t discover how close she was to snapping. Discovered the horrible truth about the creature that has taken root inside her very soul.
“I’m fine.” Her lips were numb as she spoke the lie.
Jackson dropped his arm, muscles flexing to prevent himself from reaching for her. “The police should be here shortly. Are you strong enough to stand their interrogation?”
Raven studied his face, afraid it would be for the last time, her chest too heavy to breathe. “It would be best if I left.”
The words sounded flat to her own ears.
Jackson’s eyes narrowed. He heard it, too. The finality. “You’re not going back to the house.”
It wasn’t a question, but it demanded an answer all the same. “I have to return to Talons. I gave my word to the witches as part of my deal for Taggert. Let me borrow your phone.”
“But that’s not why you’re going.” He could stop her. She saw the desire in his eyes. He pulled out his phone, handed it over, but didn’t release it. “What about your pack? What about the rogues?”
“Take care of them for me.”
When she said nothing more, he finished her sentence. “Until you return. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were cresting.”
Jackson paused, worry written on his face, waiting for her to confirm or deny his charge. They both knew she didn’t have the ability to shift. Any attempt to change would kill her outright. “Promise me you’ll be safe and come back to us.”
“I’ll do my best.” Raven swallowed hard, carefully grabbed the phone without touching him, and walked away from the only family she’d ever known.
She pressed the buttons by rote, her heart thumping as the phone rang.
“Raven?”
“It woke.”
There was a heartbeat of silence then he inhaled sharply. Since vampires didn’t need to breathe, it spoke to how much her revelation had disturbed Rylan.
“You gave your promise that if anything happened—”
“Not until we know.”
She feared it was already much too late. There was no going back, no more sleep, not when it had tasted freedom.
“One week.” She had to keep herself together for seven days. “I must fulfill my promise to the witches first.”
“I’ll meet you at the club.” Then there was only dial tone. It took her a few seconds to lower the phone, and another few to press the button to disconnect them.
She had one week to learn control or force Rylan to fulfill his vow to eliminate her before she became a risk to others. They both knew the dangers of this creature. It was what allowed them to escape the labs, but not before destroying everyone and everything in its path.
It couldn’t be allowed free.
As Raven walked away from the scene, she caught Jackson rapidly speaking on the phone, never once removing his grim gaze from her, no doubt scheming and plotting, not even
bothering with the courtesy to wait for her back to be turned.
She knew he’d given up too easily.
He’d be trouble.
He’d throw up roadblocks. Try to prevent her from doing the right thing.
She couldn’t allow that.
Raven ran. The ghosts of her past chased hot on her heels. She’d never escape, but maybe if she pushed hard enough, those around her could. As the crime scene faded behind her, she wondered if it wasn’t already much too late to save any of them.
The End
Sneak Peek
Electric Storm
Book 1 : A Raven Investigations Novel
A commotion at the other end of the room erupted. The boy. She knew it even before she saw his face. Five women surrounded him, heckling and caressing him. He stood there, a frozen smile plastered in place, tolerating the touch. Tolerating but not enjoying.
Then he flinched. His smile became strained, the women’s laughter more wild. The boy’s eyes hardened but he kept still, enduring the obscene fondling and cruel taunts.
She scanned the crowd. A few people snickered at his discomfort, a few looked away, pity leeching the life from their eyes. But no one protested.
Then the man who had accompanied the boy stood to his full height. The muscles of her back loosened, and she eased back into her seat, unaware she’d half risen to her feet. The big man would keep him safe. But instead of rescuing the boy, the Ogre turned his back and pushed his way to the bar.
A lump grew in her throat at the unwanted attention the boy endured. Memories of similar situations from her past cut into her mind, blurring reason until fury burned along her face.
Stillness settled inside her, burying everything but the need to do something, the need to prevent the past from repeating itself. Before she knew what she was doing, she moved.
The closer she came, the more she sensed his unwillingness and his resignation. She stopped outside the circle of women. Their gazes collided. Recognition sparked, and his gaze latched on to hers.
Electric Moon Page 31