At the tentative inquiry, Raven dropped back and ran beside the oldest girl in the group. She couldn’t have been more than seventeen, skinny, and would have seemed almost fragile if it weren’t for the determined spark in her eyes. “Do we need to slow down more?”
She appeared startled to realize they weren’t running full out, then shook her head. “I know a place where we’ll be safe.”
Raven was skeptical that any place would be safe from the Prime, but they’d already taken heavy losses. If they wanted to survive, they needed reinforcements and a place where they could recover and come up with a plan of attack. “Where?”
“You can’t tell. It’s supposed to be a secret.” The youngest of the group had a bulldog expression on her face, clearly unwilling to give up the tiniest bit of information to an outsider.
“Be quiet, stupid. We won’t make it there on our own. We’ll be dead long before then.” The oldest girl ignored the arguing, having made her decision. “The witches have a stronghold. A fallback shelter. If you can get us there safely, I can get you inside.”
If the other witches had retreated there, Raven doubted they would be allowed entrance, but she didn’t say so. “Deal. My team will drop back and provide protection. You’ll have to take the lead.”
Sweat glistened on her face, but Raven had no doubt the girl would find the refuge.
“Durant. Nicholas. Fall back.” She didn’t need to speak above a whisper thanks to their genetics. Both men instantly dropped back to her side. “You heard.”
They both nodded.
“Durant and I will cover our retreat.” She glanced at Nicholas, noting his injuries were more severe than theirs. “If anyone gets past us, you’re the last line of defense. Protect the kids.”
“I’ll do my best.” Lines of pain bracketed his mouth, his eyes dark and grim. He didn’t expect to survive the night. Blood stained his clothes. His limp had grown progressively worse. He was healing too slowly. Despite his crippling wounds, she’d give him points for not giving up.
She refused to lose more of her people, and he was one of hers, if just for the night. “Just get them to safety, and we’ll do the rest.”
A snap of a branch echoed loudly in the silence. Raven stopped and whirled to face the threat. Durant duplicated her move, standing guard to her right, keeping enough distance between them to maneuver.
The others kept running, Nicholas urging them forward.
Silence fell around them, but Raven didn’t move.
Something was out there.
A form took shape out of the darkness, running full tilt toward them, then another and another until there were more than a dozen familiars charging toward them. Durant growled and crouched.
“Wait.” Raven held out a hand. She took a step forward, squinting at the male in the lead. There was something familiar about his shape. “It’s the jaguar.”
Durant’s eyes were golden as he stared down at his prey. “We don’t know if they’re friend or foe. We can’t take the chance.”
Raven bit her lip but couldn’t make herself give the order to kill.
Durant cursed, throwing his body in front of hers, so they would have to go through him to get to her. “If you’re wrong, they’ll kill the kids.”
The jaguar sprinted toward her and smiled, as if proud to have been able to find them. The tension in her shoulders eased, and she placed a hand on Durant’s back. His muscles flexed at the contact, and he reluctantly stood down.
They were soon encircled by a group of terrified familiars in human form. “You can protect us.”
The plea came from a kid who could be no more than twenty. Sweat soaked his shirt, the sour stench of fear emanating from him. Hope and desperation burned his eyes…he knew they would die without help.
She released a breath.
Her troubles had just tripled, and a relentless pounding started at her temples. “There is a group of witches about a mile ahead. Catch up to them. You’ll be safe at the stronghold.”
After only a slight hesitation, they scampered away, all but the jaguar. He looked off in the distance, a scowl marring his face.
“Are there more?”
He grabbed her sleeve and tugged, but she refused to budge. Something spilled through the forest, calling to her. She took a step, squinting to pierce the darkness. The jaguar whined and pulled, practically dragging her behind him. Raven stumbled a few steps, then dug in her feet. “Wait.”
A black wolf loped toward them, effortlessly dodging the trees, almost invisible in the dark. Familiar green eyes blazed back at her.
Raven smiled in relief. “Dominic.”
She took a step forward when Durant blocked her. “Don’t.”
That’s when she noticed the scent of rotten leaves.
He’d lost the fight with his beast.
The giant wolf launched himself at them. He landed lightly, skidding to a stop only feet away. He bared his fangs, the sharp white teeth glistening with saliva as he growled.
“Dominic, don’t do this.”
The wolf whined and backed away a step, and hope swelled in her throat. “He recognizes us. He’s still fighting the spell.”
Raven took a gamble and shuffled closer. She couldn’t bear to lose her friend. If she didn’t do something, the spell would consume him. She owed it to him to at least try. When everyone else had given up on her, he’d stayed by her side without showing a lick of fear.
He deserved the same from her.
“If we can bring him back with us, the witches should be able to reverse the spell.”
But Durant was already shaking his head. “He’s bound to his master. No witch is powerful enough to break the connection without killing him in the process. Only the one who cast the spell can remove it without causing irreparable damage.”
Raven refused to give up so easily. “I can claim him. That will break the familiar bond.”
Durant’s eyes were sad when he looked at her, and she wanted to scream in denial. “But the jaguar—”
“You managed with him because the witch and animal were both half dead. The witch will be able to draw on the bonds with the coven, an unlimited supply of power. You’d never win.”
“Sonofabitch!” She growled in frustration. “There has to be something we can do.”
Durant was grim. “The only way he can be free is if we can hunt down the witch that captured him and kill her.”
They both fell silent. He didn’t need to tell her they would never get close enough to the witch without being captured.
The temptation to try and break the spell anyway surged through her, but she was afraid to do more harm than good. “I might not be able to break the spell, but I can counter it by removing the more important element…his wolf.”
If he didn’t have his wolf, the witches wouldn’t be able to control him.
She expected an immediate denial, but Durant surprised her. “It could work.”
Now that he’d agreed, doubts twisted through her.
Dominic began pacing, growing more and more agitated. If she wanted to do this, she needed to do it now. Wiping her hands on her jeans, she approached Dominic.
The wolf shook under the strain of remaining still, a growl rumbling in his chest, but he didn’t attack.
Raven knelt at his side and sank her fingers into his thick fur. Energy crackled around him when she called upon her power. She used her sight and peered beneath the blood and bones, and found his true beast was locked behind needle-thin bars that looked ready to snap. Even in wolf form, Dominic was keeping the most primitive part of himself shackled. She had to work fast, or they’d lose their slight edge.
She wanted to strip away his wolf—she’d done it before with a panther who had attacked her—but she hesitated. His wolf was terribly strong, near alpha status, and she wasn’t sure if she would be fast enough to do it before he ripped out her throat.
And if by some miracle she managed to finish the job, it wouldn’t be pe
rmanent. Anywhere they went, he’d have to be imprisoned, never knowing when his master might steal back control of his wolf.
It would be sheer torture to live always doubting himself, but she had to at least try.
Not allowing herself time to think, Raven shoved her hand through the bars of the gate, ready to grab the wolf, but the beast was too fast. The animal lunged and bit down.
It was as if she held her hand in a garbage disposal.
Pain blasted up her arm, shredding her flesh, and she realized the wolf was trying to devour her. It saw her as a threat to be eliminated. She tried to yank the wolf free, but the spell prevented it.
Raven refused to give up.
Magic had ensnared the wolf. To free him, she needed to overload the spell. The only problem was the wolf and the spell were intertwined. If she took out the spell, it would take out the beast as well. She only had seconds to decide. If she moved forward with her plan, his wolf might never return.
It was a risk she had to take.
Her only alternative would be to let him die.
Instead of pulling away from the ravenous wolf, Raven rammed her arm further through the bars and sent a burst of current directly down the beast’s throat.
The animal was forced to swallow, gorging himself on her power.
With the extra strength running through his veins, the beast swelled in size, his bulk pressing against the weak prison bars. Then he ran out of space. Panic darkened his green eyes as he realized her intent. He tried to rip off her arm to get away, but he had no room to maneuver.
It was too much power for one person to hold.
The spell went supernova, and the sound of glass cracking filled the area.
In a blinding flash, Raven was hurled back. She smacked the ground hard enough to bounce, and lay slumped as if her strings have been cut. Her whole body felt trampled, her arm throbbing in agony.
What little energy she had in reserve was now gone, leaving her as helpless as any human.
The creature swelled under her skin, reminding her she wasn’t alone. Turning her head, she was amazed to discover her hand was still attached. She wiggled her fingers, then clutched her arm to her chest as agony ricocheted around inside her. Her arm from the elbow down felt like it had gone through a meat grinder. By the time she could lift her head, the first thing she saw was a very naked Dominic. “It worked.”
She was too exhausted to be cheered.
Then she noticed he wasn’t moving. Swallowing hard, she rolled over and crawled to him, wishing she could force her body to move faster. “Please don’t be dead.”
She reached out with shaking fingers and searched his neck for a pulse, but couldn’t feel anything over the thundering of her own heart. She’d finally resorted to resting her head on his chest when she heard the steady thump.
“We have to go.” Durant hauled her to her feet. It took her a few wobbling steps before she was sure she could stay upright and move at the same time.
Durant was already crouched, hauling Dominic over his shoulder as he stood. The ease in which he did it astonished her. “I still—”
The jaguar launched himself at her, knocking her down and plowing her into the earth. The impact stole the breath clear out of her. The world spun as she struggled to remember how her lungs were supposed to work. Vicious snarling rang in her ears. She pulled herself up in time to see the jaguar facing off with three people, fighting with claws and fangs.
He had just saved her life.
And if she didn’t do something soon, they would kill him. With each blow, they were shredding him to ribbons.
Durant still had Dominic over his shoulder, ready to put him down, but he hesitated. If they dropped him, Dominic would be dead within minutes. “Get him out of here.”
Raven staggered to her feet and charged the closest shifter. She caught him low in the back. Taken by surprise, he stumbled forward, and smashed into a tree. There was a sickening crunch of bones as his face took the brunt of the impact.
She rebounded off him, then fell on her ass.
Unfortunately, the collision wasn’t enough to take him out. He turned and staggered toward her, his crushed face already reshaping. She kicked, using her feet to keep those claws and teeth from getting too close. When he charged her, she used his momentum to flip him over her head, then rolled to her feet, the creature enabling her to keep her butt moving.
The shifter snarled, displaying an impressive number of teeth. Without an ounce of power left, Raven gave herself over to her creature. It rose from beneath, until the pressure threatened to split her skin.
It scorched the underside of her skin, and she clenched her teeth to keep from screaming. The inferno cooled, hardening her whole body like armor. It took seconds, but it was enough time for the shifter to launch himself at her. The foreignness of the change slowed her down, and she hadn’t had time to adjust when he hit her square in the gut.
They tumbled to the ground.
When he swung his meaty fist, she lifted her arm and braced for the pain.
Only it didn’t come.
Claws met her forearm, raked down to her elbow. Instead of shredding her flesh, his nails snapped off. His howl of pain echoed in the small clearing. Taking advantage of his distraction, she thrust her hand at his throat, her aim to crush his larynx, and was horrified to see her entire hand disappear into his body.
He gurgled as blood poured down his chest. The warm liquid felt hot as it splashed over her. She yanked back, and stared in shock at the gaping hole in his throat. He reached to staunch the flow, but there was nothing for him to grab.
He would bleed out before he healed.
A yip of pain came from her left. She turned to see the jaguar pinned by the other two shifters. One drew back his arm, his claws glistening with blood, and swung down with the full weight of his shoulder behind him.
“No!”
Raven shoved the dead man off her and charged the ten feet between them, but she could already feel the jaguar slipping away. The fragile strings that bound them together by blood were unraveling faster than she could grab them, ripping strips of flesh from her soul as they did.
Pain riddled her until there was nothing left but the agony of loss.
With no plan in mind but reaching the jaguar, she kicked the first shifter in the face. The skull caved beneath her foot. The meaty impact should’ve repulsed her, but all she felt was the need to reach her jaguar.
The attacking shifter wasn’t dead. She could hear his heart still beat. He might even be able to heal. She walked to where he lay, lifted her foot and brought it down on his throat with a satisfying crunch.
He stopped moving.
When she turned, it was to see Rylan emerge from the darkness like an avenging angel. He swooped down on the remaining shifter. When he tried to run, Rylan grabbed him by the throat and ripped it clear out. His perfect hair was ruffled, his clothes rumpled. There was something wild and furious about him.
Then her eyes landed on the jaguar. He reached a hand out to her, and she dropped to her knees at his side. He was covered in blood, most of it his own. Bits of white showed through the mutilated flesh of his chest.
Bone.
Blood bubbled up through dozens of wounds, each beat of his heart pumping out more. Claws had raked down the side of his face, leaving him in ribbons. She didn’t know where to touch without hurting him more.
The armor melted away, and she clutched his hand. Tears burned her eyes at the sight of his devastating injuries, but she refused to let them fall. She could fix him. She desperately grabbed for his beast, but it was like trying to hold smoke.
No matter how hard she tried to bind him to her, he only drifted farther away. “No.”
He touched her face, a delicate brush of fingers. When she looked up, she saw acceptance in his eyes. “Don’t leave.”
But it was already too late.
A last breath left his body.
She dropped her gaze, frantically se
eking his aura, only to be confronted by nothing but blackness.
A ghostly shape in the form of a beautiful black cat rose from the body. He swished his tail, brushing it against her face in a caress. His blue eyes bored into hers, showing his fierce pride at having protected her.
Then he faded into nothingness, well beyond her reach.
The last connection between them was severed, and a mournful howl echoed into the treetops, the sound so lonely and so heartfelt it broke her heart. Then she realized it had come from her.
“Raven, we have to go. There are more out there, and they’re coming fast.” Rylan had to pry her away from the jaguar, using all his strength to drag her to her feet, and she fought him every step of the way.
She couldn’t leave the jaguar there all alone.
Her creature agreed, rising to the surface, digging in her claws to prevent the separation.
Rylan shoved his face into hers and growled. “You did what you could for him. He didn’t die alone. That’s all we can ask. He gave his life for yours. It’s an honorable death. If we don’t leave now, it will have been for nothing, and you’ll lose more than just him.”
Raven pushed away from Rylan, hating him a little for speaking the truth. “He died because of me.”
Rylan grabbed her shoulders and shook her until her teeth clicked together. “He would have died days ago if not for you. You gave him a pack. You gave him freedom. He died by his choice…saving his alpha. You didn’t order him to do it. Honor his choice by living.”
He shoved her. After an initial stumble, she ran after the others. Guilt pounded through her with every step, her throat aching with unshed tears.
“Stop it.” Rylan glared at her, the shoved her again, pushing her to run faster.
“It was my job to protect him, and I failed. I should have ordered him to stay home.” The creature pressed needle-like claws into her chest, the only thing holding back the avalanche of devastating emotions. The pain was too deep, too raw for tears. She rubbed her chest as the ache continued to grow. Panic built as she struggled to find enough air to breathe. It felt like her lungs were already full. “I can’t catch my breath.”
She panted, growing more and more lightheaded, and the world around her slowly turned fuzzy.
Electric Heat (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 3) Page 17