Electric Heat (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 3)

by Stacey Brutger

  What would be left of her after she’d bound the Prime?

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Heloise marched forward. She tried to push her way past Durant, but he wouldn’t budge. “Are you sure?”

  “I was able to bind one of the infected.”

  Everyone appeared stunned. “What did you learn?”

  “Those bitten aren’t suitable hosts. The wild magic is consuming their magic faster than they can gather more. Once it’s taken everything, it will jump to another host.”

  Heloise paled. “After which, rapid aging will kill them within a matter of hours.”

  The future for those who’d been bitten was bleak, unless they could figure out an alternative. “The cave is an incubation center. If the Prime just waits, you’ll all be infected or dead soon enough.”

  “Releasing the ancient magic would create a scourge over the earth.”

  “I could try to absorb as much magic as possible and fight the Prime.”

  The witches backed away, horrified at the prospect of losing their powers, even temporarily.

  Durant stepped closer until she was pinned between him and the wall. “You’d burn out.”

  “But maybe I could kill the Prime first.”

  “Or he’d kill you.”

  “If you hadn’t noticed, I have a hard time staying dead.”

  Durant wasn’t convinced. “You said it yourself, you’re changing. We no longer know if that holds true.”

  They all doubted that she was strong enough to take the Prime in a fight and win. The lack of support from one of her own stung. “There was a reason the zombies weren’t interested in me. I’m not food, and I think the same thing will happen with the Prime.”

  “Explain.” The air around Heloise sharpened at her comment, her complete attention now riveted on Raven.

  “Witches can only manipulate natural energy, bending it to their will. Kind of like a single-phase energy. I use more of a three-phase power.”

  “You mean, when you can use it.” Durant narrowed his eyes, determined to protect her at all cost.

  It was a low blow, but she had to admit there was some truth to it. “Could he want to use me as his familiar?”

  Her stomach churned at the thought that the Prime might know the truth about her, but Durant was already shaking his head. “Familiars are used to take the brunt of the cost when casters use more power than they’re capable of handling. Ancient magic doesn’t work the same way. It doesn’t need familiars. If they burned out, they can just grab another host.”

  “There is another way to defeat him.” Everyone whirled to see Randolph strolling up to them. He flashed her a smile, and she barely managed not to flinch. She subtly edged in front of Durant.

  Randolph’s eyes lit up at the telling move, and it was all she could do not to wince. “Explain.”

  He turned to Heloise and lifted a brow. She didn’t move, but her brown eyes flashed black, signaling that she was fully prepared to defend herself.

  “Heloise has been keeping secrets.”

  Even though Raven didn’t want to take her eyes away from Randolph, she looked at the witch, and saw a tightening around her lips. Randolph spoke the truth. She and Heloise weren’t friends, but she’d expected the witch to work with her to get everyone of this alive.

  Apparently she was wrong.

  “What did you find?” she asked Randolph.

  “A weapons room.”

  It was the last thing she’d expected him to say. “What?”

  “They’re ceremonial weapons,” Heloise protested “They’re no use to you against magic.”

  Again, not quite a lie, but Raven had enough subterfuge. “All our lives are at risk, and you’re more worried about keeping your secrets than keeping people alive.”

  The witches remained tightlipped, and any cordiality between them cracked. Distrust filled the void. Disgusted at their pettiness, she turned back to Randolph. “Show me.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Raven cringed at his pleased expression. That could never be a good sign.

  “Don’t do this.” Heloise scurried after them, but she made no move to interfere, probably knowing it would escalate into a fight she had no hope of winning.

  “You didn’t give us much choice.”

  No one else spoke as they hastened lower into the cramped tunnels, where the passageways were older and significantly narrower. The walls were rougher, the floor not as well travelled. The air became heavier, and she wasn’t sure if it was because they were underground or if it was the vast amount magic that hummed in the air. She suspected the latter. The vibration of magic was like that of a running refrigerator, you didn’t notice it unless you really listened. The constant thud of warfare faded, the absence of the relentless pounding made the silence seem even louder.

  They finally came to a stop outside an ancient doorway blocked by an enormous slab of stone.

  Randolph stood to the side, eyes twinkling challengingly at Raven.

  She studied the door, noticing the static wrapped around the boulder.

  Another damned ward.

  Raven looked over her shoulder at Heloise. “Open it.”

  She pursed her lips then shook her head. “I can’t.”

  Raven narrowed her eyes and turned to face the witches. Heloise raised her hands. “I mean it. I can’t. You must be one of the chosen to enter into the chamber beyond. It’s a graduation test for all students. Those who pass are allowed to attempt the training necessary to become a Prime.”

  With reluctance, Raven turned to face Randolph. “How did you know about this room?”

  He rocked back and forth on his feet, practically bursting to tell her. “The children talked about sneaking down here. They said there were weapons. I came to investigate.”

  He was holding something back.

  She glanced at the door then back at him. “You couldn’t get through.”

  He stilled, and his smile slipped. “No.”

  “And you wanted to see if I could.”

  Much to her surprise, he shook his head. “Not at all. I know you can open it.”

  Raven didn’t like the sound of that at all. “I’m not a witch.”

  Randolph shrugged. “I don’t think it cares whether you are or not. I think it measures a person’s power, their intent and allows those who are pure to enter.”

  He had a hell of a lot of power, so his intentions weren’t pure.

  How was she not surprised.

  Still not sure she trusted Randolph, Raven glanced at the witches.

  “He speaks the truth.”

  Her stomach went tumbling at the answer. She didn’t want to open that door. She didn’t want to draw more attention to herself. Whatever lay in the room beyond would change everything. All she wanted to do was save her people. Was that too much to ask?

  “You don’t have to do this.” Durant stepped between her and the door, as if sensing her reluctance. Trying to spare her.

  While sweet, it wasn’t the truth. “Yes, I do.”

  He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, glaring at the witches. “Tell me this won’t harm her.”

  Raven tried to pull away, but realized that he’d effectively trapped her against him. She had no doubt he’d physically pick her up and carry her away if he thought she was in any danger.

  Heloise didn’t bat an eyelash. “I can’t promise that.”

  Durant’s arms tightened until Raven’s ribs creaked. She tipped her head up and met his gaze. “I have to do this.”

  He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “I know.”

  But he didn’t let her go.

  “Kiss me.”

  Durant stiffened at her demand.

  When he opened his eyes, they were pure molten gold. His leather scent surrounded her, ratcheting up her hunger for just a taste. When his head lowered, she went up on her toes, expecting to be ravished. Instead, his mouth barely touched hers, a light brush of lips t
hat beckoned her to lean in for more. He did it again, tearing a frustrated groan from her, and she licked her lips to catch another taste.

  He straightened, his hands running down her back in a light caress. Then he stepped back, leaving her unsatisfied and craving more. “What the hell?”

  “Come back to me, and I’ll finish what I started.”

  Raven flushed at how much she wanted that and muttered jackass under her breath. His grin said he’d heard and enjoyed torturing her, but worry lingered in the way his eyes remained gold.

  Taking a deep breath, Raven walked up to the door.

  There was no knob.

  Of course not, that would be too easy.

  She’d have to go through the ward. After only a slight hesitation, she lifted her hand to the door. Her fingers slipped through a film of static, and her palm was slammed against stone like a magnet being pulled forward. She tugged but to no avail.

  She wasn’t going anywhere.

  Static ate up her arm, the pain like someone was peeling off her skin. Her armor hardened all the way up to her elbow, and she was able to feel the small plates locking into place. The static remained, but became more of a hum. Then everything went quiet.

  She expected cold, hard stone under her touch, and couldn’t have been more surprised when she encountered something with the consistency of warm clay. Since she couldn’t go backwards, Raven pushed forward. Her whole hand disappeared. She was up to her wrist when she met resistance.

  Now she was well and truly stuck.

  “Um, any suggestions?”

  “If it doesn’t accept your magic, you don’t gain entrance.” Despite all her protests, Heloise looked disappointed at the rejection, while the other two witches looked smug. “We should return to the others and decide what our next steps should be.”

  Raven heaved a sigh. “I would if I could, but I seemed to be stuck.”

  Everyone stopped.

  “What do you mean?” Heloise came closer and studied the situation, scowling when she saw Raven’s hand was encased in stone. “How much magic did you use to force your way in?”

  Raven nearly gave into the urge to deck her, might have if she could reach her. “None. It grabbed me and now it won’t let go.”

  Heloise was already shaking her head. “Impossible.”

  Randolph smirked as he came to stand next to Heloise. “Looks possible to me.” Then all amusement dropped away as if it never been when he faced Raven. “Call your energy to you.”

  Everything in her rebelled at the suggestion. The fact that he wanted her to try it guaranteed it was a bad idea. “I don’t think so.”

  His eyes frosted to a light green, then he shrugged and walked away. “Fine, but I’m not the one stuck. How far do you think your kitty will get when the wards fall?”

  Bastard.

  “We’ll survive.” Durant’s face was impassive. “Don’t let them use us to make you do something that doesn’t feel right.”

  Raven glanced back at the door. She didn’t feel threatened, not exactly. The static had retreated, hovering over the door again like a sentinel, and she had a sneaking suspicion what it wanted.

  It didn’t want her power, it wanted her.

  It wasn’t until she’d armored herself that her progress was halted.

  Her creature had remained silent and observant since they’d neared the door. She prodded it, hoping it would take the hint and retreat. The beast resisted. For the first time, she had the impression it wanted to protect her.

  Trust me.

  There was a rumble of displeasure, then the creature slowly retreated. The armor clicked as it disassembled, melting back into her skin. The beast crouched, ready to spring at the first sign of trouble, and Raven was grateful for the support.

  Two heartbeats passed before the static spilled out from the door and crawled up her arm once more. The pain felt like it was eating away her flesh. Part of her wondered what would happen when it reached her heart, but she gritted her teeth, locked her knees and bore it.

  They needed weapons. Without them, everyone would die.

  As if reading her intent, the clay softened under her fingers, and she pushed forward.

  And her fingertips met open air on the other side. The pain faded, leaving her skin tingling and slightly numb.

  She would have cheered if she’d had enough breath. The static was up to her shoulder now.

  Not willing to give up, Raven continued to push forward and swallowed the scream building at the back of her throat. Once her hand broke through the other side, it was as if the clay grabbed her and sucked her through. The previously slow torture of the static flashed through her for a vomit-inducing second. Then she found herself on the other side of the door, on her hands and knees, trying to remember how to breathe again.

  She was shaking so hard it took two tries before she managed to stand. It felt like she’d been through a scrubbing system, only it had used steel wool to peel away her skin and read her soul.

  The room was pitch black, so even wither creature’s help, her vision barely penetrated the gloom. Something in her chest loosened when she saw the door had a knob. She wouldn’t have to exit the same way. Her skin felt sensitive to the air, even her hair hurt. She closed her eyes and searched for her creature, panic threatening to drown her when it didn’t respond.

  Where are you?

  A thin barrier snapped, and the creature rose from her bones, stole through her system, wrapping around her in a comforting hug. The residual pain faded. Breathing became easier. The pressure in her head vanished.

  Thank you.

  She felt its rumble of pleasure.

  There was no more hiding from her creature, and she suspected there never had been. It had granted her time to become accustomed to its presence instead of taking over. She could only be grateful.

  Raven grabbed the knob on the door and yanked.

  It opened easily.

  Light spilled into the room, quickly followed by Durant. He stumbled, nearly fell before catching his balance. He whirled, his eyes golden, his fangs prominent as he roared.

  When he saw her, he charged.

  Before she could brace for impact, Raven found herself smothered against his chest as he wrapped her in his arms. His heartbeat thundered under her cheek, and she brushed her fingers against his back to soothe him. “I’m fine.”

  He buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled. Only after a full minute did his shoulders relax and he eased back. Before she could guess his intent, his mouth covered hers. There was nothing soft or caring in his touch. This was pure dominance. Heat flooded her system at his loss of control. Hunger roared through her, and she kissed him back, raking her fingers through his hair, wanting him closer.

  Someone cleared their throat, and it took Raven a second to gather her wits and remember they weren’t alone. She ducked her head, pleased at the little growl of displeasure that vibrated in Durant’s chest.

  She peeled herself away, the separation almost painful. Her creature hissed in annoyance, her fingertips aching as claws threatened to erupt, wanting to tear into whoever had interrupted.

  Durant pressed up against her back, cuddling her close, his blatant arousal like a brand against her lower back. Surprisingly, the creature eased back, pleased at the attention. Durant placed his hand over her stomach, his fingertips playing with the small gap between her shirt and pants. A single claw scraped against the delicate skin, and she shivered as desire burned hotter.

  All lust was doused when Randolph entered the room. She pulled away from Durant and tugged down her shirt as far as possible. Durant tucked her behind him, again the protective alpha male, and she couldn’t help placing her hand between his shoulder blades. Muscles flexed under her touch, and she shivered, imagining again what it would be like to be naked and wrapped around him.

  When she realized that he was projecting his thoughts to her, she smacked him and pulled away. “Stop it.”

  He glanced ove
r his shoulder, his unrepentant lust gleaming back at her. That’s when she realized he’d been holding himself back for fear of scaring her off. He wasn’t manipulating her, not really, he just wanted to show her what she was missing.

  Putting more distance between them helped her regain some control. Conceding defeat, her beast sighed and settled back under her skin.

  When she turned away, she saw the witches had lit the room. They were scattered throughout, a hushed quality around them as they examined the weapons stacked haphazardly throughout the armory. Some were hung on the wall, others were on pedestals, a few even tossed into crates or stacked against the wall. Curiously, there was even a cupboard full of books and clothes that reminded her of druids.

  Beyond a drawer filled to the brim with jewels, she saw nothing to cause such reverence in the witches. “I don’t understand. Why go to so much trouble to lock away a few weapons?”

  She didn’t hold out much hope that what she saw would be a match against the Prime.

  “They’re not just weapons.” Heloise didn’t bother looking at her as she reverently traced the air over the knife before her. “They’re spelled. Only a chosen few are selected to wield them.”

  Raven gingerly walked toward the wall to study a row of daggers on display. Some were encrusted with jewels, while others were marred with nicks and rust. “Spelled to do what?”

  She copied Heloise and ran her hand in the air.

  And received a nasty shock strong enough to singe the tips of her fingers.

  She saw Randolph doing the same and getting the same results. He moved from one to the next, systematically working his way around the room, as if searching for one particular item.

  There was silence, and she glanced up to see Heloise looking at her if she were an idiot. “Fight magic.”

  “Right.”

  Impatience shut down Heloise’s good cheer, and she shook her head. “Unless they’ve chosen someone to wield them, these weapons are virtually useless to fight off the Prime. We don’t have much time before the final wards fall.”