Electric Heat (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 3)

by Stacey Brutger

  The clearing was small…and empty. Not the war party she’d been expecting. There was a stillness to the air, like it was holding its breath, the peace almost eerie.

  If she left now, she’d be able to get help.

  She nearly gave into the compulsion when a faint whiff of pixie sticks coated her tongue, the powdery taste of pure sugar was so light, she almost missed it.

  Clever spell.

  It was meant to lure them out one by one.

  The minute she ventured beyond the circle of the grove, the predators prowling the forest would tear her apart. It took everything in her to stand there like some damned target. She’d much rather give in to the urge to hunt the cowards and thrash them like they deserved. But every second she stalled gave her team more time to get into place.

  A subtle change in the air had her straightening, and she felt the spell dissolve. It was like someone hit the play button.

  Raven braced, knowing they’d come for her soon.

  “You shouldn’t have kept me waiting.” The Prime strode out from the tree line, stopping abruptly a healthy distance away.

  “You look surprised to see me.” Raven walked away from the opening, circling until his back was partially to the cave entrance. “Did you think your remnants would have infected me?”

  “On the contrary, actually. I never wanted to hurt you. I was hoping to claim a few more witches, but I never believed you’d succumb.” He flashed her a charming smile. “You persist in painting me as a monster, but things haven’t always been this way.”

  His friendliness made her skin crawl. The beast coiled, ready to strike, but biding its time until the perfect moment. They’d only get one shot at this before they lost their edge of surprise.

  “You have no idea of your heritage, do you?” When she didn’t respond, he laughed, a chilling sound that had her tightening her grip on the hilt of the sword. There was a certain relish in his eyes as he moved a bit closer, leaning forward as if to share a secret. “Between the two of us, I’m not the monster. They created fairytales about your kind to scare children and grown men alike. I’m not the one these people should fear…you are.”

  She wanted to charge forward, force him to take back the words, but his certainty stopped her cold. “You lie.”

  “We both know I’m not.” He inhaled deeply, gave a hum of pleasure and smiled. “You’re fear tastes delicious.”

  “We’re each in charge of our own destiny.” She had to believe that.

  “Of course, but we’re also tied to our fate.” The man’s gaze dropped toward the weapon she carried, and something feral flashed in his eyes. “I know who you are…or should I say what.”

  She had never gone digging into her past, too terrified of what she’d learn. Dread and excitement surged through her at the chance to finally discover the truth.

  “You’re a toddler, not fully aware of what you’re capable of becoming. Swear your allegiance to me, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know. When your creature is finally unleashed onto the world, nothing will stop you.”

  Lust tinted his eyes red, not for her, but the greed of becoming her master. A faint ticking drew her attention to his hand, where he clicked his nails over and over. She trembled with the knowledge that she was something that could made this powerful being nervous.

  A flicker of light came from the cave, and she nearly groaned with relief.

  They were ready.

  Raven ignored the powerful temptation of his offer, searching him for any weaknesses she could use. Faint welts crisscrossed the skin of his hands and arms, and a spiteful smile curved her mouth. “You’re not healing.”

  “A few scratches, not worth my attention.” He waved off her comment.

  Static brushed over her skin, and she cocked her head. “You lie. You can’t heal, can you?”

  A scowl darkened his face. “A minor setback. Once I come into my full power, that won’t be a problem.”

  “Are you sure? I was able to stop the wild magic from stealing Crystal.” Raven gave him a taunting smile as the first few people dashed from the caves. She had to keep him focused on her. “I think my presence dampens your powers.”

  His good cheer dropped away. “These people thrust you into danger without a care for your well-being. They aren’t your friends. Our kind used to be partners, the perfect fighting team. We were built to rule, not be put out for slaughter. Allow me to train you. You can be so much more. We’d be unbeatable.”

  “Our kind were not built for this world. We don’t belong here.” Raven grabbed for the energy seething in the air. The moment it landed, her skin hardened like armor. She didn’t even have to give the command, proof she and her creature were melding together and becoming one.

  The Prime had spoken at least some truth.

  She was a monster.

  But maybe they needed a monster to stop one. The witches had spread out. Heloise was surrounded by a group of women, while Luca had banded the students together behind them. He kept to his word, sticking close to the shifters as they prowled from the caves. She could all almost see their beasts rise to the surface, relishing being released from their prison, and the prospect of fighting for their freedom.

  “You don’t understand. We can bring the world back to its former glory, where we rule everyone.”

  Madness gleamed in his eyes, the type that wouldn’t be appeased by anything less than complete dominion over everything around him. “You’re insane.”

  “And you’re a fool.” A fierce scowl contorted his face. “I could give you everything.”

  To finally learn the truth about her heritage tempted her, but she had to trust her creature had a reason for keeping things from her. Behind him, her pack emerged from the cave, and she realized she was at peace at what she was becoming. Because of them. “I have everything I need.”

  Raven tore her gaze away from her pack when the Prime whirled, pulling the broadsword from the sheath strapped to his back, and swung it directly at her head. She stumbled backwards and barely brought up her sword in time to block the blow.

  The power behind the swing nearly knocked the weapon from her hand.

  He hammered at her, forcing her back, each strike reverberating through her bones with a jarring clash of blades. Her armor absorbed the majority of the shock, the only thing that enabled her to keep her grip. Wielding the sword felt unnatural, the length and weight awkward as she struggled to defend herself.

  As if his attack was a signal, witches and shifters threaded through the trees. There was something wrong with the witches, their bodies bloated almost beyond what the human body could contain. Their skin was smudged gray, their hair stringy and matted. Their bodies were covered with open lesions where their skin had cracked from being stretched too tight. As they plodded along, their corrupted magic stripped everything around them of energy, the plants and trees wilting, until the witches resembled overfed pigs at a trough.

  Magical sickness.

  Too much magic was poisoning them.

  Raven couldn’t understand why they would continue to feed when it was killing them. “They can’t turn it off.”

  The Prime shrugged as if it were unimportant. “The prolonged attack on the fortress had certain unfortunate side effects.”

  As if proud of his creations, he gave the wretches a benevolent smile. There were only a handful of them left. Like wraiths, they clung to the tree line, almost indiscernible from the darkness as they watched the first wave of attack spill out the gloom. The shifters emerged from the tree line on all fours, running low to the ground, the smoothness of their movements unnatural in the human form they still wore. Madness shimmered in their eyes as they streaked forward.

  “There is something beautiful in the art of war. The violence. The destruction. It all tastes so sweet. Watch.” He nodded and gestured toward the two opposing groups like he was an emperor at a coliseum, cheering on his gladiators.

  Magic swirled in the air.

 
Pure magic.

  And he was syphoning it off and getting stronger.

  Raven was spellbound with horror as the horde of shifters swept toward the all-too-human witches.

  Before the two sides could collide, Luca threw a charm, undaunted by the teeming mass of fangs and claws heading straight toward him. Like a flash bomb, the air shook with thunder as his charm exploded in front of the charging shifters. Their uniform attack vanished, the beasts closest to the blast lurched as if the ground had turned to gelatin, while the ones in the back stumbled around like they had been hit by a bad case of vertigo. They slashed at nothing but air as they tried to claw themselves free of the enchantment.

  Much to her surprise, Raven saw Paige cast in concert with Luca, hurling a spell that scattered fire across the ground. But instead of consuming the woodland for fuel, these flames had tiny feet. They scurried across the grass to launch themselves at the attackers, lighting them up like torches.

  Heloise flung a spell that hit one of the opposing witches in the face, peeling her skin like an orange. Instead of going down, the witch chanted a short spell in retaliation. The leaves clanked in the wind as they turned to blades and fell like daggers to the ground, slicing everything in their path.

  Two men in the front of the cave dropped under the attack and didn’t move.

  The next three were pierced, sliced straight through, barely managing to cast a shield fast enough to keep from being shredded. They bled profusely from dozens of wounds, and a wave of shifters descended to finish them off.

  Luca narrowed his eyes and darted forward, sinking his hands into the earth. Magic rumbled under the ground, and she saw one of his amulets tarnish as it emptied. When he straightened, the grass had hardened, becoming like nails.

  The wave of shifters fell back, bloody, when their feet and hands were impaled.

  Nicholas and Rylan worked in tandem along the perimeter, keeping the shifters back, hacking at anything that came within reach. Dominic held the line on the other side of the clearing with a group of shifters, a perfect tactician as he blocked the enemy’s every attempt to advance. The shifters healed almost as quickly as they were injured, but each blow slowed them down a little more. The witches stood at the entrance of the cave, tossing magic as fast as they could draw it.

  Heloise chanted and magic spread out like a wave.

  Three of the tainted witches had gotten close enough to become ensnared.

  At first, nothing happened.

  Then their hair coiled slowly around them, faint hissing rose, and the locks turned into snakes. The serpents struck, one after another, removing chunks of flesh with each bite.

  When a few shifters charged forward, Luca left the line in a dangerous move and lobbed one of his amulets.

  Lights flared.

  Anyone hit in the blast stopped short, falling to their knees as their clothes tightened. They were forced to claw their way out of their clothing before they were strangled to death.

  The fight was brutal and bloody, dropping bodies as quickly as replacements rushed into the fray.

  “We shouldn’t be fighting.” The Prime’s sole focus was centered on her, seemingly unconcerned who would win the battle. “These are our soldiers. With only a suggestion, they turn on their own. You could rule them at my side. They would follow you.”

  Her heartbeat grew sluggish, horror thickening in her veins as his master plan became clear.

  He wanted her to become his general and bring everlasting war to the world.

  His smile was expectant as excitement shimmered in his eyes, the red giving them a demonic gleam.

  It almost looked like…fever.

  Raven could’ve smacked herself for not noticing sooner. “You’re burning through the magic too fast, consuming too much energy for your human body to sustain you.” She’d seen signs of it in Rylan. “You’re addicted. Greed won’t allow you to stop. You’ll need a new host sooner than expected, and you need me to keep your army together. If we hold you off just a little longer, we can bind the wild magic before you’re able to select your next victim.”

  Such a simple answer.

  Relief trickled through her.

  Rage twisted his face. “You bitch. Too bad no one else will be smart enough to figure it out, and once you’re gone, no one else will have the power to make it happen, either.”

  Without warning, he swung his sword.

  She blocked, but the nasty blow dropped her to her knees.

  She lifted her sword, bracing for the next strike—

  And received a kick to her chest that took her by surprise. She went sprawling, and the sword fell from her grip. She rolled and scrambled for the blade, but the blow left her so stunned her reflexes were slow. Just as her fingers curled around the hilt, the Prime kicked it out from under her grip.

  “You should have accepted my offer.”

  Raven looked up to see him raise his sword.

  “It didn’t have to come to this.” Then the sword descended.

  Raven rolled to her side and kicked, catching him in the knee. There was a sickening crack, and his leg bent in the wrong direction. With a bellow, he staggered and struggled to regain his balance.

  Wild magic swelled in the air as she sprang for the sword.

  He’d refrained from using magic while she’d been holding it.

  If she didn’t reach it in time, she was dead meat.

  Two feet.

  The first lash of magic struck her across the back, slicing through clothing to flay off a strip of flesh. The shock of pain tore a startled yelp from her, and blood dribbled down her back.

  Raven clawed forward. To defeat the Prime, she had to have the sword. Magic welled again. She tried not to stiffen, but her muscles tensed against the coming pain.

  The second lash caught her between her shoulder blades.

  A hiss of shocked pain escaped as her skin split.

  Each movement, each breath, only heightened the agony.

  A pair of shoes stepped into her line of vision.

  Raven peered up to find Randolph glaring at something behind her with cold, dead eyes, nothing in his body or face betraying any emotions. The trained assassin had come out to play. “Get the sword, but you’d better hurry or we’re all dead.”

  With that, he stepped into the swirling mass of wild magic that had settled around the Prime like an angry cloud.

  When Randolph entered the storm, red particles in the cloud sizzled against his flesh, eating it away like acid. That didn’t stop him. He lunged at the Prime time and again.

  Buying her a few precious seconds.

  Whether he did it for her benefit or just to pit himself against a stronger force and see who would win, didn’t matter.

  Turning her back on the fight, Raven forced herself to her feet and staggered toward the sword. The weight of the weapon sent agony screaming through her back. She turned to see Randolph fly through the air and collapse, his body deathly still.

  The sounds of fighting intensified. The second wave of shifters from the cave had arrived and flanked the battle. Beast fought beast as they tore into each other. Dominic had organized the infected witches to battle the others.

  All the magic flying around thickened the air until it became stifling, and the sword began to glow softly as it was buffeted by the whirl of spells and charms.

  The Prime strode toward the defenseless Randolph. Part of her wondered if it might not be better to let him die, but she couldn’t force herself to let it happen. She grabbed at the magic churning in the air and threw it at the Prime. The hit caught him high in the shoulder, nearly spinning him around. The wound steamed as he lifted his head, and his focus fell on her.

  His eyes frosted red with hatred, he straightened and strode toward her with the cursed broadsword in his hand. When he came within striking distance, he renewed his assault by hacking away at her. His weapon was an extension of himself, his entire body moving with each blow, powered by his grim determination to finish he
r off.

  She needed to go on the offensive. There was no way she could win in a physical battle. She had to be sneaky. Just when his sword was about to drop, Raven whirled, brought up her blade and sliced him across the ribs, just under his arm. The move wasn’t a conscious effort on her part, the blade had guided her hand to where it would do the most damage.

  The Prime grunted, then reached under his arm, lifting his hand to find it covered with blood. Shock hollowed his face as he met her gaze. The sour scent of fear pierced his confidence while they circled each other.

  He narrowed his eyes, craving retribution, but his swing went wide, leaving her a split-second opening. She took it, dragging the blade across his thigh. The edge sliced through flesh, spilling blood down his leg, and he growled as he whirled to face her.

  “What do you think will happen when your beast wakes?” Raven stiffened at the question, trying not to let the sting of it sink under her skin. It was the same question she’d been asking herself for the past ten years.

  “You’ll need my help. You kill me now, you’ll doom your precious pack.”

  The creature dug its claws in her chest in denial. “Neither of us would harm our own.”

  The Prime laughed, the deep rumble filling the air. “You don’t get it, do you? You’re the ultimate weapon. Without training, you’ll become a monster. You won’t be able to control it. You won’t be in charge at all. You’ll eventually destroy everything you hold dear.”

  A second of doubt caused her to hesitate.

  Taking advantage of her distraction, the Prime charged, blocking her sword stroke. He plowed his shoulder into her, throwing her clear off her feet, and the ground rushed up to knock the breath out of her.

  Training allowed her to move, reach for the sword.

  Only to have a foot land on her wrist.

  Looking up, she glimpsed the Prime standing over her with a snide smile. “You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.”

  He brought the sword to rest against her throat, the metal cold against her skin. The armor thickened in retaliation, and she grabbed the blade, holding it at bay, but she wasn’t sure her beast would be strong enough to save her this time. As if affronted, the creature flooded her with magic, the blue strands a cool heat leapt from her to the Prime’s sword and streaked up the blade. Instead of being absorbed, her magic swarmed into the Prime. His arms trembled under the strain, his teeth clenched as volts of electricity sizzled through him.