“Don’t kill him!” She hurried after them, uncertain if she was issuing the command to Griffin or Rylan.
Rylan’s mouth latched onto Griffin’s upper arm when he didn’t leap out of the way fast enough. Durant tackled the struggling pair, slamming his fist under the vampire’s chin to unlock his jaw, and forcing him to loosen his hold.
Griffin tore himself free with a grimace, frowning at the blood flowing freely from his arm. When Rylan struggled to follow his escaping meal, Durant threw himself across Rylan’s torso, barely dodging the snapping fangs. “If you’re going to do something, better do it now.”
Griffin grabbed one leg, pinning Rylan in place, then grunted when the remaining foot landed in his still-tender ribs. He twisted and grab one leg in each arm, snarling as he fought to contain the vampire.
When Raven walked toward Rylan, he stopped his frantic thrashing, his eyes locked onto hers as if he recognized her—or the taste of her blood. Energy swirled in the room, soaking into her blood as the dragon stretched under her skin, and her claws emerged. Very deliberately, she ran a tip across her palm, forcing the nail deep.
Rylan stilled, then his chest heaved as he inhaled the fresh scent of blood.
She held her hand over his mouth as blood dribbled down her closed fist.
As the first drop fell, Rylan lifted his head, his muscles straining to get closer, snapping the drops out of the air as they fell. In seconds, his lips were strained red, and he licked them clean, never once removing his gaze from the pulse at the base of her throat.
His wounds began to knit together, but the desperate hope that the power in her blood would save him as it had in the past, slowly shriveled and died a painful death when the madness in his eyes didn’t dissipate.
“Raven…”
Durant was asking for permission to put him out of his misery, but her throat was so tight she couldn’t speak a word.
Everything they’ve been through…it was for nothing.
She’d failed…again.
Tears burned her eyes as she dropped to her knees next to Rylan, not ready to say good-bye.
As she ran a finger down his face, he gasped for air, his back arching at an impossible angle, flipping Durant off him in the process. He lurched forward, his fangs sinking deep into her flesh as he latched onto her wrist. After the first swallow, the pupils in his eyes shrank, the sea blue color returning as sanity flooded back, but he didn’t stop drinking.
Durant grabbed his leg, ready to drag him away, but hesitated, knowing he risked ripping her arm to shreds if the fangs didn’t retract. “He’s back.”
If anything, Durant’s scowl deepened, and he kicked Rylan in the leg none too gently. “Then he should know better than to feed from you.”
As if his words were magic, the fangs retracted, but Rylan remained curled around her, his body shaking uncontrollably, and she worried what her blood would do to him. Normal blood provided nutrition, but she was different. Infused with energy, her blood offered vampires the illusion of life, but if they consumed too much, it also brought a risk of an overdose and possible changes to their DNA.
When Durant neared, Rylan shoved her behind him and hissed at the other male in warning.
She wrapped her arms around him, shooting Durant a concerned glance. “He’s fine. He just needs a few more minutes.”
She wasn’t sure which one she was trying to convince, the vampire or the tiger.
She twisted to meet Rylan’s eyes. Recognition fluttered across his face as he blinked, then he collapsed, unconscious.
“Was that supposed to happen?”
“I don’t think so.” Raven carefully lowered Rylan to the ground, painfully conscious of his near-skeletal frame. She peered up pleadingly at Durant, needing his calm presence. “Did we wait too long?”
The gold in his eyes dimmed with the truth, and she shook her head in denial. “Maybe he just needs more blood?”
Durant crouched next to her. “He’s still alive, but we need to leave now. If they take him again, he won’t survive.”
Raven tightened her grip on Rylan for a few seconds, then nodded, allowing Durant to help her rise. Casting one last glance over her shoulder at Rylan’s still form, she allowed Durant to lead her away.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Raven forced her mind to work again. As she walked toward the door, Frankenstein watched her avidly, more curious than frightened.
She would have to change that.
Her hand itched to call for her sword, almost able to feel the pommel in her hand. Even at this distance, the red magic hungered for blood, eager for violence. She almost changed course, willing to risk everything just for the chance to kill that murdering bastard.
Recognizing the danger of that thought, she refocused on the task at hand. She studied the door, then turned toward the wall to the right, sensing energy rising from the metal. She stepped back and tapped the wall. “I need a hole here.”
Durant strode over and braced his legs. Muscles flexed as he pulled back his arm and punched his fist straight through the wall. He retrieved his hand, then very calmly began to bend the metal back until it was curled out of the way.
When he stood back, he gave her a short bow, clearly ready to be gone from this place.
Raven grabbed the thick cable, and gave it a yank. Fasteners popped free, pinging up the wall as she yanked on the cords.
Now.
Without hesitation, the dragon eagerly rose toward the surface, tiny platelets slotting into place as she calmly broke the cable in half.
Electricity snapped and arced between the two ends, and the delicious ache of pure energy sank into her bones, sliding under her skin like a thousand bee stings.
She gripped the cord with all her might, the power swirling, crackling around her like an invisible wind, the static lifting her hair. After the initial rush, she began to divert the power from the perimeter, shutting down systems as she went.
Blood trickled down her nose as more and more juice funneled through her system, slowly burning until her blood felt on fire.
Durant cursed and yelled at her, but he couldn’t get close enough to do anything.
His eyes were pure gold that promised retribution when she continued to ignore him.
Lights flickered, and the locks to the door finally clicked open.
The voltage in the cables stuttered, then died when the grid finally collapsed.
A scream ripped from her as her control broke, turning into a roar as her dragon took advantage of her weakened state and stretched under her skin. The sound reverberated through the stone, and answering roars to her challenge could be heard echoing down the tunnels.
The cord dropped from her nerveless fingers, the skin of both palms singed black. She stretched her back and shoulders, trying to loosen her stiff muscles. She turned toward the door, the need to wreak havoc taking over, and rational thought vanished.
Guards rushed into the room while the speaker barked with Frankenstein’s orders. “Do not engage. I want her contained. I repeat. She is to remain unharmed.”
Durant stepped in front of her, getting into her face. “Now is not the time for vengeance. If you go after them, Rylan will die.”
Raven blinked, slowly coming back to the room, as if emerging from a long tunnel. Durant inhaled deeply, his hard swallow betraying his relief. Then he turned away. “Kid. Your turn.”
Without a word or a hint of fear, Felix darted out the door and took off at a run.
As he predicted, no one paid any attention to him.
More guards flooded the tunnel from the opposite direction.
“If you surrender peacefully, I’ll spare your friends.” Frankenstein didn’t bother to hide his triumph, believing he had the upper hand, feeling safe behind the wall of reinforced glass.
Raven bit back a snarl, wanting to prove him wrong, but Rylan came first.
She would not leave without him.
The guards shuffled their feet uneasily when she turned
and gave them her back. She took a limping step toward Rylan’s still form, sucking in a harsh breath when even the touch of air on her skin made her ache, feeling queasy by the taste of blood that lingered in her mouth. She knelt, then inhaled sharply when a spark arced between them. Ignoring the slight sting, she ran the back of her fingers along his jaw, indulging in the forbidden touch he wouldn’t allow if he had been awake.
Concern knitted her brows at the feel of his unnaturally warm skin. She was used to his normal room temperature. She scanned his body, but there was nothing else to heal.
The remaining injuries were more than bone deep, and beyond her reach.
She leaned over, and whispered in his ear. “If you can hear me, it’s time to wake up.”
His eyes snapped open, madness lurking in their depths until his gaze locked on her.
Recognition flashed, and the deep blue color flooded back to his eyes. He lunged forward with a speed that sucked the air from her lungs, stopping short of touching her, and sniffed. The tension in his shoulders melted away, and his chest heaved. “I could’ve killed you.”
Raven didn’t pull away, their noses nearly touching when she shook her head. “Not a chance.”
Rising to her feet, she noted everyone’s attention was locked on Rylan. Durant tensed, ready to take him down if he so much as twitched in her direction. Ignoring them, she held out her hand. “What do you say we get out of here?”
He licked his lips as he stared hungrily at the pulse in her wrist, recognition phasing in and out of his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. When she didn’t drop her hand, a shudder went through him, and awareness sprang back.
He cleared his throat, and placed his hand in hers. “Hell, yes!”
His voice was rough and gritty as she pulled him to his feet.
He grinned down at her, not bothering to hide his fangs, the thirst for vengeance mingling with the remnants of bloodlust.
Instead of letting her go, he yanked her closer. “But if you ever risk yourself again, I’ll turn you over my knee.”
“What’s the plan?” Durant shoved his shoulder between them, forcing Rylan back.
To her surprise, Rylan respectfully bowed his head at the protective gesture, and it took her a few seconds to gather her scattered thoughts. “We need to clear a path in both directions. Two of us will head to the control room and gather whatever information we can before they shut us down, while the rest of us will head toward the tunnels and rescue those—” images of tortured bodies flooded her mind, and she inhaled sharply “—who are still able to be saved.”
The speaker crackled, and Raven glanced up to see Frankenstein was both pleased at what he perceived as his accomplishment, and annoyed at being ignored. “You have one minute to make your decision, or I will make it for you.”
None of the men even bothered to acknowledge the interruption.
“I’ll go to the control room.” Griffin was grim. “I can hack into the systems and get the information we need.”
“Good,” Raven said. “Durant is a pureblood, so the shifters will listen to him. I’ll go with him—”
“You’ll go with Griffin.” Durant was adamant, but Raven was already shaking her head.
“I can help you keep the shifters calm.”
Durant only raised a brow. “Or they will be more focused on you than getting out. I’ll get the shifters out, while Rylan keeps the soldiers busy.”
Rylan looked ready to balk at being asked to go back into the labs, until the offer to kill soldiers was dangled before him.
Raven scowled, before agreeing. “Fine. While Griffin goes for the computers, I’ll clear out the cages of anyone still alive, but know that as soon as we leave this room, the clock will start ticking. Labs have protocols. They will purge the data…and the shifters.”
All the men fell silent.
As they began to head for the door, she grabbed Durant’s arm, using their connection to speak. “If it’s at all possible, keep Rylan safe.” She tightened her hold. “But don’t do anything foolish. Come back to me.”
“We will survive this,” he said aloud, staring intently into her eyes.
It was an order, but she nodded anyway, reassured by his demand.
A few of the doctors noticed the danger and began backing away. Frankenstein just looked furious and repeatedly stabbed at the speaker. The click seemed ominously loud, the crackle of the static scratching at her ears. “Take the female alive, kill the rest,” he shrieked.
Chapter Twenty-six
The human guards lifted their weapons, and Raven grabbed for the static floating in the air, shoving it toward them just as the first shot rang out. The electricity formed a barrier. Energy didn’t like to be trapped, so the harder she compressed the voltage, the more it appeared to be a wall of flames standing between them.
Bullets detonated on impact.
The heat was enormous, the floor melting slightly where it came into contact with the shield, and her hands shook as she struggled to hold the wall steady.
The men gaped at her, and she shrugged. “I’ve been practicing.”
Which was a lie.
Holy shit.
She could conjure fire.
The dragon slowly uncoiled itself, the slithering sound of scales brushing against scales filling her ears, its chuckle echoing in her head.
Unfortunately, the fire was burning through the spare electricity at an alarming rate, and greedily began to gulp down the nearest source—her. The pull was so fierce, it felt like her life-force was being sucked out of her, the pain like barbed-wire being slowly tightened around her bones, scraping and shredding her from the inside out in a voracious search for more. “You have only a few seconds before the wall falls.”
The three nodded, Griffin grim, Durant determined, while Rylan grinned with such glee her heart stuttered.
The barrier fell with an audible boom that knocked some of the soldiers back. Raven formed a sphere of energy in the palm of her hand, the action leaving her lightheaded as she lobbed it at the first soldier who lifted his weapon. The impact slammed him into the wall, a blue web of electricity crackling over his body, and he collapsed and lay still.
The air stung her hands, the move lacking any finesse, but she had to work fast and dirty if she wanted to save their lives.
She only had a few more shots before she risked burnout and unconsciousness.
After that, the dragon would have total control, and no one would be safe.
The creature hummed in pleasure, its claws prickling along her spine as it began to pace restlessly, eager for battle.
As if her action had been a signal, Rylan attacked in a blur. He grabbed the throat of one soldier. A quick twist of his wrists easily removed the flesh clear down to the spine. A second soldier shot him in the back, but he didn’t even flinch, only pivoting to catch the man’s head in his hands and giving it a vicious twist.
The cracking of bones was audible even three feet away.
Griffin and Durant were more methodical as they stalked their prey, not taking pleasure in their kills. When the first six guards dropped in under a minute, the rest began to run for the exit. A younger guard screamed like a girl when he was caught from behind, the sound quickly changing to a gurgle as Rylan shoved his claws through the man’s chest.
When no one else entered, Raven cautiously edged forward, her arms aching as she steadily drew more current, her skin burning like she was standing too close to a fire.
Waiting in the hall were the two alpha guards, one on each side of the tunnel…and behind them a small army of human soldiers wearing tactical gear and armed to the teeth. Tara gave her a nasty smile, then lifted a small black box, and calmly pressed the button. “Surrender or they die.”
Griffin swore, grabbing at the collar, while Durant growled and took a staggering step forward. His golden eyes locked on hers, grim determination in them. “You will not give in to them.”
The dragon roared inside her head at t
he attack, squashing the human side of her who wanted to do whatever was necessary to free them from the relentless pain.
Raven twisted to find Rylan draining one of the guards. “Rylan.”
His head lifted, his fangs dripping blood, and unease tingled down her spine as his lifeless black eyes locked on hers. Recognition took a few seconds, his head cocked as if deciding if she were friend or foe, when he dropped the body and calmly walked toward her.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Worry knotted her stomach, and she wondered what havoc her blood was having on his system or if the labs had truly pushed him past the brink of sanity, beyond where she could reach him.
“It would be my pleasure.” Vengeance darkened his expression, a smile full of mayhem and murder tipping up the corner of his mouth as he streaked toward the guards. He plowed into the soldiers like a freight train, sending a dozen or so flying.
The collar stopped transmitting when Tara became lost in the all-out brawl.
The tactical gear protected the guards for a few seconds, allowing them to pull up their weapons, until Rylan ripped through their flak jackets like they were created from tissue paper. A man lifted a gun, steadily firing at Rylan while the vampire advanced on him. Rylan calmly grabbed the tip, then wrenched it down, rendering the gun nothing more than a tangled mess of metal. Then he yanked on what was left of the gun, jerking forward the startled soldier who had a death grip on his weapon. Rylan proceeded to tear off the man’s arm and beat him with it until both were just a pulpy mess of mangled meat.
The thin veneer of humanity he presented to the world was well and truly gone.
With each drop of blood he consumed, he grew stronger.
Deadlier.
Not even breathing hard, he lifted his head and targeted his next prey, smiling at the panic that spread through the human soldiers, none of whom had any idea how to handle a vampire.
Mack signaled to his men, and they descended, en masse, on Rylan in a tangle of bodies. But instead of joining the attack, Mack searched for her in the crowd, watching her as though everyone else was inconsequential.
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 54
