“Good luck. If you have any leads or need backup, don’t hesitate to call.” Randolph nodded, looking disappointed when she didn’t offer to join them, then turned, and marched out the door.
Durant gave a little growl, his hand curling around her hip. If he’d been in his tiger form, his hackles would be standing on end. “That man rubs me the wrong way. There’s something fundamentally wrong with him.”
She nodded, and allowed Durant to escort her down to Frankenstein’s office. The room had been trashed, the books shredded, the stench of urine nearly overwhelming. Reed was sprawled on a makeshift bed on the floor, his battered body in a healing sleep, and her stomach dipped in pleasure to find him still alive. Nadia never strayed more than a few steps away, concern and happiness softening her features every time she glanced at her second-in-command.
The rest of her pack were bent over the desk while they laid out their battle plans, Dominick effortlessly taking control of the room. Nadia lingered close to his side, the two exchanging small touches, not caring who noticed.
“Well, I guess it’s better that you showed up late, rather than never.” Dominick’s head snapped up at her words, and a smile broke across his face, the tension dropping from his shoulders as he spotted her leaning heavily against the doorway.
“You can’t stay out of trouble for even a second, can you?”
“What can I say? I have a knack for it.” Raven shrugged, barely covering a wince as the movement jarred her ribs.
Apparently, she didn’t do a good enough job. London grabbed a tipped-over chair and righted it. “Sit.”
“I’m not an invalid.” Raven scowled, but when everyone continued to stare, she heaved a sigh and did as instructed. She must look like hell. She self-consciously smoothed back her hair, startled to find the tips a bit singed.
Durant took up a position behind her, and she was comforted when he gently swept his fingers against the nape of her neck.
“We’ll give you a few minutes to get reacquainted with your people.” Josie gave her a nod of respect, then headed to the door, quickly followed by a second witch she didn’t recognize.
Nadia leaned against the wall, then narrowed her eyes, clearly not going anywhere, while two of the Delta Team members had straightened like soldiers at her entrance. “We’ll leave.”
Raven shook her head. “Don’t. Not on my account. You’re as much a part of this discussion as anyone else.”
Raven turned toward Dominick. “You arrived fairly quickly after the excitement started. How did you find this place?”
Dominick snorted. “We didn’t. We tore up the mountain searching for you until Taggert showed up a few days later. He went wolf the instant the connection between the two of you shut down. He was so determined to get to you, we could barely get him to slow down and eat before he took off again. We could hardly keep up with him.” While Dominick sounded impressed, there was a touch of alarm in his eyes at how uncontrollable he found the new Taggert.
“After another day, it became apparent where they were keeping you by the fierce storms that had gathered over a single mountain peak.”
Raven raised a brow at his amusement. “I said I would leave you a clue.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and snorted. “Couldn’t come up with anything more subtle, huh?”
She blinked innocently at him. “Well, I had to make sure you wouldn’t miss it.”
His amusement faded as he stared at her. “I’m sorry. I was so focused on finding the labs that it clouded my judgment. I didn’t think things through. We weren’t supposed to get separated.”
Raven waved away his apology. “It was always a possibility. We both knew the risks. Tell me what you’ve done since you arrived.”
After a second’s hesitation, he complied. “We set this place up as a base—”
Nadia shoved away from the wall. “We want to keep this place open as our headquarters and hunt down the shifters and doctors who escaped.”
Everyone in the room froze, waiting for Raven’s reaction, and her attention came to rest on Dominick. “You’re planning to stay.”
Her throat tightened at the loss, and Durant gave her neck a comforting squeeze. For the last few years, Dominick had been pulling away from people, practically turning into a monk. Without a pack to steady him, he was slowly losing himself to his wolf, barely holding himself steady.
“This place is a solid fortress. After a few months of cleanup, we should have this base operational.”
Raven pushed herself to her feet, then did something she’d never done before…she hugged him, her heart aching with both sadness and joy. “You found your mate,” she whispered, but she had no doubt everyone in the room heard. “I’m so happy for you.”
Dominick’s grin was slow to come, but it lit him up from within. He reached out, and Nadia tucked herself into his arms, her grip just as possessive as his. Then his smile faded. “I promised you a long time ago that I would stay.”
Raven shook her head. “You’ve more than kept your word. I think we both know where you belong now. What are your plans?”
“We’d like to maintain this place as a watch group, and help those who can’t be integrated back into society.” The two members from the Delta group stepped forward.
“We’ve decided to stay and help.”
Dominick nodded, falling comfortably into the role of a true alpha. He’d just needed the right pack to lead. “Thanks to Griffin, we were able to grab a lot of the information before they destroyed the computers. I’ve already started the process of transferring the estate over into our names.”
“Where is Griffin?” Concern chilled her. He’d been so damaged when she found him, he’d been barely clinging to life. That she didn’t see him twisted her spine into a knot.
“He insisted on heading back to update the council.”
Raven couldn’t blame him for wanting to escape this place as soon as possible.
“And Frankenstein?”
Dominick scowled, while Nadia didn’t bother to be polite, and swore. The two Delta men cleared their throats. “We were able to track him to an exit tunnel two miles away, but his trail has gone cold.”
Her insides turned to ice, knowing the doctor would never give up his experiments, especially now he knew his perfect army was possible.
Dominick studied the map stretched out on the table. “We’ve been scouring the countryside for him, but so far we’ve had no luck.”
Raven shook her head, fighting the urge to join the search. “A snake like him would’ve found a way to slither away. I doubt you’ve heard the last of him, and I don’t envy you the task you set for yourselves.”
Dominick straightened, his shoulders squared. “I’ll find him and any other labs they have operating. It’s only a matter of time before we shut every one of them down.”
Raven believed him. “Be careful. And, please, don’t hesitate to contact me if there is anything I can do.”
He gave her a grateful nod, and she turned toward Nadia. “Watch his back for me.”
Nadia narrowed her eyes, her smile more fangs than pleasantries as her possessiveness reared its head. “Always.”
The sun was just setting when Durant dragged her tired ass up the stairs. “I don’t need an escort. I can find my room on my own.”
Despite her protest, her feet barely cleared the steps as she climbed, exhaustion like leaden chains weighing her down.
Durant watched her with his golden eyes, then shrugged. “I want to.”
The simple words had the strength to slay her, leaving her insides all warm and tingly. Being inside the stone walls of the monastery no doubt left him on edge. After the torture he endured, she was surprised he managed to stay in his human form. Even across the room from him, she felt the tiger’s need for freedom.
By the time she reached her door, she was embarrassingly out of breath. When he moved to follow her into her room, she placed a hand on his chest. “You need to run.”
Those gold eyes of his burned into her as he stared down at her, his muscles twitching beneath her touch. Then he stepped back, taking her by surprise when he boldly stripped his shirt over his head. Muscles flexed, the movements so effortless, they were hypnotizing, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. When he reached for his pants, Raven leaned against the wall, uncertain her legs would hold her up.
He stripped down to nothing, every inch of him on display, and her mouth went dry at the sight of his magnificent body. Even bruised and battered, he was a sight to behold.
Then he began to shift.
Shifting was private and very intimate. For a few minutes, shifters were totally vulnerable, and her heart lurched at his absolute trust.
Bones popped and reshaped, flesh and sinew reformed, while a familiar pattern of fur erupted from his skin and spread over his body. In less than five minutes, a giant tiger stood proudly before her.
Raven pushed away from the wall, then very gently ran a finger down the fluffy tip of his ear, unable to help herself.
She needed to touch him.
In response, his big head nuzzled her stomach, leaving his scent behind.
Marking her.
Raven didn’t care. She ran her hand gently down the back of his head, burying her fingers in the scruff on his neck, unable to get over the different textures. She could have spent the entire night curled up against him, but forced herself to push him away. “Go. Run. Hunt.”
She leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. “Be safe.”
He trotted a few steps away, then his big head swiveled back to glance at her over his shoulder, obviously reluctant to leave, and she smiled at him. “Be back by morning. I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary.”
As if reassured, he broke into a run, the giant pads of his feet quickly eating up the ground as he disappeared down the stairs in a single bound. Raven stood there for another full minute, unable to get the picture of him out of her mind, fighting the urge to join him. Only when her legs shook with fatigue did she reluctantly retreat back to her room.
Taggert remained unmoving on the bed, his lean body worn thin after the abuse he put it through in an effort to reach her in time. She began to crawl back into bed when his eyelids cracked open, the neon green of his wolf peering out at her through the slits.
“You’re awake.” She stopped in surprise, then winced at stating something so obvious. “How are you feeling?”
He lashed out, his hand clamping around her wrist, then yanked, sending her sprawling across the poor excuse for a mattress. He took advantage of her stunned immobility, quickly wrapping her up in his arms, tucking her in front of him.
“Better.” His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered to her.
“You were supposed to stay home.”
His grip tightened possessively. “I’m your protector. I go where I’m needed.”
Even sleepy, he sounded confident and determined.
Raven touched the hand resting on the mattress in front of her, not liking the way he threw himself into danger, uncaring of what happened to him. Dominick was right…it wasn’t healthy. “You could’ve been killed.”
“You’re the Queen. I’m your Knight. I’ve been created to serve you.” Taggert’s body grew heavier as sleep threatened to reclaim him. “You need me.”
He sounded so happy and content, she didn’t have the heart to argue with him further, and he quickly fell back into the unconsciousness of heavy sleep. Raven shook her head at his error. “You have it wrong. We need each other.”
Lightening crackled overhead, followed by a thunderous boom, and for the first time since she awoke, a tiny trickle of energy danced over her skin. The worry in the back of her mind that her power wouldn’t returned gradually faded.
In the flickering light, Raven saw a shape move in the corner of her room. “Casper…er, Grady.” She slipped out from under Taggert’s arm, so she wouldn’t wake him. “I found the labs, but I didn’t find any trace of your brother. I promise I’ll look into the records on the ride home.”
Another flash of light splashed through the room, and a touch of unease slithered down her spine at the solid shape Grady had taken.
He appeared rougher.
Older.
Not nearly so innocent.
“My brother is dead.” The rough voice sent a shiver of dread down her spine.
A man stepped out of the shadows, and recognition slammed into her. Dressed in clean clothes, his beard shaved, his dark hair trimmed, very little of him resembled the lone wolf from the dens. “Gavin?”
He had a rugged handsomeness, if you could get over the dangerous way he held himself. His wolf was so dominant, she half expected the beast to spill out of his human skin.
He slowly stalked toward her. “How the hell do you know my brother’s name?”
“Your brother sent me to find you. He said you were in trouble.” Raven hesitated by the door, then stoically placed herself protectively in front of Taggert and Rylan, cursing herself for being a naive fool. “What do you want?”
“Have you ever heard of the Cadre?” His smile was all teeth, and he angled his shoulders to block the exit. Despite his lean form, he filled the small space with menace.
Raven didn’t like the cat-and-mouse game he was playing, and used the time to grab as much current as possible, silently cursing when it continued to slip through her fingers. “No.”
He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes on her, his gaze assessing. “We’re a group of paranormals bored with the way we’ve been domesticated and made subservient to humans. Once a month, we meet on the Darknet and download a list of names and numbers. The more dangerous the prey, the higher the points. The first to reach one hundred before the end of the month wins the game.”
Raven swallowed hard as things began to fall into place. “You weren’t captured and brought to the labs like the rest. You allowed yourself to be taken. You were following a target.”
He nodded, his face inscrutable. “A new list was posted three days ago.”
Raven clenched her fists, cursing her weakened state. “How many points am I worth?”
“Twenty.”
She flinched. “What do you win?”
“People are added to the list anonymously…for a price. Someone wants you gone, and they’re willing to pay a steep bounty to achieve it. One point is worth an hundred thousand dollars. So who did you piss off that they would pay such an exorbitant sum to add you to our list?”
Raven blinked in surprise, her mind unable to settle on any one name.
Too many people wanted her dead.
“I have a knack for pissing people off.” She gave him a wry smile. “It could be any one of a dozen.”
Gavin nodded, as if he wasn’t surprised, never once removing his gaze from hers. “I can’t just let you leave, and allow someone else to collect the bounty.”
Raven snorted, the man didn’t have an altruistic bone in his body.
“I normally wouldn’t hesitate to claim the prize for myself, but you’ve put me into a difficult position. Not only did you save my life, but you know something about my brother.” He straightened away from the wall, determination hardening his face. “You’ll just have to come with me until I can decide what to do with you.”
It took her brain a second to decipher his shocking statement. By then, he was already moving in a blur of speed, closing the gap between them in a single bound. She leapt to the side a heartbeat too late, and he plowed into her. Her head cracked into the wall, and her vision blurred. Her legs quivered as she struggled to remain upright.
She didn’t even see his fist until her jaw exploded with pain, and the world went dark.
~The End ~
Electric Curse
Raven Investigations Novel Book 6
Stacey Brutger
The action-packed conclusion to the Raven Investigations Series…
THE WORLD WAVERS ON THE BRINK OF WAR. TENS
IONS RISE, BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN. ONE DECISION WILL EITHER SAVE THE WORLD…OR ANNIHILATE IT.
Raven has lived on the fringes of the human and supernatural worlds for years, until one wrong move sets her on a collision course with a team of trained killers. Being hunted is nothing new, but when she accidently triggers a curse and the monster under her skin vanishes, her worst nightmares become reality. Instead of retreating into her fears, she places her trust in her pack, letting them show her what it really means to be their alpha.
In a race to create the perfect super soldier, both sides of the war believe Raven is the key to their survival. When her very existence places her pack in jeopardy, she’ll fight tooth and claw for the return of the beast she’s feared her entire life, because one thing she and the creature can agree on—all that matters is the safety of their pack.
Only when the ancient creature that nearly destroyed the world a millennia ago rises again does everyone realize the true danger—they must either come together or watch the world burn.
This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations for articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.
Copyright © 2018 Stacey Brutger
Cover artist: Amanda Kelsey of Razzle Dazzle Design (www.razzdazzdesign.com)
Editor: Faith Freewoman (www.demonfordetails.com)
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 57
