Even over the pounding water, she heard the murmur of voices from the other room, and purposely blocked them out, focusing on scrubbing the stench of the conclave from her skin.
By the time she finished, her skin was raw, but her mind was at rest. She dressed, then hesitated by the door, inhaling deeply before she entered the bedroom.
The room was dark.
Silent.
Raven hesitantly entered her bedroom, expecting an ambush, only to deflate when she spied Taggert sound asleep.
“Give him time.” Jackson shifted on the couch, his blanket falling away from his bare chest, revealing a torso of tightly packed muscles that made her fingers twitch to explore. “Taggert trusts you. He just needs to find his own place.”
Raven heard the desire in his voice, and flinched at how much she’d failed at being their alpha. Before she could think of an explanation or even speak, Jackson fell asleep.
As she slipped into bed, the dragon peered at both men contemplatively. She couldn’t keep them safe from everything. She had to let them stand on their own.
The one she needed to focus on now was Rylan.
Urgency pounded through her blood.
Time was running out.
Those were her last thoughts before sleep claimed her.
Chapter Four
Hands grabbed Raven by her throat and shoved her against the wall, lifting her feet clear off the floor, so she couldn’t get purchase. A vicious growl rumbled through the darkness around her, the sound so ominous, she couldn’t pinpoint the source.
The last thing she recalled was falling asleep.
Darkness blinded her, despite her enhanced senses, and she floundered, trying to orient herself to her surroundings.
She grabbed for her shields to protect herself, but it was like trying to build a wall made of jelly.
Air became scarce, her lungs screaming for mercy, and she struggled against the panic invading her pores. She reached for the current that lived in her very bones…only to feel nothing but emptiness.
Panic clawed up her spine, and she struggled to wedge her fingers into the hand digging cruelly into her throat.
The stench of feces and blood threatened to overwhelm her, nearly smothering the faint scent of spice that lingered under the wretched smell.
Recognition stirred, and the dragon tightened around her, as if to prevent her from hurting her attacker.
Raven stilled, her hands clamped around the arm holding her against the wall.
Holding her, not killing her.
Her mind registered the bitterly cold fingers burning against her throat.
“Rylan?”
The shadows receded a little when she said his name, and his ravaged face appeared out of the darkness.
“You shouldn’t be here.” The growl was barely a rasp of air. He slowly lowered her until the tips of her toes touched the floor, but he didn’t release her—as if terrified she would disappear.
Her grip gentled, pulling him closer, offering what comfort she could. “Where are we?”
Cold stones dug sharply into her shoulders and hips, the floor uneven under her feet.
“I have no fucking clue.” Rylan jerked away, and she could sense his agitation swelling around her, crowding the cage as he prowled the small cell.
She heard him muttering under his breath, counting each step he took, the same method he used to keep himself sane the last time they were trapped in the labs. It was a way to mark the passage of time and ground him in reality.
But as she listened, she caught the slight slither of metal against metal.
The bastards had chained him.
Then he stopped abruptly, his back to her, so still it unnerved her not to see his chest rising and falling. “The last thing I remember is your sword going missing. You were in trouble. I left Nicholas in charge of your pack, but any memory of what happened after that is gone.”
With each word, the connection between them strengthened, and the darkness around her began to lighten even more. Being able to see him should have put her at ease, but crushing dread began to gather in her chest. She followed the chain bolted to the floor, traced it all the way up to where it was wrapped around his throat.
“Here.” She reached forward to remove the collar but he flinched, nearly falling over his own feet in a desperate bid to get away.
“Don’t.” His once immaculate appearance was gone, every inch of him smudged with dirt. His clothes were in tatters and stained, his hair matted and snarled, but it was his wild eyes frightened her the most.
He was deteriorating at an alarming rate.
It was all Raven could do not to scream at the injustice. “When was the last time you ate?”
He blanched at the question, not meeting her eyes as he fussed with straightening his ragged jacket. “They give me tainted blood once a week…more, if I obey them.”
“So not at all.” Raven swallowed hard, emotions choking her as she tried to smile at his defiance. To give into their demands was a downward spiral that would leave him nothing more than a slave to his hunger. “They can’t afford to give you normal blood. You’re too strong.”
Unfortunately, blood was the only thing that kept vampires alive and sane.
The older the vampire, the more time it took, but eventually, ever so slowly, the lack of fresh blood would drive them insane, and the desperate need to feed would turn into bloodlust.
Rylan’s greatest fear.
He refused to become a monster.
The room began to blur around the edges, the world around her slowly crumbling, when understanding dawned. “I’m dreaming. I must’ve been able to locate you through our connection.”
Rylan gave a bitter laugh, the sound hurting something deep inside her. “You’re not here. We’re both dreaming.”
He looked at her over his shoulder, memorizing her features, saying good-bye, the devastation in his eyes breaking her heart. “You need to stop searching for me. You’re stirring things up, calling attention to yourself.”
Raven shook her head, wanting to cover his mouth to prevent him from speaking. “Absolutely not.”
She ignored the dread churning in her gut and tried to memorize everything around her, searching for the smallest clue. The air felt thick and musty, a little bit on the cooler side. She touched the wall, the rough stone jagged under her hand. “We never leave one of our own behind.”
Rylan cupped her jaw, turning her face up to his, her skin tingling everywhere he touched. She swore she could actually feel the tremor run through his fingers. “I’m barely holding on. By the time you find me, I’ll be too far gone.”
Instant denial rose in her throat, but she knew he was right. “Take what you need from me to survive. I can still feel our connection. You can draw enough energy from me to hold steady.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Fangs flashed when he snarled at her offer. In seconds, he was across the room, running a hand over his hair, trying to make himself presentable, the action seeming to calm him. To her alarm, his shape began to turn hazy. Raven willed herself to keep dreaming, hold the connection, but it kept slipping through her fingers. “I won’t pull you back into this hell. You barely survived last time.”
“You incredible ass.” Anger blazed to life, and she stormed forward. “We only survived last time by working together. You will hold it together. I’m coming.”
The wild emotions pulled her inexplicably closer to wakefulness.
The prison cell disappeared.
The only thing that remained in the darkness was Rylan.
Her vow only agitated him more, but he could fucking deal with it. Not giving him time to pull away, she cupped his face and yanked his head toward her, pressing her lips to his. Gathering every ounce of energy from inside her, she shoved it at him through their connection.
He grabbed her arms to push her away, but the first taste of pure energy turned his grip brutal.
Everywhere they touched began to tingle, then
burn with delicious heat.
She felt Rylan’s fangs press against her lips, felt him resist before he gave into the compulsion and pull her closer, groaning with hunger. Claws scraped against her skin, and Raven grasped as unexpected emotions bombarded her.
In that instant, the dream shattered.
Her eyes flew open, and she lurched upright in bed, gasping for air. Her heart thudded erratically against her ribs, a combination of fear and uncertainty tightening her throat.
Her girlhood crush on Rylan had long since faded into an unbreakable friendship, so why had the effects of the kiss left her so befuddled? The logical portion of her brain argued it was the exchange of energy, the strengthening of the bonds between them, that stirred up old feelings. It was what the bond was intended to do…bind them together, so the alpha would feel the need to protect the pack.
Knowing that didn’t make it feel any less real.
Raven glanced frantically around her, while images of her dream and reality played over each other, and it took her a few seconds to recognize her own room.
Alone.
Rylan was gone.
Her heart wrenched at the devastating loss.
Jackson and Taggert were gone, most likely already on the roof to begin training, and an aching loneliness threatened to drown her while she struggled to contain her emotions.
Even though it was a dream, the stench of the prison had invaded her senses. Rylan’s lack of hope clawed at her like a physical thing, and tears burned her eyes—leaving him in that dream world felt like she was abandoning him to his fate.
The separation was tearing her apart.
Things were changing again…she never did well with change.
Unwilling to give up on Rylan so easily, Raven reached for their connection, barely able to find even a thread binding them together. He’d cut her off, blocking her completely.
Bone-deep terror took root in her soul.
She couldn’t lose him.
She refused.
Ignoring the despair trying to shred her heart, she shoved more energy to him, only to have it slide uselessly over him like a water off a duck.
Rylan was giving up.
She cursed his stubborn hide.
The beast clawed under her skin, some of it in blind panic, as if struggling to get out, take over the hunt and finish this nonsense. The air felt thin, the walls closing in on her. Needing to get away, she threw aside the covers, quickly dressed, and slipped out onto the balcony.
She thrust open the doors, dawn just a hint on the horizon, the stiff breeze helping to clear the final vestiges of the dream from her head.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh captured her attention, and the prospect of a fight sent adrenaline rushing through her. The dragon pressed its claws into the underside of her ribs to get her moving. Raven hesitated, debating whether to rush forward or construct a more careful plan.
To hell with it.
Bending her knees, she sprang fifteen feet into the air, landing lightly, crouched on the balls of her feet. Her senses sharpened, and smells grew more acute, nearly overwhelming in their intensity.
As she allowed her beast to filter the overload of information, one thing quickly became apparent…they were not under attack.
She surveyed the roof, marveling at the elaborately constructed obstacle course.
In the middle, Jackson and Taggert were squared off. Taggert ran through the course while Jackson fired an army assault rifle containing, of all things, small beanbags. The beanbags pelted through the air in a blur, but Taggert deftly dodged all but a few. When he finished the course, Jackson didn’t stop firing, nor did Taggert stop running.
Then she understood the purpose of the training when she saw a small flag dangling at the end of the very tip of the building.
And Jackson was in the way.
The two men collided, Taggert shoving Jackson back three feet, Jackson’s boots scraping across the roof, before he finally managed to stop Taggert’s forward momentum. Jackson used the rifle and hammered it into Tagger’s back—repeatedly.
Neither man wore a shirt, their skin was slick with sweat, making gaining any purchase difficult. Though it had to be a struggle, Taggert managed to maintain his human form.
Against her will, she was impressed with his progress.
His determination to gain mastery over his beast.
He did much better than she had with her own powers.
“They’ve been training for an hour. It’s very impressive.” Griffin didn’t take his eyes off the battle from where he sat, his back against the half wall of the roof, panting as his battered body slowly knitted itself back together.
Obviously, he’d been part of the fun. “Training for what?”
Griffin tore his attention away from the fight, his dual-colored eyes meeting hers for the first time, looking at her like she was an idiot. “For war. It’s their duty to protect you.” He turned away, watching the fight once more. “I don’t envy them their impossible job.”
Raven scowled, hating that others thought her so weak that she needed a babysitter. She watched Taggert lift a man nearly seventy pounds heavier, and toss him aside like a plastic lawn ornament. “I’m no different from any other alpha.”
He snorted and started to tick off his fingers. “You’re a rare female alpha. You’re unmated. You’re building your own pack. You insist on pushing everyone to do better, changing laws that have been in place for hundreds of years to get what you want.”
She crossed her arms to fend of his words and focused on the men, admiring the way Jackson whirled midair and landed on his feet, then charged after Taggert. “I shouldn’t have to force them to do the right thing.”
Griffin just stared at her, ignoring the battle even though they could hear it becoming even more vicious. Taggert and Jackson were barely pulling their punches at this point. Thankfully, their claws and fangs were retracted. “You’re thinking of the good of the paranormals as a whole, while everyone else focuses on survival of their pack, and leaves the council to settle their mess.”
Her brows knitted at his slight accusation. “And my way is bad?”
His smile was gentle, a small curl of his mouth. “No, but it’s not how the others were raised. They remember times before the council, when each pack had to survive on its own.”
“That way leads to extermination.” She shook her head at their stubborn idiocy. The labs taught her that. Taggert slammed Jackson to the ground so hard, she’d swear the roof vibrated under her feet. Then he leapt over the fallen body and twisted gracefully in the air, snagging the flag as he disappeared over the edge of the building to drop three stories to the ground.
Griffin got up and headed toward the doorway, ignoring the way Jackson groaned in defeat. “That’s why they invented the council, but it’s relatively new yet. Some are still struggling with the changes.”
“But it’s been in place for decades.”
“Exactly.”
Right. Not human. She kept forgetting that their species lived centuries. It made them ruthless and cunning. When she would have swerved to help Jackson, Griffin shook his head. “Don’t bother. They’re just going to get up and start all over again.”
Only when she saw Jackson push himself to his feet did she accept Griffin’s word and follow him down the steps. He hesitated, his grip tightening minutely on the railing, not bothering to look at her. “Is that how it was done in the labs?”
She didn’t answer, couldn’t, while memories of the many tests they forced her to endure rushed back. Of being strapped down. The starvation. The methods they used to cut into her flesh or break her bones to measure how quickly she could heal. Or how they would inject her with different serums, watching to see if her DNA would change while the serum slowly killed her, only to begin again the next day after her body regenerated.
It was torture to know Rylan was back in their hands, and she was helpless to rescue him.
She licked her dry lips,
finally managing to speak. “No. They try to keep us apart. They don’t allow packs. They want us to be soldiers, our loyalty toward them alone, and no one else.”
As they entered the house, she saw Griffin’s face harden with horror.
She gave him a bitter smile. “They never understood that loyalty can’t be bought. They never bothered to learn how packs really work.”
“You think they’ve returned.” He sounded skeptical. Thankfully, he didn’t ask about the time she spent there.
She met his gaze squarely, energy crackling along her skin. “I have no doubt.”
He remained silent for a heartbeat. “I thought you destroyed their lab.”
“One lab. Did you really think there weren’t more?” Raven headed down the hall to get ready for her first appointment, knowing nothing she said would convince him.
He would find out the truth soon enough.
Chapter Five
DAY 3: ONE HOUR AFTER SUNRISE
Raven stormed down the hall, trying to escape the uncomfortable conversation and the memories it triggered. She stopped dead at the top of the stairs, stunned to see the foyer packed with people. Some were obviously pack. There was a certain confidence in the way they held themselves, a smug superiority on their faces while they observed the others.
The others weren’t having such a good time of it. She could pick out a few rogues by the way they cased the house, noting the exits, the positions of the shifters, not to mention the nervous energy that radiated from them, like they were poised to attack at a moment’s notice.
Then there were the smaller packs, who either stared at the larger packs in awe and tried to emulate them, or did their best to ignore them.
While the wolves appeared to be more territorial, staking their claim and not budging an inch when more people began to squeeze into what had once been a generous space, the cats kept to themselves, seemingly bored with what was going on around them.
Electric Night (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 5) Page 5
