No doubt they’d nearly drained him of blood for their testing.
When he objected, they beat him.
Tortured him.
Her mind circled around that one thought.
She tried to catch his scent, but instead of soothing leather, her nose stung at the bitter stench of chemicals. In an attempt to keep him tame, they’d pumped him full of drugs.
He was a pureblood, so they would keep him alive…for now. If he proved too much trouble, they wouldn’t hesitate to take him apart and harvest anything they could.
The beatings were the first step in their systematic efforts to break her proud tiger and reduce him to a mindless animal they could control.
Raven nearly snorted if they thought his tiger would obey any of them.
His form was swathed in chains, his hands manacled, a collar clamped tightly around his neck. Even from the distance, she could see bits of silver embedded in the shackles and collar, along with tiny etchings of ancient runes. The magic hovering around the metal was decades old. They must have found an ancient slave collar, copied the etchings and added silver to create their own torture device.
Emboldened since the walls of Raven’s cell still held, the female threw a taunting smile her way, then pulled a baton from her belt. Silvery metal gleamed in the light, rubber grips protecting her hands, as she slammed it down against Durant’s back.
He dropped forward, barely catching himself on his hands before he crashed to the stone floor.
Raven’s heart stopped. The dragon roared, clawing her way back toward the surface, and she welcomed the pain like an old friend.
Current swelled inside the small lab, the lights in her station beginning to flicker.
The cuffs around her wrists were a nuisance. She’d spent too many years as a youth shackled, and she refused to wear them longer than necessary. When she grabbed the metal sleeve, the magic flared bright, the cuffs clamping painfully down on her wrists until her fingers went numb. As she continued to pull, the pressure increased. It felt like a railroad spike was being forced into her wrists. Bones ground together, and she gritted her teeth, determined to be free.
Tiny scales slotted together beneath her skin, slicing through the pain. The magic sputtered, then faded and the locks clicked open, the cuffs clanking to the floor.
The doctors began yelling at the guards to stand down. The male grabbed his companion’s arm none too gently, hauling her away from Durant. The female was clearly disgruntled at having her little mouse taken away.
The energy whirled faster, slamming into the glass, bowing the barrier outwards.
Everyone began to back away when the glass shattered into thousands of glittering shards, and tinkled to the floor.
For a few seconds, the silence was deafening.
Raven stepped through the empty doorframe, and everyone panicked and scrambled into motion.
All except Durant.
The energy hovering in the air wrapped around him protectively.
He lifted his head, and pure gold peered out between the slits of his swollen, battered eyes. “Raven.”
She stopped before him, the dragon in control, wanting to tear apart everything until the mountainside was nothing more than rubble.
“Don’t do it. It’s too dangerous. Please come back to me.” Durant struggled to his feet, ignoring the way static snapped around them, and gently cupped her face. “Raven.”
At the sound of her name on his lips, the dragon eased back, swallowing down the charge. Her blood felt like needles flowed in her veins, the current furious at not being set free to wreak havoc on those who would harm them.
Raven gently touched his chest, and a tiny spark jumped between them, quickly soaking into his skin. She tried to jerk away, horrified at how her touch could cause harm, when he crushed her to him, a tremor going through him. “You never should have come back here. We need to get you out.”
The connection between them was wide open, though she wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or the effect of the drugs. His tiger was pushing at him to be set free, craving the taste of blood, nearly feral with the need for vengeance, but lying beneath it all was a kernel of fear—for her.
Raven burrowed closer, her touch soothing the tiger prowling restlessly beneath Durant’s skin. The tiny hint of leather loosened the tightness that had invaded her chest, and she was able to breathe for the first time since she saw them drag him into the cavern. It took only seconds for Durant to notice she hadn’t spoken, and he froze like only a predator could.
“Rylan’s here. He’s in trouble. If we don’t do something, he won’t survive. I need to find a way to rescue him and the others.”
His grip turned painful, as if he would scoop her up in his arms and rescue her from this horrid place. His claws snicked free, and sliced through her clothes, coming to rest against her delicate skin, daring anyone to take her away from him.
His beast had taken over.
Raven lifted her head and ran her hands down his chest and abdomen. At her touch, he stopped watching the others and focused on her, pure gold eyes staring hungrily down at her. “How many of Nadia’s men were captured?”
His lips peeled back, revealing his fangs.
He didn’t care.
His only concern was her.
Warmth flooded her at his determination to protect her, but also a sliver of fear as well.
It would get him killed if he couldn’t control it.
“You’re in no shape to fight.” His eyes narrowed at her in challenge, poised to prove her wrong, and desperation shot down her spine. “It’s why we came. You can’t ask me to leave him. None of them deserve to be left behind to suffer.” Raven couldn’t prevent a shudder at how much worse it would get for the others if they escaped.
His leather scent flared, wanting to deny her plea, his tiger fighting against the prison of his body. The drugs were helping repress the animal, but Raven was sure it only pissed his cat off more.
The male guard edged closer, and Durant shoved her behind him, a full snarl from his tiger reverberating in the cavern, a rumble of pure menace emanating from him.
Instead of advancing, the guard lifted a small device, his face impassive as he aimed it at Durant.
A hum of static filled the air, and the runes etched in the collar around Durant’s throat began to shimmer.
Durant arched back in a spasm as pain wracked his body.
“You son of a bitch.” They put a shock collar on him as if he was nothing more than a mangy dog. Raven wanted to lunge forward and rip off the man’s arm, but she refused to leave Durant vulnerable.
A normal influx of energy would antagonize a shifter, make his beast rise to the surface, but the magic was created to do the opposite and suppress their beasts.
His tiger surged toward the surface, demanding freedom. Just when she thought he would drop to his knees, the gold runes on his back began to shimmer as his failsafe kicked in. The shock collar didn’t stop, but Durant would be able to break the spell and shift into his beast form. Dread churned in her gut. They couldn’t find out about his tattoos. They would tear him apart to discover how they worked, and kill dozens of others by trying to duplicate the effect.
Raven touched Durant’s back, the heat nearly singeing her fingertips, and his skin rippled in reaction.
Under the grime and dirt that stuck to him, his back was a crisscross of bruises from repeated blows from the baton.
This wasn’t the first time they’d struck him.
The other witches stood, practically pressed against their windows, watching the scene unfold. Some appeared curious, others hopeful, while Josie looked grim, her pixie hair almost standing on end, her arms crossed against the need to go to their aid.
While the witches might be suspicious Raven wasn’t really one of them, the two shifters didn’t appear to have a clue. A purebred would have been able to spot the lie immediately, but the guards were lab rats, born and raised by scientists, and had no idea o
f how a real pack functioned. If they did, they would have known instantly she was Durant’s alpha.
“We must wait.” Durant growled under his breath, then reluctantly dropped to his knees, playing his part.
At his show of submission, triumph gleamed in the female guard’s light brown eyes. She strutted forward, flexing the thick muscles in her arms and shoulders, tossing back her short, mousy brown hair, as if she’d proven that she was the superior specimen. Raven gritted her teeth, hating that she couldn’t go over there and teach her a lesson.
The male guard tipped his head to the side, as if he knew something was wrong, his wide, granite face revealing nothing. His dark brown hair was cropped close to his head, his stocky form bulky with muscles, the shape of his shoulders and slim waist reminding her of a bull. Ignoring Durant, like he didn’t matter, or no longer posed a threat, he studied her with dead eyes, not even a glimmer of life in the brown orbs.
Much to her surprise, he obediently lifted his thumb off the button, then watched her impassively to see what she would do next.
A chill wound its way around her soul, the cold biting deep.
He knew or at least suspected there was something more between her and Durant.
They would need to watch that particular guard.
He could cause trouble if he told anyone his suspicions.
“Well done.” Frankenstein beamed, rubbing his hands together.
He’d gotten exactly what he wanted…new test subjects.
He turned toward Josie, not seeing her as a witch, but a possible weapon. “If you were bound to a familiar, would you be able to mimic what she just did?”
“No.” Josie didn’t even spare her a glance. “We just don’t have that kind of power. Even if we had multiple familiars, we wouldn’t be able to pull that much magic through us without dying.”
Frankenstein’s brows lowered, clearly displeased, studying each witch as if searching for a lie…or a volunteer, someone he was willing to sacrifice to test his theory. The women behind the glass walls blanched and scurried away.
Josie pounded on the glass, pulling his attention back toward her. “Those shifters you breed downstairs are too unstable, their beasts too violent. They would rip out our throats before we had a chance to bind them to us.”
Frankenstein harrumphed, clearly not satisfied. The female lab coat smoothed back her tightly bound hair. “That’s settled. She clearly belongs downstairs, where we can do more testing.”
Not waiting for permission, she signaled the two shifter-guards. “Take them downstairs. I want them delivered alive and functioning.”
Frankenstein immediately began to argue as they headed toward the elevator.
The female shifter took charge, swiping the device from her male counterpart, then lifted it toward Durant.
Raven stepped forward, gathering energy in her palms, the current shaping into a sphere. Electricity snapped and crackled inside, the pale blue globe shimmering with power. “You hit that button, and I will kill you.”
The woman hesitated, then scowled, lifting the device threateningly. “Fine, but if you make one move I don’t like, I won’t stop until his brain turns to mush and oozes out of his ears.”
Reluctantly, Raven closed her hand over the sphere, and crushed the globe, gritting her teeth as the static licked along her bones in retaliation before the charge finally dissipated.
Durant rose to his feet, flexing his shoulders, clearly fighting his instincts while they were led farther into the cave system. He refused to look at her, and the rejection stung.
Three human soldiers, wearing full body armor, trailed them a short distance away, armed to the teeth. Every soldier looked eager for an excuse to shoot.
Claw marks scored the walls, dark blots of blood staining the rocks, death marking every foot of the passageway. The signs of violence grew more frequent as they went lower. The stench of desperation grew worse with every step, and her unease began to gnaw away at the back of her mind.
When she didn’t walk fast enough, the woman shoved her none to gently, sending her careening into the sharp corner of rock. Deep ridges gouged into her shoulder, tearing her shirt.
Durant growled low in his throat, and much to her surprise, the male guard did as well. Both men whirled toward the female, protecting her behind the wall of their broad backs.
“Enough.” Ignoring the sting of pain, Raven shoved at Durant’s shoulder and marched toward the woman. “If you want us to move faster, lead the way.”
The male shifter appeared startled by his response to protect her. Bowing his head, he slid past her, his proximity much closer than she preferred. He inhaled deeply, as if trying to catch her scent, his pupils dilating as he took his place in front of her.
When they reached a crossroads, the path to the left remained wreathed in shadows, the bare stone continuing on into darkness, while the right resembled an industrial bunker made wholly out of tin and steel, bright lights illuminating the path. The male guard headed in that direction. When Raven went to follow, the female guard slammed her silver baton in front of her, chipping away a sliver of pure granite. “Not that way.”
The male guard turned, his face impassive. “What are you doing, Tara? The doctor ordered us to bring the new arrivals to bay lab one and lock them down. You don’t have permission to kill them.”
The fact clearly pissed Tara off. She snarled but listened, her claws retracting.
“They will be caught up in the office for the rest of the day, arguing how they want to handle these two. They won’t even know they’re missing.” Tara’s smile was anything but pleasant, more a bearing of fangs, but the woman was too human for the gesture. She narrowed her eyes on Raven, pure vindictiveness gleaming in them. “She needs to be taught her place.”
Tara sauntered toward the other guard. “Unless you want me to tell them about your fascination with her. Your choice, Mack.”
At the threat, the guard’s resistance vanished.
First rule of the labs…never draw attention to yourself.
When Tara turned and faced the humans, they brought up their weapons and backed away, clearly wary of her. They knew that in the tight space of the tunnels, they were nothing more than meat. They could get off a shot or two, but they would be no challenge against the speed or strength of a pissed-off shifter. The oldest of the three just grunted and holstered his weapon, then headed down the other tunnel. “It’s your hide.”
The other two humans quickly followed, chuckling between them. “A hundred that the female doesn’t last an hour in the dens.”
“I’ll double that for half an hour.” Their voices faded as they rounded the bend.
Shifters and witches weren’t friends, and sending Raven into the pits was a death sentence. Since she was female, it was guaranteed to be a slow death. But being torn apart would be a blessing compared to years of torture and testing the scientists had in store for her.
“Get moving.” Tara shoved her silver baton at them, only their quick reflexes saving them from being bashed in the head. A woman like her didn’t understand the theory of catching more flies with honey than vinegar. Her world revolved around using pain and terror to get what she wanted.
While that attitude might have help her survive, it garnered her no friends.
Raven inhaled, filtering out the smells, centering on the male shifter. Mack had some power to him, a certain cunning in his gaze as he watched her, and she barely held back a flinch.
He knew—or at least he suspected—she was something other than a witch.
He was waiting to see what she would do.
Of the two, he was clearly the more dangerous, though she doubted Tara would agree.
As much as she wanted to rip out the bitch’s throat, she couldn’t, not with Rylan still imprisoned.
Tara’s smile turned smug, believing she had the upper hand. The male just watched, as if knowing better, his lack of emotions beginning to creep Raven out.
“H
urry up.” When Tara lifted the silver baton to prod them along, Durant grabbed the rod, preventing it from cracking into Raven’s back. His skin sizzled, the stench of burned flesh churning her stomach. Tara chuckled for a few seconds at the pleasure of causing pain, but when Durant didn’t back away, her amusement faded.
Raven finally yanked him to her side when it looked like he wanted to jerk the weapon away from Tara and bash the twit over the head with it.
Durant reluctantly obeyed.
“Move.” Tara snapped, pretending she had been in control the situation the whole time, acting as if she hadn’t been challenged.
The bunker melted away to reveal the raw cave beneath. Whatever improvements they made never reached this far. The lights were less frequent, leaving Raven very little access to energy. When they rounded the next corner, the only light came from behind them.
Raven couldn’t see what lay ahead, Tara’s silence only making her more suspicious, and she double-checked the map in her head, barely wrenching Durant to a stop. “Watch out!”
Two feet in front of them, the floor simply vanished into a bottomless chasm.
They whirled to find Tara smiling again, holding the rod in one hand and the cursed electric buzzer in the other. “Jump.”
“The drop will kill her.” Durant growled the words, his eyes shading to gold as he shoved her behind him.
Tara shrugged. “Not my problem.”
“The doctors want her alive.” Durant flinched when the crazy bitch jabbed the silver wand into his gut, the action forcing Raven closer to the edge.
The ledge crumbled dangerously beneath her boots. Pebbles plinked off the rocks, dropping at least thirty feet below. The jump wouldn’t hurt her, but it would reveal her secret long before she was ready.
Tara raised a brow, suddenly accommodating. “Sure, let’s turn back and go to the lab. It’s been close to a year since the doctors had a pure. I’m sure they’d love to do more testing.”
A muscle bunched in Durant’s jaw. He swallowed hard, then squared his shoulders, willingly choosing to be tortured to save her from harm. He’d only been in the lab for a day. He didn’t understand how bad it would get, how days could be stretched to feel like weeks, while they tested his physical stamina and endurance. Durant was in excellent condition, a rare pureblood. He would be considered prime stock. One of the first things they would do was harvest his seed, and not in a fun way.
Electric Night (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 5) Page 18
