No escape.
Without hesitation, Raven snapped the cuffs off her wrists, then did the same for Durant.
The door no more than closed behind them when it opened again, and Frankenstein greeted her with a smile, focusing on her as if no one else in the room existed.
“Fascinating.” He nudged the cuffs with the tip of his shiny shoes, practically bouncing on his feet, his eyes bright and inquisitive as he studied her. “So tell me, young lady, why would a bunch of shifters, known enemies of witches, refrain from tearing you apart?”
He began to circle her, as if searching for an answer, and Raven was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She knew the routine…a man like him never expected a reply.
“Indeed, you healed them, using precious energy for minor wounds.” He stopped one step behind her so she couldn’t see him, and Raven couldn’t stop herself from stiffening.
There was only one way he could know about the healing—Felix.
They dragged the kid into the labs—to study him—because of her.
The doctor’s warm breath brushed the back of her neck, and revulsion pitched her stomach into her throat. It was all she could do to remain still. “You’re smart. You didn’t even need to use that pet cat of yours as a deterrent to win your fight. You won not only your own match, but his as well.”
A moment of silence stretched as he finished his circle and came to a stop in front of her, rubbing his chin. “So what exactly are you?”
The garnet on his finger and the amethyst around his neck flashed with magic, and she knew he was counting on them to protect him.
Excitement tingled down her spine at the small opening.
Underestimating them would be his downfall.
Raven lifted her chin. “I was born human like everyone else.”
“Don’t antagonize him.” Durant’s voice barged into her chaotic thoughts, filling her with a healthy dose of trepidation. The communication opened a two-way street between them. In that split second, she read his determination to make sure she survived…even if he had to sacrifice himself to make it happen.
Her eyes flickered to him, her heart aching when she saw the devastating wounds that had already been inflicted on him because he was in her pack. “Whatever happens, don’t react.” With that command, Raven brutally severed their connection.
Frankenstein spotted her involuntary response to Durant, and his eyes narrowed, clearly not pleased to have her attention directed away from him. “Ah, yes, the shifter. Why don’t we test a theory I have?”
Frankenstein turned, punching a code into one of the overhead cabinets, then rummaged inside until he found what he wanted. The plain box frightened her more than a gun pointed at her head, her soul shriveling a little at not knowing what would happen next. “I asked you here because I want to know how you were able to control them. We’ve been trying for years, but we haven’t been able to make them work as a team. Until now.”
Despite her anxiety, tension eased from her mind—they didn’t know the truth. They weren’t trying to create another monster like her, only trying to find a way to control shifters.
The relief lasted for a split second before a new fear took root inside of her.
Once they began their tests, they would discover her uniqueness, and if they entered any information about her in their database, her profile would be flagged. The scientists in the main lab would recognize her immediately, and the hunt for her would begin in earnest.
If she and Durant were going to make their move, they would have to do it soon. For now, she needed to delay the doctor until she could locate Rylan. “Shifters instinctively protect women. It goes against their tenets to harm a female.”
Frankenstein lost his smile, setting the box on the table, carefully placing his hand on top. “You’re not lying, but those mutts are nothing like a true shifter. Not like that cat of yours.”
Raven stiffened at the veiled threat.
She either participated, or they would go after Durant.
Her weakness.
“Your theory might hold more weight if my specimens weren’t lab born. They have never been a part of the pack and brainwashed like most their kind.”
He paused, waiting for her response. It was a game to him, and he wanted her to play along. “Then you want to learn how to control them?”
Frankenstein smiled like she was bright.
Raven widened her stance, wanting to wipe that smarmy grin off his face. “Only you can’t. Part of them is just not human. They are guided by their animal instincts. If you can’t gain their trust, if you don’t have their best interest at heart, they will know.”
It was a lie, of course. Not the first part, but the rest. No one could control a shifter unless they proved their dominance over them, and most humans just weren’t that powerful.
Frankenstein’s smile didn’t dim. “I think you can help me overcome their reluctance. You have a gift. They tell me your powers are different from other witches, but I want to run some tests to rule out a few things.”
He opened the box in front of him, lifted out a silver chainmail glove then turned to face Durant. “Hold out your hand.”
Raven tensed, desperate to intervene, when Durant calmly complied. Frankenstein raised a brow at Durant’s obvious challenge, then set the glove across his palm.
Skin instantly sizzled and began to burn.
Swallowing became difficult as the stench of scorched flesh filled her senses, and she bit her lip to contain her scream of protest.
But Durant remained stoic. He didn’t move, allowing himself to be mutilated.
After a full minute, his hand looked like it had melted around the glove.
Frankenstein appeared fascinated with Durant’s endurance when he continued to stand without protest.
The doctor jotted down notes, his apathy infuriating her.
Fury sizzled along her veins at their idiotic standoff. “Stop. Just stop.”
Raven yanked off the damned glove, gasping at the mangled mess underneath. His skin was red and irritated, bubbling up even as she watched, but near the center of his palm, his skin was completely gone.
Even the slightest touch of air had to be sheer torment.
Raven tossed the glove to the floor in disgust, ignoring the way Frankenstein’s attention shifted to watch her reaction…or lack of reaction.
Mack stepped closer, almost involuntarily, frowning at the lack of burns on her unmarred hand. His forbidding presence was like a shadow. It seemed to expand, filling up the room, nearly suffocating her under his stare.
“Interesting.” It wasn’t the result he expected, but excitement practically shimmered around Frankenstein. “We must run more tests.”
The scratch of his pen was all they heard as he headed for the door. Mack reluctantly followed, clearly disliking having her out of his sight. Locks clicked as the door electronically sealed shut behind them.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Durant scowled down at her, ignoring the damage to his hand. “You shouldn’t have interfered. He baited you, and you fell into his trap.”
Raven snorted, waving away his accusation, hating that he was right. “It was a crude test to confirm if I have any shifter blood, not the state-of-the-art stick test some labs used. Better this test then having them tie me to a whipping post and time how long it takes me to heal.”
Durant grunted, no longer protesting.
“Here, let me see.”
“It’s already healing.” Despite his objection, he allowed her to grab his wrist. He spoke the truth. Already the swelling and redness were fading, and she released the breath that lodged in her lungs and was trying to strangle her.
“Tell me about the labs.” Durant inhaled sharply when she accidently probed a sore spot, and she winced in sympathy.
“This lab is cruder then the main lab, but it also means they have no one monitoring things and acting as an oversight. From what they said in the den, when th
is lab failed their prime directive, they were relegated to engineering weapons, but it looks like the doctors took it upon themselves to continue their studies of shifters.
“I don’t like this. They must not find out more about you. They can’t be allowed to run more tests.” Durant immediately began to yank open drawers and cupboards, easily snapping the locks.
“What are you doing?” Raven watched him test the backs of the cabinets, then the floors, then the ceiling.
He gave her an impatient look. “Searching for weaknesses. Tell me you have a plan.”
He grabbed ahold of one of the cabinets and ripped it clear off the wall.
Only to growl when a solid block of pure rock was revealed.
He was slowly unwinding, a symptom that affected most shifters held in captivity. She wasn’t even sure he was aware that his eyes had shaded completely gold as his beast began to take control.
Not liking the way he prowled the room, Raven kept her voice calm. “We’re in an underground bunker by design. There is no escape. It’s why they choose these places. By removing a shifter from his habitat, they can isolate their animals. It keeps them on edge.”
Durant growled, running his fingers through his tangled hair, the lovely stripes becoming more prominent as his cat rose closer to the surface. “It’s a bloody unescapable cage.”
Not put off by his violent reaction, Ravens stepped into his path, then rested her head on his shoulder. His pulse immediately skipped a beat, then slowed, his tiger briefly grumbling at being denied, before reluctantly subsiding. A touch of fur brushed against her mind. She swore she could actually feel the softness under her fingertips as she ran her hands down the cat’s spine. A small purr started at her touch, delighting her.
Raven reluctantly pulled away from his warmth, his muscles rippling when she stole one last touch. By the time she looked up, his eyes had calmed to his normal greenish tint, and he heaved a sigh. She smiled at him. “You forget, all cages have keys. We need to access a computer. It will show where everyone is being held, and we can send a message to the others.”
Durant lifted a brow at her tall order, then paused, his head tilting as he listened to something only he could hear. After a second, claws tore free of his fingers, his fangs flashing as he snarled. “Then you better hurry. The doctors are voting which tests to do on you first. One voted to take you apart, while another is arguing that they should reinstate the breeding program.”
She gave him a wry smile. “Don’t worry. It’s much worse than it sounds.”
A scowl darkened his face. “That’s not funny.”
“Think of the bright spot. You’re the only purebred they have in this facility. We will likely be paired.”
The gold in his eyes began to shimmer as he stalked toward her, and Raven swallowed past the sudden tightness in her throat, her feet itching to flee while she had the chance…but it wasn’t just hype when they said never run from a shifter…they loved to give chase, but not many people enjoyed being caught.
With one finger, he gently lifted her chin. “Our first time will not be directed by others. It will be a time and date of our choosing, when you finally accept that I’m not going anywhere.” He leaned closer, a hint of a smile on his face. “When you finally admit you can’t keep your hands off of me.”
He glanced down, and she followed his look, then nearly choked when she saw her fingers stroking over the light dusting of hair on his chest. Raven snatched back her hands, clutching the betraying appendages behind her back, cursing the heat that flooded her face. Unfortunately, she feared it was more from desire than any embarrassment.
A scream of pure agony interrupted whatever he was going to say next, and Raven recognized that voice.
“Felix!”
Chapter Twenty-three
Raven sprang toward the door, her heart clenching when the anguished scream came again. “That was next door.”
Durant grabbed her tight, covering her mouth when she would have protested, her feet still swinging when he swiftly picked her clear off the floor. Tucked in his arms, she felt tiny by comparison, her shoulders fitting easily within his hold. When a growl worked its way up her throat, he ducked his head next to hers. “Wait. The doctors are leaving to finish their discussion.”
She shivered at the soft brush of his lips on her ear, the conflicting emotions of rage and lust confusing her senses, and she allowed herself to go limp in his arms. He absently ran his hands over her, more to comfort himself than her.
“They’re gone.”
“And the guard?” Raven reluctantly pulled away and approached the door.
Durant narrowed his eyes in concentration, then shrugged. “Uncertain.”
She looked up from inspecting the keypad. “Maybe we can use the male’s obsession with me to our advantage.”
Durant gave her a heavy frown, crossing his arms in a way that made his muscles flex distractingly. “Until it backfires. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.”
“Maybe.” Something about his gruff tone confused her. “Did you just puff up?”
“No.” He exhaled a gusty sigh, and Raven’s eyes widened.
“You’re jealous at the thought of me being near him.”
“Hell, yes.” The grumbled confirmation only confused her more, his face twisting in disgust. “My cat doesn’t like this place. It likes the interest the guard has shown in you even less.”
“I didn’t think shifters got jealous. You know I have no interest in the creepy guard.”
“But the guard has the power to take you away from me.” His fingers curled into fists, as if he imagined them around Mack’s throat.
Before she could interrogate him further, a scream of pure terror and pain nearly caused her to leap out of her skin. She automatically headed toward the door, cursing that she’d forgotten Felix for even a second. “He’s close.”
Her heart stuttered when the tangled memories of her time in the labs began to stir again in the back of her mind. Lifting her hand to the keypad, she pushed a smidgen of energy into the lock. It didn’t take long for a trail of smoke to poof out of the wall, the smell of singed wires burning her nose as she short-circuited the device.
She pulled open the door, peering carefully up and down the hall.
Durant was correct. It was empty.
Knowing that they were probably being watched, she lifted her chin, then strode out into the hall. The door next to them was sealed, and she quickly fried the lock. When she thrust open the door, she wasn’t sure who was more surprised—her or the young doctor who was barely old enough to practice medicine.
When Durant swore, her eyes flickered past the lab coat to see Felix literally pinned to the table like a human-sized bug collection. Straps held him immobile. Wounds decorated his body, some new, some hours old. He wasn’t healing fast enough, his wolf too weak to fight back.
“They took him because I healed him. They want to measure how long the healing effects I triggered in him would last.” Guilt threatened to take a bite out of her ass as she shoved the doctor with a foot-long needle in his hand away from Felix’s still form.
The human slammed into the wall with a resounding crack, and the two remaining techs in the room screeched in surprise. Durant growled until the two techs picked up the doctor and fled the room.
He moved to give chase, but paused when he spotted a small tablet on the floor. He stooped and picked it up while Raven rushed past him to tend to Felix.
She grabbed the first cuff from around the kid, the silver in the metal strong enough to weaken a shifter and keep them bound, which meant his wrists were scorched, the raw flesh underneath weeping blood and pus. The stench of decay and despair tainted the air, blocking everything else.
Felix hadn’t carried any extra weight on him before he was taken. After their testing, every ounce of energy had been burned away, leaving him all skin and bones and sharp elbows. Anger gave her the strength to rip the cuffs off him, the metal groaning in prote
st, growing brittle under the strain, before ultimately shattering.
Durant set the tablet down, then carefully began pulling the needles out from the kid’s arms and legs while Raven worked on removing the second cuff. Once finished, he helped Felix sit, the kid shaking so hard, he didn’t have the strength to do it himself. The damage to his body was so extensive, he must feel like he was one giant wound. She wasn’t sure how he remained conscious. “Will he be all right?”
Durant’s mouth tightened. “He should live.”
When Raven reached out to touch Felix, Durant caught her hand. “If you try to heal him, it will tax his body too much. It will knock him unconscious.”
She scowled at him, lifting her chin mutinously. “I won’t leave him behind.”
The kid staggered to his feet, weaving where he stood. He opened his mouth, then licked his lips. “Fine.”
His gravelly voice was raspy and broken, and her eyes widened. “You can speak?”
Durant ran a hand down his face. “When you healed him, you must have pulled enough of his human side forward to allow him to talk.”
“We need to get out of here.” The room was three times the size of the one they just left, more of a laboratory…albeit one created a hundred years ago. Grime dulled the surfaces, and blood and gore from previous patients encrusted the tables, the doctors clearly unconcerned about contamination.
Ten morgue tables were scattered around the room, an ominous body bag on one of them. She turned but halted, shivering when she swore she saw the thing move from the corner of her eye. Her skin practically crawled as she imagined bugs eating away the rotten flesh of the corpse. Unable to look away, Raven stared at the black bag, afraid that if she blinked, the zipper would slowly lower, and a rotting corpse would crawl out, dragging its decaying body across the floor to get to her. She swallowed twice before she could speak without fear clogging her throat. “Did that bag just move?”
Raven edged forward cautiously, not sure she wanted to see what was inside. She canted her head to the side, catching a faint heartbeat, the sound so sporadic she almost didn’t hear it.
Electric Night (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 5) Page 24
