Electric Storm (A Raven Investigations Novel)

by Brutger, Stacey

  “I have a better sense of smell than anyone here. If you have any hope of finding anything, you’ll need me.”

  He had a point. Jackson was already shaking his head before she could speak. “He goes, I go.”

  “It looks like you take them all. Call me every twenty minutes and check in.” Dominic grunted, watching her closely as if waiting for her to protest all the added protection.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded and walked away. She watched him a moment longer, sensing his concern. He was the leader of a group of elite fighters. He frequently maintained the command post, directing his little minions around like chess pieces. Today was the first time he appeared to chafe under his role. She hesitated, wanted to say something to Dominic to appease him, but couldn’t find the words. Or maybe she was too afraid to dig further. Her world was crumbling faster than she could gather the pieces, and it terrified her.

  The storm swept closer, creeping up on her. Time pressed against her, slithering through her mind in a slow countdown. “We need to get there before the storm breaks.” With a nod, she headed straight for the door and ignored the men. Especially Durant. If she were lucky, Dominic would have the house cleared out by the time she returned. She had other things to worry about than some delicious guy hunting her. And hopefully, he would forget all about this supposed mate garbage. She snorted silently, opened the door and headed toward the car.

  When thunder rumbled, she tucked her chin down and picked up her pace. A trickle of unease threaded through her. She should be in the basement, locked down while the storm blew over. While her body tried to recover from the last few hours of overuse of her gift, the lightning could prove dangerous. She wasn’t sure if she could deflect all that voltage if it was called down close to her. Instead, she got into the car and did her best to ignore the way her body felt battered by all the current traveling in the wind, eagerly seeking the slightest opening in her shields.

  Twisting the keys, the engine revved to life.

  As she shifted the car into gear, the men were there. Rylan slipped through the passenger door Jackson had opened, the sneaky bastard using his talents to steal the front seat. After a slight hesitation, Jackson glared at the man then slammed the door and got in back next to Taggert. Without a word, she took off.

  Ten minutes passed in uncomfortable silence, the air thick with an argument waiting to erupt.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” Rylan broke the stalemate, thankfully choosing a topic she could answer.

  “Strauss Forest near Overland Park.” She flicked a glance at him. “Did you pick anything up from her?”

  “Vague images. If she was there, I’ll be able to tell. The rest of the memories were too jumbled. They chased her. If we cross the trail, your pet should be able to find them.”

  “Rylan, don’t–”

  Taggert leaned closer, apparently unoffended. “I caught the scent of her blood. If there’s a drop anywhere in my vicinity, I’ll be able to track her.”

  Jackson pressed forward and Taggert scooted over, his face close to her shoulders. The slight brush of his fingers against her hair almost made her pull away. She forced herself to remain still. Pack touched, she reminded herself, it was how they connected. If she pulled away, Taggert would see it as a rejection.

  “Then we need to split into two teams; one of you with me and the other with Taggert.” Rylan didn’t say anything more.

  She could tell Jackson wasn’t pleased with the turn of events. She wasn’t either, but she couldn’t think of an alternative. “Taggert and I go one way while you two head the opposite direction.” She pushed the gear into park, turned off the motor, and watched the storm draw ever closer, doing her best to clamp down on the seething core begging to be let out to play.

  “I don’t think we should split.”

  Raven ignored Jackson and opened the door. The darkness of the woods didn’t look inviting. Shadows danced, but it was the lack of animals, the lack of sound, that had a chill creeping across her skin. “When you search, look for signs of any animals.”

  “Why?” Jackson sounded suspicious and belligerent.

  Desire my ass. That was pure distrust in his question. Raven glanced at him and resisted the urge to sigh. “Call it a hunch.”

  Rylan narrowed his eyes. “Why do you think this is the right area?”

  “Because I recognize that bite mark on Cassie from a couple of murder victims that were left here the day before last.” Two days seemed so long ago. Not waiting for any more protests, she headed forward. The darkness was oppressive, pushing against her as she walked. She blinked, and the shadows retreated, her eyes adjusting as the animals at her core woke from their slumber. Allowing her to see through their keen vision.

  Although she was grateful for the help, she hated acknowledging that she was losing control. Every aspect of her life was becoming blurred. All her careful controls were cracking. She wished she knew what would be left behind when everything finally broke loose.

  “Rylan, head south at a forty-five degree angle from here. Taggert and I will head southwest. When you reach the stream, head toward my direction and we’ll meet up in the middle.”

  Jackson stepped in front of her and refused to budge. “I don’t trust him.” He jerked his head toward Rylan, his eyes bleeding yellow.

  Rylan shrugged, leaving it up to her to reveal as much as she wanted. “The storm’s getting worse. I can’t guarantee how long our phones will work. If Rylan is in the area, I can sense him and vice versa.”

  Jackson flipped open his new phone, and she winced at the reminder of what happened to his old one. “Service is–”

  “She means that when she’s around electrical devices, they tend to not hold a charge. It takes a conscious effort for her not to consume the energy around her. With the storm, it would be impossible. Since her phone is on her person, and Taggert will be near her, they’ll be drained if they aren’t already.” Rylan turned and disappeared in the trees. Vampire tricks. She shook her head. Then she jumped when his voice floated back to them. “The sooner we leave, the faster we can get back.”

  In a blur of speed, Jackson streaked into the woods, disappearing just as fast. Relieved to be away from the tension between those two, she gave a wan smile to Taggert and took off.

  The wind tugged at her, pulling at her clothes. Despite her animals’ agitation, the power of the storm was exhilarating. She could almost taste the desire to reach out and pull down the lightning. Any fatigue vanished as the air literally recharged her. She’d worry about crashing after she did what needed to be done.

  “Raven?” Taggert stepped in front of her and she blinked, unaware that she’d stopped.

  She cleared her throat. “Do you sense anything?”

  Taggert shook his head, his shoulder length hair framing his face, wild and untamed. His natural scent almost disappeared in the surrounding trees, but she could still pick him out. There was a subtle flavor to it that drew her, and she followed him as he scouted the area.

  “I don’t sense anything.” He paused, but didn’t turn to look at her. “Do you?”

  She opened her mouth to answer when understanding hit. He’d seen the web she’d created at the club, knew what she’d done. Giving him a short nod, she closed her eyes. Energy easily answered her call, kicking up the air around them like a cyclone, building and growing with each second. In the distance, she heard a snarl, then the animals at her core fell silent and vanished.

  The current crackled along her skin, seeking an outlet. The temptation to linger and play whispered to her along the wind. She let it build, felt it whip along her insides like writhing snakes. The longer she held it, the more agitated they grew until her bones turned molten.

  With a short breath, she released everything in a giant pulse. A gasp from Taggert popped her eyes open. The energy had passed through him, but she could see he’d managed to absorb quite a bit.

  That shouldn’t have happened. It had to ha
ve hurt like hell. Yellow eyes glinted in the dark, their focus solely on her. Neither of them said a word.

  After a moment, she registered Rylan and Jackson. She felt Rylan’s discomfort, his hunger, and winced. She’d never sent such a powerful burst, never expected it to reach them. She wanted to blame it on the storm, but she didn’t know if it was the truth and refused to hide behind a lie anymore.

  “I sensed less than a handful of animals taking shelter from the storm. Nothing else.” When she glanced at Taggert, she was startled to see him just inches from her, very much the predator.

  She pushed at the hard wall of his chest, gasping when a shock zapped between them. Taggert flinched and stepped away, the look in his eyes clearing but not fading completely.

  Taggert wandered a short distance away and knelt. “Here.”

  “Blood?” She crouched to see what he’d discovered.

  “No, tracks. A lot of them.”

  Footprints, a couple of size ten and more, too trampled to see clearly. Definitely not kids. Ice wrapped around her heart. “A hunt. How old?” She needed to know if this was part of the murders or if they were tracking Cassie.

  “A day or less.” Their eyes met, and they both knew the tracks would disappear in the oncoming storm.

  “Follow them.” The others would be furious that they deviated from the plan, but she couldn’t lose this clue.

  With a nod, he took off. His speed was incredible, and she knew he held back for her. She didn’t allow herself to think of the miles she was putting between them and the rendezvous point. She unclipped her phone, but knew she’d drained it without having to look at it. She managed to fix a computer for her own use, but the power source was so slight on the phone that all the prototypes had melted.

  The brush grew thicker with each step, snatching at her clothes. The air thickened as the storm worsened, the silence more ominous the further they went. Only when Taggert slowed did she swallow back her unease. “What is it?”

  “Someone’s watching us. I can smell them.”

  A shape streaked toward Taggert’s unguarded back. “No.” Without thinking, she threw a ball of energy. It surged out of her so strongly that her joints ached.

  And missed. Vegetation shriveled in the wake of the heat.

  Whoever it was had vanished.

  Lightning struck nearby, and she could feel the current slice its way through the ground, arching toward her. “Move!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  PREDAWN

  Raven made a quick decision. The lightning came from behind her, the killer was in front. She dodged around Taggert and ran toward where she last saw the figure, easily picking up the trail.

  She sensed Taggert gaining on her and cursed her clumsiness. Sweat beaded her brow as the lightning threaded its way toward her like a juggernaut on a mission. She could only hold it at bay for so long before it consumed her.

  The smell of fresh blood hit her first. The shape of a girl appeared out of the shadows. Only this girl moved oddly, her movements disjointed as if she’d been taken apart and put back together wrong. The air crackled around them as Raven fought to manage her fear. She couldn’t fail, or Taggert would be left vulnerable.

  The energy from the ground was too much for her to even attempt to regulate. Timed carefully, she might be able to funnel the massive voltage and take out the girl before the overload shut her down.

  She held out her hand to Taggert, indicating he should keep his distance. Her movement triggered a reaction. The girl lunged forward, all awkwardness gone.

  Flinging up her hands, Raven dropped her shields and allowed the torrent she’d held at bay to pass through her. Current surged up from her feet with enough strength to snap her spine straight.

  The girl lunged, fangs bared, slashing out. Raven twisted, unable to dodge. Claws tore down her back. At the contact, the power roared out of her with the speed of a barreling train, scraping her insides raw as if taking chunks of her with it.

  Burnt hair sizzled in the air. A sharp yelp almost shattered her eardrums and the creature disappeared through the trees. She staggered, then fell to her knees. Her vision wavered, but she refused to relent. Not when they were so vulnerable.

  “Raven? I’m almost there.”

  “Rylan?” She blinked, unable to understand how communication reserved for vampires and their protégé worked between them without a large blood exchange.

  “Hang on.”

  As abruptly as she felt the connection, it broke. Then the whole world went black.

  The next thing she knew, she was being carried. Her body felt like she’d gone jousting without the tin can called a suit of armor. “Taggert?” Her jaw ached to even speak.

  The strangle hold around her tightened. A whimper of pain caught in her throat and another wave of dizziness shot through her as the world spun. She breathed through it and concentrated on staying awake.

  “Put me down.” Every nerve ending felt fried. Partly overloaded. What little electricity she had was leaking like crazy. Her energy level would continue to sputter until she stabilized. He had to feel like he put his whole body in a socket.

  Instead of listening, Taggert picked up his pace.

  “Please. I can manage.” At least she hoped she could. She hated being defenseless, hated relying on someone else.

  When she tried to lean away from him, agony screeched through her body. Spots danced in front of her eyes. “Did she manage to leave any of my back intact?” She could barely form words, but she refused to be cowed by the pain.

  When he didn’t reply, Raven bit her lip. The first hint that something was dreadfully wrong pinged through her. “Taggert?”

  Water splashed her back when he crossed the stream. Crippling agony ripped through her as droplets of water trickled into her wounds. She couldn’t prevent herself from curling around him. “Please let me down.”

  Finally, Taggert stopped, somehow sensing she was at her limit. It embarrassed her that she couldn’t stop shaking. Five minutes. She needed five minutes to rebuild as much of her shields as she could to protect Taggert. She could survive an overload, but even a shifter could only take that kind of abuse for so long and not be damaged, especially since he couldn’t take his animal form.

  Though his chest heaved with exertion, he seemed reluctant to release her. He lowered her so gently that she didn’t even feel the ground. When he made to stand, she grabbed the material of his shirt and held him in place.

  The pure yellow gleam in his eyes should’ve repelled her, but the shattered, lost expression had her heart aching for him. “I’m alright. I’ll be fine.” She reached out to touch his face, halting when he flinched. His rejection shattered her.

  She did that to him.

  When she would’ve let her hand fall, he grabbed her fingers and pressed them to his check. His eyes slid shut, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders.

  His skin pebbled at her touch, and she jerked back. “I’m hurting you.”

  Taggert slowly shook his head. When he opened his eyes, he appeared calmer. “Rylan and Jackson should be here soon. I can hear them, smell them. There about a mile away, moving fast.”

  He drew away, and Raven gasped at all the blood. “You’re hurt.”

  Her heart gave a painful squeeze, and she couldn’t find her breath. She tried to pull him back to inspect the wounds, but he refused her this time. If she didn’t think she’d pass out, she’d damn the pain and follow.

  Part of her anxiety eased when she saw the blood wash away. Then a new fear took root. Her blood. She gulped hard, her throat tight with a fear that wouldn’t be banished.

  “You have to get it all off.” He was adapting to her and the current so fast it scared the shit out her. Infection would explain everything. Being around her was changing him into something else. Something she could touch. She was ruining him, stealing his chance for an ordinary life.

  A brooding expression crossed Taggert’s face as if he sensed her turmoil,
her withdrawal. He melted a little in the shadows. She didn’t like the way he searched their surroundings, the way he refused to speak or the way his eyes whirled when he looked at her. Thunder rumbled, and he flinched.

  She cleared her throat, knowing that later...much later...they would have to address this issue. She just had to keep her distance until they found another solution for him.

  “Your vampire just disappeared. Where the hell have you been?” Jackson pulled to a stop half way across the clearing. He had directed his question at Taggert then slowly turned toward her.

  With incredible speed that made her flinch, he was beside her. “What the hell happened?”

  “We’ve found the killer.”

  “What?” His roar rang in her ears.

  Bile rose, her power fizzled and she fought to stay conscious. “Is there any way that we can take this conversation home before the storm breaks?” She wasn’t proud the way her voice shook.

  Rylan appeared out of the night from the direction of the fight, his clothes rumpled, his perfectly coiffed hair in disarray, his expression so stiff it frightened her. Without saying a word, he scooped her up and traveled with her back to the car. She closed her eyes and buried her face against the crook of his neck so as not to risk losing the contents of her stomach as the world blurred around them. The hot, spicy scent of him swirled around her. Like a trigger, she remembered that scent, remembered the way he cared for her whenever she became injured when in captivity.

  He carefully placed her in the backseat, then brushed her hair gently behind her ear. When he straightened, she saw the knife. “No. You can’t lose any more blood.”

  “Neither can you.” He gripped the blade into his fist and pulled the knife clean. Blood welled and dripped from between his clenched fingers.

  He opened his bloody hand and placed his palm directly over her wounds. She sucked in a breath at the touch, her stomach twisting up into her throat at the agony. Fire burned along her back and stole her breath.

  “Damn you.” She shoved him away with weak arms. Already, the blood had stopped dripping down her back.