With one last glance at the club, Raven nodded and took off at a jog, Taggert easily keeping pace. When she reached the car, she was slightly out of breath, while Taggert didn’t even appear winded. She really needed to start working out.
The car turned over immediately. She weaved through the traffic, avoiding Taggert’s searching gaze lest her anger slip its leash. “You knew that would happen.”
“No shifter goes to the houses without being a donor.” His voice took on the careful tone of not revealing anything.
“Son of a bitch. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You would’ve left without me.” The answer was simple and true.
“Why did the bouncer let you enter?”
When silence filled the car, she risked a glance at him. With an acceptance that pissed her off, he lifted his collar. “Slaves go where they are ordered.”
“They sent you in there without protection before.” Her heart skipped a beat. The implications shocked her. She understood the need to regulate the pack and their numbers, but she couldn’t get over the cruelty. There had to be a better way than to kill the most vulnerable. Especially if your numbers were already dwindling.
Taggert shrugged. “If you don’t listen to the orders, you don’t get selected.”
“But if the vampire had gotten their hands on you, they would’ve bled you. I saw the intent in their eyes.” She gripped the wheel hard, battling her anger and her own stupidity.
“They usually send us in twos or threes to increase our chances of getting out alive. Most vampires know better than to take too much blood. The auction takes place every few years. It starts on a full moon, lasts for a month until the council meets. We have no choice but to prove ourselves. You only get so many seasons before you’re labeled undesirable.”
This all sounded so much like the labs that bile rose in her throat. Obey without question. Break your spirit by any means available until you’re willing to sacrifice your own kind to please them.
“Jackson warned me about the auction, told me what to expect. This was my last chance. I have nothing special to offer. If I survived all the tests, proved myself, I could find a sponsor.” His posture unbent. “Then you came.”
“And shoved you in the same barbaric situation.” Gods be damned. Her ignorance kept putting them in harm’s way. How was she supposed to keep them safe when she didn’t know the dangers?
Her face hardened with determination. “When we get home, we’re removing that collar.”
He stilled, his eyes tracking her. “Only the council has the power.”
Her lips curl back in a snarl. “I’ll do it.” Damn them if she didn’t. She wouldn’t let them rule what was hers.
“No one has successfully removed a collar. If the seal is tampered with, the bearer will die.”
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. She could see others trying it like some animal desperate to break free from a trap, willing to die to be free.
“You won’t die. I won’t let you.” And she had the power to back up her claim.
Chapter Twenty
DAY SIX: AFTER MIDNIGHT
She sped down the driveway, trepidation thickening around her as they drew near the house. Jackson and Rylan were going to kill her for sneaking out. The clock showed a few minutes to three.
Raven glanced up in time to see a shadow take shape out of the fog directly in front of the car. She slammed on the breaks and jerked the wheel. The tires caught gravel, spun them around, throwing up a cloud of rock and dust. When they came to an abrupt stop, her head cracked against the side window with a resounding thud.
She probed her bruised temple, flinching at the sensitive area. “You all right?”
She caught Taggert’s nod from the corner of her eye. Dropping her hand, she scanned the driveway, half expecting to find a crumbled body slumped across the road.
Nothing.
Silver moonlight peeked through the mist. The darkness had an eerie quiet that sounded deafening, almost expectant. She peeled her hands away from the wheel and reached for the power that pooled in her core, absently swirling the strands around her fingers as she studied the shadows for any sign of movement.
Even knowing she could defend herself did nothing to soothe the shaking that persisted at the near miss. That had been too close. Not willing to wait for the fight, she grabbed the door handle. “Stay here.”
“Don’t.”
Annoyed at his over-protectiveness, she tried to leave only to find her arm captured.
“It’s Jackson, and I don’t think he’s happy.”
Raven whipped around and squinted out the window, searching for any sign of him. Some of the uncertainty settled, changing into pure anger at him for risking his life so needlessly. “What the hell was he thinking? I could’ve hit him.”
As the words left her mouth, his familiar form took shape out of the darkness, big and low to the ground, coming toward them with incredible speed. If she blinked, she would’ve missed him. The door handle ripped out of her grasp as he flung it open. Metal crunched. And she found herself face to face with one furious man.
His anger fueled her own. Rage burned along her mind, eager for the match. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I could’ve killed you.” The energy she’d tapped rebelled at being shoved away, wanting to fight, wanting freedom as it burned along her skin. She shoved his shoulder and stood, unwilling to have him tower over her. A spark arched between them at the touch, and he backed away with a snarl. Little of the man remained.
He scanned her from head to booted-foot. His detached gaze felt cold, and she was surprised at how she’d become used to expecting the hint of heat from him. Calm slowly crept over Jackson, the stiff set of his shoulders relaxed a fraction.
“Where the hell have you been?” The words were guttural, forced past clenched teeth, a hint of fang flashing.
“Doing my job.” She stomped away, knowing she couldn’t get back in the car while her anger had a hold of her. She’d fry the computer. Damn his control. She wanted to fight, confront him and get everything out in the open.
She sensed Taggert more than heard him as he followed, but she didn’t turn, afraid to draw attention to him. Jackson bristled as he stalked at her side, but remained quiet.
Rylan met them at the door, a carefully blank expression on his face. Until she got closer. His nostrils flared. Color bled from his eyes. “What were you thinking?”
She clicked her tongue in disgust. Rylan backed away, allowing her entry, though he did so grudgingly and followed close enough to be mistaken for her shadow.
“I can smell them on you.”
“Them?” Jackson growled, shuffling closer to catch a whiff of what lingered in her hair and clothes.
“Vampires.” Two sets of eyes pinned her, bonding over taking her to task.
She liked them better when they were at odds. “I’m working on a case. I go where the answers are.”
“And damn the consequences?”
She winced at the betrayal that edged into Jackson’s eyes. A look she deserved. When he didn’t throw any accusations, guilt dug in its claws. She’d all but promised to bite him, then vanished. She’d run. She didn’t like that picture of herself and lashed out. “What am I supposed to do? Wait for the killer to fall in my lap?”
Rylan’s jaw bunched in anger. “You’re supposed to protect yourself and those in your care.”
She had enough. Raven tipped up her chin and faced her accusers. Three faces, one impassive, two furious, met her gaze. “I survived long before any of you had come along. How is it that I’m so inept I need three bodyguards wherever I go?”
“You have more to lose now.” Faster than her eyes could track, Rylan came to stand in front of her and it annoyed her to no end. She could feel the impotent anger in him, the need to reach out and shake sense into her. Didn’t he understand?
“People are dying.”
His face hardened further. “And I won’t have
you be one, too.”
“Are you mad that I went there without you? Or just mad I didn’t need you to protect me?” It was a low blow, but she wouldn’t take back the question. “You treat me like a child. I’m a lot stronger than you give me credit.”
Rylan reached out, almost touched her, then dropped his hand. He spoke softly, his voice devoid of emotion. “You are also a lot more vulnerable than you want to believe. You’re not indestructible.” He relented with a small smile that twisted her heart. “You called me to you to help. Let me. Tell me what you’ve learned. Maybe I can be of assistance.”
“That’s it?” She didn’t relax at his easy acceptance. He kept his distance from others of his kind for a reason. No way would he concede this easily.
He shrugged. “For now.” He didn’t bother to look over his shoulders. “But I’m not the only one who wants answers.”
Taggert kept his thoughts hidden as always, but Jackson held his fury close to his chest, all bottled up and ready to explode. They wanted to protect her. She was so used to being alone, she didn’t know how to deal with them.
Could she really keep them ignorant when staying with her put them at risk? Inhaling deeply, she admitted defeat. “Let’s go downstairs, and I’ll explain what I can.”
She reached for the door handle only to find Taggert already there, opening it for her. His continued subservience disturbed her, reminded her of the labs and the way they conditioned some of the shifters to serve. Though his spirit wasn’t broken, she knew he wasn’t whole either and she didn’t know a damn thing about how to fix him. But she did know one thing that would help. She needed to get that collar off him. He wasn’t a slave any longer.
The lights flickered and turned on when she walked into the room. “Taggert. Sit.” She pointed to a stool by her lab. At his hesitant expression, she amended her statement. “Please.” She opened a drawer, riffled through the tools then slammed it shut when nothing appealed to her. “Let’s see this thing.”
He bowed a little so she could reach. The slave collar left a red ring around his neck, but didn’t break skin. Her power affected it last time. She wasn’t sure how, but she was going to find out. “Let me know if you feel any pain.”
“Raven.” Rylan said her name very softly.
She lifted her chin, daring him to stop her. “I won’t hurt him, but he can’t wear the collar anymore. It puts him in too much danger. They saw him at the club and thought he was there to play. They didn’t see anything but that damn collar.” She refused to look at Jackson and was surprised when she received no objection from him.
She kept her gaze on Rylan, silently asking him to be ready. He gave a subtle nod. If something went wrong, he’d stand between her and Jackson until she could fix it.
Taking a deep breath, she centered herself and reached into the recesses of her body where she stored energy. That thing was still wrapped around the source, nearly swallowing it whole. Her core compensated by growing still larger. She wasn’t reassured, but pushed away her concern in order to do what needed to be done.
She carefully dipped into the pool and gathered a few strands, weaving them together. The power felt incredibly good to touch, eager to be used. She needed to leave enough that if this went ass-backwards, she’d be able to call Taggert back.
He was so alive, so different from the dead she’d accidently called back. If anything happened, she had to be quick in order bring him back whole with his body and soul still intact. A shimmer of doubt rose.
She looked at his young face, saw the harsh past reflected in his eyes, the uncertainty, and a shiny new hope for the future.
And silently cursed. She had to try.
When the power burned along her hands, she gripped the strands, twining them through her fingers despite the way her skin sizzled. She held the collar with care, ensuring none of the metal touched his skin.
Slowly, steadily, she wrapped the strands of power around the silver, iron and gold. The necklace absorbed all of it without change. She did the process twice more when she noticed a difference. “The damn thing is protecting itself. The iron beneath carries a spell.”
She slowly withdrew and let the power settle in the piece and cool. When she lifted her gaze, she saw Taggert’s eyes had turned completely yellow. Though she hadn’t moved, she sensed that he wouldn’t allow her to retreat. He inhaled her scent, and that seemed to be enough to keep him docile. For now.
She didn’t look away from Taggert as she spoke. “I need one of you on each side to grab the collar and pull when I give you the signal.” She hoped the magic hadn’t had time to compensate for the influx of extra energy and would thus be brittle.
When Jackson came to stand beside Taggert, she realized he wasn’t in much better condition, but he seemed to have better control. Rylan slipped on her other side. She gave them a nod then touched the warm band. All the power she dropped in it was seething at being trapped, fighting the magic trying to tame it. Taking a deep breath, she jerked all the energy she could out of it, fast and dirty and with no finesse.
It came so readily to her call that she staggered under the onslaught, fighting to swallow it all down. She had one chance at this. Magic had a hand in creating this piece. If she let go now, the next time that very magic would fight her and do everything it could to wound Taggert.
“What are you doing? I smell magic.”
“Magic wielders work by controlling energy. They take a little of that power, harness it and then mold it to do what the user demands.”
She panted as the strain continued to grow. “A magic user needs spells to practice their craft. Their spells are like needles, the energy the string, and they sew very carefully, very delicately to create a pattern in order to get the energy to do what they want.
“For me, magic’s like trying to sew with a railway pike. What I’m trying to do is destroy that pattern. If I can disturb it for just a second...” Her voice trailed off as the energy threatened to drown her. Her eyeballs felt as if they were floating in acid.
Then she felt it.
A faint waver.
“Now,” she shouted, hoping they had enough time to break it before the magic ricocheted inside her, desperate to be absorbed back into the necklace.
Neither man questioned her. They grabbed hold of the blisteringly cold metal and pulled.
A crack like ice breaking rang in her ears. When they continued to pull, the necklace split in two, throwing both men backwards.
The energy inside her went wild, tearing her up in order to get out. She doubled over, unable to gasp for breath.
“Drop them. Get out of the way.” The metal clanged to the floor, the pieces appearing tarnished and old. When all three men stepped away, she allowed her hold to slip. The magic slammed out of her and funneled into the metal. The pieces clanked together. The crack melded, the polish shining once more as the magic forced the energy back into the pattern of the spell.
Raven gasped, desperate for air, falling to her knees when everything quieted. The lights flickered then dulled but remained stable. When she looked up, it was to find all three men staring at her with varying degrees of shock.
“That’s not possible.” Jackson’s eyes had reverted to their whiskey brown color.
Rylan snorted. “Of course not.”
“Did I hurt you?” Taggert gingerly touched his throat, and her heart pounded at his silence. Raven groaned as she tried to find her feet. Even her hair protested moving.
Taggert didn’t move but to stare at her. Then he slowly shook his head. Some of the tension that kept her back straight seeped out of her. “Then go upstairs and take a shower. It’s been a long night, and I have a full day of work tomorrow searching for Jason’s girlfriend.”
A noise bubbled up the back of Jackson’s throat. He looked at the necklace and nudged it with his foot. Nothing happened. “If people found out...”
“They won’t.” Steel underlined Rylan’s word, a warning to both the shifters and her.
But she knew someone would eventually. She had to prepare for that time. Just not now, not when her brain felt scrambled.
Rylan bent and retrieved the necklace, touching it carefully. “I think you just defeated the boogieman.” A cynical smile passed his lips then quickly died as he studied her. His eyes crinkled a little at the corners as his gaze narrowed.
“You have a couple of messages in the study. While they’re getting ready for bed, why don’t I show you?” He was giving her an out from the questions building in everyone’s minds, time to recuperate and settle the fluctuating power that sloshed in her like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
As soon as the others left the room, Rylan dropped the necklace on the table and pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
She collapsed onto the hard stool and groaned, grateful for the support and Rylan’s instinctive understanding of her need to hide her weaknesses from the others.
“How bad is it?”
Raven shrugged. “I held a spark too long. When I took the magic and poured it back into the necklace, it took everything. I don’t know how they bear the price magic demands. If I didn’t have so much stored, I don’t think it would’ve worked.”
“Damn the necklace. What the hell were you thinking, taking chances like that? I’ve seen witches die for less. Rule one is never touch an active spell you haven’t cast yourself.”
Raven gaped at him, a little shocked at his display of emotions. He always kept them tightly under wrap for fear someone would sense he was different. With his wavy hair and wild emotions, he could pass for human. Except for the hint of fangs peeking between his lips.
“If he continued to wear it, he would’ve remained a target.”
“Then leave him here with his guard.” Agitated, he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further before the strands obediently fell back into place. Not even his hair or clothes dared defy his control for long.
That’s when she noticed the little tears in his jacket and pants. “What the hell happened to you?”
He stilled complete as if caught, his back toward her. “Rylan?”
Electric Storm (A Raven Investigations Novel) Page 18
