Electric Moon

by Stacey Brutger

  “He’s right.”

  Raven’s head snapped up, and she met the rogue’s stare. That’s the last thing she expected him to say.

  “It would be better if I left.”

  Though she hated to admit it, Raven agreed with him. She wasn’t sure she could keep him safe. But was that the right thing to do or just the easier way out? She owed him. When he saw her not quite winning the battle with the rogue, he intervened. He had to know that coming to her rescue would be his death sentence.

  He came anyway.

  “Will you be punished for failing to do your job?”

  He only shrugged as if it were unimportant. “There is more going on than what you can see. If I don’t return, the truly innocent will suffer.”

  The words could be taken as a threat or warning, but she knew. “You’re protecting them.”

  He studied the tree line. “There is little that I can do anymore. I’m the second in charge and can’t openly defy the alpha without consequences.”

  “But you try anyway.” She knew she shouldn’t offer, but she couldn’t turn away from innocents. “What can I do?”

  A slight smile tipped his lips then vanished in the next second. “Stay away from the woods.”

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Raven saw the hesitation in his eyes and waited. “Ask.”

  “There are three kids in the group without a pack. Their first moon is coming up on them.”

  One of the workers heaved sigh, and she glanced over. Him and another man lifting the first body. At her stare, he spoke. “Wolves only shift as they mature. First shifts are hard. The pack is usually there to guide them through the process.”

  Her rescuer leaned his shoulder against the balcony door. “They aren’t completely rogue yet. Two didn’t even know they were shifters until the darker urges of their animals presented themselves. As soon as they figured it out, they came to us for help. We’re all that they have.”

  Raven was appalled things were allowed to progress so far. They were children. “Does that happen a lot?”

  The first two workers had vanished through the bathroom with the body. A third had collected a tarp so not to trail blood over the floor. He was the one who spoke. “Children of the pack are precious. They wouldn’t be given up willingly. Their parents were most likely rogues unable to care for them. The very few who manage to conceive are either abandoned or out-right killed.”

  Raven faced the rogue. “How many?”

  “Two teenagers. I’m hoping being around pack will slow down the change and give them more time to learn. The other kid is older, but in worse shape. He’s been fighting the change for years.”

  “He’s going feral?”

  He didn’t say more, didn’t ask or plead with her. They were used to relying on themselves for everything.

  Raven took a different track. “Why fight the change?”

  “They are worthless now. Once they change, they will have to fight for their place in the pack and prove themselves useful.”

  Raven closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “If I do this, you will owe me.”

  “Agreed.” He didn’t hesitate to commit himself.

  When she opened her eyes, his face was alive with an emotion she couldn’t name. Swallowing hard, she turned away. “Fine. Bring them to the house. I’ll meet them and decide. I won’t take them if they pose a threat to mine.”

  “That’s all I can ask. I’ll send them before sunset.” He backed toward the balcony. “Lock your doors. Post more guards. And stay away from the forest.”

  “Wait! Tell me your name.”

  “You may call me Jamie.” With that, he bolted over the railing and disappeared over the side before she could ask more questions.

  Like why they wanted to kill her.

  Silence descended until the eldest worker spoke in a deferential tone, as if her decision had meant something to them. “We’ll have your room ready for you before tonight.”

  Raven grabbed a change of clothes, dressing haphazardly before heading down stairs. This was not how she imagined her very first date, but she’d already been too long. She couldn’t have Durant investigate until the rogue had enough time to make good his escape.

  A tiny flutter of nerves struck, and she slowed before she reached the kitchen. She eyed her clothes. They matched everything else in her closet, and she almost wished she had something nicer, something womanly, to wear.

  She grabbed the mess of her hair and pinned it up, futzing with herself. She tugged her gloves up then stopped. She hated the barrier between her and others. For most of her life, her greatest wish had been to touch others without the fear she’d kill them hanging over her.

  With the moon calling her animals, she was being granted the chance of a lifetime. Slowly, ever so slowly, she peeled off her gloves and shoved them into her back pocket. Her hands felt exposed, sensitive to the slightest caress of air. She rubbed her fingers, marveling at the textures and wondered at her own daring. But if she didn’t grab this chance, she would hate herself for missing the opportunity to be free.

  Taking a deep breath for courage, she pushed open the door to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but finding Jackson and Aaron eating at the table wasn’t it. Dina bustled around the kitchen.

  Her shoulders drooped in disappointment. “Dina, we’re going to have three guests staying with us. Young teenagers.”

  “Shifters?” Interest brightened her eyes.

  “Yes. Can you get the rooms ready?”

  She was already bouncing on her feet before Raven finished speaking. “Of course.”

  Raven ignored the way Jackson narrowed his gaze. She turned to avoid his questions and nearly smacked into Durant.

  “Were you looking for me?” Durant had stepped through the outside door, the wall of glass at his back hallowed his body in sun, highlighting the barely there stripes in his hair. The manifestation could be a reminder not to forget or his beast’s flat out refusal to hide.

  When he stepped out of the light, her breath caught. She was so used to seeing him in his pressed clothes that his casual attire made him appear way too approachable.

  Made him appear playful, Lord help her.

  The jeans were custom made, if she had to guess, and fit him so lovingly she wanted to trail her hands over them to see if those muscles of his felt as delicious as they looked.

  The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a light dusting of hair on the corded muscles of his arms. The collar of his shirt was opened two buttons, hinting at the powerful chest hidden tantalizingly out of reach. A lazy smile curled his lips at her perusal, but his eyes were all hunter as he studied her in return.

  Then his eyes fell to her hands and stopped there. He swallowed once, hard, and quickly glanced up into her eyes. There was a vulnerability in his expression, as if she had offered him something he’d never expected.

  “Come. I have a private breakfast prepared for us.” He turned and held open the door for her to pass through.

  She gave him a tentative smile and took a step forward when the phone rang. All the pleasure of the moment drained.

  In response, he calmly picked up the phone and held it out to her. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  Without taking her gaze from him, she accepted the phone. “Raven.”

  “There’s a problem.” Hope for the day fell when Scotts’ smoke-roughened voice came over the line. The noise from the station filtered into the background, sounding as hectic as ever.

  Raven tucked away all the expectations that had been building since last night and fitted her gloves back on her hands. She should’ve known better than to expect anything. “I’ll leave now and be—”

  “Don’t bother. The shifter is dead.”

  “But I thought he was in a locked cell. How did they get to him?”

  “He killed himself during the night. He was locked down. We had no cause to watch him.
”

  “What?” His answer floored her. “But a shifter would never kill themself.”

  He was silent for a moment. “They sent the body to the morgue. Meet me there.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “The last place I expected you to take me on our date was the morgue.” Durant’s droll tone made Raven wince.

  She fumbled with her badge to show at the new checkpoint, unsettled to be back in the building where she’d almost been kidnapped to further some lunatic’s experiments. She gave a small smile to Chuck, the guard, as he waved her through.

  She concentrated on Durant’s words and the present before thoughts of the past, the things she’d done to survive, drove her insane. “I’m sorry. I—”

  Durant laughed, waving away her words as they walked down the corridor to the morgue. “You don’t bore me.”

  What should’ve sounded like an insult came out as a compliment. She smiled at him, expecting to see a teasing light in his eyes. Only, he didn’t smile in return. His green eyes deepened, and she found her steps slowing as she drifted closer to him.

  “Uhm-mm.” Startled at the throat clearing, Raven whirled to find Scotts waiting for her down the hallway.

  Heat filled her cheeks at being caught mooning over Durant, and she avoided both their gazes. “Are we in here?”

  Scotts took pity on her, pushing open the door without a word. The room had been fixed since she’d been there last. The stainless steel refrigeration unit replaced.

  Then she saw the doctor.

  Even though she knew Ross was gone, Raven shivered, half-expecting the person in the white coat to turn and smile at her with cold, calculating eyes while plotting ways to vivisect her.

  The cold chills she’d always thought was trepidation that she might accidently make the dead walk was still there but less. She wondered if she somehow knew all along the horror Ross had intended for her.

  A flicker of energy crackled between her fingers, more to calm her than any sense of fear.

  The person turned, revealing a full figured petite woman. Blond hair was severely pulled back, showcasing a surprisingly young face. The little skip in her chest hurt, but her relief was too great to do anything but nod to the doctor.

  The other woman ignored her and gestured toward Scotts. “I thought I told you cops only.”

  Raven bit back a retort at the attitude, and Scotts quickly answers. “She’s clear. She’s the new Region.”

  The doctor snorted, not pleased, but it was unclear whether because of the Region title or that she was a paranormal.

  “And him?”

  Raven glanced at Durant. “He’s my escort. What have you got?”

  The doctor paused for a minute longer then picked up her notes. “Male. Mid-thirties. Healthy. Died from asphyxiation.”

  “He hung himself?” Raven wandered closer to the body, and the doctor held out her arm.

  “No touching. I want no contamination.”

  As if Raven were at fault for stealing all the air in the jail cell. Well, she did fight him not hours earlier, but that didn’t mean she had anything to do with his death. The whole police station had witnessed and participated in the capture.

  Raven turned toward Scotts. “Is she able to give us a full report without bias?”

  A fierce frown lined the doctor’s face. “I am a professional. I will do my job.”

  “You also hate paranormals.”

  The doctor didn’t deny it. “I checked into my predecessors cases. This morgue seemed to be a hot spot of activity for your kind.” And her observations were all the information she needed to cast judgment. “And you’re at the center of it all.”

  Raven smiled, pleased to note the doctor taken aback by the action. “If by hot spot you mean a lot of death comes through the morgue, then yes. Since a number of people still believe being a paranormal is contagious, the cases are either shuffled around until they are lost or they get sent here.

  “My involvement is because I’m on file to be called on problem cases. You must also be aware that your predecessor had been experimenting on the paranormals to further human well-being. He used his position and this office to gain access to the bodies. I mean, they’re just paranormals, after all.”

  Raven and the new doctor eyed each other, both at a stand-off. Raven gestured toward the covered corpse on the table. “So he hung himself?”

  The doctor hesitated a moment longer, still clinging to her anger, then finally turned down the sheet. “Actually, no. You would expect that, but it appears that he just laid down and stopped breathing.”

  The body on the table looked like he was ready to get up and walk away. His skin was pale, gravity having settled the blood in the lowest points in his body. There was no other marks on him, all the injuries from the fight having long since healed.

  His death made no sense. Oh, shifters had the willpower, the total control over their body, so it was physically possible.

  “Is that normal?” The doctor voiced the very question bothering her.

  Raven shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  Durant cleared his throat, and Raven turned toward him. “Shifters don’t kill themselves. Ever. But they would volunteer for missions where they either complete their tasks or die trying.”

  Raven waved a hand toward the table. “Even a rogue?”

  “Rogue?” The doctor peered at the exam table as if the body would give her an explanation.

  Durant ignored the doctor and spoke to Raven. “Some fringe groups contract themselves out for work. It all depends on the job and the price tag attached.”

  “Like mercenaries. So we need to find out who hired him then.”

  “What’s a rogue?” Raven turned at the annoyed voice to find the new ME watching them with a frown on her face, clearly frustrated that she couldn’t patch the cryptic conversation together.

  Raven debated the wisdom of telling the truth. “It’s complicated, but essentially, a rogue is a shifter without a pack to call home.”

  “You make it sound like a disease.” She scowled at Raven and Durant, suspecting they were keeping something from her.

  Very astute.

  Durant remained silent, face impassive as if the doctor was of no concern to him. And he was right, she wasn’t. But the doctor was Raven’s concern if she wanted a place in law enforcement.

  “In some cases, it can be a disease. Without a pack, shifters are vulnerable. There’s a list of symptoms that affects them and could eventually lead one to going feral.”

  The ME quickly flipped the pages of her chart. “What are the symptoms.”

  It was a demand, one that Raven had no intention of fulfilling. “What is your name?”

  “Dr. Shade.”

  “You’re a medical examiner for the police. You applied and were given the position, so you’re intelligent, probably one of the best in your field.”

  “Yes.” There was no pride on her face when she answered.

  “Humans are only half your job now. Everything you’ve learned about shifters from all your teachers...toss. Start over from here. As police are investigating more into the shifter world, you’ll have to adapt or you won’t make it.”

  Raven headed toward the door. Durant easily beat her to it without appearing to rush and held it open. “Let us know if someone claims the body. If not, have it incinerated.”

  She matched her steps to Scotts. “I need to talk to some shifters about what they know. I can’t do that in the office. With the full moon, the best way to catch them is on their own turf.”

  Scotts nodded. “Do it. Keep me informed.” He waved them off and headed back toward the morgue. “I’m going to see what else our Dr. Shade has for us.”

  “Let me know what you find.”

  Durant said nothing as they walked down the hallway. “You think I was too tough on her.”

  He gave her a quick look. “Not really. You only spoke the truth. A shifter would have told her less.”

 
“But?” She stopped by the door leading outside, rubbing her arms, the static building under her skin crackling at the gesture.

  The movement lifted her sleeve, revealing a line of massive bruises bracketing her wrists and higher. Durant grabbed her hand, his eyes splintering with gold. “What happened?”

  Damn.

  She’d hoped to keep the incident quiet. “There was a couple of uninvited houseguests this morning.”

  “While I was there? And you didn’t call for help?” Outrage roughened his voice. He drew himself up to his full height, released her and stepped back as if affronted.

  “It wasn’t like that. They were there when I woke. I just reacted. By the time I thought about calling for help, the situation was resolved.”

  A muscle ticked in Durant’s jaw, as if realizing for the first time that he alone wouldn’t be able to protect her. “This is the third attack in as many days. Only luck has kept you alive this long. What happens when that runs out?”

  Raven wished she could argue with him, but he was right. She was learning to defend herself, but not fast enough. If she didn’t learn to survive without her powers, learn how to rely on her beasts, it would be too late. “I’m trying.”

  Durant whirled, stepping right into her private space. “Try harder.”

  She wanted to smack him, but her cool, unruffled tiger seemed so disturbed she didn’t have the heart to argue. Instead, she settled her palm over his chest. He covered her hand and rested his forehead against hers.

  His golden gaze locked onto hers. Funny enough, she felt no fear at being so near his beast. A rumble sigh escaped him as he finally relaxed. The big cat brushed his tail against her mind in a show of possessiveness, content with her touch.

  At least for now.

  “You have one weapon that will work every time.”

  Raven wished it were true. “Not during the full moon. When my animals surface, my abilities as a conduit go on the fritz. I can have either one or the other, and I have yet to find a balance.”

  Durant smiled, but there was no comfort in the gesture. “No, that’s not what I meant. You’re a strong alpha, especially for one so new. And as an alpha, you have power over anyone weaker than you.”