Electric Moon

by Stacey Brutger

  Aaron shook his head. “Do they look like kids playing a game?”

  The two kids circled each other, snarls harsh on the air, each wounded but refusing to back down. The rest of the crowd quieted, noticing the change, too. “They look like they plan to kill each other.”

  He heaved a sigh at her prodding then glanced at the fighters. He narrowed his eyes, immediately noticing something wasn’t right. A muscle clenched in Aaron’s jaw, and he stepped forward.

  There was no overt signs that Aaron did anything, nothing that she would be able to pin back to him, but the fighters suddenly stopped, clearly confused at what prompted their need to shed blood. One swayed on their feet, desperately working to staunch a nasty wound to his side. The other dropped to his knees and hung his head as if it were too heavy to hold upright anymore.

  No wonder Vivian so feared her son. Instead of using him to better the pack, she wanted to destroy the power that she couldn’t control. If he ever challenged his father, he would gain possession of the pack, and dear mother would lose her standing.

  Raven stopped watching the action and scanned the crowd. She didn’t have a clue what she was searching for until she saw one man scowling. She nudged Aaron, but there was no way they could cross the room before he disappeared.

  Miraculously, out of the crowd of people, their gazes clashed. The man blinked then stumbled back. He shoved into the crowd, never once taking his eyes off her.

  Like he knew her.

  Or was told to keep an eye out for her.

  Raven shot into the crowd after him.

  “Wait!” Aaron charged after her, but she didn’t slow. She followed the bob of the guy’s hat into a group of teens. It disappeared in seconds.

  Raven stopped and spun.

  Nothing.

  The large plastic sheet separating the warehouse waved from an invisible wind. He’d ducked behind the wall into the part of the factory housing the machinery. As she neared, the hat she had been following lay trampled on the ground.

  Not hesitating, she slashed through the plastic. From one step to the next, she was plunged into darkness. The smell of dirt, old metal and rust perpetrated the place. Sounds faded, muted by the plastic.

  As if waiting for her, the man she’d been following tossed a fifty-gallon drum at her. The blasted thing was too large to dodge. Metal slammed into her with the force of a cannonball. She flew backwards, her body smashing into the barrels like a demented game of human bowling.

  By the time she struggled to her feet and navigated the forest of barrels, the man had vanished.

  Again.

  “Raven?” Plastic crinkled when Aaron entered behind her.

  The bright blob of the rave barely lit the plastic behind him.

  He took in the scene at a glance. “What way did he go?”

  Hands on her hips, Raven surveyed the maze of stalls before them. “I have no clue.”

  But she had an idea. “Stay behind me.”

  With a room full of shifters, this was either the best or the worst idea she’d ever had. All she knew was she couldn’t let her lead go without trying.

  She called up her powers. It rose eagerly to her summons, and she let the energy build. She sent out pulse. Like a ripple in a pond, the wave expanded.

  Aaron sucked in a breath, holding out his hands as if he could feel the current in the air. “Holy shit.”

  There was a ping.

  “There.” She pointed to the right.

  Only, they didn’t make it two steps before three more pings sounded. “Damn it. There are more people in here.” She skidded to a stop at the first spot and found a couple hastily pulling on their clothes. “Get back to the rave.”

  She watched them leave and heaved a sigh of frustration. “We’ll never be able to check all the spots before he disappears.”

  “Raven?” Taggert’s eyes glowed as he walked toward her through the darkness.

  “I lost my suspect. Can you scent him? His trail led back here, but there are too many people for me to find quickly.”

  “You’re hurt.”

  Raven rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth, surprised to find blood. “I’m fine, but we need to find him.”

  Taggert inhaled, his chest expanding impressively. He turned toward the left, a maniacal gleam in his eyes that wouldn’t be extinguished without tasting vengeance, and shot into the darkness.

  “I want him alive.”

  When Raven moved to follow, Aaron grabbed her arm. “He’s trapped. There is only one other exit from this side of the building. We can go around the outside and head him off.”

  That meant heading in the opposite direction instinct urged her to go.

  But Aaron was right. Taggert would flush him out.

  The outside air hit her like a fist to the gut. Smells died and the excess pressure from all the energy the shifters exuded vanished as well. They ran full tilt around the shed, but she knew they would never make it on time.

  Griffin came up to her side, moving fast. He took one look at her face and shook his head. “You really aren’t very good at staying out of trouble, are you.”

  Raven grimaced at the comment. “Anyone come outside?”

  “Not from this end.” They rounded the last corner to see Taggert and Jase emerge.

  Alone.

  “How could we have missed him?” Taggert swiped a hand through his hair. “I was following his scent, but it just disappeared ten feet from the door. I can try to pick it back up again, but with so much contamination, it would take a while.”

  Her lead had slipped right through her fingers, slapping them in the face on the way for good measure. “No sense backtracking. He’ll be long gone by now.”

  “But he dropped these.” Jase lifted his hand to show a clear strip of plastic between his fingers.

  She held them up to her nose, smelled chemicals but no formaldehyde. Could she have been wrong? “He probably took a hit to cover his scent and dropped the rest in his haste.”

  “Let’s head back home. There’s nothing more we can find here. I want to see what we can learn from this drug.”

  As they drove home, Raven came to one reluctant conclusion. “Vivian isn’t a viable suspect. She liked being in control, liked being the only alpha female. The drug was engineered to do the complete opposite.”

  Aaron nodded, as reluctant as her to give up his mother as a suspect. “No amount of money would entice her to relinquish her power over others.”

  “So where does that leave us?” Griffin’s voice held no inflection. He’d already come to the same conclusion days ago. That’s the real reason why he wormed his way into her household.

  “Without Vivian, all we’re left with are the rogues.” The very same rogue pack that she’d allowed to live behind her house. She’d insulted their leader, stole his people, and now she was trying to steal his miracle drug.

  No wonder he was so determined to kill her.

  Jase didn’t confirm or deny anything, but his worried gaze latched onto hers as if troubled that she’d hold him personally responsible. She gave him a small smile. Instead of being reassured, he flinched and turned to stare out the window.

  Taggert remained silent, his expression grim, clearly deducing what her fate would be if they didn’t catch the rogue first. Any hope that she could continue her case without involving her pack evaporated. Taggert would make sure the rest discovered the truth.

  She would have to work fast to keep them safe.

  If it wasn’t already too late.

  * * *

  “Can you tell me what’s in this?” Raven debated whether to send the samples to the police to do the analysis or not. Her hesitation stemmed from the fear that what they found would go on record. Shifters couldn’t afford to have the drugs reproduced or distributed. To eliminate them that way would prove too high of a casualty rate for everyone involved.

  The peace between humans and shifters was too volatile. She ignored the little voice of her consci
ence that said she was part of the police and supposed to help them, not withhold information. Her only saving hope was that if she solved the case, it wouldn’t matter.

  Digger peered up from his work at the table, his eyes owlish in the dim light. “It will take me a few hours to run a couple of tests.”

  When he wandered away, Raven heaved a sigh of relief and hurried up the stairs. She knew she should ask what he’d learned about the tests he ran on Taggert, but it was too soon after the claiming. She wanted to remain oblivious for a little while longer in case she had to send him away to keep him safe.

  She was half way across the foyer when she spotted Jase lurking in the shadows, haggard and pale.

  “Can we talk?” His adams apple bobbed when he spoke.

  “Of course.” Raven walked toward her office. He came slowly, all but dragging his feet.

  He was leaving her.

  She barely sat behind the desk when he spoke.

  “I’m supposed to kill you.” Any nuance in Jase’s voice was stripped away. He stood before her, a firm grip on his knife, showing he knew what to do with it.

  Raven tensed as he padded toward the desk.

  Then he very deliberately set the knife on the wooden surface and retreated to the middle of the room.

  That’s all he said.

  He stared at the wall, waiting for judgment. His silence, the bruises, all made sense now.

  “What do you think should be done?”

  He swallowed hard. “Disloyalty is punishable by death.” His voice broke painfully.

  Raven lifted the knife and circled the desk. “See, now that’s the problem. As far as I see it, you were loyal to your pack.”

  Jase’s eyes snapped toward her.

  “Loyal to me.” She held out the knife, handle first. “What more can I ask?”

  He made no move to take the weapon. “I don’t understand.”

  “I’d like you to stay. You’ve proven yourself loyal and resourceful. I can use someone like you.” She walked up to him, pausing inches from his face, so close she didn’t even think he breathed. “Next time you run across a problem, come to me sooner.”

  “But the rogue will come after you. Not only did you challenge his rule in front of his men, you took three people from his pack. He can’t let it go unanswered.”

  A smile stretched her face, nothing remotely friendly in the gesture. “Let him.”

  “But—”

  “He wanted me dead before the challenge, before you came to us. You’re only an excuse.” She gave a wry smile. “Unless you would prefer not to stay. This isn’t the safest place.”

  Jase studied her for a full minute then tentatively accepted the knife, the awe in his eyes so painful to witness, her throat closed.

  “My life is yours.”

  Raven watched him leave, a spring in his steps that had been missing.

  It felt good to have at least one thing go right tonight.

  She mounted the stairs, distracted by the case, when an unnatural silence crept over her. She measured the distance to the study where her weapons laid and gauged if she’d be able to close the distance in time. London entered the foyer. He spoke, but she heard nothing.

  Magic brushed against her, heavy, invading her body with each breath. It drifted down from upstairs like a net to capture all within its grasp.

  To hell with waiting.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Raven took the remaining steps three at a time. London nearly overtook her. She shoved off the wall and ran full tilt toward Aaron’s room and the heavier pull of magic.

  She threw open the door. Jackson stood like a sentinel at the window, fighting two shifters while trying to shove a third one back over the windowsill.

  London pointed left before charging into the fray to help Jackson.

  Aaron was on the floor, barely holding off the blade angled for his throat. Raven swung back her leg, her boot catching the large shifter square in the face. Bones gave, the face caved and the body launched backwards.

  All without sound.

  It was unnerving to fight without the added element. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to rely on her senses.

  Blood pooled around Aaron’s leg where he’d taken a hit. Another wicked wound carved along his forearm where the skin pulled away from flesh.

  When he tensed, her attention flashed up to see the shifter on all fours. Even as she watched, his teeth lengthened, his claws pushed from his fingers, creating large notches across the floor.

  Anger took over. Raven yanked off her gloves and lifted her hand toward the wall. Electricity teemed in the wires and arced into her outstretched palm, closing the foot gap. The surge of power bowed her back, but the sharp pain was more delicious than crippling, and she soaked up all the beautiful current.

  The shifter’s eyes widened at the display. Sensing his prey was about to be snatched away, he charged.

  Raven launched herself into him headfirst.

  Bodies collided.

  Her back crashed to the floor. They slid a few feet, her shirt riding up her back, and she lost a layer of skin on the carpet as they grappled for purchase. Teeth tore viciously into the fleshly part of her shoulder, the pain stealing the air from her lungs. She lost hold on one of his arms and ribbons of agony slashed down her side.

  Raven gave up trying to fight fair. She laid her hands on bare flesh, one around his throat and another over his heart to complete the circuit.

  The charge immediately leapt into him.

  Fangs and claws receded.

  Her palms heated, but she refused to allow him to retreat. If she lost her hold, he would go for Aaron again.

  Only when burnt flesh filled the room did she relent.

  He had enough.

  But when she tried to pull back, the creature she harbored flexed her talons, refusing to be denied their prey.

  A snarl of rage worked up her throat.

  She would not be used.

  Raven tried to wiggle away, put distance between them, but his weight pinned her beneath his bulk.

  Blood trickled from his eyes and nose. His jaw clenched so tight his teeth cracked. Bile rose in her throat as she watched his blood slowly boil him from the inside out.

  Horrified by the sight, she arched her back, twisting until they rolled. Scalding blood poured over her at the action.

  Sputtering, Raven scrambled away from the shifter. Her back hit the wall, and she frantically swiped to get the gore off her face.

  The taste of his blood lingered in her mouth. A fierce satisfaction spread from the center of her chest, the cold beast at her core staring out in pride at her work.

  The shifter crawled to get away, dragging his body behind him to escape. Aaron limped forward, the knife in his hand gleaming. Raven tried to speak, but the damn spell wouldn’t release her.

  Aaron calmly sliced the throat of the shifter that had been sent to kill him.

  Death shrouded the room. Despite the destruction of all four would-be assassins, magic continued to swirl in the confined space. She tracked the source, the spell rising like a poisonous gas from the corpse nearest London.

  Launching to her feet, Raven rolled the body onto his back. A necklace rest over his chest, all but glowing with power. She yanked until the chain came away in her hand. Her creature hissed at the contact. The magic began to feed off the energy around her core now that the shifters fueling it were dead.

  She couldn’t shut down.

  The one comfort with her power was that she’d always been the one in charge.

  But she wasn’t now.

  The knowledge that she could be controlled, used against her will, both terrified and infuriated her.

  Raven sent a burst of raw electricity into the amulet, the source of the threat. Only to have the medallion eagerly soak up the charge. Panic slithered into her gut before she could squash it, eating up precious seconds, when a reckless idea began to take root. Not giving herself a chance to think, sh
e quickly followed the current into the necklace.

  It dropped her into the spell.

  She found herself staring down at a man sleeping peaceful, his form almost indistinguishable to the darkness around him.

  The creature charged, slashing at the image, and she saw the man’s cheek slice open. He swore, jerking upright. He immediately spotted the connection. He chanted a few words she didn’t recognize, and their link shattered like a pop of a light bulb.

  Raven landed on her ass, completely exhausted. Sounds whooshed back into the room, loud after such a long absence. The amulet lay blackened in her fists, the weight heavy as if it still carried all that magic locked inside.

  Her creature growled, circled what remained of her core like a mother with a nest before curling around it.

  Leaving her without an ounce of spark.

  “What is it?” Jackson reached for the chain, and Raven jerked it away.

  “A spell, but with a nasty parting gift if we managed to kill the attackers. It’s best you don’t have any contact with it until we know it’s completely dead.” And it was her only connection to the mystery man.

  Aaron came to stand before her, his pant leg and shirt stained with blood. He held her gloves out to her and formally bowed. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  * * *

  Raven stood in the shower long after the blood had washed down the drain. Despite the hot water, she shivered, remembering the bitter cold as the specter of death hovered over her attacker, ready to consume him, and she’d been helpless to do anything about it.

  She wanted to take the easy way and blame the necklace for everything, but it wouldn’t be the complete truth.

  The creature had craved vengeance.

  She slammed her palm against the wall. She’d thought she’d been getting better.

  “You can’t stay in there forever. Your wounds need to be treated.”

  Taggert stood in front of the sink, sorting through the abundance of first aid products. Conceding defeat, she shut off the water and wrapped the towel around herself. Her shoulder and side ached, though she barely registered the pain. “The bleeding has already stopped. I’ll bandage them.”

  Taggert stepped toward her, and her back thudded into the wall. She hadn’t even been aware of moving away from him.