But only after she set up some wards of her own. Any witch who crossed her property line would be stripped of their ability to cast while on her land. Raven didn’t question how she knew the spell, didn’t care as long as her people remained safe.
Heloise pursed her lips, wanting to argue with the truth, but couldn’t, which only pissed her off more. “You aren’t a witch, nor are you a shifter, not completely. What are you?”
Raven was beginning to suspect the truth. Her past was shrouded with mystery, so she had no idea if she’d been born that way or if they’d done something to her in the labs when she was a child, but there was no way she would share any of that with the witches. “I don’t have a clue.”
“You can’t be allowed to go around unchecked.”
Rylan was deathly still, his eyes black. “We won’t be test subjects.”
They wouldn’t submit without a fight.
“She’s pack, not a threat to your people.” Dominic stepped forward, his brilliant mind working. “You asked for her help, and she willingly gave it. She’s done nothing to warrant your constant badgering.”
Heloise wasn’t appeased, and her eyes landed on Raven. “Yet.”
“Until it happens, leave us the hell alone.”
The threat hung suspended between them.
Magic clashed in the air, and the world slowed. A leaf stopped mid-flight, while the howling of the wind ceased as abruptly as being plunged underwater.
Heloise nodded toward her. “I believe you mean what you say, but too many people saw what you did today. They heard the Prime speak of your unique makeup. There are legends of ancient creatures that roamed the night, long before the pack and clan came into existence. Even knowing they existed was so dangerous they’ve been stripped from history.
“They were protectors, even rulers of the ancient lands. People became jealous, craved power and worked to destroy the very thing that protected them.”
Raven listened intently, the story achingly familiar even though she’d never heard it before.
Her story.
She needed to know the truth. “What happened?”
“Evil.” Heloise closed her eyes as if shamed by the truth. “People became greedy and wanted the protectors gone. They infected the guardians with a form of tainted magic to get rid of them.”
Raven’s stomach twisted at the truth. “They created ancient magic.”
Heloise nodded. “The plan backfired, turning the protectors into monsters. They fought vicious wars for dominance until they were all but wiped out. Only a few escaped the annihilation. They managed to bind the wild magic, but it was much too late. Fearing retaliation for what they’d done, the humans created the creatures of clan and pack to rid the world of the rest of the ancient protectors. It was a massacre. The few who remained went into hiding.”
Raven instinctively knew she was a descendant of those ancient creatures, although her bloodline must have been diluted over the centuries. Every time danger became too great, it brought out her more primitive side—triggering her dormant genes to rise to the surface and rousing her beast.
It woke to protect what was theirs.
First Rylan, and now her pack.
“After years of war and devastation, the humans took over the kingdoms and magic faded from the world.” Heloise eyes turned dark and ghostly. “You were infected with the wild magic. It’s too volatile to control, too capricious and fickle.”
Raven could only nod.
All of it was true.
“You’re not like the rest of us. You’re more pure of heart. You don’t care about war or land or politics. Maybe that will save you, but I doubt it. You seem to have a natural resistance, but it will find a way to corrupt you. When you turn into the monster you carry, you will destroy the world. It almost happened today. The only thing that saved you was your pack.”
Heloise straightened, and her voice resonated in the air like a goddess pronouncing her fate. “It would be better to kill you before you turn into a threat.”
Power stretched under Raven’s skin to get out. It was a physical effort to speak past the compulsion to simply kill and rid herself of the problem. “I was the only one who could have stopped the Prime. The humans are unsettled now that they’ve learned paranormals are real. They’re playing nice in public, but they’ve been trying to make their own soldiers for years. It will happen. When they think they can win, there will be another war.”
Heloise grew solemn. “More than possible.”
“If I’m this guardian, allow me to guard.”
“And if you slip? It will be too late.”
Raven rose to her feet, exhaustion leaving her numb. “It’s already too late, but I think you know that. What do you want?”
Chapter Twenty-eight
“A witch in your pack.”
She meant a spy.
The answer came so fast, Raven suspected that had been the witch’s end game from the beginning. “To what purpose?”
Heloise gave her a tight smile. “You have my demand. Take it or leave it.”
Denial slammed into her with the force of a freight train. To invite a person in her pack was an intimate thing. Choose the wrong person, and it could become an invasion. Durant’s tail slinked out, curling around her ankle, the brush of fur soothing her agitation, and a small burst of warmth splashed through their connection. She wasn’t sure if it was a show of support or if he missed the contact between them. Either way she was grateful. “To be in a pack is to have complete loyalty to me. You wouldn’t gain anything.”
“It would guarantee you wouldn’t harm her.”
“Not really. Plenty of packs kill their own or sell them into slavery.” But the voodoo priestess was correct to a certain extent, the witch would be under her protection.
“She’ll call to report to me once a week.” Smugness settled around her. “To assure me she remains unharmed, of course.”
More like to report Raven’s whereabouts and any other information Heloise’s spy could steal. The pack would have to be on constant guard. On the other hand, if she became a monster everyone feared, the added safety guard could be a blessing. “I’ll agree on one condition.”
This time Heloise was the one who hesitated. “Go on.”
A leaf drifted into view, so sluggish she didn’t even see it move, and Raven realized time hadn’t stopped, just slowed down. “I get to choose the person.”
Heloise was already shaking her head before she finished. “Unacceptable.”
“I need a witch who won’t be tempted by the wild magic, one who will be able to fit in with my pack, or the deal’s off.”
Realizing she didn’t have any say in the matter only infuriated Heloise, and she grunted in agreement. With a wave of her arm, time resumed. “Then you are free to leave.”
Raven turned and spotted Luca among his friends. As soon as her eyes landed on him, he flashed her a hesitant smile. The promise she’d given him shone on his face, and he seemed about ready to burst with anticipation, but he didn’t say a word as he waited for her decide. “Luca, if you’re still interested in traveling with us, you should say your goodbyes.”
A wide grin split his face. With a quick wave to those behind him, he darted toward her as if he feared she would change her mind if he didn’t reach her in time. A few students frowned, but she wasn’t sure whether it was jealousy or that they didn’t like see one of their own abandon them.
“You planned this.” Heloise’s accusation stopped Luca short, and his gaze bounced between them.
Magic dusted the air. Like the tide, she felt it being pulled toward Heloise, and Raven stiffened at the threat. “He asked me to sponsor him. He’s a wizard, so he meets both our criteria.
Deep grooves dug between Heloise’s brows at her choice. Though he was a kid, he wouldn’t be easily manipulated by the coven. He couldn’t be bought by the promise of power.
Wizards didn’t have any.
It was one way to keep him
and her pack safe, but still honor her bargain with Heloise.
The witch sighed and gestured toward Luca. “This is your choice?”
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate, but swallowed hard, his Adam apple bobbing painfully when those spooky eyes focused on him. Raven gave him points for not dropping his gaze. Tough kid.
“So be it.” Heloise turned their back as she walked toward the cluster of remaining witches, and Raven wondered if the gesture was symbolic of cutting ties with the boy.
Raven faced the shifters who clung to the tree line. “As per our agreement, you are free to remain or return to your packs. Your contracts are paid in full.”
The witches grumbled, but none protested.
A few of the shifters immediately disappeared into the shadows. A number of them scurried back toward the safety of the witches, but a handful remained behind.
One of the group straightened and took a step toward her. Thomas’ friend spoke, “We fought for you and would like to remain with you.”
Familiars were usually the most undesirable of the pack. If they went back to their old lives, they would have to be submissive to everyone else in the pack or sold back to the witches. Neither of those options was an enviable positions.
They were expendable.
Most would be dead before the year was out.
As if understanding her hesitation, Dominic gave her a nod. Trusting his judgment, she waved to the group. “You’re welcome to join us.”
* * *
After hours of sorting through the rubble and collecting dead bodies, Raven and her rag-tag group headed toward the gates. Sunlight threatened the horizon.
The new day would begin soon.
As soon as an SUV and a small bus pulled up to the gate, London emerged and took in everything at a glance, then assumed charge of getting everyone loaded. Jackson emerged from the bus, his gaze immediately landing on her. He didn’t move toward her, instead surveying her from head to foot, the possessiveness she saw there stealing her breath. When his focus fell on the sword strapped to her back, his brows lifted. Then, as if satisfied to see she was alive and whole, he went to help London.
Part of her wanted him to come closer, but she understood his restraint.
One touch wouldn’t be enough.
Unnerved by his penetrating gaze and the need to touch it invoked, Raven glanced back at the gate. It took her brain a second to register her silent shadow had vanished. Despite all Randolph had done for them, she was pathetically glad to find him gone. He hadn’t risked his life to be nice. He’d demand payment. The last thing she wanted was to have him anywhere near her pack when he came to collect.
The sword warmed in agreement, the heat soaking into her aching muscles. Raven paused, but sensed nothing else from the weapon but a show of camaraderie.
A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Nicholas stood on the outskirts of the group like an outcast, something so bruised in his eyes as he watched her people that she took a step toward him.
Only to see him pull out a set of keys and walk away. Unable to curb her curiosity, she followed. “Sneaking away?”
“You don’t have to worry, I won’t hold you to your promise.” He unlocked the door, not bothering to meet her eyes.
His stiff posture didn’t invite conversation. “You’ve changed your mind.”
He appeared startled, something that rarely happened with a vampire. The mask he wore was stripped away, revealing such naked emotions that her heart ached. “No, but I understand why you needed me to help protect your pack. I’d use anyone to protect them, too.”
“You’re a dork.” Raven smiled at the yearning in his voice. His decision to give her an out merely cemented her vow to help. “I never make a promise I don’t intend to keep. You’re coming with us.”
He didn’t move, his intensity so unnerving her smile fell away.
“There will be trouble.”
Raven raised a brow at him. “Trouble always has a way of finding me.”
His lips twitched. “You do seem to have a knack for it.”
She rolled her eyes. “So everyone says, but maybe it happens for a reason.”
Nicholas hesitantly stepped away from the car, his body coiled tight as he nodded toward her pack. “You don’t see it, do you?”
She swung toward the group, drawing energy from her bones in a delicious ache as she searched for the threat. Worry tightened the muscles of her back into knots as she waited for an attack.
Only to find nothing menacing in the shadows for once.
“See what?”
“Your men are not the perfect little soldiers groomed for a normal pack. Such structured life of blindly following orders would stifle them. You’ve managed to bind a pack of outcasts together, each with different strengths. Most would see you as foolish for polluting the pack with so many breeds. They wouldn’t be able to control them, which would make them useless. But you don’t see them that way, do you?”
“Of course not.” Raven was baffled about what point he was trying to make. Something in his tone warned her she wouldn’t enjoy what he had to say. “Get in the car and explain.”
London was behind the wheel. Durant in his cat form took up the cargo area. That left Dominic, Nicholas, and Rylan to fill the car.
They took the first winding turn out of the mountains when Nicholas started to speak. “The world is changing. The old ones don’t see it. With humans now aware of our existence, the old ways of hiding our mistakes under the cover of darkness and brushing them off as myths and legends will no longer work.”
He was so certain war would strike again, everything inside her chilled at the prophecy. “What do you mean?”
“Humans have had enough time to study us, learn our weaknesses. They’ve been creating weapons. If they decide to attack, they’ll take out the strongest first.”
“The alphas and the masters.” Rylan spoke as if he’d already planned the fall of the paranormals. Noticing her look, he flashed her a smile. “You forget we were at war with each other over a hundred years ago. Ask any paranormal, and they can tell you any number of ways to destroy the others. We’re predators, trained by clan and pack to be warriors. The alphas and masters used to have full guards to protect them. With the peace between clans, we’ve become lax.”
“You make it sound like killing them would be so easy.” Raven had met the other paranormal creatures. They were vicious and deadly and wouldn’t take kindly to a paltry human trying to kill them.
“Easy?” Rylan raised a brow. “No, but possible. It’s the best way to pitch the paranormal world into chaos. Then all the humans have to do is pick us off. Without a leader, we’ll be wiped out in a matter of years. If the humans don’t kill us, we’ll kill each other in the battle for power.”
Disturbed by his conviction, Raven swiveled in her seat to face Nicholas. “You’re sure?”
The bleak truth was etched on his face. “They’ll take out the Council members first. The treaties holding the races together would unravel, leaving each paranormal sect to defend themselves.”
The certainty in his voice was chilling.
The realization that it could happen so easily twisted her stomach and bile rose in her throat. “I hadn’t realized peace between the races was so fragile.”
“We’re basic creatures.” Dominic’s eyes were haunted. “When it comes down to survival, we’ll do whatever’s needed to protect our own. We’ve seen it happen in the labs often enough.”
The scientists soon realized they needed to snap the bonds of the pack before the shifters could be molded into perfect soldiers. They did unspeakable things to break them down into nothing more than a simple beast to serve their purposes.
Those who had survived the training, anyway.
Rylan touched her shoulder, anchoring her in the present. She leaned back into the comfort of his touch, shaken at how quickly she’d been pulled into the nightmare of her past. “Who else knows?”
/> “Only the Council and a few of the alphas.”
London grunted as he took a turn a little too fast and gravel rattled the bottom of the SUV and sprayed out from under the tires. “And telling us is a death sentence. You’ve sealed your fate by warning us. Why?”
“I’m a dead man anyway.” Nicholas shrugged. “They’re trying to work out a plan and build a war committee, but no one can come to terms on anything.”
They all knew the likelihood of everyone agreeing was almost zero. But it also explained why the witches had allowed her to leave with the sword.
“They might not know it yet, but they already have their committee.” At her blank expression, Nicholas tipped his head toward her group. “You. People will follow you.”
“Whaaat?” The last thing she wanted was to be a leader, not with the rise of her creature.
“You brought together a bunch of outcasts, something that should be impossible. They believe in one thing absolutely—you—and it’s made you all stronger. Nothing can prevent what’s coming, but your group might be able to salvage what’s left before we’re wiped out.”
Raven was already shaking her head when Dominic spoke. “We need to stop them before war erupts.”
“How?” Knowing someone had a plan that didn’t involve her leading a war, allowed her panic to recede to a manageable level. She was desperate enough to latch onto even the most far-fetched idea.
“By finding them first.” Dominic’s expression shut down as he stared at her. “We both know the people who want us dead. They have plenty of money, power, and the knowledge to win this war.”
He was talking about the labs.
Unable to meet his eyes and see the horrors reflected there, she looked away.
The men exchanged glances and fell silent, a guy thing that never boded well for a woman. “What?”
“It’s too dangerous for you to be home right now, especially if we’re going after the labs. You need to leave until things cool down.” Rylan’s spoke without inflection, but hatred for the labs burned in his obsidian eyes, a lust for vengeance that wouldn’t be quenched without bloodshed.
Electric Heat (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 3) Page 29
