Electric Storm (35 page)

He backed up and did so without taking his eyes off hers. She licked her lips as nerves stormed through her. “You realize I’ve never done this with anyone else.”

He nodded and the rest of the world dropped away until only the two of them remained. His energy wrapped around him, subtly different from humans, seductive in its strength. He didn’t move, his shoulders tense as if bracing himself for her to strike.

“If you feel any pain, tell me and I’ll stop.”

“Do it.”

Raven gazed into his eyes a moment longer, praying he wouldn’t hate her if she failed.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, and jerked in surprise when they flexed under her touch. Goosebumps raced up her arms, and she shivered as desire nearly drowned her. The wolf at her core inched forward at the touch as if curious.

Blue eyes filled her vision.

The need for freedom, the need to run, bore down on her. It was all she could do to remain still. She inhaled deeply and the cut grass and fresh air smell that she associated with Jackson filled her head.

Could her own wolf help Jackson?

The last time she pulled her to the surface, Jackson’s own animal had reacted. The unconscious urge to do just that built. If she tried hard enough, pushed hard enough, she knew they could help him.

Her hands slipped down to his chest, her fingers slightly stroking the hard lines of his muscles. A light growl resonated under her palms, and she cursed the shirt that separated them. Eagerness built as the wolf began to pace. When Jackson’s hands settled on her waist, her eyes snapped open.

His eyes splintered to yellow with his wolf. She belatedly remembered Rylan’s warning about Jackson’s compulsion to bite her and froze. Sweat beaded on his brow, strain bracketing his eyes and lips.

As if sensing her hesitation, his hold tightened. “Don’t you dare leave.”

He leaned closer, his nose inches from her throat, and inhaled. Her breath caught, tingles swept over her skin as pure lust poured through her. The irresistible draw to him had her shuffling closer. All she wanted was to crawl into his lap and bask under his attention. She was coming to understand the compulsion shifters had to touch.

“Jackson.”

They were so close his breath feathered her lips. His eyes dilated, but he didn’t move, which was its own aphrodisiac. She couldn’t help but wonder about his taste. If she just leaned forward...

Self-preservation screamed at her to pull back, but her senses said that this was the right path if she wanted to help him. Taking a leap of faith, she crushed her lips to his, praying she knew what the hell she was doing.

 
Chapter Twenty-seven

JUST AFTER SUNSET

J
ackson’s lust exploded through her with the first taste of his lips, spurring Raven to seek more. Everything around her vanished as sensations consumed her. All that mattered was him and the burning desire to take everything he offered.

His arms slid around her waist, and he fisted her shirt, whether to draw her forward or hold her in place, she didn’t care. She had no intention of going anywhere. She locked her hands in his hair to slow him down, wanting to linger and enjoy every second of what he did to her.

When he sprawled backward, she eagerly crawled on his lap, nipped at his lips and luxuriated in the heat that seeped into her bones.

“Raven.”

The husky, reverent sound of her name on his lips sent her heart pounding. The fog clouding her mind lifted a fraction. She had a job to do. It hurt to pull away from him.

She drew up short by his grip on her waist. Yellow eyes locked on hers. A growl thrummed in Jackson’s chest, and an answering call rose in her. Power shimmered, growing brighter. Her skin grew tight, and the glow spilled over onto him.

Faster than she could register, his hand rose to cradle her head. His fingers sank into her hair, and she shivered at the demand as he angled her face down to his. He twisted until he lay over her, his hard body surrounding hers, and she lost her breath. Delicious heat enveloped her as he ravaged her mouth. The wolf at the center of her took that moment to charge.

Like on a rollercoaster, her stomach jumped in her throat, the beast ready to burst through her chest. Pain riveted her, searing her insides, tearing a groan from her.

“Raven!”

Her eyes snapped open to see him reach for her. “No!”

But it was too late. The instant his hand touched her skin, the power of her wolf raced up his arms. Seconds took an eternity to pass. Then his eyes rolled up in his head, and he collapsed.

His weight crushed her. Frantic with worry, she touched his back, running her hands over him, but couldn’t detect any injuries. “Jackson?”

No response.

Terrified she’d really hurt him, she allowed what little power she managed to save to rise up in her. Strands crawled over every inch of him, wrapping around him as if picking up on her concern.

And found nothing wrong.

The connection abruptly died, taking the last of her power with it. She wiggled out from Jackson’s weight. She paced, wondering if she should tell someone, but knew Jackson would hate to have their privacy exposed. And what could they do, anyway?

He looked so vulnerable she covered him with a blanket, unable to bear leaving him so exposed. When she went to smooth back his hair, a tremor shook her naked hand, and she pulled away, afraid the contact would hurt him worse. She backed up another step.

She knew better than to touch someone. She should count herself lucky that she hadn’t actually killed him. Deeply buried doubts rose. Who’s to say what would happen next time? They got off lucky.

What made her think she could ever be normal?

But there was one thing she could do.

Quickly opening the drawers, she grabbed the first set of gloves that met her fingers and yanked them on over her hands. She pocketed her cell and hurried across the room, giving the bed a wide berth. She stepped onto the balcony then leapt over the side, landing on the balls of her feet in the grass. She cradled her ribs as her bruised body protested. As she entered the woods, she dialed Ross.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Jackson would be fine, she assured herself, but she couldn’t resist the urge to gaze back at the house one last time.

* * *

The morgue was empty when she arrived. The guard, Chuck, was nowhere to be found. Her steps slowed, but she didn’t wait for him to return. Observation room one, two and three were glaringly empty.

“Ah, there you are.” A voice said from behind her.

“Shit.” She whirled to face Ross, unnerved not to have noticed him sneak up on her. Her heartbeat skyrocketed. Power hovered under her skin, eager for a confrontation.

“Ross.” She tried to smile, but feared it came out as more of a grimace. There was no danger, but the power refused to dissipate back into her body, fighting her for control. Dying had a way of screwing with her system.

“Jumpy.” Ross smiled pleasantly, already dressed in the paper scrubs. “This place has that effect on people.”

He reached into his pocket and removed two masks. “Here, you’ll need this. It’s another bad one.”

She hesitated, glancing at the door with a grimace of distaste and gingerly accepted his offer. “I hope you don’t get into trouble with Scotts for bringing me down here.” She slipped the mask over her face, coughing slightly at the dust of powder.

“Oh, I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore.”

The room spun, and it took her a while for his words to register.

“Excuse me?” She glanced at him, nearly dropping to her knees when dizziness assailed her. His expression appeared detached as he observed her. A horrible realization sank deep in her gut. Her gaze slid past his shoulder and landed on the empty autopsy table. She clawed at the powdery mask and threw it away, disgusted at being so stupid.  

“It was you.” The words were slurred, her lips growing numb. She should’ve connected it sooner. How he knew too much about the paranormal world, how things worked, how he called them shifters instead of weres like most normals. The strength went out of her legs, and her knees cracked against the tile floor when she fell. “You sell shifters to the hunters.”

He took Taggert.

And she was next.

“Nothing so barbaric. I turn the shifters over to the hunters once I’ve learned everything I can from them. I couldn’t let them free afterwards. They knew too much.”

She took a deep, calming breath, hoping that the fresh air trickling into her lungs would clear her head. “You’ve been dosing me with poison.” Chemicals had been rousing her animals, not Jackson or Taggert like she’d originally thought.

“Not poison. You’re too important.” Ross smiled as if enjoying the conversation. “At first, I wasn’t sure if you were a
normal
, but you reacted to the powder. Not much, but it was enough to trigger my curiosity.

“You see, shifters react rather violently to it. Only alphas are able to withstand the chemicals without being forced to take their animal form. But not you. I had to inject you with the liquid form, and you’re still not reacting as predicted. You’re not human, but I can’t place what type of breed you are.”

Ross paused as if he were waiting for her to supply him with answers. Raven laughed, unable to help herself. “You fool. I can’t change into any animal.”

A smile broke across his face, and a deep ‘oh, shit’ passed through her. “That’s what makes you such a superb specimen. You’re the closest thing to a shifter and human that I’ve run across. You’re the key to my research. Vampire blood can heal wounds, but did you know that shifter DNA can be extracted and used to slow some diseases?

“All the answers are in the blood, but shifter blood isn’t compatible to humans. I need to do more tests. Though shifters can heal incredibly fast, their blood weakens after a few weeks of study. When they have nothing else to offer me, I hand them over to the hunters. It’s a win, win situation.”

“Why?” Her voice rasped painfully, her numb throat fighting her.

Ross lost his smile. “My mother died after a prolonged hospital stay, rotting in a bed, hooked up to machines. She died for nothing. A shot, once a week, would’ve prolonged her life.”

“You were trying to find a cure.” Though his original intent had been noble, she didn’t feel a twinge of compassion for him.

“I wasn’t in time. I didn’t have enough subjects to test. I found a way around that now.”

“By draining people until they’re near death to create the serum.”

“Filthy animals.” His lips curled in rage, his movements grew more agitated and violent as he spread out a tarp on the floor. “Scientists have always experimented on animals.”

He actually believed it was no big deal. “They’re people.”

Images of Ross with a needle in his hand, holding her down and taking her blood exploded through her mind. “You did something to me when I collapsed.”

He nodded as if talking to an associate and not someone he planned to kill. “I wanted a viable sample. By the time I was able to work with yours, the blood had degraded too much to profile it.”

He shook his finger at her as if she were naughty. “But I know you’re different. You’re the key to perfecting my cure. This time I’ll take tissue samples. You heal amazingly fast. I’ll take care not to let you die.” Despite his words, malice gleamed in his eyes. He’d keep her alive, too, until he found his answers.

Ross puttered around the room, dragging out an old black doctor’s bag. He whistled tunelessly, while pulling out a pair of heavy shackles. She tried to rise, but found her muscles unable to obey as if her hands and knees were cemented to the floor.

“Don’t try to run. You won’t make it far. The shot last night at the crash has weakened you, leaving you susceptible. The second dose I just gave you will keep you docile for a few hours.”

Her head snapped up at his mention of the crash. “Where’s Taggert?”

Fear plummeted through her. She didn’t know what was worse, the thought of Taggert being hunted or being the subject of an experiment.