Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend (12 page)

Hers.

Then the truth of what he was doing there shriveled her soul.

Shifting was a private thing. To be forced to do it in
public was a huge invasion of privacy. It stole something from them, a violation
that left them feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Her throat ached with the need to roar her outrage. Energy
rose until it crackled under her skin. It would only take a little push to suck
all the electricity from the circus and shut it down permanently. The dragon
stretched under her skin, wanting freedom.

Taggert inched in front of her, his eyes only for her. “You
have to tone it down.”

Rage seethed around her like an invisible wind, offering
comfort and the will to do her bidding, and she nearly buckled under the
temptation. “And if I refuse?”

A gust of air tugged at the canvas tent. Dirt and debris
danced around the floor like little tornados.

“If you don’t pull back, you’ll kill everyone here.”

Raven didn’t care, not seeing that as such a bad thing. They
deserved anything that happened to them. The dragon’s primal need to protect
the pack seeped passed past her shields.

Taggert stepped into her space, so close less than an inch
separating them, effectively drawing her attention as his delicious heat soaked
into her. “Including Jackson and me.”

Power evaporated in the air from one breath to the next, the
temperature dropping a good ten degrees. She swallowed down the current, the
force of it like razor blades slicing her throat, the sudden influx of energy sloshing
through her as she struggled to reabsorb it all.

The dragon wrapped around her and squeezed, sucking the air
from her lungs. The beast dragged the energy from her system, claws gouging her
insides as the current sank heavily into her bones. Her limbs and face tingled
as if she’d sucked on a car battery.

Her body jolted at the sharp crack of the whip as if the lash
had been aimed at her. Her attention snapped toward Jackson, afraid if she
didn’t watch, he’d vanish forever.

Even from the distance, she could feel energy gather around him.
Shifting normally wasn’t smooth or graceful. Jackson’s shift to his animal form
was different. There were no muscles popping, no bones snapping or rippling
fur, no blood or gore as flesh reformed.

It took less than a minute for the human form to melt down,
leaving a gigantic wolf in his place. The big wolf was gorgeous, the lines of
his body tightly packed with muscles, and easily twice his normal size, a rare
trait that actually allowed him to gain body mass when he shifted. His fur had
an amazing mix of tawny gold tinged with black instead of the normal black and
white of his race.

The wolf stood strong and proud as he faced the crowd.

No one cheered or clapped. What should’ve been an amazing
sight twisted into fear, the change so fast and brutal, a number of people
gasped in shock, leaning all the way back in their seats to get away. Some
people even scrambled higher in the bleachers to escape such a dangerous
monster.

They wanted to see the change, expected to find a cuddly
animal waiting, not a vicious wolf appearing out of thin air, able to kill a
man with one swipe of his massive claws. Fear perfumed the air, the smell like
catnip to animals. Shifters could control their baser urges, but only to an
extent. Without a strong alpha, they could become riled and revert to their most
primal form. Their beast would ultimately giving into the need to hunt.

The whip whistled through the air as if that would do
anything to prevent the wolf from attacking. The wolf didn’t flinch as the
leather kissed his fur. The whip sailed again, trying to work him into a
frenzy, give the crowd a show, but they couldn’t push him too far or risk the
animal losing control.

Until she spotted two men hidden at the perimeter of the tent,
guns pointed with Jackson in their sights.

One misstep and they would kill him.

Adrenaline spiked in her veins. She wanted to slip around
the curtains, sneak up on them and rip out their yellow spines for being such
cowards. The dragon hummed in agreement, and her skin tingled as the large
beast began to push to the surface.

Jackson lifted his head, sniffing the air, then stilled. Not
even his chest moved as those vivid green eyes of his lowered. Despite the
benches and the people separating them, his eyes locked onto her, all majestic
wolf and warrior. She couldn’t be prouder.

He would never bend, never break, loyal down to the bone.

As he continued to stare, his eyes began to glow as his wolf
struggled to take over and a deep
oh, shit
feeling trembled through her.

His beast recognized the danger and wanted to take her away
and protect her. Muscles bunched as he prepared to move, and a wave of
helplessness nearly strangled her.

They would shoot him.

Pandemonium would erupt from the audience.

And she was too damned far away to calm him.

Much as she hated to admit it, she was the one inciting him
more than that blasted whip ever could.

Just like Clancy wanted.

It was too soon yet. She had to pretend to be human, so she run
and left him behind like some coward. Everything inside her rebelled at
abandoning him.

Clancy smirked, noticing Jackson’s weakness, and she wanted
to rip off his face. Sensing her intent, Taggert grabbed her arm and yanked her
out of the tent. With one last stricken glance at Jackson, Raven went without a
struggle.

DAY TWO: MIDNIGHT

T
he crowd had thinned considerably, the kids
having long since gone to bed with fairytales dancing in their heads as the evening
crept closer to midnight. The noise didn’t taper off. If anything, the guests became
rowdier, and the laughter more boisterous.

After leaving the tent, she’d expected the threat to have
lessened. If anything, Raven couldn’t get over the impression she was being
watched. She slowed her steps, trying to pinpoint her unease and found her gaze
returning time and again to the woods … away from the circus.

Someone was out there.

When she focused, she could almost sense him.

A connection snapped into place.

Burning anger spread like wildfire, a hunger to destroy everything
threatened to overtake her, and she quickly cut the link. Raven was floored. She
wanted to believe the circus was responsible for the disappearances so she
could go after Clancy, but someone in the forest wanted to destroy the circus
and didn’t care how they did it.

That meant Veronica had been telling the truth.

Someone was actually stalking the circus.

Son of a bitch!

Taggert opened the door to her jail and nudged her inside.

Raven had one foot lifted to step into the trailer when she
stopped, mistrustful of Taggert’s sudden silence. “They’re going to make him
fight, aren’t they?”

This churning, gut-wrenching worry was her punishment for
helping Leo escape.

Taggert cursed when her foot dropped back to the soggy
ground, and she firmly shut the door with a quiet snick. “You have to trust
him. He knows what he’s doing. If you’re caught disobeying, it will go worse
for all of us.”

She trusted her pack with her life, but it was her job to
keep them safe. This was her fault, her responsibility to get him out of this
mess. She rubbed her brow, scrambling to find answers. When she came up empty,
her stomach began to cramp with the brutal truth.

He was going to have to fight.

Changing shape took an enormous amount of energy. A strong
shifter could only do one or two shifts a day. More than that, they dropped
unconscious and didn’t wake for days.

“Jackson’s been shifting all night. He might be strong, but
he’s not invincible.” She touched Taggert’s arm. “Don’t ask me to stand by
while he kills himself.”

Taggert nodded reluctantly, staring at her hand with such
deep yearning her heart hiccupped in her chest. When he blinked, the look was
gone, and she found herself missing it. Made her realize how important the men
in her life had become. “I won’t risk the pack further for these people. The
first sign of him losing the fight, I’ll signal Durant to get out. We’ll grab Jackson
and run.” And if she took down the ringmaster and some of his henchman in the
process, all the better.

She started to head back to the Big Top when Taggert growled
and stepped in her path. “We’ll go, but the first sign that he can fight, we
get you back here.”

Raven opened her mouth to protest, when a mutinous expression
filled his face. He wouldn’t feel an ounce of remorse restraining her if he
thought it would keep her out of trouble, and she barely held back a snarl.

“Yes, we’re in danger, but nothing that we haven’t dealt
with before. You can’t coddle us. Jackson is a fully trained enforcer, and he’s
been so for years. That takes skill.” His face softened a fraction as he gazed
down at her, part of the old Taggert emerging.

She swayed forward, needed to touch him, only to stop short
when his head snapped up. All emotions vanished as he scented the air. Raven
turned, trying to see what caught his attention, and squeaked in alarm when he
hefted her off her feet, opened the trailer, and chucked her into the trailer.

She twisted mid-air, surprising herself when she landed on
all fours. Right before the door slammed shut in her face, she saw Taggert roll
under the trailer.

Raven straightened, her senses going on alert, trying to
pinpoint what had set Taggert off. Some shifters were born with gifts to
compensate for not being able to shift, others developed them as they aged and
grew into power. Jackson could shift fast and gain mass, while Taggert could
scent things far beyond the normal shifter.

A full minute later, she caught what he picked up.

Two of the circus henchmen approached, both of them shifters.
One man moved so silently, she barely sensed him. If not for a slight
disturbance of energy in the air, she wouldn’t have. The other one breathed
heavily, the stink of someone who hadn’t showered in a few days clinging to
him. He made no effort to remain quiet, while she suspected that it came like second
nature to his companion.

Raven patted down her hair, hiding the distinct silver
highlights that almost seemed to glow in the dark. By the time she stood and
straightened her clothes, they were pounding on the door—a formality as it was
flung open a second later.

Two men waited for her, one partially hidden in shadows. She
focused on the first man, taking him in as at a glance as she leapt back, not
willing to be taken so easily like some weak prey.

Average height, slim build and worse, a determined
expression.

“Your presence has been requested at the games.”

An order.

Raven halted mid-attack, realizing she’d get exactly what
she wanted. They’d take her directly to Jackson.

The dark-haired one reached for her, but Raven ducked out of
the way of his grasping hands, jumping to the ground without help. He scowled,
ready to lunge, when the second man snorted and quickly stepped forward to take
the lead.

The doctor they called Greggory.

For the first time, she got a really good look at him.

He wore a pressed gray shirt, his blond hair buzzed short. Nothing
about him stood out. Just a shadow in the night. He moved like a predator, all
smooth grace and power, his body not built like an average shifter with massive
shoulders and muscles, but she found him just as imposing.

Every inch of him was all predator on the hunt. Though his
beast hovered close to the surface, she couldn’t pinpoint his breed.

From the power resonating from him, she imagined something
big and ready to take a swipe at anything that bothered him.

Irritable.

Prickly.

No love was lost between the two men, and Raven liked him
for it.

She kept pace at his side, able to feel the other man hard
on her heels, waiting to grab her again if she fell so much as fell a step behind.
Both shifters were slim, but the difference between the two couldn’t be more
obvious. One smelled crisp and clean, maintaining a respectable distance, while
the other had a slightly sour odor, his appearance rumpled and dirty.

As they exited the makeshift trailer park, Raven didn’t
bother to search for Taggert, able to sense him moving through the darkness,
keeping watch. The doctor slowed his steps and studied the shadows. He might
not know what was there, but he sensed something paced them.

The slob remained oblivious.

Unnerved by his heavy breathing, Raven focused on the near silent
man at her side. She scanned him as unobtrusively as possible, and his aura lit
up like a Christmas tree. She’d never seen anyone so tightly bound.

She wanted to probe deeper, read the bindings, but didn’t
dare. If she used any more current, they would be able to sense it.

There was more than one way to find the truth. She scanned
the man following them, easily picking up the pack bindings, and nearly
stumbled over her own feet when she discovered none of them led back to the
doctor.

Nothing made sense. “You were born a rogue?”

The doctor stiffened, then shrugged.

She didn’t detect a lie. Usually when a person lied, their
scent altered slightly. A few shifters had the ability to become the perfect
lie detectors. Jackson happened to be one of them, and thanks to his blood when
she claimed him, she’d inherited his gift.

“Have you never tried to petition the pack for a position?”
A rogue had only three ways to earn pack status. Petition an alpha, enter the
slave auction in hopes of being selected, or challenge the pack and fight for
position.

Before he could answer, the dark haired one laughed. “No one
would want Greggory, not even Clancy. He can’t hold his shift for more than
five minutes.”

Raven didn’t laugh. “It takes more than shifting to be valuable
to a pack.”

“How would you know, human?” The man gave her a rude shove, his
hand like a rock slamming into her, and she shot forward a few feet.

She would’ve fallen if Greggory hadn’t grabbed her.

She hadn’t even seen him move.

He set her on her feet, then released her, touching her no
longer than necessary.

But it was long enough.

Energy from his beast splashed into her at the contact. A
shock jumped between them, and his body jolted. The dragon’s eyes snapped open
at the potential threat, sensing something off about him. They both froze, each
staring at the other. Not wanting to bring attention to what happened, Raven
started walking. With no hesitation, the doctor followed suit. His dark eyes
swirled with emotions as his gaze latched onto hers.

The instant they touched, she finally saw the pack
connections binding him down harder than any other animal she’d ever seen.
There wasn’t just one line but nearly a dozen, all of various strengths.

She’d never seen anything like it.

Her ass he wasn’t powerful.

Only the strongest paranormals could partially shift … or
prevent a shift. If he could hold the half-change for any length of time, she’d
bet her new scales that he was a full shifter. The only thing that stopped him
from turning furry was his damned stubborn nature.

From the way he studied her, he’d sensed she was more than
human. She waited for him to sound the alarm and call her out, but his mouth
remained firmly shut. The silence stretched to the breaking point, echoing
around them, a threat all its own.

After a few minutes, his shoulders relaxed a fraction, his
gait smoothing out as he realized that she would no more share his secret than
he could share hers, not without them both being caught.

They were at a stalemate.

Gravel crunched under their shoes, the night air crisp, the
perfect evening for a stroll … if she discounted the fact they were taking her
to watch Jackson be beaten near to death. Taggert tracked them, his energy an
angry red hovering in the darkness, waiting for her signal to attack. While Greggory
might not be able to see him, he studied the shadows as if sensing something
hunting them.

Raven turned, easily able to spot Taggert’s glowing green
eyes. If she hadn’t known where he hid, she would’ve never seen him peering
through the canvas of a tent. Ever since she’d entered his life, his stability
had been declining, growing worse every minute he remained with her. Grief sat on
her chest with the knowledge she was destroying him.

As if sensing her attention, he lifted his gaze from his
prey to focus on her.

She gave a tiny shake of her head.

Frustration bubbled out of him, but he obeyed, backing away until
the darkness swallowed him. She stared at the spot he disappeared long after
he’d gone. The rest of the circus appeared shut down, the booths padlocked, the
crowd gone. The string of lights resembled nothing more than a spider’s web
waiting to entangle and trip up the unsuspecting.

A cheer rose from the Big Top and dread seeped into her
pores. The closer they drew, the more menacing the tent appeared, ready to
collapse and smoother them all within its grasp and eat them.

“Hurry up.” The dark-haired creep slammed into her shoulder
as he passed. He threw back the canvas flap and disappeared inside. “I want to
place my bets before they close them down.”

Jackson waited for her inside.

It gave her the courage to step over the threshold.

Just before she could enter, a familiar darkness thickened
around her until she could see nothing else, its suffocating weight stealing
the air from her lungs. She reached out, only to have her hands slam against
wood.

She was no longer at the circus.

She tried to roll, but banged into a wall. Same with the
other side. … as if she were trapped in a coffin. She expected death to be
cold, but sweat damped her clothes until they stuck to her in the most awkward
of places.

She could deal with that if not for the bone-deep despair
that gutted her soul.

She’d never felt so alone in her whole life. Whatever ties
she had with her animal and others had been severed in one brutal swipe.

She scratched her arm, flaking off a fine layer of dirt
caked over her skin. Hundreds of stings peppered her from head to foot, as if
something was nibbling on her flesh.

Then a caustic smell infused her senses, the stink so vial
and overwhelming it left a fuzzy taste in her mouth. She scrambled to get away,
smacked the side of the wooden box, and heard the crunch of thousands of bugs.

They were everywhere.

She slapped at her skin, panicked at the thought of slowly being
eaten alive. Air grew thinner until it felt like she was swallowing fire.

When she felt a hand on her arm, Raven yelped, striking out
as she imaged something was grabbing her from beyond the grave. When she turned,
her vision flooded back. She gasped as fresh air surged into her lungs.

“A vision?” Greggory raised his arms as he released her and
stepped away, growing more intrigued by the minute.

Then his question registered

Her shoulders sagged in relief.

Of course.

A vision.

She should be worried about her secrets being exposed, but
she was just too glad to be out of that box.