Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend (24 page)

Never weakened.

It had always kept her alive, helped her survive. Raven
suspected that if the dragon died first, she would die was well.

No healing.

No coming back.

The dragon seemed so indestructible that Raven sometimes forgot
the beast was just a toddler. They were both vulnerable until the creature
could come into her full power.

For the first time, Raven realized that it was up to her to
protect them now.

One person drew her attention by his complete stillness.

Taggert.

Even near Veronica, he didn’t fall under her spell, made no move
to attack.

He was so focused on his beast, he was immune to Veronica
and her machinations. She’d considered him weak, therefore beneath notice and had
dismissed him. A hint of an idea formed at the fringes of her mind, only to
scatter when Jackson leapt over the shifters as if they weren’t even there.

He came at her like a juggernaut, his natural training
taking over, and he lunged for her throat.

R
aven ducked the first blow, trying to grab Jackson’s
arm but missed.

Though she realized he wasn’t in control, after their recent
argument, she couldn’t help but feel the fight was very personal.

She didn’t want to kill him, but knew he wouldn’t hesitate
to take her head.

He kicked out, his foot slamming into her chest, nearly
knocking her off her feet as she stumbled backward. If not for the tiny armor,
he would’ve broken her ribs. She wheezed, struggling to straighten.

She would never be able to beat him in hand-to-hand combat.
Not only did she not have the training, she couldn’t bring herself to harm him.

Throwing out all the fighting styles London had been
pounding into her head, Raven ran toward Jackson and plowed into him.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, twisting to catch
the blow aimed for her face against her shoulder. She buried her face into his
neck to keep away from his snapping teeth.

Skin touched skin.

Jackson struggled to untangle himself, his hands grabbing
her hips, his claws sinking deep.

Raven yelled in pain, tightening her hold, when sanity
gradually returned to his face. “Raven?”

His claws immediately retracted, and he juggled her weight,
trying not to hurt her as he cradled her close.

She smiled through the agony, swallowing hard in relief to
have him back. “My touch breaks the siren’s hold, but the instant I let go,
you’re going to try to kill me again.”

He actually paled, his arms squeezing painful around her.
“Then you better not let go.”

“Right.” She leaned against him, stealing a few seconds of
comfort, before pushing him away, careful to maintain contact with a hand on
his chest.  

Jackson gazed down on her, his face softening. “Your powers
can break her hold on us.”

“Yes, but it only lasts for a few seconds before it fades.”

“Then you have to fill me up with as much energy as you can,
and I’ll take care of Veronica.” His voice was low, full of determination.

“Your body wouldn’t be able to handle the raw current, not
to mention the shifters will tear you apart before you even got near.” It was a
suicide mission, and he knew it.

She scrambled to find any alternative, but her mind came up
blank at every turn.

Jackson grabbed her hand, brought it up to his lips and
kissed her fingers. “Raven—”

She shook her head, refusing to even contemplate sacrificing
him. She had to come up with a different solution. “Can you shift? You might be
able to change into your beast before she grabs ahold of you again.”

Jackson stubbornly shook his head. “I’m not willing to take
the chance on your life.”

The animals were knocking down the men as fast as they could,
but Veronica’s minions didn’t seem to feel fear or pain. They just rose and
marched ever forward.

Everyone except Taggert … the only one of them close enough
to kill Veronica before anyone could stop him.

Everything inside her revolted at the prospect of using him
that way.

As if sensing her regard, Taggert lifted his head, and their
eyes met.

Shock jolted through her body, the world around her fading when
she saw his eyes had gone completely black. A deep foreboding filled her.

He was cresting.

Even if she could reach him in time, there was nothing she
could do to stop it.

Though he’d been growing tougher, his beast wasn’t nearly strong
enough for the change.

Given time, he might have the ability to shift, just not
yet.

At least not alone.

Indecision caused her to hesitate, worried that if she tried
anything it would only make the situation worse.

Time ticked away.

He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer before his beast
killed him, tearing him apart from within.

If she didn’t do something, he would die.

Sending him energy would be risky.

Over the last few weeks, his body had become conditioned to
the current. He sought her touch at every opportunity like a craving he
couldn’t control. The only problem, the last time she gave him a boost of power,
she’d nearly killed him.

Terror weighted heavily in her chest, afraid of what would
happen to him if she did it again.

If she failed to save him, it would destroy her, stealing
the last bit of her humanity with him.

Jackson followed her gaze and grunted in understanding. “You
don’t have a choice.”

Raven swept her fingers across his chest, trying to soothe
them both. “There is always a choice. You just have to decide if you can live
with the consequences.”

Durant crossed the animal barricade, too strong to hold,
slowly prowling toward them like his tiger counterpart as he locked onto her.

“Do it.” Jackson ripped out of her hold and threw himself at
Durant. He bodily picked him up, and ran as hard and fast as he could in the
opposite direction, buying her a few precious seconds before he would ultimately
fall back under the siren’s spell.

“Eve?” Raven glanced at the woman, saw her shake, and Raven’s
heart grew so heavy in her chest, each heartbeat hurt.

“One more minute.”

Unfortunately, they didn’t have it.

If she didn’t do something, she would lose them all.

Whatever happens, you must stay hidden.

The dragon stilled, the desire to fight almost overwhelming,
but the beast seemed to understand it was the only way to save the pack. The
creature reluctantly sank back into her bones, the pain of holding so much back
like needles being slammed into her joints.

They only had one chance at this.

Raven took a deep shuddering breath, the weight of her
decision nearly suffocating. Then she dropped the shields she’d been holding,
and allowed the storm to find her.

Thunder shook the ground, and seconds later, lightning
forked across the sky. One. Two. Four bolts of lightning joined together until
the whole sky lit up.

That was when it located her.

Static built until raw current hummed in the air. The smell
of ozone swept around them. Her hair swayed from an invisible wind. Then, in
one powerful motion, the energy arced toward her.

She forced her muscles to relax, knowing the jolt could snap
her spine if she struggled. The jagged bolt struck the ground less than a foot
from her. It tunneled through the earth, up her feet and snaked into her body,
hitting her system like lava.

The animals scampered out of her way. The men halted, almost
confused as to what was happening. Awareness shone in their eyes as the energy
cooked the air, but the siren’s spell lingered. Persistent. They struggled to move,
but their feet remained pinned in place.

Then the world dissolved in a combination of pain and
pleasure as the storm wreaked havoc on her body. It raced through her veins.
Her skin grew heated, scorching to the touch, and the need to let all the power
loose became a compulsion.

Only, it was too much power for Taggert to process.

Determined to protect him, the dragon burst from hiding,
unfurrowing in her body until her skin became so tight it felt ready to split.
The current surrounded the dragon like a boa constrictor, wrapping around them
and squeezed tight.

Her ears popped under the pressure.

Energy seeped from her skin, snapping through the air.

The dragon lifted its claws, and sank her talons into the raw
current and shoved it into its mouth. The pressure eased as the beast gorged.
Just when her brain felt ready to boil, Raven dropped to her knees and slammed
her hands into the ground.

It took only seconds for the current to fork its way through
the black dirt toward its intended target.

Taggert roared when the current hit, his back arching until
his whole body bowed under the strain. She could see the current eat its way into
his body. His wolf snapped at the cords, then paused and lifted his head as he caught
her scent.

Their eyes connected across the distance and recognition
flashed between them. His wolf tipped his head toward her and stopped fighting
the sudden influx of power.

Horror sank into her as the wolf, ever so slowly, dissolved until
it was nothing more than a ball of energy.

Stealing the last bit of his soul.

“Taggert!”

As if her words were a command, the energy exploded outward,
soaking into his flesh. His skin rippled, bones snapped, fur erupting all over
him. He grew until his clothes shredded from his body.

Hope blossomed painfully in her chest.

He was still alive.

But instead of landing on all fours, he rose on two legs. A
muzzle shaped his face, two-inch fangs erupted from his jaws, while two long
ears sprouted and swiveled around to catch every sound. Inch-long claws tipped
his feet and hands. His chest deepened, his spine stretched, arms lengthening
and corded with muscles.

The world fell silent as his beast finally burst free.

He stood at least seven feet tall, muscles built upon
muscles, a fighting machine from ages gone by—she would say a werewolf, only
they had gone extinct over a thousand years ago.

Raven pushed to her feet, so close to burning out that she
swayed and struggled to remain standing. “Taggert?”

“
L
ycan.” The whisper rose through the crowd, the
word tinged with awe and a healthy dose of fear.

The sound set off the creature. He tipped back his head and
let out a roar, the deep bass reverberating in the air, raising the hair on the
back of Raven’s neck. The instinctive need to run and hide flittered through
her.

His eyes glowed with madness as he pinned her to the spot
with his gaze.

Nothing remotely Taggert remained.

Anguish threatened to take over, but Raven shoved it back.
To give in meant that there was no hope, and she refused to believe Taggert was
lost to her.

She reached for the pack bindings, nearly sagging in relief
when she found them still connected and stronger than ever. But when she tried
to reach him, all she felt was the wolf’s pain and raging anger.

Like he’d gone feral.

Her fingers shook at the realization.

No one ever came back … at least not whole.

Veronica backed away, which only succeeded to draw the
creature’s attention. She immediately stopped. Smart woman. The beast inhaled,
glanced around as if trying to catch a scent.

Then Veronica made a fatal mistake, she began to hum,
probably trying to call the men to her for protection.

The siren’s magic floated on the air, barely noticeable.

But it was enough.

Taggert’s big head swung in the fish’s direction, his teeth
bared. In a single bound, he jumped the ten foot distance between them. With a
slash of his claws, blood splattered and he continued to rip the woman apart.

Veronica didn’t even have time to lift an arm to protect
herself.

Whatever power held the men vanished with the first blow.

The men began to back away, and Taggert stilled. He slowly
turned his head, his wild green eyes almost yellow, a low growl rumbling in his
chest.

Looking for prey.

Everyone froze again.

“The pain of the change must have driven him mad.” Durant
edged toward her as he spoke, Jackson copying his move, but they were too far
away to do any good.

Taggert’s eyes narrowed, his complete attention focused on
them like a threat that needed to be eliminated. The body in his grip dropped
to the ground with a juicy squish, already forgotten. His muscles tensed in
preparation to attack, and her heart nearly ruptured.

If he attacked, the men would defend her and they would all
end up dead.

She couldn’t allow that.

Taggert was still in there. She just needed to reach him.

She couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least try.

Ignoring Durant and Jackson, Raven scurried forward.
“Taggert.”

He launched himself at her, his movements a blur. His fist
swung toward her, and Raven caught his wrist … the one that carried a bite marking
him as hers.

Everything about him stilled at the contact.

With each brush of her fingertips over the mark, Taggert
rose closer and closer to the surface. His nostrils flared, and he pushed his
snout closer as if trying to catch her scent. Raven tried to resist jerking
back, battling the fear he was going to rip out her throat. He gave a deep rumble
of displeasure and pulled her forward. The creature lowered his lips to hide
his fangs, trying to look innocent. 

Raven forced her pulse so slow, allowed herself to go pliant
as he dragged her closer. But as the distance narrowed between them, the more
his aggression eased. Confusion marked his face, and she could see her Taggert
struggle to surface.

Her throat tightened painfully with hope.

She hadn’t realized how worried she’d been.

Greggory and her men crept forward, waiting for the
opportunity to tackle them both to the ground. Taggert bared his fangs,
growling possessively, and she waved them off. Her men instantly obeyed. Greggory
paused, clearly displeased. Death darkened his eyes to black, danger thickening
until the air grew heavy in her lungs.

If he decided to attack, she would lose the fragile
connection to Taggert … possibly forever.

The only thing holding him to the present was her touch.

Taggert didn’t like that her attention had wandered, his
grip clamped possessively around her wrist, pulling her close. He scanned the
crowd and bared his fangs, getting lost again as the beast rose.

The need to touch him was so strong she could taste it.

She reached out, only to have him catch her wrist, stopping
her just an inch short.

But it was enough.

The grip closed the circuit, and electricity arched between
them.

She waited for him to throw her off, but instead of snarling
and ripping out her throat, he relaxed into her touch.

He appeared confused, noticing how he looked for the first
time and ducked his head as if ashamed. His body slowly melted down, fur
receded, bones reshaping until he stood naked and shivering before her.

He wobbled precariously before his legs finally gave way.
Refusing to release him, they both dropped to the ground. He tried to twist out
of her hold and push her away, but Raven refused to let him go. “Taggert—”

“I almost killed you.”

Raven cupped his face, forced him to meet her gaze and threw
the same words back at him that he’d told her not too long ago. “And yet I’m
unhurt. Your beast recognized me. He wouldn’t hurt me. If you wanted me dead, I
would be dead.”

Doubt colored his eyes before his face crumbled in
devastation. “I’m a monster.”

Greggory cleared his throat. “Actually, you’re royalty, an ancient
warrior coded to protect the highest-ranking shifters. You’re a legendary lycan.”
Amazement tinged his face, but Greggory wisely kept out of striking distance.
“None of your kind has been located for hundreds of years.”

Raven had never heard of any such thing. She brushed all the
nonsense away and focused on one thing … if anyone would be coming for him. “And
the rest of the royalty?”

“Gone. None have been located for over a thousand years, not
since the last war between royals. Rumor has it they wiped each other out.” His
eyed her queerly, and Raven knew why he called her little queen. He believed
she was one of them.

Other people began to creep closer out of curiosity, and
Raven resisted the urge to shield Taggert from view. Eve neared and carefully
set down a pair of sweats, and Raven nodded in thanks.

Taggert still appeared shaky but functioning. After he was
dressed, she glanced at Greggory. “How is this even possible?”

“He must have recessive genes that were triggered by the
attack.”

Not the attack.

Her.

When she flooded him with power, the current must have
activated the dormant genes, pulling them to the surface to help him survive.

Things began to click into place.

Taggert was the one who was going to die in her premonition.

It explained why the dragon wanted them to stay at the
circus. It had known that Taggert was near cresting, that he needed the extra
boost to shift, and that Raven wouldn’t have voluntarily given him more energy,
not after she nearly killed him last time.

But that did leave a very important question. “What does
this mean for him?”

“Werewolves are like berserkers, revered and worshipped in
the old days for their prowess. Deadly killing machines, not known for stopping
once they’d start killing.”

Until now.

The implications landed on her like a ton of bricks. Taggert
had just become the most sought-after shifter in the world. Humans would want
to kill him or experiment on him, while the shifters would want to challenge
her for ownership.

Taggert could literally kill a whole pack and no one would
be able to rein him in until the deed was done. “Explain why he can’t stop.”

 “Once they change, they can’t shift back until after the
battle. It’s a defense mechanism. Only when the threat is over do they usually fall
unconscious from exhaustion. It’s their only weakness. Humans discovered their
existence, saw them as monsters, and hunted them to extinction. Those who
escaped were tracked down by the shifters and eradicated. They couldn’t afford
for humans to find out the truth, not even back then. They were supposed to
have all been slaughtered.”

Taggert swayed, complexly wrung out from exhaustion. A touch
of pride tipped his chin up before his face quickly crumbled in worry. “You’ll
never have any peace with me around.”

He was going to leave the pack. She could see it in his
eyes. Panic swelled, threatening to crush her with the truth.

A decision needed to be made.

Keep her secrets or lose Taggert.

The decision was easy.

She made no move to stop the dragon as the creature shifted
under her skin. The beast rose until she knew her eyes glowed a brilliant blue.
She scanned the crowd, searching for threats, letting them feel the danger.
Taggert was going nowhere without her. “I’m sorry, but you’re just small
potatoes when people find out what kind of shifter I am.”

Taggert lunged at her, trying to stop her from saying more,
but she easily evaded him. “We’re both ancient, but I think I still have a leg
up from you. Dragons have been gone from this world a lot longer than simple lycans.
I guess we’ll just have to work through it and face the threats together.”

Raven lifted her shirt, revealing the tattoo on her stomach.
The silver blob had sharpened, the image now distinctly dragon-like in shape. The
small beast was the size of her fist, the silver and black colors appeared metallic.
It shimmered in the darkness as if alive, the tiny details like delicate
filigree, stamped into her flesh but it was tougher than any metal she’d ever
encountered.

People gasped, some backed away, recognizing them as the
greater predators and offering their throats, while others froze, too afraid to
move lest they draw attention to themselves.

The ones old enough to remember the legends.

Who remembered that the dragons were monsters that nearly
devoured them all.

Raven ignored the threat, her sole focus remaining on her
men.

Waiting for their judgment.

They’d been patient with her while she fumbled around in the
supernatural world. Ignorance was one thing, but keeping this secret from them
was something else.

With her words, she’d invited a whole shit-load of trouble
to their door. She essentially ruined their lives. She wouldn’t blame them if
they walked out on her. If they asked it of her, she would release them, even
if it destroyed her.

A desperate hope prickled along her spine that they’d at
least give her a chance to plead her case before they abandoned her.

Jackson and Durant didn’t even appear fazed by the news.
Durant raised a brow, as if amused by her revelation. “We knew you were
something special, something different. We just didn’t know what until now.”

That was it.

Nothing more.

Like it didn’t matter.

Their acceptance brought tears to her eyes.

“You told everyone your secret to save me.” Wonder widened
Taggert’s eyes, and for the first time, she saw belonging there. A small smile
tugged at his lips. “I know what you’re thinking, worrying how you’re going to
protect me. We feel the same way about you. There’s nothing you can do about
it.”

A wave of inevitableness swept over her, shoving her toward
a fate she didn’t know she was ready to handle.

From this moment forward, her life would never be the same.

She hated the helplessness that threatened to drown her, and
couldn’t help wonder how she was going to keep her people safe now that the cat
was out of the bag. But when she glanced at her small pack, she knew that she’d
made the right decision.

Her secret wasn’t worth their lives, even if it would only
lead them to more trouble.

The storm gave a last rumble, the tempest dissipating but
fighting it every step of the way. She should’ve been unconscious, burned out
by the raw current, but the dragon siphoned off the worst of it. It could have
taken over control when she’d been vulnerable, but the creature worked with her
to keep her pack safe.

Raven couldn’t help feel grateful despite knowing the
bindings between them only grew stronger, tightening like a noose that would
one day take everything she held dear if she ever gave into the urge and used
the tainted magic.

“We’re strong enough to handle what’s to come.” Taggert hesitantly
touched her arm, as if uncertain of his welcome, and she leaned into him. The
pack connection wrapped her in a layer of warmth, banishing the chill of her
dark thoughts.

Raven dearly hoped what he said was true.