Electric Heat (13 page)

“Let me.” Durant took lead. With his own brand of magic, he
moved through the crowd and people parted without him saying a word. She
followed in his wake, thankful for his presence.

When he stopped suddenly, she nearly plowed into his back.
“What’s happened?”

“I believe they found your culprit.” He stepped aside and
allowed her to see the chaos.

In the middle of a group of witches, dropped on his knees
and swathed in magic, was the dickhead who had refused to allow her to enter
the cabin yesterday. “That can’t be right.”

“What do you mean?”

“He didn’t even have a hint of wild magic on him yesterday.”

“But there was a lot of magic at the cabin. Can you be sure
it wasn’t him?”

Raven hesitated, then shook her head. “I need to talk to
him.”

Not waiting for his permission, she pushed her way forward.

And immediately found herself blocked by a witch with fiery
red hair.

“I need to speak with him.” But even as she voiced her
demand, they forced Evans to his feet and hauled him away. “Wait.”

When she tried to shove forward, the witches muttered something
under her breath and waved her hand. Raven tumbled through air. As the ground
rushed up to smack her, she twisted, tucked herself tight to lessen the brunt
of the impact, then rolled to her feet.

Durant roared, his eyes a molten gold as he charged after
her. Everyone scrambled out of his way. He watched the crowd for another
attack, claws tipping his fingers as he came to stand before her.

There had been no warning, no build-up of magic to counter
the spell. The woman must have been a wizard and activated an amulet.

Stupid.

Raven had let down her guard and trusted the witches.

In the second she’d been down, she lost sight of her prey.
“Where’d they go?”

Durant bared his teeth, clearly not caring. “We’re done.” 

“But—”

He whirled, and her mouth snapped shut. She should be
terrified as the predator in him boldly stared back at her, but she shuffled
toward him, drawn to the sheer power of him on full display. In the sunlight,
she saw the stripes in his hair, tempting her to run her fingers through the
luscious strands. “Durant—”

“No.” He slashed his hand through the air, indicating the
conversation was over.

“I need to make sure he’s the one. The contract needs to be
completed to their satisfaction.” She hesitated a second, but it was too
important for her to just give up. “Please.”

“One day,” he muttered. His eyes flashed down toward hers,
the gold swirling as he stared at her, then his eyes narrowed, as if he
suspected he was being manipulated. He leaned down, his nose almost touching
hers, a light rumble in his chest as he spoke. “One. Day. Then I’m hauling your
ass out of here.”

 Chapter Eleven

DAY TWO: EVENING

T
he
excitement on campus didn’t die down for hours. Raven tried to make an
appointment with Heloise and continue her investigation, but to no avail. She
needed to interview the suspect and inspect the bodies. How everything led to
Evans didn’t sit right. It had been too easy, tied up into a neat bow. A
mastermind stealing power would have covered his tracks better. He wouldn’t be
taken down so easily by a couple of witches.

She was missing something important.

It was right before nightfall when Heloise emerged from her
office. She gave a tight smile at seeing them, clearly not pleased. “We thank
you for your assistance. We consider your contract complete.”

Raven was stunned, unable to react as Heloise walked down
the hall.

They were free to go.

So why couldn’t she just dismiss her misgivings and leave?

“The job isn’t done. I need to question Evans and see the bodies.”
She wanted to know what the hell he had to do with attacking her pack, and his
connection to the wild magic.

Heloise glanced over her shoulder. “That will not be
necessary. The grand coven has responded to our request for assistance earlier
than expected. Our Prime is on the way. Your services are no longer required.”

As if the discussion was over, she continued down the hall.

“But—”

Heloise didn’t turn this time. “The shifter is yours. Leave
before I change my mind.”

She disappeared around the corner before Raven could say
more.

“Come.” Durant nudged her, and she walked down the stairs in
a daze.

“This isn’t right.”

Durant nodded to the dining room as they passed. “We’re
being watched.”

Raven took the hint. She pursed her lips, but refrained from
protesting further.

When they entered the cabin, Rylan walked out of the
bathroom. Since he’d spent a night buried beneath the earth, she didn’t know
what to expect. At least a smudge of dirt. Instead, he was as immaculate as
ever, not even a hair out of place. He took one look at her and smiled. “It
appears you’ve had all the fun without me.”

“Case is solved. We’re leaving.” Durant strode into the
bedroom and began packing. It took all of a few seconds to gather their meager
belongings.

Raven crossed her arms and sat at the table.

Rylan looked between the two of them. “Why do I have the
feeling we’re not going anywhere?”

“They believe they caught the killer.”

He raised a brow at her glum tone. “You think they’re
wrong?”

Durant came out of the room and dropped the bag by the door.
“You were the one who pointed a finger at him.”

“Not exactly.” Raven shrugged when he continued to stare at
her. “I said I needed to talk to him. The witches took him into custody before
we could learn anything.”

“Which is exactly the point. They don’t want us to know. Our
services are no longer needed.” Durant paced the room, his aggression hiking up
the tension as if he, too, suspected they weren’t going anywhere. “They won’t
thank us for our interference.”

Rylan continued to study her, his gaze so penetrating she would
swear he could read her soul. “Why do you think they have the wrong man?”

“Because the magic isn’t contained. I can still feel it
wandering out there, just out of my reach, taunting me. If Evans had been in
charge, he would’ve squashed me like a bug.”

Rylan crouched before her. “Raven, magic doesn’t do that.
It’s not a sentient being with a will of its own. Magic can only do as it’s
instructed.”

They thought she was cracking. “I know what I felt, and it
wasn’t human. It’s better to find out what’s really happening and confront it
now before it grows any stronger.”

Durant paused in his pacing, his senses sharpening. “You
think it will try for you again?”

Raven didn’t doubt it for a minute. “I don’t know if it’s
the person or the magic itself, but yes, it will come for me.”

Durant cursed, and Rylan looked grim.

“They’ve dismissed us. Told us to leave. They specifically
lured me here. So why does it feel like we’ve become inconvenient, and they
want us out of the way?”

“What exactly bothers you?” Rylan inched closer, then froze
when he realized he’d been about to touch her.

His emotions shut down as he stepped back, and Raven
tightened her grip on her arms to keep from reaching for him. Her blood had
saved his life, but it also bound them to each other. She’d become his obsession,
one he was determined to control.

Durant stepped between them, concern tightening his face. He
wasn’t oblivious to the exchange. He only tolerated the vampire for her sake,
and if he thought Rylan posed a threat, he would deal with it. “Raven?”

Right.

The case.

“We’ve been so focused on finding the killer, we’ve missed
the bigger issue. The magic. Why does this killer need the witches’ power when
it can control wild magic?” Something about leaving made her uneasy. Once they
left, everything would change, and they would missed the chance to stop
something bad from happening. “Tell me about this Prime.”

Rylan leaned against the wall by the door, the furthest he
could get from her without actually leaving. “A Prime is a super soldier. They’re
hard-core, and the best at what they do.”

Relief tumbled through her. He believed her. “So they’re
witches?”

She could deal with witches.

“More than that. They’re first-class spell casters. Their
training is so intensive that less than one percent actually survive.”

“Survive?” Her brows shot up in surprise. “I don’t
understand. If the mortality rate is so high, why would anyone want to become a
Prime?”

“To be the best of the best.” Durant spoke this time. “They’re
undefeatable.”

Rylan’s eyes swirled with emotion as he watched her. “Magic can
become an addiction, the more you use it the more powerful you feel.”

Two different answers, but she had a feeling neither was
wrong.

Raven forced herself to meet Rylan’s gaze. He certainly knew
about addiction. Her blood was a drug to vampires, giving them the illusion of
life. He was managing, stubborn down to the bone, but it cost him every time
they were in close proximity. “You said few survive. How do the candidates die?”

It was Durant who answered this time, his face grim when he
spoke. “The training isn’t just pass or fail. The stakes are survival. If you
fail, you die. Magical sickness causes them to burn through too much magic, too
fast and it fries the brain. The human body is just too fragile to hold that
much.”

It came as a shock to realize this information wasn’t widely
known. The fact that he knew, coupled with his tattoo, meant he must have been
very close to a witch. Another spurt of jealousy pierced her chest and robbed
her of breath. She tensed against the urge to leap out of her chair, pin him to
the floor and forcibly remind him that he was theirs. She didn’t even bother
denying her creature’s claim.

As if sensing the threat, Durant stopped talking. He walked
toward her with a determined stride, not the least bit afraid. He pulled his
shirt out of his pants, quickly tugging it over his head, before letting it
drop to the floor.

Her fingers flexed with the desire to trace all those beautiful
muscle. She leaned back in her chair as he continued to prowl closer, grabbing
the seat to keep from touching. Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs,
ready to beat right out of her chest when he stopped just inches away. “What’re
you doing?”

She turned her head away to deny temptation. His leather
scent invaded her lungs, and she cursed the shifters’ lack of personal boundaries.
Heat radiated from him, an irresistible lure, and she caught herself trying to
lean in toward him.

Where the hell was her control? “You need to stop.”

Her voice sounded desperate even to her.

The big lug didn’t have the decency to pause. His large
hands slipped beneath her thighs, and he lifted her clear out of her chair. She
whipped her head around to glare, even as she clutched his shoulders for
balance.

It was either that or topple backwards.

The instant her bare hands came into contact with his skin,
all thought of protest evaporated, and she snuggled closer. She ran her hand up
his chest, amused when it expanded as if seeking more. Then he stopped
breathing.

It took her seconds to come to her senses. “Put me down.”

Durant shook his head. “You need to stay calm.”

Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen while she was plastered up
against him. When she tried to wiggle away, his grip clamped down on her hips. “I
am calm, damn it.”

 “Tell that to the chair.”

Confused, she glanced down to see deep grooves gouged out of
the seat. As she stared, a chill slithered through her. She’d done that. The
creature had taken advantage of her inattention and took control…and she’d been
oblivious.

But that would be a lie. The instant she realized Durant
must have cared for someone else, she didn’t give a damn who had control.
Possessiveness was like a disease, eating away at her resolve to keep her
distance and do the right thing.

“Look at me.” Durant’s deep voice made it impossible for her
to do anything but obey. His eyes were gold and warm as he stared down at her.
“Your animal surfaced.”

She shook her head in denial, a kernel of fear blossoming in
her stomach. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready to give up her pack, not when
she just found them. “How do I stop it from happening again?”

“Strong emotions tend to bring out our beasts. What were you
feeling?”

Heat flooded her face, and she looked anywhere but at him,
then cursed when she realized he wasn’t going to let her down until she confessed.
“Witches are secretive. There’s only one way they would have shared the
information about the Prime with you. The protection spell on your back was put
there by someone who cared.”

Durant’s smile was slow to form. “It was a man.”

Raven blinked, not able to make sense of it. Durant was
clearly into women if his reaction to her was any indication.

“I saved his life. Not wishing to be in debt to me, he
offered a trade.”

Only then did her jealousy finally fade enough for her brain
to function properly again. Disgruntled at his smug attitude, Raven sighed in
disgust. “That doesn’t explain why my animal took over.”

“Pretending she doesn’t exist isn’t going to make her go
away. It leaves you vulnerable and allows her to emerge without you being aware
of it. You have to give yourselves both a chance before it’s too late.” He
didn’t say anything else, but she could feel his censure.

Her heart plummeted, knowing she’d disappointed him.

Hell, she’d disappointed herself. She didn’t know how to do
what he said and just let go. He didn’t understand what had happened the one
and only time she relinquished control to the beast.

It had rampaged, destroyed the labs, and killed dozens of
people without remorse.

And it would do so again if threatened, unless she could
stop it.

“Raven.” Rylan was at their side. She had no idea how many
times he said her name before she finally noticed. “Why did you want to see the
bodies?”

“The case isn’t solved. I won’t have them decide later that I
failed and give them an opportunity to take Taggert.”

 “Release Durant, and we’ll go find your bodies. He can stay
back and cover for us.” Durant was clearly disgruntled at being left behind,
but he didn’t protest the couched order.

It required a physical effort to let Durant go. Being separated
from him felt like her skin was being peeled off. Raven had assumed being
around other shifters brought out her own, but now she wondered if it wasn’t
something much worse.

The first time the creature had emerged was when Rylan was
threatened…her only friend. After years of keeping her distance, she’d allowed
herself to become close to others, allowed herself to care. She suspected that
was the real reason why the creature was waking. It was determined to protect
what was hers…whatever the cost.