Electric Heat (29 page)

Even rattled by the kiss, he’d forced her to realize just
how much she wanted to live, beast or no beast.

She wondered if that had been his intent all along, but
damned if she could stay mad at him for manipulating her, not when it felt so
good.

 Chapter
Twenty-five

R
aven
emerged from the caves, surprised when she wasn’t struck down immediately. The
sun was only a hint on the horizon, the shadows from the trees drowning the
forest in darkness.

The clearing was small…and empty. Not the war party she’d
been expecting. There was a stillness to the air, like it was holding its
breath, the peace almost eerie.

If she left now, she’d be able to get help.

She nearly gave into the compulsion when a faint whiff of
pixie sticks coated her tongue, the powdery taste of pure sugar was so light,
she almost missed it.

Clever spell.

It was meant to lure them out one by one.

The minute she ventured beyond the circle of the grove, the predators
prowling the forest would tear her apart. It took everything in her to stand
there like some damned target. She’d much rather give in to the urge to hunt
the cowards and thrash them like they deserved. But every second she stalled
gave her team more time to get into place.

A subtle change in the air had her straightening, and she
felt the spell dissolve. It was like someone hit the play button.

Raven braced, knowing they’d come for her soon.

“You shouldn’t have kept me waiting.” The Prime strode out
from the tree line, stopping abruptly a healthy distance away.

“You look surprised to see me.” Raven walked away from the
opening, circling until his back was partially to the cave entrance. “Did you
think your remnants would have infected me?”

“On the contrary, actually. I never wanted to hurt you. I
was hoping to claim a few more witches, but I never believed you’d succumb.” He
flashed her a charming smile. “You persist in painting me as a monster, but
things haven’t always been this way.”

His friendliness made her skin crawl. The beast coiled,
ready to strike, but biding its time until the perfect moment. They’d only get
one shot at this before they lost their edge of surprise.

“You have no idea of your heritage, do you?” When she didn’t
respond, he laughed, a chilling sound that had her tightening her grip on the hilt
of the sword. There was a certain relish in his eyes as he moved a bit closer,
leaning forward as if to share a secret. “Between the two of us, I’m not the monster.
They created fairytales about your kind to scare children and grown men alike.
I’m not the one these people should fear…you are.”

She wanted to charge forward, force him to take back the
words, but his certainty stopped her cold. “You lie.”

“We both know I’m not.” He inhaled deeply, gave a hum of
pleasure and smiled. “You’re fear tastes delicious.”

“We’re each in charge of our own destiny.” She had to
believe that.

“Of course, but we’re also tied to our fate.” The man’s gaze
dropped toward the weapon she carried, and something feral flashed in his eyes.
“I know who you are…or should I say what.”

She had never gone digging into her past, too terrified of
what she’d learn. Dread and excitement surged through her at the chance to
finally discover the truth.

“You’re a toddler, not fully aware of what you’re capable of
becoming. Swear your allegiance to me, and I’ll tell you everything you want to
know. When your creature is finally unleashed onto the world, nothing will stop
you.”

Lust tinted his eyes red, not for her, but the greed of becoming
her master. A faint ticking drew her attention to his hand, where he clicked
his nails over and over. She trembled with the knowledge that she was something
that could made this powerful being nervous.

A flicker of light came from the cave, and she nearly
groaned with relief.

They were ready.

Raven ignored the powerful temptation of his offer, searching
him for any weaknesses she could use. Faint welts crisscrossed the skin of his
hands and arms, and a spiteful smile curved her mouth. “You’re not healing.”

“A few scratches, not worth my attention.” He waved off her comment.

Static brushed over her skin, and she cocked her head. “You
lie. You can’t heal, can you?”

A scowl darkened his face. “A minor setback. Once I come
into my full power, that won’t be a problem.”

 “Are you sure? I was able to stop the wild magic from stealing
Crystal.” Raven gave him a taunting smile as the first few people dashed from
the caves. She had to keep him focused on her. “I think my presence dampens
your powers.”

His good cheer dropped away. “These people thrust you into
danger without a care for your well-being. They aren’t your friends. Our kind
used to be partners, the perfect fighting team. We were built to rule, not be put
out for slaughter. Allow me to train you. You can be so much more. We’d be
unbeatable.”

“Our kind were not built for this world. We don’t belong
here.” Raven grabbed for the energy seething in the air. The moment it landed, her
skin hardened like armor. She didn’t even have to give the command, proof she
and her creature were melding together and becoming one.

The Prime had spoken at least some truth.

She was a monster.

But maybe they needed a monster to stop one. The witches had
spread out. Heloise was surrounded by a group of women, while Luca had banded the
students together behind them. He kept to his word, sticking close to the
shifters as they prowled from the caves. She could all almost see their beasts
rise to the surface, relishing being released from their prison, and the
prospect of fighting for their freedom. 

“You don’t understand. We can bring the world back to its
former glory, where we rule everyone.”

Madness gleamed in his eyes, the type that wouldn’t be
appeased by anything less than complete dominion over everything around him.
“You’re insane.”

“And you’re a fool.” A fierce scowl contorted his face. “I
could give you everything.”

To finally learn the truth about her heritage tempted her,
but she had to trust her creature had a reason for keeping things from her. Behind
him, her pack emerged from the cave, and she realized she was at peace at what
she was becoming. Because of them. “I have everything I need.”

Raven tore her gaze away from her pack when the Prime
whirled, pulling the broadsword from the sheath strapped to his back, and swung
it directly at her head. She stumbled backwards and barely brought up her sword
in time to block the blow.

The power behind the swing nearly knocked the weapon from
her hand.

He hammered at her, forcing her back, each strike
reverberating through her bones with a jarring clash of blades. Her armor absorbed
the majority of the shock, the only thing that enabled her to keep her grip. Wielding
the sword felt unnatural, the length and weight awkward as she struggled to
defend herself.

As if his attack was a signal, witches and shifters threaded
through the trees. There was something wrong with the witches, their bodies
bloated almost beyond what the human body could contain. Their skin was smudged
gray, their hair stringy and matted. Their bodies were covered with open lesions
where their skin had cracked from being stretched too tight. As they plodded along,
their corrupted magic stripped everything around them of energy, the plants and
trees wilting, until the witches resembled overfed pigs at a trough.

Magical sickness.

Too much magic was poisoning them.

Raven couldn’t understand why they would continue to feed
when it was killing them. “They can’t turn it off.”

The Prime shrugged as if it were unimportant. “The prolonged
attack on the fortress had certain unfortunate side effects.”

As if proud of his creations, he gave the wretches a
benevolent smile. There were only a handful of them left. Like wraiths, they
clung to the tree line, almost indiscernible from the darkness as they watched the
first wave of attack spill out the gloom. The shifters emerged from the tree
line on all fours, running low to the ground, the smoothness of their movements
unnatural in the human form they still wore. Madness shimmered in their eyes as
they streaked forward.

“There is something beautiful in the art of war. The
violence. The destruction. It all tastes so sweet. Watch.” He nodded and
gestured toward the two opposing groups like he was an emperor at a coliseum,
cheering on his gladiators.

Magic swirled in the air.

Pure magic.

And he was syphoning it off and getting stronger.

Raven was spellbound with horror as the horde of shifters
swept toward the all-too-human witches.

Before the two sides could collide, Luca threw a charm, undaunted
by the teeming mass of fangs and claws heading straight toward him. Like a
flash bomb, the air shook with thunder as his charm exploded in front of the
charging shifters. Their uniform attack vanished, the beasts closest to the
blast lurched as if the ground had turned to gelatin, while the ones in the
back stumbled around like they had been hit by a bad case of vertigo. They
slashed at nothing but air as they tried to claw themselves free of the
enchantment.

Much to her surprise, Raven saw Paige cast in concert with
Luca, hurling a spell that scattered fire across the ground. But instead of consuming
the woodland for fuel, these flames had tiny feet. They scurried across the
grass to launch themselves at the attackers, lighting them up like torches.

Heloise flung a spell that hit one of the opposing witches
in the face, peeling her skin like an orange. Instead of going down, the witch
chanted a short spell in retaliation. The leaves clanked in the wind as they turned
to blades and fell like daggers to the ground, slicing everything in their
path.

Two men in the front of the cave dropped under the attack
and didn’t move.

The next three were pierced, sliced straight through, barely
managing to cast a shield fast enough to keep from being shredded. They bled
profusely from dozens of wounds, and a wave of shifters descended to finish
them off.

Luca narrowed his eyes and darted forward, sinking his hands
into the earth. Magic rumbled under the ground, and she saw one of his amulets
tarnish as it emptied. When he straightened, the grass had hardened, becoming
like nails.

The wave of shifters fell back, bloody, when their feet and
hands were impaled.

Nicholas and Rylan worked in tandem along the perimeter,
keeping the shifters back, hacking at anything that came within reach. Dominic held
the line on the other side of the clearing with a group of shifters, a perfect
tactician as he blocked the enemy’s every attempt to advance. The shifters
healed almost as quickly as they were injured, but each blow slowed them down a
little more. The witches stood at the entrance of the cave, tossing magic as
fast as they could draw it.

Heloise chanted and magic spread out like a wave.

Three of the tainted witches had gotten close enough to
become ensnared.

At first, nothing happened.

Then their hair coiled slowly around them, faint hissing
rose, and the locks turned into snakes. The serpents struck, one after another,
removing chunks of flesh with each bite.

When a few shifters charged forward, Luca left the line in a
dangerous move and lobbed one of his amulets.

Lights flared.

Anyone hit in the blast stopped short, falling to their
knees as their clothes tightened. They were forced to claw their way out of
their clothing before they were strangled to death.

The fight was brutal and bloody, dropping bodies as quickly
as replacements rushed into the fray.

“We shouldn’t be fighting.” The Prime’s sole focus was
centered on her, seemingly unconcerned who would win the battle. “These are our
soldiers. With only a suggestion, they turn on their own. You could rule them
at my side. They would follow you.”

Her heartbeat grew sluggish, horror thickening in her veins
as his master plan became clear.

He wanted her to become his general and bring everlasting
war to the world.