Electric Heat (32 page)

Heloise grew solemn. “More than possible.”

“If I’m this guardian, allow me to guard.”

“And if you slip? It will be too late.”

Raven rose to her feet, exhaustion leaving her numb. “It’s
already too late, but I think you know that. What do you want?”

 Chapter
Twenty-eight

“
A
witch in your pack.”

She meant a spy.

The answer came so fast, Raven suspected that had been the
witch’s end game from the beginning. “To what purpose?”

Heloise gave her a tight smile. “You have my demand. Take it
or leave it.”

Denial slammed into her with the force of a freight train.
To invite a person in her pack was an intimate thing. Choose the wrong person,
and it could become an invasion. Durant’s tail slinked out, curling around her
ankle, the brush of fur soothing her agitation, and a small burst of warmth splashed
through their connection. She wasn’t sure if it was a show of support or if he
missed the contact between them. Either way she was grateful. “To be in a pack
is to have complete loyalty to me. You wouldn’t gain anything.”

“It would guarantee you wouldn’t harm her.”

“Not really. Plenty of packs kill their own or sell them
into slavery.” But the voodoo priestess was correct to a certain extent, the
witch would be under her protection.

“She’ll call to report to me once a week.” Smugness settled
around her. “To assure me she remains unharmed, of course.”

More like to report Raven’s whereabouts and any other
information Heloise’s spy could steal. The pack would have to be on constant
guard. On the other hand, if she became a monster everyone feared, the added
safety guard could be a blessing. “I’ll agree on one condition.”

This time Heloise was the one who hesitated. “Go on.”

A leaf drifted into view, so sluggish she didn’t even see it
move, and Raven realized time hadn’t stopped, just slowed down. “I get to
choose the person.”

Heloise was already shaking her head before she finished.
“Unacceptable.”

“I need a witch who won’t be tempted by the wild magic, one who
will be able to fit in with my pack, or the deal’s off.”

Realizing she didn’t have any say in the matter only
infuriated Heloise, and she grunted in agreement. With a wave of her arm, time resumed.
“Then you are free to leave.”

Raven turned and spotted Luca among his friends. As soon as
her eyes landed on him, he flashed her a hesitant smile. The promise she’d given
him shone on his face, and he seemed about ready to burst with anticipation,
but he didn’t say a word as he waited for her decide. “Luca, if you’re still interested
in traveling with us, you should say your goodbyes.”

A wide grin split his face. With a quick wave to those
behind him, he darted toward her as if he feared she would change her mind if
he didn’t reach her in time. A few students frowned, but she wasn’t sure
whether it was jealousy or that they didn’t like see one of their own abandon
them.

“You planned this.” Heloise’s accusation stopped Luca short,
and his gaze bounced between them.

Magic dusted the air. Like the tide, she felt it being
pulled toward Heloise, and Raven stiffened at the threat. “He asked me to
sponsor him. He’s a wizard, so he meets both our criteria.

Deep grooves dug between Heloise’s brows at her choice.
Though he was a kid, he wouldn’t be easily manipulated by the coven. He couldn’t
be bought by the promise of power.

Wizards didn’t have any.

It was one way to keep him and her pack safe, but still honor
her bargain with Heloise.

The witch sighed and gestured toward Luca. “This is your
choice?”

“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate, but swallowed hard, his Adam
apple bobbing painfully when those spooky eyes focused on him. Raven gave him
points for not dropping his gaze. Tough kid.

 “So be it.” Heloise turned their back as she walked toward
the cluster of remaining witches, and Raven wondered if the gesture was symbolic
of cutting ties with the boy.

Raven faced the shifters who clung to the tree line. “As per
our agreement, you are free to remain or return to your packs. Your contracts
are paid in full.”

The witches grumbled, but none protested.

A few of the shifters immediately disappeared into the
shadows. A number of them scurried back toward the safety of the witches, but a
handful remained behind.

One of the group straightened and took a step toward her. Thomas’
friend spoke, “We fought for you and would like to remain with you.”

Familiars were usually the most undesirable of the pack. If
they went back to their old lives, they would have to be submissive to everyone
else in the pack or sold back to the witches. Neither of those options was an
enviable positions.

They were expendable.

Most would be dead before the year was out.

As if understanding her hesitation, Dominic gave her a nod.
Trusting his judgment, she waved to the group. “You’re welcome to join us.”

* * *

After hours of sorting through the rubble and collecting
dead bodies, Raven and her rag-tag group headed toward the gates. Sunlight
threatened the horizon.

The new day would begin soon.

As soon as an SUV and a small bus pulled up to the gate, London
emerged and took in everything at a glance, then assumed charge of getting
everyone loaded. Jackson emerged from the bus, his gaze immediately landing on
her. He didn’t move toward her, instead surveying her from head to foot, the
possessiveness she saw there stealing her breath. When his focus fell on the
sword strapped to her back, his brows lifted. Then, as if satisfied to see she
was alive and whole, he went to help London.

Part of her wanted him to come closer, but she understood
his restraint.

One touch wouldn’t be enough.

Unnerved by his penetrating gaze and the need to touch it
invoked, Raven glanced back at the gate. It took her brain a second to register
her silent shadow had vanished. Despite all Randolph had done for them, she was
pathetically glad to find him gone. He hadn’t risked his life to be nice. He’d demand
payment. The last thing she wanted was to have him anywhere near her pack when
he came to collect.

The sword warmed in agreement, the heat soaking into her
aching muscles. Raven paused, but sensed nothing else from the weapon but a
show of camaraderie.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her
attention. Nicholas stood on the outskirts of the group like an outcast,
something so bruised in his eyes as he watched her people that she took a step
toward him.

Only to see him pull out a set of keys and walk away. Unable
to curb her curiosity, she followed. “Sneaking away?”

“You don’t have to worry, I won’t hold you to your promise.”
He unlocked the door, not bothering to meet her eyes.

His stiff posture didn’t invite conversation. “You’ve
changed your mind.”

He appeared startled, something that rarely happened with a
vampire. The mask he wore was stripped away, revealing such naked emotions that
her heart ached. “No, but I understand why you needed me to help protect your
pack. I’d use anyone to protect them, too.”

“You’re a dork.” Raven smiled at the yearning in his voice.
His decision to give her an out merely cemented her vow to help. “I never make
a promise I don’t intend to keep. You’re coming with us.”

He didn’t move, his intensity so unnerving her smile fell
away.

“There will be trouble.”

Raven raised a brow at him. “Trouble always has a way of
finding me.”

His lips twitched. “You do seem to have a knack for it.”

She rolled her eyes. “So everyone says, but maybe it happens
for a reason.”

Nicholas hesitantly stepped away from the car, his body
coiled tight as he nodded toward her pack. “You don’t see it, do you?”

She swung toward the group, drawing energy from her bones in
a delicious ache as she searched for the threat. Worry tightened the muscles of
her back into knots as she waited for an attack.

Only to find nothing menacing in the shadows for once.

“See what?”

“Your men are not the perfect little soldiers groomed for a normal
pack. Such structured life of blindly following orders would stifle them.
You’ve managed to bind a pack of outcasts together, each with different
strengths. Most would see you as foolish for polluting the pack with so many
breeds. They wouldn’t be able to control them, which would make them useless.
But you don’t see them that way, do you?”

“Of course not.” Raven was baffled about what point he was
trying to make. Something in his tone warned her she wouldn’t enjoy what he had
to say. “Get in the car and explain.”

London was behind the wheel. Durant in his cat form took up
the cargo area. That left Dominic, Nicholas, and Rylan to fill the car.

They took the first winding turn out of the mountains when
Nicholas started to speak. “The world is changing. The old ones don’t see it.
With humans now aware of our existence, the old ways of hiding our mistakes
under the cover of darkness and brushing them off as myths and legends will no
longer work.”

He was so certain war would strike again, everything inside
her chilled at the prophecy. “What do you mean?”

“Humans have had enough time to study us, learn our
weaknesses. They’ve been creating weapons. If they decide to attack, they’ll
take out the strongest first.”

“The alphas and the masters.” Rylan spoke as if he’d already
planned the fall of the paranormals. Noticing her look, he flashed her a smile.
“You forget we were at war with each other over a hundred years ago. Ask any
paranormal, and they can tell you any number of ways to destroy the others.
We’re predators, trained by clan and pack to be warriors. The alphas and
masters used to have full guards to protect them. With the peace between clans,
we’ve become lax.”

 “You make it sound like killing them would be so easy.”
Raven had met the other paranormal creatures. They were vicious and deadly and
wouldn’t take kindly to a paltry human trying to kill them.

“Easy?” Rylan raised a brow. “No, but possible. It’s the
best way to pitch the paranormal world into chaos. Then all the humans have to
do is pick us off. Without a leader, we’ll be wiped out in a matter of years.
If the humans don’t kill us, we’ll kill each other in the battle for power.”

Disturbed by his conviction, Raven swiveled in her seat to
face Nicholas. “You’re sure?”

The bleak truth was etched on his face. “They’ll take out
the Council members first. The treaties holding the races together would
unravel, leaving each paranormal sect to defend themselves.”

The certainty in his voice was chilling.

The realization that it could happen so easily twisted her
stomach and bile rose in her throat. “I hadn’t realized peace between the races
was so fragile.”

“We’re basic creatures.” Dominic’s eyes were haunted. “When
it comes down to survival, we’ll do whatever’s needed to protect our own. We’ve
seen it happen in the labs often enough.”

The scientists soon realized they needed to snap the bonds
of the pack before the shifters could be molded into perfect soldiers. They did
unspeakable things to break them down into nothing more than a simple beast to
serve their purposes.

Those who had survived the training, anyway.

Rylan touched her shoulder, anchoring her in the present. She
leaned back into the comfort of his touch, shaken at how quickly she’d been
pulled into the nightmare of her past. “Who else knows?”

“Only the Council and a few of the alphas.”

London grunted as he took a turn a little too fast and
gravel rattled the bottom of the SUV and sprayed out from under the tires. “And
telling us is a death sentence. You’ve sealed your fate by warning us. Why?”

“I’m a dead man anyway.” Nicholas shrugged. “They’re trying
to work out a plan and build a war committee, but no one can come to terms on
anything.”

They all knew the likelihood of everyone agreeing was almost
zero. But it also explained why the witches had allowed her to leave with the
sword.

“They might not know it yet, but they already have their
committee.” At her blank expression, Nicholas tipped his head toward her group.
“You. People will follow you.”