Electric Moon (20 page)

“He had nothing to lose before.”

“So how do I get my Jackson back?” Maintaining her distance
wasn’t cutting it anymore. It was too late to prevent either of them from
getting hurt.

Jackson scowled when he entered the vehicle. “Why don’t you
try asking me?”

He pulled away from the curb with a chirp of tires.

“Maybe I would if you would stop dodging my questions.”

“I’m trying to do my job.” He weaved through traffic,
stomping on the accelerator.

“Does that entitle you to being such an ass?” Getting more
than a little pissed, Raven felt the bite of power build under her skin. She
welcomed the distraction, surprised at how much she’d missed the burn of it.

“Give me your gloves.”

The abrupt change in subject threw her. Suspicions wormed
their way into her mind, and her immediate response was to deny him. “Why?”

He only held out his hand. Deciding to trust him, she slowly
worked the leather off her fingers. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

 Chapter Twenty

T
he
park Jackson picked was off the beaten path. The term
park
being used
loosely. Trees crowded the small grove. The grass was overgrown, the undergrowth
and deadfall slowing their progress.

“Where are we going?”

Jackson merely nudged her along. “It’s only a little
further.”

Grumbling under her breath, she pushed forward, ducking away
from a swarm of bugs that torpedoed pass her.

She heard water first, unaware of any streams in this area.
Following the sound, she veered away. Trees thinned. The rough terrain smoothed
out. She came to a stop atop a small bluff that overlooked their own personal
lagoon.

The small pool rested less than ten feet below them. The
water kissed the grass, the surface absolutely calm. The trees kept their
distance, giving her a good fifteen feet on either side to keep watch for
trouble.

Everything was a green so bright that her eyes hurt. The
wind blew the smell of cut grass to her that reminded her of Jackson. Pleasure
warmed her face, and she turned to ask how he’d found this place.

Her voice dried up to see Jackson charge toward her.

Raven tensed as she scanned the surroundings, frustration
bubbling up in her chest when she wasn’t able to detect the danger.

Then Jackson was there.

He bent like a football player and hit her low. Her legs
cleared the ground and then they were flying through the air.

She caught sight of Aaron’s laughing face seconds before she
hit the water. Raven came up sputtering, her hair coming down around her face
as she treaded water. “You bastard. What was that for?”

Jackson dove under the surface, his body cutting through the
water with ease. The shadow of him circled below her like a predator closing in
for the kill. A hand brushed her hip, another trailed up her spine. She
narrowed her eyes, then pried off her shoes and tossed them to shore. She
whirled to keep him in view, half expecting him to surface.

Instead, there was a tug on her ankles, and she found
herself submerged. She spotted Jackson a few feet away, grinning ear from ear. The
smoothness of his movements drew her attention to his body, the flex of all
that muscle tempting her to linger and just watch him move.

Thankfully, he couldn’t access those damned senses of his
underwater and use her attraction against her.

She launched herself forward, but by the time she closed the
distance, the spot he’d occupied was empty. The thrill of the chase tempted her
to forget about her troubles and just enjoy. A hand brushed her ass, and she twisted.
But instead of moving, Jackson wrapped his arms around her. 

They slowly sank to the bottom of the pool, a hazy light
drifting down to them. Her hair floated around them like a cloud, and he
carefully brushed the strands away from her face, his fingers lingering on her
skin.

Raven grabbed his wrist, and his gaze shot to hers. She
smiled then shoved up off the bottom. Jackson was so startled, she slipped
through his hold and broke the surface.

He quickly followed. When he reached for her, she allowed
the current to drag her away. Laugher bubbled up in her chest at his befuddled
expression. Then he grinned and dove after her.

After another twenty minutes of playing and ducking his pursuit,
Raven finally surrendered. She crawled to the shore and fell on her back,
panting for air. Eyes closed, she basked in the bright rays of the sun on her
skin.

When a shadow passed over her, she shivered and cracked open
an eye. Jackson. The sight of his wet clothes plastered to his body sucked all
thought from her head. The man had been built to bedevil women. He grinned and
shook himself like his wolf counterpart, sending a shower of cool droplets
raining down on her.

Raven squealed then took her cue from him and knocked his
feet out from under him. He landed with a heavy oomph. Before she could scramble
out of the way, he rolled, taking her with him until she lay partially under
his large form.

He picked up a strand of her hair, flipping the silver tips
through his fingers, studying the ragged edges. “I’m not the only one who’s
changed.”

“Changed?” The enjoyment of the afternoon faded, cold
seeping into her gut. Yes, she was changing. Old fears and doubts rose again
like they’d never left, and the fragile shell she built around her cracked.

“You’re becoming an alpha.”

“Yes.” There was no denying it. She had no choice if she
wanted to survive. Though uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she refused to run
away from the truth anymore.

“You’re good, but you’re not strong or fast enough yet. You’re
adapting to your animals amazingly fast, but the conclave is in two days.”

He fell silent, words locked behind his lips.

She cupped his face. “Tell me.”

“I won’t lose you again. I can’t.”

“So you brought me here to...”

“Aaron is holding back your animals. Even now, I can feel
your power building, reaching for me.”

Raven let her hand fall away from him. “You planned this
whole thing.”

“Yes.”

Well, at least he didn’t lie to her, but how could she be
mad that he would throw away their one chance at a date to protect her. “Where
do we go from here?”

He rose, and she shivered without his warmth. He offered her
his hand. Raven hesitated then set her fingers in his palm.

He yanked.

Raven flew into the water with a splash. Her head went under
the water, and she came up sputtering. “What the hell?”

“I’ve been reading up on electricity. I suspect you can
handle a lot more than you believe if you just trust yourself.”

He was so confident that she didn’t know how to answer him. “I
burned out that night Taggert and I were being hunted. With the moon call
following so quickly, I haven’t had the chance to test anything.”

“But you can now. You have to use everything you possess to
survive and thrive in the pack. You can’t hesitate. You must learn to master
the two sides of yourself.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking.” Raven waded toward the
shore, fine sand shifting beneath her feet.

Jackson waved her back. “Don’t make me throw you back in.”

Raven instantly halted, placing her hands on her hips. “I’d
like to see you try.”

“Do you know what you’re problem is?”

Raven raised a brow. “I only have one?”

“You need to trust others. You need to let go.” Jackson
slicked back his hair. The action pulled tight the wet shirt he wore. The sight
of all the muscle made her swallow hard. It took her a second to realize he was
still speaking.

“And I’m going to show you how to follow through on your
threat. Durant helped you with your animals. I can already see the difference.”

“You have no idea how dangerous my power can be without
control.”

“But I do. It was your power, along with your wolf, that
healed me.” He stalked along the banks. “You must think like an alpha if you
have any hopes of keeping your pack. You must be ruthless. Stop worrying about
hurting us. We’re grown men. We’ve made our decisions. We can’t lose you now. So
we need you to fight for us.”

They wanted her to give up all pretenses of control. They
couldn’t possibly understand the consequences. But they were correct in one
respect. She wasn’t acting like a shifter. They would slaughter her if she didn’t
learn. “What do you think you know about my condition?”

“You’re standing in water. It’s a conduit for electricity.
Let loose your power and learn how to control it.”

Raven debated the wisdom of his request, but what did she
have to lose?

“It’s a hot spring. The water in the pool comes from an
underground reservoir. There are no animals or plant life.”

“So that’s why the water is so warm.” Everything was so very
well thought out that it eased some of her trepidation. He’d obviously put a
lot of effort into planning today.

She gave him a stiff nod then closed her eyes.

And hesitated, realizing that she’d never called upon her full
power when there wasn’t a need. She wasn’t sure what to expect, especially
after all the abuse last week. The burnout. Part of her feared she might have
done her gift permanent harm.

Taking a deep breath, Raven dropped her shield. The energy
eagerly escaped its cage and forked through her body. All but an ugly black void
in her gut where a spark had burned too bright for too long. Even with her
animals accelerated healing, there was no reversing the damage.

Electricity slithered under her skin, her body adapted
quickly, welcoming the heat. Despite her turbulent past, she didn’t want her gift
gone. She only wanted control.

Then she did something she’d never done before and let her power
loose on the world. Water swirled around her like she’d been dunked into a fryer.
Her skin heated to near blistering, ready to burst under the pressure. Her toes
curled into the sand. Gritting her teeth, Raven widened her stance and took the
agony. Current sloshed around in her gut, slowly clamping down on her insides.

When her throat began to ache from holding back her screams,
the pain finally eased. She opened her eyes to find Jackson standing at
complete attention, preparing to rescue her despite the fact that it would almost
certainly kill him.

Aaron sat by the basket, a forgotten apple in his hand. He
met her gaze and gulped the mouthful of food. “Holy crap.”

She gave a brief smile. “Yours just might not be the most dangerous
talent out there, kid.”

“I hid something in the water for you to find.” Jackson
seated himself next to Aaron and began removing items from the basket. “You
better hurry before the food gets cold.”

“Do I get a hint?”

“That would be cheating. You have to earn your present.”
Jackson didn’t even bother to turn.

“Present?” Her belly flip-flopped at the word. Part of her
wanted to find what he went through all the trouble to hide. The rest of her
wanted to leap out of the water, half expecting the gift would come with
strings to tangle around her feet and drown her.

Taking a deep breath, she dove beneath the surface. Every
inch of her skin felt sunburned, the current twisting and rubbing against every
inch of exposed skin. She’d never been so completely submerged in her gift.

She had to surface for air three times before her body
adjusted to the new denseness in the water. On the fifth dive, she hit bottom.
There were no weeds. The whole area was covered by tiny granulates of sand and
stone that time had eroded.

She circled twice before she ran out of air. “There is
nothing down there.”

Jackson smirked. “You’re using your eyes. Did you think I
would just leave it lying around for easy pickings? Use your power. That’s the
whole point of this exercise.”

He took a big bite out of his chicken wing, his white teeth
making short work of the meat, and she could easily picture him feasting in his
wolf form.

With another breath of air, she dove under. When she called
on her power, the whole pond responded. The shock was so unexpected, so sudden,
she gasped. Water immediately filled her mouth, spilling down her throat.

She shot to the surface, choking as she sloshed toward
shore. On her hands and knees, she waited for the press of panic to fade.

Jackson and Aaron remained seated, watching with unblinking
eyes. She scowled at them, hating that they’d witnessed her failure. And it
wasn’t like they could help. This was something that she had to do herself.

Pushing to her feet with shaky legs, Raven turned, splashing
back into the water and dove under. Knowing what to expect didn’t lesson the jolt
of pain, like being wrapped in frayed wire that gave off a nasty shock, but she
braced for it.

Just when she thought she’d run out of air, the pressure on
her lungs eased. She used the energy to search for something man-made. Three plastic
beer rings, a pair of sunglasses and thirty-seven cents later, she came up for
air. She tossed the items on shore.