Electric Moon (33 page)

Nothing of him remained.

“You’re smart, but you forgot one thing.”

A frown creased Professor’s brow, and he slowly shook his
head. “I can assure you that I have not.”

“You’ve discounted the strength of pack.” Raven lifted her
chin, staring at Taggert in challenge.

His lips pulled back, revealing sharp, canine teeth. Her pulse
fluttered, but not in fear of his threat. The fear came from what she had to do
to save them.

She had to show dominance.

Normally, not a problem, but all she had left was the
creature.

There was no choice.

She couldn’t lose Taggert.

Raven slowly dropped the shields she’d spent a lifetime
building. The talons in her chest flexed at the new freedom, and Raven surrendered
to the pull. The creature immediately dropped into the pure energy.

Cracks spidered along the edges of her core before it slowly
crumbled. Heat sizzled through her, speeding along her veins as if someone injected
her with acid. Pressure built until her body felt too small to contain it.

The cold that had followed her dissipated and delicious
warmth took over.

Raven lashed out. Her hand gripped Taggert’s throat, and she
dragged him near. A growl rumbled up her throat, angered that he’d dare test
her. She fought against the need to rip into him and teach him a lesson.

Taggert dropped to his knees and offered his throat. The
yellow eyes splintered to chocolate brown, an alpha recognizing himself as prey
to the creature she harbored.

At his recoil, she managed to pull herself back from the
edges of her rage, but her power would not be tucked away.

Never again.

Her hair fell about her, swirling in the current only she
could see. The silver tips shimmered in the dimness, the color spreading up the
darker strands, slowly consuming her.

Raven didn’t look at anyone. Didn’t want to see the
rejection. The revulsion.

Her secrets were well and truly exposed.

She was a monster even amongst the monsters.

“That’s not possible.”

Raven raised her head at Professor’s voice. Her vision sharpened
until she saw each pore on his face, counted each follicle of hair. His scent turned
sour, and she watched him stumble away from her, his face ashen.

“What the hell are you?” Horror made his voice hoarse. He
lowered the gun, stumbling over his own feet in his haste to get away.

At the opening, Neil leapt, a snarl twisting his lips. Professor
lifted the gun, automatically pulling the trigger. Four darts whooshed through
the air until all she heard was an ominous click.

Each dart struck dead center of Neil’s chest. They kid moved
forward uncaring, his focus on bringing down his target.

Chemicals bloomed in the air, clogging her nose.

“What have you done?” Professor’s voice squeaked in panic.
He scrambled backwards, but Neil would not be denied vengeance. The kid closed
the distance between them in a brutal tackle.

Their bodies landed with a heavy thud.

Professor ripped into Neil, a desperate animal trying to
escape his own trap. Claws rented through the body like cutting paper, fangs ripped
out large chunks of flesh from the kid’s shoulders and neck, but Neil refused
to relent, not even bothering to defend himself as he held onto his prey.

Then the realities slammed into her of what he’d done.

What the kid sacrificed.

“Everyone down!”

Jackson blanched.

Instead of listening, he ran toward her...directly into the
blast zone.

 Chapter Thirty-five

LAST DAY OF
THE CONCLAVE: WANING MOON

R
aven
ran toward Jackson, determined to protect him, all the while knowing she would
never make it in time. Hands grabbed her from behind. Though she recognized
Taggert’s hold, she struggled to move forward.

He couldn’t die on her, not now.

“Damn it. Get down.” Taggert tightened his grip.

Randolph solved the problem for her by tackling Jackson at
the knees, and they both went sprawling. The trained assassin stared at her
with real fear, as if the pieces had finally settled into place.

He knew her greatest secret, one she’d never spoke out loud
and secretly prayed had died in the labs.

That awareness stopped her cold.

There was nowhere left to hide.

Taggert took advantage of the moment. He spun and shoved her
down, protecting her body with his own. A gurgled scream rented the air, brutally
cut off a second later.

Raven didn’t hear the blow. Bits of blood and gore exploded
through the air and pelted them.

Her gaze landed on Taggert. He grunted. Color slowly drained
from his face. His grip flexed on her hips, but he didn’t waiver.

“You’re hit.” Taggert reached up to her face.

Raven felt nothing. She couldn’t say the same for him. She
grabbed his wrist to prevent him from moving and sending the shards deeper.
Bone splinters stuck out of him like a dartboard, some shallower with the
protection of clothing, but there were hundreds of them all along the line of
his body.

Tears crowded her eyes as blood began to trail down his skin
in rivulets. His pulse stuttered under her hand, and his breathing followed
suit.

Raven allowed her mind to sink deeper until she saw the
damage to his aura. Each injury was like a pinprick of darkness where his body
had been pierced.

So much darkness.

Even as she watched, it spread to consume the rest of him.

His wolf wasn’t strong enough to heal the massive injuries.

Death was stealing him from her.

But the fear never came. Raven leaned over until her mouth
hovered over Taggert’s. “You do not have permission to die on me.”

She slammed her lips against his and kissed him. Power
pulled up from her bones, passing from her to Taggert. The drugs still lingered
in his systems, and she drew upon it, forcing him to become alpha.

Forcing him to heal.

He trembled, his wolf slowly pushing the shards out of his
body. When he wasn’t healing fast enough, she pushed the animal to his limit by
calling him to her.

Even dying, a shifter couldn’t refuse the call of their
alpha.

His scent wrapped around her.

Her mouth watered in hunger.

She shuffled closer, drawn to his wolf and the ravenous need
to taste. Raven flinched, realizing the intense hunger wasn’t hers, not
completely, and no matter how she tried to curb the craving, it lingered at the
back of her tongue.

She dropped her hold on him, terrified of her reaction and
what she might do if her control slipped even a little.

Taggert collapsed.

Her mind screamed to help him, but she couldn’t risk touching
him again. The darkness around him had lessoned. He would survive, but she wasn’t
sure in what condition after the things she’d done to his wolf.

Without his touch, the hunger receded. Blood dripped from
her hand, and she couldn’t be sure if it was her own or his. She stood, legs
trembling, and stepped back, hoping to ease the urge to snatch him back up and
take.

She reached for her core to help stave off the hunger.

Only to find nothing.

The power had soaked into her body. There was no turning it
off. As if her thoughts triggered it, tingling rippled down the left side. Her
flesh knitted together.

All but the void spot.

It burned cold like frostbite under warm water.

She lifted up her shirt. Her pale skin shimmered like silver
in the moonlight. The bruised area had grown in size. She probed her side and encountered
a hardness that was not her own flesh.

Raven dropped her shirt. Things have progressed too far. Being
around her pack put their lives at risk. She couldn’t be trusted around them,
not until she learned what the hell was happening to her. She refused to
believe that she could be cresting.

She had to leave.

The devastation of the decision nearly crippled her.

Her gaze landed on what remained of the two bodies, the
destruction pushing home the truth. The five-foot radius looked like someone
had dropped a can of paint, but the pool of blood and shattered body parts
belied the image.

Only pieces remained of the stupidly brave kid who’d saved
them all. His body, what was left of it, would barely fill a Ziploc bag.

Professor had died much too quickly for her vengeance to be
appeased. Most of him remained intact...if you discounted the holes that made
him nothing more than a glorified flyswatter.

A hazy mist lingered over the bodies like steam. When she
squinted, she’d swear she recognized Neil’s features before the fog dissipated
in the darkness.

Her breathe trembled in her chest. Part of her wondered if
all the dreams she had of the dead were really dreams or someone reaching for
her from beyond the grave.

“You’re hurt.” Jackson reached to touch the uninjured side
of her face, and she flinched away from his probing fingers. He couldn’t
discover how close she was to snapping. Discovered the horrible truth about the
creature that has taken root inside her very soul.

“I’m fine.” Her lips were numb as she spoke the lie.

Jackson dropped his arm, muscles flexing to prevent himself
from reaching for her. “The police should be here shortly. Are you strong
enough to stand their interrogation?”

Raven studied his face, afraid it would be for the last time,
her chest too heavy to breathe. “It would be best if I left.”

The words sounded flat to her own ears.

Jackson’s eyes narrowed. He heard it, too. The finality. “You’re
not going back to the house.”

It wasn’t a question, but it demanded an answer all the same.
“I have to return to
Talons
. I gave my word to the witches as part of my
deal for Taggert. Let me borrow your phone.”

“But that’s not why you’re going.” He could stop her. She
saw the desire in his eyes. He pulled out his phone, handed it over, but didn’t
release it. “What about your pack? What about the rogues?”

“Take care of them for me.”

When she said nothing more, he finished her sentence. “Until
you return. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were cresting.”

Jackson paused, worry written on his face, waiting for her
to confirm or deny his charge. They both knew she didn’t have the ability to
shift. Any attempt to change would kill her outright. “Promise me you’ll be
safe and come back to us.”

“I’ll do my best.” Raven swallowed hard, carefully grabbed
the phone without touching him, and walked away from the only family she’d ever
known.

She pressed the buttons by rote, her heart thumping as the
phone rang.

“Raven?”

“It woke.”

There was a heartbeat of silence then he inhaled sharply.
Since vampires didn’t need to breathe, it spoke to how much her revelation had
disturbed Rylan.

“You gave your promise that if anything happened—”

“Not until we know.”

She feared it was already much too late. There was no going
back, no more sleep, not when it had tasted freedom.  

“One week.” She had to keep herself together for seven days.
“I must fulfill my promise to the witches first.”

“I’ll meet you at the club.” Then there was only dial tone.
It took her a few seconds to lower the phone, and another few to press the
button to disconnect them.

She had one week to learn control or force Rylan to fulfill his
vow to eliminate her before she became a risk to others. They both knew the
dangers of this creature. It was what allowed them to escape the labs, but not
before destroying everyone and everything in its path.

It couldn’t be allowed free.

As Raven walked away from the scene, she caught Jackson
rapidly speaking on the phone, never once removing his grim gaze from her, no
doubt scheming and plotting, not even bothering with the courtesy to wait for
her back to be turned.

She knew he’d given up too easily.

He’d be trouble.

He’d throw up roadblocks. Try to prevent her from doing the
right thing.

She couldn’t allow that.

Raven ran. The ghosts of her past chased hot on her heels.
She’d never escape, but maybe if she pushed hard enough, those around her
could. As the crime scene faded behind her, she wondered if it wasn’t already
much too late to save any of them.

 The End