Electric Moon (6 page)

Her palms itched to lay her hands on them, but it wasn’t all
her desire. The energy in the club infected her. She’d be damned if she would
be forced into a situation she hadn’t chosen.

All thoughts of scolding Durant for his impromptu remodeling
paled at Taggert’s sacrifice and the incessant desire trying to consume her. “How
the hell am I supposed to fight this?”

Durant blinked and some of the unflappable club owner
returned enough for her to breathe past his rich leather scent. “You’re the
alpha. You’re the one who has the control.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that? I don’t understand. Contact
is supposed to help, but every time I get close to either of you, the desire is
ten times worse.”

Before she could retreat, he snatch up her hand and pressed
it against his chest. The fast beat of his heart thundered under her palm, heat
radiated up her arm and raw lust nearly brought her to her knees. Taggert
slipped behind her, his arm once more around her waist. His hand found its way
beneath her shirt, his fingers splaying over her stomach. The heat of his touch,
so intimate against her skin, caught her breath.

Power rocketed through her body.

His wolf.

He was close to the surface, reaching out for her.

She grabbed Taggert’s wrist, her nails bit into his skin,
unsure whether she wanted to halt or encourage him. The rumble at her back did
delicious things to her body, reminding her of what his kiss had tasted like.  

Instead of protesting her lack of control, he prodded her
forward, only stopping when her body was caught securely between both men.
Durant gritted his teeth, his breath hissed out of his mouth in a way that weakened
her knees.

“You can increase the lust or soothe those around you with a
touch. Without any control, you’ll drive us insane before the week’s out.”

She brushed her hands over the front of Durant’s shirt and
the beast gave a rumbled purr. Taggert leaned down and nuzzled her neck.

She barely resisted the urge to give him better access.

“I don’t think this is working.” She swallowed hard, trying
not to so much as twitch least one of them broke.

She was terrified that it would be her.

Durant yanked up his shirt and shoved her hands beneath.
They both inhaled sharply and didn’t move. Fine hair just above his pants met her
fingertips, urging her to explore further, and she couldn’t resist stroking
him. The hard muscles under her fingers flexed, begged for more, and he
shuffled closer.

 The tiger’s near crazed need to be free and claim what it
wanted pebbled against her skin. Instead of frightening her, her teeth ached to
give him what it wanted. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, a light
current, different from the normal electricity, rose from the contact.

His animal.

“Shhhhh.”

The tiger paused in its pacing and lifted his head. Time stopped
dead. The beast was waiting for her to take what she wanted, what the beast so willingly
offered. Taggert’s wolf took advantage of her distraction and brushed against
her back, offering and taking comfort. She didn’t know how long they’d remained
that way when she finally had enough strength to lift her head.

The tiger stilled, peering at her through Durant’s eyes, but
the restlessness and need had abated. Though he didn’t look completely sated,
he no longer appeared as rattled as when he’d first burst into the room. He continued
to purr under her hands, but it was more a contented sound than one of lust.

“Touch.” Durant smiled.

Raven couldn’t prevent the heat of a blush from filling her
cheeks at the men’s obvious arousal. For some reason, what had just happened
felt more intimate than sex. She reluctantly pulled her hand away, nearly
sighing when Taggert dropped his as well and stepped back.

She nervously cleared her throat. “We should go.”

Now that they weren’t touching, the desire of so many shifters
in the room beyond beat at the door, racketed the lust back up. Part of her
calm evaporated in frustration. She’d hoped the effects would’ve lasted longer.

“It was foolish of you two to come here so close to the full
moon.” Gone was the contented man of a few seconds ago.

“It was better to face this now than be caught off guard at
the conclave.”

His lips tightened, but he didn’t refute her claim.

“No female shifter is allowed out without protection for a
reason.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “If someone had touched you, I
would’ve killed them.”

Raven swallowed a gulp and resisted the urge to cross her
arms. “I’ve managed to take care of myself for years.” She drew up enough
energy to make it spark between her fingers, unconsciously playing with the current
in a show of nerves she rarely revealed. “Why is now so different?”

“You weren’t a full alpha then. You had the DNA, but you only
woke when you started to interact with other shifters. Most shifters will
respect your position, but there are more than a few who crave what you can do
for them more and won’t ask your permission. If they attack, you will have to
retaliate or be seen as weak.”

A sickening sense of dread circled her gut. “Why are they so
eager to throw away their lives?”

Durant snorted, his eyes darkening and a wave of heat snaked
under her skin. Her breath caught. She had no doubt he did it on purpose to put
her on edge. “I adore your confidence in your abilities, but you don’t know how
persistent weres can be, especially with something as precious as a female
alpha.” He crowded closer, his lips hovering over hers. “And if you don’t leave
now, I’ll have you stripped and sprawled across my desk in less than minute,
tasting every delicious inch of you.”

Part of her hesitated, and a flare of lust grew in his eyes.

Her courage quickly faded.

Taggert captured her hand, pulling her against the hard
plains of his body as if to protect her. The contact returned some of her
rational thought.

She craved Durant’s nearness, his taste, but she wasn’t sure
she was strong enough to survive what he would do to her, what he would make
her feel. She left the office on shaky legs, glad for Taggert’s support.
Remembering his words of caution, she surveyed the crowd with a smidge of
trepidation.

“Come.” Durant crowded close to her other side, his large
frame hunching protectively over her. Her skin tingled at the closeness of both
males.

She took three steps in the crowd when a whiff of fresh cut
grass whisked by her. She halted abruptly, her head snapping up to search the
crowd, half-wondering if she was going crazy, imagining things. Durant tensed,
surveying the club for the slightest threat. Taggert stepped back to give her
room to move.

“You sense him, too, don’t you?”

Jackson.

Taggert only nodded, his concerned thickened the air between
them. “Whatever happens, don’t react.”

She turned away, not wanting to see his pity. Her eyes
locked with that of a kid standing about fifteen feet from her, staring boldly
at her with blue eyes so pale they appeared ghostly. She cocked her head,
noticing the discord that simmered around him, but she couldn’t place what
bothered her.

Then the crowd shifted. A man stepped in front of the kid as
if to protect him, and another pair of eyes met hers.

Familiar eyes.

Jackson.

Frost clouded Jackson’s whiskey brown eyes as if rejecting
everything that had happened between them. The reaction devastated her. Brutal
pain struck fast, curling around her bruised heart like a meaty fist and
squeezed.

She shoved her way through the crowd when a stillness to
their right drew her attention. The too interested stare of a compact man of
medium height sent a frisson of unease spearing through her. His analytical
assessment of her stopped her cold.

Without being told, she knew this man had taken Jackson from
her on purpose.

She sensed it then, the curiosity of his wolf. His aura
shimmered without her even having to probe. When she blinked, she saw Jackson
looming over the guy’s shoulder. Any injuries he’d sustained from the fight had
vanished. His light brown hair was styled, his clothes pressed. His whiskey colored
eyes never warmed as they used to when he gazed at her. Instead, he looked
ready to squash her under his boots if she so much as took a step in his direction.

The ogre was back and then some.

“You have to leave. Now.” Durant tugged on her arm then growled
when lash of energy leapt between them.

She immediately jerked away, but those nearest gawked at
them in curiosity. “Who are they?”

“Jackson’s alpha, and the kid is the alpha’s heir.” Durant
sounded resigned, knowing he wouldn’t be able to budge her without causing a
bigger scene.

That didn’t mean he went meekly.

He dipped his head until his lips rested next to her ear.
“You will pay for this when we’re alone.”

Somehow, she didn’t think he meant she’d get a good talking
to. She refused to flinch under the golden glare of his animal. His hair was
tousled, the barely-there strip of his tiger inviting her fingers to explore.

She slowly blinked and shook her head. “Don’t try that
mesmerizing shit on me.”

She bit the side of her cheek to prevent herself from
panting. Damned if she’d let him know how he affected her. Then he inhaled
deeply and gave her a devilish smile. She had no doubt he knew what he did to her
and relished her very intimate, guttural response to him.

Bastard.

Two could play at that game. She lifted her hand, trailing
her fingers down his chest, over the open buttons on his shirt. She lightly brushing
against the flesh beneath, enjoying watching his eyes dilate under her
ministrations. “I wouldn’t try that again unless you want to walk around
aroused for the next hour.”

A tinge of a smile tilted his lips. “Honey, all I have to do
is think about you, and I’m in the same predicament.”

Heat filled her face at his announcement, and she tried to
ignore the wave of pleasure that tingled through her body. Her skin prickled,
and she lost her smile, slowly turning to face the people heading toward them.

“Miss Raven, I presume.” Jackson’s alpha gave a small nod of
acknowledgment. “I’ve heard much about you.”

Raven refused to flinch as Jackson’s betrayal dug its claws into
her and gave a vicious twist for good measure. Part of the hope she’d harbored
that he’d left her under duress shriveled a painful death.

Jackson hadn’t been recalled.

He’d left with them voluntarily.

“How do you do.” She couldn’t believe her voice came out so steady
when her insides seethed.

“I’d love for you to come and visit tomorrow for a job
opportunity that might interest you.” He handed her an embossed card blazed
with his name and address. Kevin, owner of Pak Pharmaceuticals, a company
renown for research and development.

And Jackson’s alpha.

“I’m not sure you’d be able to afford my price.”

A smile curled his lips. “I believe we can come to a mutual
agreement.”

Her eyes betrayed her and flickered to Jackson, but he
didn’t acknowledge her in any way as he scanned their surroundings.

Raven wondered what she’d have to do to get him back.

A commotion across the room put Durant and Jackson into
motion. Jackson hustled the kid toward the door, while Durant stepped between her
and the threat.

“I look forward to seeing you.” With that, the compact wolf
vaulted in the crowd to stand guard on the other side of his son.

Shouting erupted, but the crowd quickly dispersed. No one
wanted to be banned before the conclave officially started.

“You will not go.” Durant loomed closer, crowding her in the
corner. “You are nowhere near ready for negotiations between packs.”

“Did you notice anything odd about the trio?” Raven ignored
his statement, staring long after the crowd had swallowed them. Something
niggled at the back of her mind, something willing her not to give up hope, but
she couldn’t place what set off her radar.

“Raven, there’s a call for you.” Cassie reached between them
with the phone, and Raven shushed Durant’s little rumble of displeasure.

She grabbed the handset. “Raven.”

“Get your ass downtown. We have another incident. Two
victims.” Scotts’ harsh voice scratched across the line. Sirens rang in the
background. She mentally took note of the address he rambled off, absently
brushing her hand up and down Durant’s arm without really being aware of the
action until a light purr rumbled under her fingers. She froze at the sound
then quickly pulled back.

“So soon?” That surprised her. “Give me ten minutes.” She
hung up the phone. Not in the mood to listen to more lectures, Raven dashed
beneath Durant’s arm and headed toward the door. His muscular body swiftly hugged
her form as she followed Taggert to the exit.

“You can run, but this discussion isn’t over.”

Raven had no clue if he meant tomorrow’s meeting or what had
happened between them in the office, and she wasn’t going to stick around to
find out.

 Chapter Six

“
Y
ou
knew that Jackson would turn on me, didn’t you?” Raven stalked toward her car,
the darkness welcoming her with open arms. The cracked sidewalk had crumbled in
spots, matching her composure.

Taggert sighed. “You don’t understand.”

When he didn’t say anymore, she pulled him to a halt. “Then
explain it to me.” She hated the quiver in her voice, wishing for all that
wonderful anger.

“Shifters are loyal to their alphas. Absolute. Any hint of
doubt, and they are punished or even killed.”

Raven’s fists clenched at the thought of Jackson being
harmed by his own people because of her. Pack was permanent. His status made
him valuable. It made a sick sort of sense. As an enforcer, he knew too much
about Kevin’s pack. He’d be too big of threat to just be dismissed. “But that’s
not all, is it?”

“He’s protecting you. If he shows any sign of weakness, any
softness toward you, the alpha will use that to his advantage.” Taggert grabbed
her, his unusually display of male aggression knocking her out of her funk. “As
much as you both might want it, he isn’t your wolf. You can’t think of him as
such. Not anymore.”

They continued to the car, the silence heavy between them. She
nearly missed the shadow leaning against the building, would have if her
animals hadn’t deserted her from one second to the next.

Raven stumbled to a halt. A chill crawled up her spine like
the brush of thousands of spider legs. When her gaze finally broke through and
pierced the shadows, she spotted Randolph waiting patiently, arms crossed,
wearing a knowing smirk.

Upon spying him, she was too relieved to keep her secrets to
mind that her animals had abandoned her.

Not when Randolph happened to be an assassin frequently used
by the council. She swallowed hard at his pleased expression, wondering what
made him seek her out.

She edged in front of Taggert. Randolph wasn’t imposing, not
much taller than herself. He looked ordinary, forgettable even. Until you peered
deeper into his eyes to the devil waiting below the surface, a cold murderer who’d
love nothing more than to strike at the least provocation.

His power matched hers in both style and strength. If it
came down to a fight, she’d lay money on a draw.

Part of her wondered if that’s what kept her safe.

At least for now.

“Randolph.” She nodded and kept a healthy distance between
them, steadily drawing a small current through the soles of her feet as
unobtrusively as possible. Energy crackled under her skin, painfully pulling
through her bones.

“You always get into the most interesting of troubles.” His rough,
unused voice prickled like a cat’s tongue licking against her skin.

“Troubles?” Raven winced at the way her voice scraped her
throat.

There went casual.

The street was deserted, the streetlights huddled in the
darkness, few and far between, the warehouse where the club stood a good block behind
them, nearly obscure in the shadows as if hiding from Randolph. If only she’d
taken the hint instead of blundering into danger.

Randolph strolled forward, easily opening the locked
passenger side of the car and slid inside. “Why don’t we talk while you drive.”

It wasn’t a question. “Taggert—”

“Don’t say it. I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“Brave pup.” Randolph smiled, but there was nothing friendly
in the mask he wore.

Raven flinched, silently cursing Taggert’s stubbornness.
Though he swallowed hard, he stubbornly stood his ground. Fear for his safety
tingled on her lips. Taggert wouldn’t be able to help her if Randolph wanted to
harm her.

While she dreaded Randolph’s curiosity, his indifference
could get her killed quicker if she made the fatal mistake of boring him.

He was playing with her, a game that only he knew.

Raven took a steadying breath then drank down all the
current. She couldn’t drive with all the electricity seething under her skin.
She’d fry the computer. She contemplated Randolph through the windshield. She
wouldn’t put it past him to crawl in her car on purpose to keep her vulnerable.

She reluctantly skirted the vehicle. “Don’t react or
interact with him in any way. Do you understand?”

Taggert immediately nodded, almost looking green at the
prospect of getting into the car. The back of her teeth ached from clenching
her jaw against ordering him to run and hide.

Raven’s palms were damp as she pulled out in traffic. They
were halfway to the crime scene when curiosity finally overtook her nerves. She
had to know what she faced and broke the silence. “You mentioned troubles?”

“I wondered how long you would last. Most people babble
within the first five minutes.” He sounded impressed, which left her stomach a
bit queasy. There didn’t seem to be enough oxygen in the cramped confines of
the car. “Remember the drug leak you told me about?”

He was talking about the woman who’d tried to steal Taggert
from her by drugging him. The drug had weakened Taggert to the point he could
no longer heal himself.

All to make the twit appear stronger.

Alpha.

The only thing that calmed the rage seething through her was
knowing the woman would’ve suffered under Randolph’s tender mercies.

Uncertain of Randolph’s mood, Raven cast him a quick glance.
Nothing in his expression gave him away. “Yes.”

“You were right. The lead didn’t have much information. She
was a pawn. I’ve been tracking the escalating drug use in pack.”

The words were half a question, half an accusation. “And found
nothing. That’s not why you came to me.”

Randolph gave a short laugh that made her cringe. Absolutely
no power resonated from him, his control phenomenal. She was almost jealous.

They were two blocks from the crime scene, and she found her
foot resting heavier on the gas pedal, unconsciously speeding to reach safety. Not
that a crowd of people would be able to stop him if he had his mind set on
something.

“I discovered a more dangerous drug, a twin to the one you’d
located.”

“So the first was a prototype.”

“I want you to help me find the people responsible.”

Raven had to swallow twice in order to speak. “Why me?”

He ignored her question as immaterial. “The new drug is
called Alpha, but it’s a closely guarded secret between a select few. No one I
question can find the source.”

Tortured, he meant.

The news troubled her. It didn’t make sense. “What does this
drug do?”

“It gives shifters the ability to experience what it’s like
to be an alpha.”

“What can I do that you can’t?”

She didn’t want to know what he was thinking. The safest way
might be to work with him, but she had a feeling if she gave him even an inch,
no one would ever find her body.

When he didn’t speak, she turned to find him staring at her.
“I’ve dug into your past.”

Blood rushed to her head, and her vision wavered. Her grip tightened
on the steering wheel, doing her best not to react. If he didn’t know her
secrets already, she couldn’t have him know there was something to learn.

He was the type of man who would keep searching until he found
everything.

“They say you are the person to go to if you want something
done.”

“So you want to hire me for a job?” She couldn’t keep the
disbelief out of her voice.

Randolph must have found it amusing but his smile didn’t
reach his too pale green eyes. “The council gives me leave to use whatever
resources I deem necessary to solve my cases. You have the talent and
connections that I don’t.”

Then Raven understood. “Because I’m now on the police force.
You think humans are behind the sudden increase of this Alpha drug.”

Randolph couldn’t afford to harm humans. They were too
fragile and easily broken. The shifters would hunt him down after the first suspicious
death in order to protect themselves and keep the illusion that they could all
live happily together.

Raven shivered. She appreciated why someone would crave power,
but there were other consequences to being an alpha. The uncontrollable rage, bouts
of violence, the need to dominate and protect against any threats...real or
imaginary. Randolph nodded at her. “I see you comprehend the danger.”

She wouldn’t have a few weeks ago.

She didn’t say anything as she parked. Lights flashed in the
distance, police tape strung around a lone vehicle a few car lengths ahead of
them.

“I’ll let you get back to your work.” Randolph exited the
car without any overt threats.

No probes.

No tests.

So why did that make her more twitchy?

She followed his gaze toward the crime scene, her feet drawn
forward against her will.

The first thing that caught her attention was the oddly red
tinted car windows. As she drew nearer, her skin pebbled as her mind finally
processed what she was seeing.

Blood.

In the next step, a familiar smell slammed into her.

Raw meat and rotten blood. Even with the car being sealed,
she swallowed at the strength of the stench invading her sinuses. The
conditions, coupled with the heat, had created a homemade pressure cooker. It
took nearly a minute for her to control her gag reflexes.

“The doors were locked from the inside when we arrived.” Scotts
didn’t say more as she studied the scene. She was barely aware of him and the
techs.

Though parked under the streetlight, the car seemed to draw
the darkness, reluctant to reveal its secrets. The police set up other lights,
but nothing could take away the death hovering over the vehicle like a living
thing.

“How do you know they weren’t switched from the outside by
remote?” Randolph appeared abnormally fascinated as he stood behind the yellow
police tape. She was surprised that he stayed, drew attention to himself with
the question.

Scotts ignored him. Raven peered closer at the car and
answered. “The keys are still in the ignition. There are no smears. The gore on
the side panels hasn’t been disturbed.” None besides the drips of blood and
flesh as it slid down every surface.

Raven purposely avoided looking at the woman sitting in the driver’s
seat.

She was human.

Not the source of the detonation.

Similar to the last crime scene, the shifter was reduced to nothing
much more than gelatin, pieces of him oozing from the interior of the car.

Raven did her best to breathe through her mouth. The decay
told her that they had to have been there for a while, just in time for decomp
to fully kick in with the late summer heat. That the other police officers
didn’t react to the smell told her that the other side of her nature had kicked
in to help.

She wrinkled her nose, wishing it wouldn’t help so much.

Tennis shoes lay discarded on the passenger side. They were
red and twisted nearly inside out like they’d been through a dryer. She
couldn’t find enough of a shirt to swear to a color. The jeans had dozens of
holes, the seams ripped apart where it couldn’t contain the blast.

Nothing else remained of him, vanishing as if he’d never
existed.

Same as the last crime scene.

The condition of the car surprised her. Other than some
cosmetic damage, the interior remained relatively whole despite the force it
took to tear a person apart from the inside out. The windshield was peppered
with half a dozen chips. The plastic had what looked like speaker holes in odd
places. A few cracks marred the hard dashboard. Tiny rays of light filtered
into the side windows, like the glass was perforated, the shards traveling so
fast it passed right through without even shattering.

The process of cataloging the car first helped switch gears
in her mind from emotion to analytical. She crouched and got the first good
look of what was left of the woman’s face. “Do you suppose she was the target
or collateral damage? What do we know about her?” She aimed her question at
Scott’s but didn’t glance away from the scene.