Electric Moon (16 page)

A slight smile tipped his lips then vanished in the next
second. “Stay away from the woods.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Raven saw the
hesitation in his eyes and waited. “Ask.”

“There are three kids in the group without a pack. Their
first moon is coming up on them.”

One of the workers heaved sigh, and she glanced over. Him
and another man lifting the first body. At her stare, he spoke. “Wolves only
shift as they mature. First shifts are hard. The pack is usually there to guide
them through the process.”

Her rescuer leaned his shoulder against the balcony door. “They
aren’t completely rogue yet. Two didn’t even know they were shifters until the darker
urges of their animals presented themselves. As soon as they figured it out, they
came to us for help. We’re all that they have.”

Raven was appalled things were allowed to progress so far.
They were children. “Does that happen a lot?”

The first two workers had vanished through the bathroom with
the body. A third had collected a tarp so not to trail blood over the floor. He
was the one who spoke. “Children of the pack are precious. They wouldn’t be
given up willingly. Their parents were most likely rogues unable to care for
them. The very few who manage to conceive are either abandoned or out-right
killed.”

Raven faced the rogue. “How many?”

“Two teenagers. I’m hoping being around pack will slow down
the change and give them more time to learn. The other kid is older, but in
worse shape. He’s been fighting the change for years.”

“He’s going feral?”

He didn’t say more, didn’t ask or plead with her. They were
used to relying on themselves for everything.

Raven took a different track. “Why fight the change?”

“They are worthless now. Once they change, they will have to
fight for their place in the pack and prove themselves useful.”

Raven closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly let it
out. “If I do this, you will owe me.”

“Agreed.” He didn’t hesitate to commit himself.

When she opened her eyes, his face was alive with an emotion
she couldn’t name. Swallowing hard, she turned away. “Fine. Bring them to the
house. I’ll meet them and decide. I won’t take them if they pose a threat to
mine.”

“That’s all I can ask. I’ll send them before sunset.” He
backed toward the balcony. “Lock your doors. Post more guards. And stay away
from the forest.”

“Wait! Tell me your name.”

“You may call me Jamie.” With that, he bolted over the
railing and disappeared over the side before she could ask more questions.

Like why they wanted to kill her.

Silence descended until the eldest worker spoke in a
deferential tone, as if her decision had meant something to them. “We’ll have
your room ready for you before tonight.”

Raven grabbed a change of clothes, dressing haphazardly
before heading down stairs. This was not how she imagined her very first date,
but she’d already been too long. She couldn’t have Durant investigate until the
rogue had enough time to make good his escape.

A tiny flutter of nerves struck, and she slowed before she reached
the kitchen. She eyed her clothes. They matched everything else in her closet, and
she almost wished she had something nicer, something womanly, to wear.

She grabbed the mess of her hair and pinned it up, futzing
with herself. She tugged her gloves up then stopped. She hated the barrier
between her and others. For most of her life, her greatest wish had been to touch
others without the fear she’d kill them hanging over her.

With the moon calling her animals, she was being granted the
chance of a lifetime. Slowly, ever so slowly, she peeled off her gloves and
shoved them into her back pocket. Her hands felt exposed, sensitive to the
slightest caress of air. She rubbed her fingers, marveling at the textures and
wondered at her own daring. But if she didn’t grab this chance, she would hate
herself for missing the opportunity to be free.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she pushed open the door
to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but finding Jackson and Aaron
eating at the table wasn’t it. Dina bustled around the kitchen.

Her shoulders drooped in disappointment. “Dina, we’re going
to have three guests staying with us. Young teenagers.”

“Shifters?” Interest brightened her eyes.

“Yes. Can you get the rooms ready?”

She was already bouncing on her feet before Raven finished
speaking. “Of course.”

Raven ignored the way Jackson narrowed his gaze. She turned to
avoid his questions and nearly smacked into Durant.

“Were you looking for me?” Durant had stepped through the
outside door, the wall of glass at his back hallowed his body in sun, highlighting
the barely there stripes in his hair. The manifestation could be a reminder not
to forget or his beast’s flat out refusal to hide.

When he stepped out of the light, her breath caught. She was
so used to seeing him in his pressed clothes that his casual attire made him
appear way too approachable.

Made him appear playful, Lord help her.

The jeans were custom made, if she had to guess, and fit him
so lovingly she wanted to trail her hands over them to see if those muscles of
his felt as delicious as they looked.

The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing
a light dusting of hair on the corded muscles of his arms. The collar of his
shirt was opened two buttons, hinting at the powerful chest hidden
tantalizingly out of reach. A lazy smile curled his lips at her perusal, but
his eyes were all hunter as he studied her in return.

Then his eyes fell to her hands and stopped there. He
swallowed once, hard, and quickly glanced up into her eyes. There was a
vulnerability in his expression, as if she had offered him something he’d never
expected.

“Come. I have a private breakfast prepared for us.” He turned
and held open the door for her to pass through.

She gave him a tentative smile and took a step forward when
the phone rang. All the pleasure of the moment drained.

In response, he calmly picked up the phone and held it out
to her. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Without taking her gaze from him, she accepted the phone.
“Raven.”

“There’s a problem.” Hope for the day fell when Scotts’
smoke-roughened voice came over the line. The noise from the station filtered
into the background, sounding as hectic as ever.

Raven tucked away all the expectations that had been
building since last night and fitted her gloves back on her hands. She
should’ve known better than to expect anything. “I’ll leave now and be—”

“Don’t bother. The shifter is dead.”

“But I thought he was in a locked cell. How did they get to
him?”

“He killed himself during the night. He was locked down. We
had no cause to watch him.”

“What?” His answer floored her. “But a shifter would never
kill themself.”

He was silent for a moment. “They sent the body to the
morgue. Meet me there.”

 Chapter Sixteen

“
T
he
last place I expected you to take me on our date was the morgue.” Durant’s droll
tone made Raven wince.

She fumbled with her badge to show at the new checkpoint,
unsettled to be back in the building where she’d almost been kidnapped to
further some lunatic’s experiments. She gave a small smile to Chuck, the guard,
as he waved her through. 

She concentrated on Durant’s words and the present before thoughts
of the past, the things she’d done to survive, drove her insane. “I’m sorry.
I—”

Durant laughed, waving away her words as they walked down
the corridor to the morgue. “You don’t bore me.”

What should’ve sounded like an insult came out as a compliment.
She smiled at him, expecting to see a teasing light in his eyes. Only, he
didn’t smile in return. His green eyes deepened, and she found her steps
slowing as she drifted closer to him.

 “Uhm-mm.” Startled at the throat clearing, Raven whirled to
find Scotts waiting for her down the hallway.

Heat filled her cheeks at being caught mooning over Durant,
and she avoided both their gazes. “Are we in here?”

Scotts took pity on her, pushing open the door without a
word. The room had been fixed since she’d been there last. The stainless steel
refrigeration unit replaced.

Then she saw the doctor.

Even though she knew Ross was gone, Raven shivered, half-expecting
the person in the white coat to turn and smile at her with cold, calculating
eyes while plotting ways to vivisect her.

The cold chills she’d always thought was trepidation that she
might accidently make the dead walk was still there but less. She wondered if
she somehow knew all along the horror Ross had intended for her.

A flicker of energy crackled between her fingers, more to
calm her than any sense of fear.

The person turned, revealing a full figured petite woman.
Blond hair was severely pulled back, showcasing a surprisingly young face. The
little skip in her chest hurt, but her relief was too great to do anything but nod
to the doctor.  

The other woman ignored her and gestured toward Scotts. “I
thought I told you cops only.”

Raven bit back a retort at the attitude, and Scotts quickly
answers. “She’s clear. She’s the new Region.”

The doctor snorted, not pleased, but it was unclear whether
because of the Region title or that she was a paranormal.

“And him?”

Raven glanced at Durant. “He’s my escort. What have you
got?”

The doctor paused for a minute longer then picked up her
notes. “Male. Mid-thirties. Healthy. Died from asphyxiation.”

“He hung himself?” Raven wandered closer to the body, and
the doctor held out her arm.

“No touching. I want no contamination.”

As if Raven were at fault for stealing all the air in the
jail cell. Well, she did fight him not hours earlier, but that didn’t mean she
had anything to do with his death. The whole police station had witnessed and
participated in the capture.

Raven turned toward Scotts. “Is she able to give us a full
report without bias?”

A fierce frown lined the doctor’s face. “I am a
professional. I will do my job.”

“You also hate paranormals.”

The doctor didn’t deny it. “I checked into my predecessors
cases. This morgue seemed to be a hot spot of activity for
your kind
.”
And her observations were all the information she needed to cast judgment. “And
you’re at the center of it all.”

Raven smiled, pleased to note the doctor taken aback by the action.
“If by hot spot you mean a lot of death comes through the morgue, then yes.
Since a number of people still believe being a paranormal is contagious, the
cases are either shuffled around until they are lost or they get sent here.

“My involvement is because I’m on file to be called on
problem cases. You must also be aware that your predecessor had been
experimenting on the paranormals to further
human
well-being. He used
his position and this office to gain access to the bodies. I mean, they’re just
paranormals, after all.”  

Raven and the new doctor eyed each other, both at a
stand-off. Raven gestured toward the covered corpse on the table. “So he hung
himself?”

The doctor hesitated a moment longer, still clinging to her
anger, then finally turned down the sheet. “Actually, no. You would expect
that, but it appears that he just laid down and stopped breathing.”

The body on the table looked like he was ready to get up and
walk away. His skin was pale, gravity having settled the blood in the lowest
points in his body. There was no other marks on him, all the injuries from the
fight having long since healed.

His death made no sense. Oh, shifters had the willpower, the
total control over their body, so it was physically possible.

“Is that normal?” The doctor voiced the very question
bothering her.

Raven shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Durant cleared his throat, and Raven turned toward him.
“Shifters don’t kill themselves. Ever. But they would volunteer for missions
where they either complete their tasks or die trying.”

Raven waved a hand toward the table. “Even a rogue?”

“Rogue?” The doctor peered at the exam table as if the body
would give her an explanation.

Durant ignored the doctor and spoke to Raven. “Some fringe
groups contract themselves out for work. It all depends on the job and the
price tag attached.”

“Like mercenaries. So we need to find out who hired him then.”

“What’s a rogue?” Raven turned at the annoyed voice to find
the new ME watching them with a frown on her face, clearly frustrated that she
couldn’t patch the cryptic conversation together.

Raven debated the wisdom of telling the truth. “It’s
complicated, but essentially, a rogue is a shifter without a pack to call
home.”

“You make it sound like a disease.” She scowled at Raven and
Durant, suspecting they were keeping something from her.

Very astute.

Durant remained silent, face impassive as if the doctor was
of no concern to him. And he was right, she wasn’t. But the doctor was Raven’s
concern if she wanted a place in law enforcement.

“In some cases, it can be a disease. Without a pack, shifters
are vulnerable. There’s a list of symptoms that affects them and could
eventually lead one to going feral.”

The ME quickly flipped the pages of her chart. “What are the
symptoms.”

It was a demand, one that Raven had no intention of
fulfilling. “What is your name?”

“Dr. Shade.”

“You’re a medical examiner for the police. You applied and
were given the position, so you’re intelligent, probably one of the best in
your field.”

“Yes.” There was no pride on her face when she answered.

“Humans are only half your job now. Everything you’ve learned
about shifters from all your teachers...toss. Start over from here. As police
are investigating more into the shifter world, you’ll have to adapt or you
won’t make it.”

Raven headed toward the door. Durant easily beat her to it
without appearing to rush and held it open. “Let us know if someone claims the
body. If not, have it incinerated.”

She matched her steps to Scotts. “I need to talk to some shifters
about what they know. I can’t do that in the office. With the full moon, the
best way to catch them is on their own turf.”

Scotts nodded. “Do it. Keep me informed.” He waved them off
and headed back toward the morgue. “I’m going to see what else our Dr. Shade
has for us.”

“Let me know what you find.”

Durant said nothing as they walked down the hallway. “You
think I was too tough on her.”

He gave her a quick look. “Not really. You only spoke the
truth. A shifter would have told her less.”

“But?” She stopped by the door leading outside, rubbing her
arms, the static building under her skin crackling at the gesture.

The movement lifted her sleeve, revealing a line of massive
bruises bracketing her wrists and higher. Durant grabbed her hand, his eyes
splintering with gold. “What happened?”

Damn.

She’d hoped to keep the incident quiet. “There was a couple
of uninvited houseguests this morning.”

“While I was there? And you didn’t call for help?” Outrage
roughened his voice. He drew himself up to his full height, released her and stepped
back as if affronted.

“It wasn’t like that. They were there when I woke. I just
reacted. By the time I thought about calling for help, the situation was
resolved.”

A muscle ticked in Durant’s jaw, as if realizing for the
first time that he alone wouldn’t be able to protect her. “This is the third
attack in as many days. Only luck has kept you alive this long. What happens
when that runs out?”

Raven wished she could argue with him, but he was right. She
was learning to defend herself, but not fast enough. If she didn’t learn to
survive without her powers, learn how to rely on her beasts, it would be too late.
“I’m trying.”

Durant whirled, stepping right into her private space. “Try
harder.”

She wanted to smack him, but her cool, unruffled tiger seemed
so disturbed she didn’t have the heart to argue. Instead, she settled her palm
over his chest. He covered her hand and rested his forehead against hers.  

His golden gaze locked onto hers. Funny enough, she felt no
fear at being so near his beast. A rumble sigh escaped him as he finally
relaxed. The big cat brushed his tail against her mind in a show of possessiveness,
content with her touch.

At least for now.

“You have one weapon that will work every time.”

Raven wished it were true. “Not during the full moon. When
my animals surface, my abilities as a conduit go on the fritz. I can have
either one or the other, and I have yet to find a balance.”

Durant smiled, but there was no comfort in the gesture. “No,
that’s not what I meant. You’re a strong alpha, especially for one so new. And
as an alpha, you have power over anyone weaker than you.”

Raven’s brows wrinkled as she played the attack over in her
head. She would have done things differently, but she didn’t have possession of
any weapon that could’ve helped. “I think I would know if I had power to stop
them.”

“I’ll teach you.”

That captured her attention. “How?”

“Lust.” Durant opened the door and vanished outside without
another word.

The door drifted shut before she could close her mouth. She
shot outside, her strides quickly eating the distance between them. She wanted
to blurt out her questions, but held back, not sure she really wanted to know.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?”

She should’ve been more careful what she wished for.

* * *

The Aston Martin purred as Durant started the car, the
strong leather scent that so reminded her of him filled the confined space. Raven
inhaled deeper, savoring it. She didn’t touch anything for fear of leaving even
a fingerprint on the pristine surfaces.

“Kiss me.”

Those were the first words out of Durant’s mouth since
they’d left the morgue, and she went rigid.

“What?” The word emerged as a croak, her mouth going dry at
the thought of her leaning over and boldly kissing him. She tried to smile, only
to have her lips wobble. “Aren’t you moving a little fast for a first date?”

He put the car into gear, the tires chirping as he shot out
into traffic with a casualness that shouldn’t have surprised her. The car
suited him.

Sleek.

Powerful.

Ready to pounce.

Traffic zipped by at an alarming rate. Her heart rocketed,
but she didn’t have any qualms of them crashing. No, he handled the car too
smoothly for that. What made her nervous was the edginess to him that she
didn’t know how to tame.

“I won’t force you to do anything, but you have to learn how
to control those around you. The easiest way to begin is by physical contact.”