Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend (8 page)

“Has anyone ever seen anything or survived an attack?”

“No.” Veronica lifted her face and met her gaze head-on.
“Something is hunting us. Soon, there will be no one left.”

It would be one way to get rid of a circus. Raven could
easily envision a couple of packs joining forces to eliminate a possible
threat, but none would abandon their own territory for months at a time.

The group of humans that had passed less than a minute ago whooped
like a bunch of hyenas on the hunt. Raven twisted to see them circle a shifter
ten feet to their right, shoving the poor rogue from one man to the next. She
waited for the beast to retaliate. One swipe could kill them, but the guy only
lifted his arms to block the blows raining down. No shifter would take such
abuse from someone weaker, not when they were at the top in survival of the
fittest.

Raven stopped dead, her feet rooted to the ground at the
wrongness.

Veronica stepped in front of her, only inches from her face,
blocking the show. Raven sidestepped to see around her, ready to shove her out
of the way when she spoke.

“Humans are the beasts here. They might not be physically
superior, but in numbers, they are in charge. They enjoy the power, the small
cruelties they inflict.” She met her gaze directly. “They won’t do permanent
damage to the property.”

Raven couldn’t believe what she was hearing, especially from
another shifter. “That’s not good enough.”

Veronica grabbed her arm when she went to move again. “The
humans are the dredges of society no one would miss if something goes wrong.
Criminals you don’t want to mess with. Harm one of Clancy’s minions, and he’ll
have your head.”

“So we’re not supposed to do anything?” It took everything
in her not to react. Pretend to be human. She was supposed to be afraid of
shifters, not confronting them.

Veronica waved a hand and rolled her eyes as if she thought
the whole thing absurd. “If you want to survive here, you’ll need to learn that
there
is
nothing you can do. You should be more worried about yourself.”

Veronica gracefully skirted around her and continued their
walk, her eyes lowered demurely, all innocent and simpering as they passed the
group of men. She gave a nod to each, acting like the princess she’d portrayed
last night.

And the guys ate it up, stopping the fight to stare.

No one showed her any disrespect.

Even on her best days, Raven wasn’t that good of an actress.
She would’ve gutted them at the first opportunity.

They neared the now-silent circus, the place creepy in the
daylight with everything so still and empty. The earth appeared trampled and
beaten … like the very people who worked there. The charm from last night was
tarnished, the tents dingy and faded by too many days out in the sun.

Trash lay scattered everywhere, the booths banged up and
splintered, the air tainted by the grimy smell of grease from the derelict
rides. The paint on the rides was chipped, rust marking every bolt. No way in
hell would they ever get her to ride any of those deathtraps.

Instead of entering the circus, they swerved toward the back
and a section of five-foot square boxes, surrounded by a metal gate. As they
neared, the overwhelming smell of feces and urine clogged the air. Veronica
wrinkled her nose, her lips twisting in disgust. “The animals are kept here.”

Fifteen boxes.

So many.

But only half of them appeared full. Raven couldn’t help
wonder where the rest of them had gone.

She rubbed the hollow ache in her chest at their plight. She
knew what if felt like to be missing half your soul.

She’d lived most of her life that way

It was a horrible way to live, and she was surprised so many
of them have survived this long.  They were all in poor shape. “Is no one
taking care of them?”

Veronica paused in opening the gate surrounding the boxes,
her gaze flicking toward her before she opened the door. “The last one no
longer wanted the job.”

A snort came from behind them. “You mean he was eaten, don’t
you?”

Raven whirled and found a petite dark-haired woman standing
with her hands on her hips, glaring at Veronica. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt,
her hair pulled back into a ponytail, the girl barely looked out of her teens.

Then Raven placed her. “The gypsy.”

Veronica tossed back her hair and sniffed. “Nothing so
glorious, just a witch, and a poor one at that.” She pushed away from the wall
and strutted forward, all snide and caustic. “Since you’re so interested, Eve,
you can show her the rest.”

The princess sauntered away with a jaunty wave.

Feeling clueless at the animosity between them, Raven turned
to Eve and raised a brow.

“Don’t get too close to the bitch. She’s Clancy’s lover,
which gives her certain protection.”

Raven grimaced at the thought of that bull of a man touching
her. Eve pin her under a narrow gaze, scanning her from head to foot in disgust.
“You won’t last a second with the animals. No one does.”

So not reassuring. “Then why not get someone else to do it?”

“No one else will take the job. Another shifter would only
rile the animals.”

“Then I guess I don’t have a choice.” Raven was nothing if
not stubborn. She would not be cowed. If push came to shove, she would shove
back harder.

Eve grunted in grudging respect, dropped her hands from her
hips, and marched toward the entrance. “Come on, then.”

As they entered the gate, the canopy overhead cut down some
of the heat. She followed the woman who’d played a large part in trapping them
in this hell. She waited for the vengeful urge to rip out the woman’s throat,
but the volatile emotions she’d suffered through the last week never surfaced.
She prodded her beast, but the dragon just gave a warning rumble and curled tighter
around itself. Raven was beginning to suspect the creature was protecting her
the only way it knew how. If she left without her pack, and the circus
disappeared, she would be devastated. Without her beast for aid, she wasn’t
sure she’d ever be able to find them, not if they continued to move every week.

So she was on her own to find a way for all of them to get
out alive.

Tension vibrated off the gypsy, a brittle set to her
shoulders. Her stark fear reeking in the enclosed space. Something was off. Determined
to find out what was really happening, Raven provoked the woman in a way she
knew would get a response. “You betrayed us.”

“I don’t know you.” The sharp reply came immediately.

Raven refused to retreat without answers. “True enough, but
you knew what you were doing. That it was wrong.”

Eve whirled, thrust out her finger like a sword and poked it
in her direction. “You don’t get to judge me. We all do what we must to
survive. Your time will come when you have to make an impossible choice. Only
then will you understand.”

Raven stepped forward, a sense of urgency scratching at her
insides. “And if you have a chance to leave?”

Eve blanched, waving her arms as if to ward her off. “You
can’t say something like that here. You’ll get us both killed. We’re all here
of our own free will. You won’t get anyone to say otherwise.”

She scurried toward the workbench, setting out enough pans
to cover each animal. She reached up, pulling down a binder, her movements
jerky with agitation. “This page lists what each animal needs to receive. They
get a portion of protein, dry food and vitamin powder once a day. Don’t feed
them extra. We only have so much food. If they get extra now, they’ll starve
later.” A tremor wobbled in her voice as if she knew from experience.

The process appalled Raven. She opened her mouth to protest
when a heavy weight landed on her chest, crushing the breath out of her. The
dragon wanted her to be quiet. Speaking now would only get them all killed. 

Worry about her men gnawed at her. “What can I expect to
happen to the men with me?”

When the woman didn’t answer, Raven grabbed her arm.
“Please.”

The gypsy shrugged out of her hold, but her rigidness unbent
a fraction. “Nothing will happen to them if they accept their fate and obey.”

The vise around her throat eased for the first time since
the forced separation.

They were safe.

For now.

They had a week to find out the truth and leave before they
were forced to pledge and the shit really hit the fan.

The beast sank back into her bones, her body growing heavy.

Completely unaware of Raven’s internal struggle, Eve opened
the large freezer, systematically dumping packages into each tub before moving
on to the next. When she disappeared around the corner, Raven quickly followed.
Only to stop when she saw pans of thawed meat. Decay and rot clogged her
sensitive nose. As soon as an animal died, the meat began to rot. The older the
meat, the less appealing it became to shifters. It was why they preferred live
prey.

Not to mention they enjoyed the hunt.

“Keep the blood in the pan. It leaves the food more
appetizing.” She kicked a box under the bench as she worked. “The vitamin
powder is under here. Next bin holds dog food. Mixing directions are here.”

She plopped the book on the tabletop, clearly wanting to get
away from her as quickly as possible … as if stupidity was catching.

“We slide open the slot and shove the food into the kennels.
While they feed, we drop down the gate, and clean out the cages. I’ll be back
in an hour to show you the rest.” The clinical list was chilling, distancing
her from the animals as if they were truly beasts and not shifters.

Raven stepped in her way but didn’t get a chance to say
anything before the little whirlwind spoke. “Are you listening? ‘Cause if you
don’t follow the rules, you’ll get eaten, just like the others.”

Raven had a feeling she was talking about more than just feeding
the animals. She eyed the packages of meat suspiciously. “I understand.”

And she was beginning to understand a lot more, too.

The circus was run by terror.

“Good.” Tension eased out of her shoulders, but only for a
second as Eve recovered. “You want to be sure you’re finished before the doors
open at seven.” She darted around Raven, moving fast for a human. She halted by
the door, her fingers clenched on the canvas, her body stiff. “I am sorry.”

Answer clicked into place. “Who do they have?”

Eve appeared startled, paling as if struck. “My son.” Her
lips trembled before she firmed them. “If I don’t point out vulnerable
shifters, I don’t earn our keep. They will hurt him. We’re forced to spy on
each other, every infraction punished. Others are rewarded.” Her face twisted
in distaste, and she glanced away, humiliation burning her cheeks. “Don’t give
them anything to use against you.”

She disappeared before Raven could ask anything else. She
curled her hands into fists, wishing for the power to do something. It was too
soon. She had to bide her time and learn more before she could take action.

Something more was going on here.

If she reacted to the situation wrong, the people
responsible for all this misery would get away.

Raven wanted to help these people, but not all were
innocent. She wondered if that was why her dragon had vanished. She thought the
creature had disappeared to protect her, possibly worried that her men would
discover her beast was a real live dragon, but her beast would never put her
pack at risk that way.

If she trusted the wrong person, she’d only end up putting
people in more danger.

One thing was very real—someone was terrorizing these
people. She just didn’t know if it came from within the pack or if they were
actually being stalked.

No wonder the shifters didn’t act like a pack.

How could they when they were set at each other’s throats?

R
aven unwrapped all the packages, doing her
best not to look too closely at the mystery meat. She organized the pans,
followed the directions in the book, ignoring the twinges in her ribs. When she
lifted the lid on the powder, she reared back, the astringent stench like nothing
she’d ever encountered.

That wasn’t vitamins.

She leaned forward and inhaled carefully, trying to sort
through the smells. Acid burned up her throat as she focused on one scent.

Poison.

Shifters were notoriously hard to poison, but continual
doses over an extended period of time would make it possible. Poison would keep
the shifters docile.

Raven hesitated as she bent over the container, not sure
what to do.

The quantity of food wasn’t enough to sustain shifters, the
extra supplements needed to keep them alive. If she left it out, she would be
responsible for them starving. If their roles were reversed, she knew what she’d
want done.

She looked at the sink, then turned on the water and poured the
exact amount for each down the drain.

The heat in the tent turned stifling as the mid-day sun beat
down on it. The rancid smell of rotten blood increasing until the need for air
clawed in her chest. She threw open the tarp and nearly tromped on Eve in her
escape.

Eve gave a startled yep.

Too late to backpedal, Raven spun without thinking, her moves
fluid and controlled.

A blur to the naked eye.

Only a few rare shifters could move in sharp bursts that
fast.

Eve’s mouth dropped open, her face a pasty color as understanding
dawned in her dark eyes.

So much for pretending to be human.

Raven could silence her. Snapping her neck would be easy
enough to do, but she held still and waited for judgment.

She would not be a monster.

Eve grabbed Raven’s hand and jerked her back inside the
tent. “If anyone finds out you’re a shifter, both our lives will become sheer
torture.”

Raven nodded at the harsh whisper. “Then don’t tell them.”

Eve reared back, quickly letting her go as if stung.

Raven lunged to stop her from fleeing but dropped her arm
when the witch flinched.

“Killing me will only lead them to learning the truth all
the faster.”

Raven carefully crossed her arms, offended by the words
despite the fact she’d contemplated that very thing. The woman had been pushed
around enough. Any more and she would snap, and Raven would lose a potential
ally. “If I wanted you dead, I would’ve done it already.”

Surprisingly, that seemed to relax Eve.

She’d been around shifters long enough to know it was true.

“How could I have messed up my readings so badly? So stupid,
I didn’t even think to check you. Female shifters are protected, much too
valuable to be allowed to roam free without guards. They’re much too risky for
us to grab.” The words were an accusation, as if it were Raven’s fault for
being kidnapped.

The gypsy threaded her hands in her hair and tightened her
grip, beginning to hyperventilate as she paced. “They’ll blame me. It’s too late
to kill you and get rid of the bodies. Your pack will track you here. They’ll
find us. It’s only a matter of time before we’re all dead.”

Raven’s heart gave a twinge of pity at Eve’s overwhelming
dread, but she had to proceed cautiously. “Not necessarily.”

Eve stopped dead and stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“What about Veronica?”

Eve waved her hands, dismissing the other woman. “She has no
pack affiliations, no one to care what would happen to her.”

Raven racked her brain for a solution because Eve was right,
if the truth was discovered, they were all dead. “You’re missing the obvious
answer.”

At Eve’s blank stare, Raven shrugged. “Don’t tell the
others.”

Eve shook her head even before Raven finished speaking.
“They’re shifters. They’ll find out sooner rather than later. You can’t keep
that type of thing a secret. Then there will be hell to pay. I’d be lucky if
they only kill me and not my son.”

Eve worked herself up in a state, convincing herself that
turning Raven in was the only solution. And she was partially right. Raven doubted
they would kill her outright. If the truth was discovered, the cost would be
too high. Clancy would most likely auction her off to the highest bidder for an
astronomical sum. Raven wasn’t worried about herself, but without her there to
be used as leverage, her men would become more trouble than their worth.

They would become a liability and immediately marked for
death.

Heart slamming against her ribs, Raven ruthlessly pushed
down her qualms and dangled the thing Eve wanted most out in front of her.
“What if I told you I could help you and your son escape?"

Shock snapped Eve’s mouth shut so hard her teeth clinked. Hope
burned bright in her eyes before they dimmed under the brutal truth. “They
would hunt us down, not only out of spite, but also teach a lesson to others.
No one escapes. Ever. I can’t risk it.” She turned toward the door.

“Not even for your son and the chance of freedom?”

Eve’s pacing slowed, the temptation too great to dismiss
without listening.

“Give me a week. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on
staying longer than necessary.”

The gypsy twisted to stare, her dark brown eyes hardening to
pure black. A brush of cobwebs swept over her skin as Eve worked her magic.
“You really believe that.” Her brows wrinkled. “Why wait? Let’s leave now.”

Eve rushed forward, but halted before touching her. “Tell me
how.”

It was a demand.

“It’s too soon. I won’t leave my men behind. They’re too
well guarded yet. They’d located us too quickly if we tried to just leave. Give
me time to work on a plan. I won’t leave any innocence behind to suffer.”

Eve blanched and backed away. “No one here is innocent. You
can’t trust anyone. As soon as they learn what you are, they’ll turn you over
the first chance they get.”

She never spoke truer words.

If the wrong person discovered that Raven was a female
shifter, she’d become their hottest commodity. She couldn’t go through that
again. Her skin itched at the thought of being imprisoned, forced to perform.

“Then we don’t tell anyone.” Raven turned away and eyed the
row of food trays. “That means we have to act normal. Show me what needs to be
done next.”

With a jerky nod, Eve gathered one of the pans with
trembling hands and shoved the tray in the food slot. “Then we wait for the animal
to enter. While they feed, we need to shovel out the pen and spray everything
down, including the animal if you can get them.”

Gathering a shovel, she headed outside, so distracted she veered
a little too close to one of the cages. The beast slammed into the bars. Eve
leapt back, barely missing the swipe of massive paws from a mangy lion. The
molting beast gave a roar of outrage, staring at them like prey.

Matted fur hung on him, his frame all skin and bones, while his
wild mane was snarled and ratted almost beyond recognition.

Nothing human remained.

Then the rules she’d learned the day before came back to
her. If they weren’t in the show, they were not earning their keep.

He’d been left there to die.

A blatant reminder of her precarious position.

The lion’s habitat was stark, no greenery, no cooling shade
larger than a foot, nothing but a tub of water to keep him from overheating.

As he prowled past, Raven couldn’t resist the impulse to
reach through the bars and touch the wire-like fur. A smidge of current
released on contact.

The lion whipped around to face her, his snarl fading to a
low grumble when their eyes locked. The beast retreated, his eyes brightening
as his intelligence gradually returned. The animal might not be happy, but he
was no longer so vicious.

“How’d you do that?” Eve whispered, both excited and
fearful.

“I have an affinity for animals.” It was the truth in a
sense, but it must have looked like magic to Eve. “He’s been in beast form too
long. He’s lost his human self. I just reminded him.” And he wasn’t happy about
the return. He didn’t want to fight any longer.

 “He lost his partner. When he changed, they could no longer
control him, and they stuck him in this cage. He’s never turned back.” Eve gave
her a pointed look, silently urging her to be careful. “If one hostage dies, so
do the others … either by choice or by Clancy’s hand when their usefulness
ends.”

Without a connection to the pack, someone to ground him, he
would gradually turn feral. Raven could understand. If anything happened to her
pack, she wasn’t sure she would be strong enough to pull herself back from the
edge.

Eve bent and removed a panel from under the cage, then
pulled out a hose. “When they won’t go into the kennel to eat, we can’t unlock
the cage, so we just spray everything down.”

Raven frowned and studied the prison. “Where do the shifters
go while we clean then?”

Eve looked grim, her lips flattening. “If they don’t retreat
into their box, we hose them down as well.”

The hose was not the garden variety, but more of a power
washer. The spray had to be painful, nearly skin-peeling force. They thought
beasts were brutal and could take anything, but that just wasn’t true. Their
spirits could be broken, the same as any human. Raven couldn’t be a party to it
and held up her hand. “I understand. You can go.”

The gypsy wanted to protest but bit back her retort. She
looked at the cage, dropped the hose and silently handed over the keys. “Just
remember that you need to be finished before dusk when we open the gates.”

Another reminder that if they stepped out of line, they
would be punished.

Raven gave a grim nod. When Eve turned away, Raven called
after her. “Why did you choose us?”

She needed to know what gave them away so she could protect
her pack in the future.

Shadows danced over Eve’s face. “Only a person in love would
freely travel with a shifter. Most humans prefer to kill them. You two acted so
in love, they singled you out for testing. We need a connection—”

“—a way to hold something over us.”

“I saw his devotion to you. It was enough.” Eve didn’t say
anything more and walked away.

Raven fingered the keys, eyed the cage but didn’t enter. Not
yet. Allowing herself to be pulled away, she moved to the next cage. All the
other animals immediately ate when she shoved the food in the box. She sprayed
down the cages while they were occupied.

The animals were docile.

Too docile.

The drugs had been in their system for so long that they no
longer knew how to be a creature of the wild. She had feared the animals might
sense her true nature and give her away. Most just avoided her, their senses so
deadened they didn’t even recognize her. A few watched her suspiciously but
didn’t bother to stop gulping down their food.

As she passed one of the many empty cages, it felt like she
dropped into a freezing lake, the spooky vibe sinking into her soul. She
practically tripped over her own feet to get away, glancing over her shoulder
to see if anything followed.

Her skin was dotted with frost, chilled almost to the bone. Something
waited in that cage, seeking vengeance.

It peered inside her, searching for something … or someone
specific.

She walked away, but only because it had released her.

Exhaustion crashed into her when she reached the last cage.
Her movements became labored, weak as the human she was trying to portray, and
it wasn’t really a lie. Staying up all night, worry mixed with the drugs, had
taken its toll.

Three men were wrestling with a large animal, each carrying a
Taser shaped like a wand, zapping the poor beast to get him to obey.

A roar shook the air, and Raven froze in recognition.

“Durant?”

She scrambled forward, much too far away to be of any help.

As she watched through the bars, six men tried to force
Durant to enter an empty cage.

“Settle down or we’ll shock your little girl instead.” They
didn’t care if she heard or not. She was an animal lover, which to them meant
she was less than human.

Durant didn’t even hesitate, instantly turning meek, and
entered the cage without further protest. As the door slammed shut with a
clank, Raven bit her tongue against the scream of rage burning her throat and
tasted blood.

The men laughed, edging a little too close to when they
passed. Durant snarled, lunging at the bars, looking ready to rip through them.
The man nearest her lifted the Taser next to her face and pressed the button.

A blue spark arced in the air between the prongs.

It took everything in her to halt the need to suck down all
that lovely energy. Durant immediately quieted, and the man raised a brow.
“You’re smarter than the rest. Obey and you all might enjoy coming to live
here.”

As they left, Raven scrambled toward the cage. In tiger
form, Durant butted his large head against her hand, seeking affection and
reassuring himself that she remained unharmed. Instead of being humiliated at
being confined, his animal form dominated the cage.

She ran her hands over him as she searched for injuries, and
pleasure rumbled in his chest. He seemed more alert, almost healed, and her
legs sagged in relief. “We’re going to get out of here, but we need to act
carefully.”

Energy pulled toward him as he prepared to shift. Raven
quickly grabbed it in her fists and squashed it, the sting burning her hands.
“You’re safer here for the moment. Watch. Listen. Be prepared to move when I
give the signal.”

Intelligence glowed in his eyes. She wanted to talk to him,
but couldn’t risk the other shifters noticing the exchange. Raven twisted the
key to his door off the ring, then tucked it into the corner of the cage,
wedging it under the wood to keep it hidden. It felt good to be doing
something. At one time, she had thought she wanted to be normal.