Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend (3 page)

By leaving, she was stealing time to settle her newly arose
dragon and get rid of that magic before it had a chance to spread.

Before people had time to discover the truth and began
hunting them in earnest.

But she’d never intended to abandon her people and leave
them behind to cope with the trouble without her.

Taggert stepped between them, and she realized that she’d
been ready to leap over the car at Jackson to demand answers.

Her insides trembled at the near miss, and the blasted man
just stood there calmly, not a whiff of fear on him. She rubbed her sweaty
palms on her pants.

It was one thing to trust her, another to test it with his
life.

Foolish man.

“We have a burner phone, but it’s for inbound calls. Only
London has the number. You can’t check on them. We can’t risk it being traced.”
Taggert inched closer, so slowly she hadn’t even been aware he was moving, until
he was only a breath away. “If there’s any trouble, they’ll call us.”

He didn’t say anything else, didn’t ask to go to the circus,
leaving the choice up to her. The childlike pleasure in his eyes had dimmed,
and she found herself going against her better judgement. Taggert had been a
slave all of his life. She wanted to please him, even if it was something as
simple as going to a fair.

“Fine.”

Taggert’s smile was slow in coming, a small curling of the
lips that he only shared with her.

She gave one last look at Jackson, memorizing his features,
and he tipped his chin in acknowledgement. “Go. You have anonymity here. It
would be the perfect time for you to see how other shifters work. Just keep to
yourself. You can’t let anyone see that you’re an alpha or even a shifter if
you can prevent it. We’ll see you soon.”

With great reluctance, she turned her back on them and crossed
the road. In minutes, they were surrounded by nothing but thousands of trees in
every direction. If she hadn’t known the road was behind them, she would’ve
never found it. The spooky silence plucked her nerves.

“You don’t need to worry.” Taggert studied their
surroundings, avoiding looking at her directly, taking his duty to guard her
seriously.

Raven stiffened, and her hackles rose. “I don’t like leaving
them behind.”

“Understandable.” Taggert wandered closer as if to offer
comfort, but refrained from actually touching her … as if afraid. Heat flushed
her face, and she ducked, hurt that he considered her a monster to be feared.

Not that she could blame him. She
had
nearly killed
him.

And as much as she wanted to protest, she couldn’t say it
wouldn’t happen again.

No one was safe around her until she learned her limits.

The dragon wrapped around her, almost like a hug, trying to
reassure her that they wouldn’t let anything happen to the pack, but Raven
wasn’t convinced.

And until she knew for sure, she needed to maintain her
distance.

Taggert glanced at her when she didn’t reply. “I meant that
you have nothing to worry about with the circus.”

“You sound really sure.” Raven reserved her judgment,
surveying the forest for any sign of threats. There was no thicket to struggle
through, no lower branches to impede their way. The place was eerie, almost
groomed. They were basically sitting targets, easily tracked and hunted from
miles away. Fear prickled along her spine, a gut-wrenching terror that gripped
her in its claws and refused to release her.

They were being watched.

She resisted the urge to whirl and hunt for the threat.

The dragon hunkered down, more curious than alarmed.

It wanted to hunt and explore the forest, dodge the trees
and taste the freedom that stood just out of reach. The craving grew until her
hands shook, and she almost gave into the impulse.

A glow on the horizon grew brighter through the tree line,
and she knew they were getting closer to civilization. Her feet picked up speed,
practically running from the temptation of getting lost in the woods and never
returning.

When Taggert grabbed her hand and pried open her fist, she nearly
tripped over her own feet.

“Don’t.” She yanked away from his touch, only to have him
tighten his grip, stubbornly refusing her.

Emotions dropped from his face, and she knew her rejection
had she’d hurt him.

They broke through to a clearing seconds later and
encountered a sea of cars. His lips flattened, and his chin rose in defiance as
he nodded to a couple that stood off to the side … holding hands. “We should
blend with the crowd.”

Even knowing she shouldn’t, Raven gave in to his poor
justification. Pack craved touch. To refuse was a punishment. He’s been through
too much in the last few weeks for her to deny him this small thing, not when his
very touch made her pulse pick up speed. She brushed her thumb over his wrist,
marveling at the texture of his skin. She’d been denied such intimate contact
with others for most of her life in fear that she’d kill them with her touch.
Her pack taught her another way of life, and she refused to give up this small
gift he was giving her.

“Tell me what to expect from the circus.”

He was so slow to answer that she sneaked a peek at him from
the corner of her eyes, wondering if he’d changed his mind. He was more
volatile since she’d brought him back from the brink of death. Much more alpha.
He wouldn’t be pushed around without retaliating.

And deep down, it thrilled her to know that he could defend
himself, even from her if necessary. The creature hummed in agreement, enjoying
the challenge, and Raven had to shake off that thought.

A group of girls piled out of a car near the entrance of the
circus. One of the girls caught sight of them—or more precisely, locked eyes on
Taggert. The young thing smiled, an inviting blush on her cheeks as she scanned
Taggert from head to foot.

Raven narrowed her eyes, feeling talons rake across the
undersides of her ribs, the dragon determined to pounce and beat the girl to a
pulp.

Taggert was hers.

She clamped down on Taggert’s hand, stepping closer, until
their arms were entwined.

Mine.

Taggert’s stride hiccupped. His gaze dropped to their hands
and awkwardness crept over her, but she couldn’t bring herself to release him. When
she looked up, a secretive smile curled his lips.

He didn’t even notice the girl’s eyes dim with
disappointment or her pout as she flounced away.

It might have been the only thing that saved the little twit’s
life.

“
O
ne shifter and one human to see the freak show.”

Raven stood back, keeping her senses locked down tight as
the man at the ticket counter cast her a quick glance. Short and squat, his
face wrinkled, his eyes sunk into his skull, he reminded her of one of those
evil garden gnomes. She felt exposed standing there, vulnerable under his
stare. He probed her mind, and it was everything she could do not to shove back
at the intrusion. He narrowed his eyes when he couldn’t break her shields,
pushing harder until it felt like her skull was about to crack.

The probe was messy.

No finesse.

Though not alpha strength, the signature all wrong, it was
still pretty damned strong.

He tried to force her beast to react. If directed at anyone
weaker, they wouldn’t have been able to resist the call, especially after he’d amped
up the juice. He studied her eyes, teeth and hands like some specimen on the
auction block, looking for signs of a change.

After a minute, the old, grisly man grunted then turned
toward Taggert, his faded eyes glowing a pale blue. “Show me.”

Taggert’s wolf leapt toward the surface, barely contained by
his body, and all the hair on her arms rose at the unbridled wildness.

Rogue.

Her throat closed at the implications. If anyone mistook him
for a rogue, they’d be well within their rights to kill him on sight and ask
questions later. She stepped closer, ready to protect him if anyone dared to lift
a hand against him. While the dragon wanted to revel in his wildness, the human
side of her just wanted to ease him. To have their animal so close to the
surface was painful, even more so when they couldn’t shift like Taggert. It was
all she could do not to run her hand down his back and soothe the wildness,
even if everyone discovered that she wasn’t exactly human.

Her hackles rose as the old man continued to stare. It was a
clear challenge, and she narrowed her eyes, struggling to hold back her dragon
as it raged inside her body, wanting to rip the toady little man to shreds for
the disrespect. “Everything all right?”

Her words were a demand.

A second passed in painful silence, and Raven feared she’d
messed up when he finally spoke.

“One hundred and fifty.” The man slid over two wristbands,
one black and one white. She grabbed the one placed in front of her, slipping
the white plastic over her wrist, watching Taggert from under her lashes. He
appeared calm, as if nothing had happened. That was when she realized it was
normal for him to be treated as a second-class citizen. She hurt for him and the
unfairness of it all. Taggert donned the black band, and then paid the fee.

Raven was surprised at the amount of cash he carried. “So
much?”

The man answered before Taggert could speak. “We charge
extra for the human gawkers.”

There was no heat or bitterness in his derision, just pure
dislike for humans, so Raven brushed it off. “Taggert?”

He grabbed her arm and steered her away, raising his chin a
little in defiance. “I took all the ready cash you had on hand and put a
portion of it in each of our to-go bags.”

“Smart.” But that wasn’t what she wanted to say. A slight
blush highlighted his cheeks, charming her into almost forgetting. “You can’t
call your wolf anymore. It’s too dangerous.”

He’d stepped in front of a bomb to protect her, taking so
much damage that his body had been riddled with shrapnel … what was left of it
anyway. She’d slowly watched his life fade from his eyes. In an attempt to save
him, she’d called his wolf to the surface. Forced him to heal. She’d never
expected the situation to be permanent. He’d risked his life to save hers, and in
return, she’d cursed him to live in constant pain.

“Stop.” Taggert grabbed her chin and lifted her face to his.
“You gave me my wolf. Don’t feel guilty. You saved my life, and I will forever
be grateful. I’m stronger now because of you, strong enough to be a member of
your pack, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. Look for yourself if you
don’t believe me.”

He wanted her to use her senses and see that he was telling
the truth.

She inhaled deeply, his woodsy smell seeping into her senses.

Clean.

Fresh.

He gazed at her, both fierce and gentle, and … telling the
truth.

Raven glanced away.

“Raven.” It was a warning. “Stop trying to fix me. I’m not
broken. You have to forgive yourself.”

She shivered at his gruff voice, goose flesh chasing across
her skin at his intimate tone. He sounded so delighted and sure of himself, it
would destroy him if she tried to change him back. And despite everything, her
beast was pleased with the changes. No one would hurt him or take him from her,
not with his wolf. “Fine.”

And she meant it.

Given the option of changing him or letting him die, there had
been no choice. The brutal truth eased the heavy weight of guilt she carried.
“Now why don’t you show me this circus?”

Taggert’s smile was blinding, and her breath caught at the way
he went from young surfer to sexy playboy in two seconds flat. He guided her
forward, her hand tingling where it was tucked against his arm, and she wanted
to draw him closer, craving more of his attention.

A shriek caused her to whirl and magic rippled under her
skin, reacting to her alarm.

Only to see a child scooped up in his father’s arms and
tickled.

Her lips curled at the sweet laughter, not able to remember
such things from when she was a child.

Large tents were set up at the outskirts of the circus like
a perimeter, the place cordoned off by the placement of booths and fences. Lights
were strung between tents on string, the big bulbs lighting up the sky, leaving
only a faint glow to disguise the dinginess. A number of rides were scattered
at the far end of the tents. Dozens of game and food stands were strewn about
in a way that directed people around the fairground in a sort of maze.

The children were not afraid, and she noted most of the
others wore red tags.

Taggert followed her line of sight. “They don’t know the
circus is run by shifters, while those who wear the black or white bands came for
the novelty of seeing shifters.”

One thought came to her mind as she watched the crowd.

Easy prey.

Shame immediately heated her face, and she avoided glancing too
closely at the people again.

All the lights, smells and the press of people quickly grew
overwhelming, the festive air leaving her off balance.

She wasn’t used to the press of people. Her dragon liked the
solitude and hungered down to observe. People were oddities to her. She’d spend
most of her life as seeing them as the enemy. She tried to follow Taggert’s
lead, not wanting to misstep and draw attention to them.

Sensing her distress, Taggert pressed closer, standing
slightly in front of her, giving her breathing room to recover. The dragon
huffed, wanting to stride forward and force everyone to move out of their way.
It was all she could do to curb the impulse.

“Your alphaness is showing.” Taggert gave her a worried
look, a deep line between his brows. “You must try to keep hidden as much as
possible. You have to try to pass for human.”

Raven understood, her whole body practically humming with
adrenaline, but she had no idea how to shut it off. The beast was too curious,
busy filtering and cataloging thousands of smells. Savory cooked meat, spicy deep
fried foods, overly sweet sugar and the sweat of too many people floated on the
air.

Everything was fine for the first few minutes, but then something
illusive and dangerous spoiled the scents, giving them an almost rotten smell.

Instead of tracking the threat, her creature froze and just
shut down from one second to the next.

It shouldn’t have been a big deal. She’d been without her animal
for most her of her life, but the instant the creature vanished, she tripped
over her own feet. She and the dragon had become so integrated that all her
senses became dulled by the loss of connection. As if she were drugged.

The loss devastated her.

Though she fought it, she’d grown comfortable with the
beast’s constant presence the last few weeks, and couldn’t be more surprised to
find that she actually missed the dragon.

A swirl of magic flared in her gut, seeping from her skin to
snap into the air. At the return of her magic, pleasure thrummed in her veins,
only to dull when the electricity continued to swell without the dragon there
to regulate it. People glanced at her as they passed, the static jumping into
them with enough strength to lift every hair on their bodies. She felt like
part of the act—a freak.

Worse, she stood out like a beacon to the shifters. Cold
panic slammed into her, and she shut down hard and fast, scorching her insides
in her haste to shove the magic back down. Her bones felt brittle and embedded
with barbed wire by the time she was done.

When the last of magic vanished, she swayed under the strain.

Taggert pulled her so close, plastering her up against his
side. No longer under the influence of her beast or magic, she had no filters
to protect her from the outside world.

Sensations immediately overwhelmed her.

To save her sanity, she focused on the one thing sure to
ground her in the real world.

Taggert.

She set her hand on his chest, and lust exploded through her
at the feel of all those tightly packed muscles he kept hidden under his shirt.
She practically melted as his heat soaked into her skin.

He inhaled deeply, his whiskey-colored eyes splintering green
with his emotions. People swerved to get around them, and he drew her out of
the crowd, saving her from being trampled.

She’d been using her guilt to keep her distance from him,
but she could no longer remember why it had been such a bad idea to get close
to him in the first place.

The last thing she expected was for him to release her and set
her on her feet. She deflated in disappointment.

“You all right?”

Raven avoided his gaze and ran a nervous hand down her
shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles as her swinging emotions scaled back to more
manageable levels. Without the dragon, she felt stripped bare and exposed, and
she didn’t care for it at all. “Fine.”

“Mind telling me what happened?” Concern coated his words,
and he scanned the crowd, searching for danger.

Feeling foolish, Raven shrugged. “My animal disappeared.”

Taggert’s head snapped toward her. “You’re not suppressing
it?”

“No, it smelled something that disturbed it, and just shut
down.”

Taggert tensed, completely wigged out as he stared down at
her, which didn’t bode well for her peace of mind, and her heart bounced to her
knees at his reaction.

“Why is that wrong?” Raven was completely confused. “You told
me to suppress it. I think it disappeared to escape detection. Just like you wanted.”

“If threatened, our beasts would never hide. Being an alpha
only makes it doubly true.” Then he relaxed, his rigidness easing as he reached
out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “So you don’t think it sensed a
threat?”

Raven didn’t answer right away, struggling to remain
unaffected by his casual touch. But he was right about one thing—her beast
would never back down from a fight. “I didn’t feel anything force her away, no
spells or any power at all.”

The skin on the back of her neck tightened, and she felt
vulnerable without her beast. Her attention fell onto a closed booth in the
distance, disturbed by it for some reason. Though she couldn’t pick up any
overt threat, no smell of blood, something was definitely wrong. “It must have
something to do with the circus. Tell me why it’s so special.”

They began moving again, Taggert watching the crowd for any
sign of trouble, walking just a little bit too close, distracting her when his
arm brushed against her with every step. It was a relief when he began
speaking, sidetracking her from the totally inappropriate impulse to wrap
herself around him.

“The circus is considered its own pack. They’re not
restricted to territory, and they can go anywhere, even travel into other
territories without being challenged. To attack them is considered a crime to
be brought before the council.” Taggert paused, watching a young couple ten
feet ahead of them. The guy had his arm wrapped around the girl’s shoulder,
hugging her close.

He wasn’t jealous or angry, they were human and didn’t pose
any danger, but he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away. All emotions vanished
when the young couple became lost in the crowd. Only then did she recognize the
expression. Yearning.

An irrational need to give him the night he dreamed of, a
night without worry or fear, pierced her.

It wasn’t smart, it would only cause more trouble, but after
all they’ve been through, she didn’t understand why she couldn’t have what she
wanted if only for one evening. Feeling bold and daring, she snaked her arm
around his waist.

It was Taggert’s turn to nearly stumble. His whole body
stiffened, his eyes practically glowing when he gazed down her with a question
in his splintered green-and-brown eyes.

She almost lost her nerve, almost pulled back. “Jackson said
we should act like I’m human. Like you said, we blend in better if we pretend
to be a couple.”

As if sensing her withdrawal, he quickly wrapped his arm
around her shoulders and settled her close. His heart thundered against his
ribs, her nearness pushing his tenuous control, and disappointment crushed her
chest. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good id—”

His arm tightened possessively, cutting off what she was
going to say. Even if she wanted to get away, she very much doubted that he’d allow
it without causing a scene. She ran her hand along his side to ease him, and
the tiny bit of current trickling along her fingers and soaked into his body.