Electric Storm(100)

He was alive.

Part of her had been terrified she wouldn’t make it in time. The back of her throat ached with unshed tears, and she had to clear her throat twice to speak. “I came to get you out of here.”

Here appeared to be an underground way station. The cages were nothing more than three by four foot boxes carved out of the stone walls with thin wires acting as bars.

“You shouldn’t have come.” Taggert shoved away from the edge of the kennel, disappearing into the shadows where she couldn’t see him.

“You don’t mean that.” His sharp rebuke confused her. Raven expected relief, not the bitter, nearly uncontrollable rage. It left her floundering and a little unsure of herself.

Movement in another other cage caught her eye, but she couldn’t make out any shapes. Her determination hardened, and she shoved the hurt away to deal with later.

“How many are here?” She needed to factor their numbers into her plans.

“If they didn’t kill Digger yet, there are four of us including you.” The raspy male voice was from a stranger, his words giving away little information as to his identity. “They emptied the cage when they heard you were coming.”

That they’d kill another to make room for her was devastating when so close to rescue. “Could he still be alive?”

No one spoke for nearly a minute, and she closed her eyes as guilt twisted through her.

“Not for long. They never come back after they go beyond this point.” The voice hardened. “You should worry about yourself. It’s always worse for the women.”

Raven reached for the cage.

“Don’t.”

But it was too late. Her hand curled around the wire before she could pull back. Electricity sizzled up through her fingers and along every nerve ending. While her core remained dormant, fire spread along her muscles until her whole body spasmed. She lost her hold and slid bonelessly to the ground, every inch of her screaming in agony.

“Raven?” The hoarse sound of her name from Taggert reached through the haze of pain. She had a feeling it wasn’t the first time he called for her. She’d forgotten what it was like to be hit with raw energy, how evil it could feel. It was devastating to be close to all that power, taste it, feel it and be unable to access it when she needed it most.

“I’m fine.” Though she knew she had never let out a whimper, she barely recognized her rough voice. She was good at swallowing the screams. “Are all the cages similarly charged?”

“Yes.” There was a slight hesitation in the answer, and the mysterious man crept toward the edge of his cage.

Perfect. She scanned the room, stealing a bit of the raw electricity that saturated the air. Current singed her in retaliation for daring to touch it, but thankfully allowed her to direct it. Wires around the floor and ducts lit up like the Fourth of July to her eyes. Most of the cords were laid in haste, exposed and easily manipulated.

The back of her teeth ached at the prospect of working with live current without the filter of her core. It was unpredictable, unreliable and hurt like the dickens to use in its raw form, but at least she wasn’t at the mercy of her unstable gift. The only drawback was that she could only use it for so long before it killed her. Raven clenched her hands to control the tremor in her fingers, then inhaled deeply and reached for the cage again.

“Raven, don’t do this.”

The plea in Taggert’s voice made her hesitate. She lifted her head to see him mimic her position across the way.

“I can do this. If I can bring down the generator, you can get everyone out.” She licked her lips, noticing they were chapped and bleeding.

“Even if we can escape the cave, it won’t work,” the other man spoke. “There’s still the girl. The four of us won’t be able to overpower the guards with her standing watch.”

“What’s your name?”

Another lengthy pause and she thought he wouldn’t answer. His shape appeared blurred by shadows, but she recognized the scars burned across the back of his left hand. A branded rogue.

“Griffin.”

She swallowed hard and made the only decision she could. Rogue status or not, she had to trust him.

“I’m going to rig the bars to take down the generator. When they take me out to hunt, you should be able to break the lock and get the others out. Head north. My team and the cops are ready.” She ignored Taggert’s growl of rage. “Keep Taggert safe.”

“Raven, don’t.” Taggert looked furious enough to rip apart the cage.

“Just hurry. I won’t be able to evade them forever. I’ll try to stall them long enough for you to bring backup.” She very deliberately placed her hands back on the bars, whimpering when the energy slammed into her again, stronger than ever. She quickly manipulated the current in the wires, looping circuits away from the generator, knowing she didn’t have much time.