Electric Storm(111)

The whole process was very private, and she hated that Jackson had to go through it in such a public manner. She brought his hand up to her face and brushed her cheek against his fingers to soothe them both. Someone thoughtfully handed him a pair of shorts.

“Sir.” The radio crackled to life, the static startling in the deep silence of the forest. “We have two bodies slaughtered here.” In the background, you could hear someone retching. “They’re bad.”

“Shifter?” Scotts gave her a probing look. They both knew he wasn’t asking if the victims were shifters.

“From the pieces we can find, it appears so.”

Raven lifted her chin, daring him to even suggest that it was one of hers. When no other report came across the radio, the sour taste in the back of her throat dissipated. Digger and Griffin had escaped. The guards were dead. Somehow, she didn’t think Grandpa was one of the casualties.

“Secure the scene and search the forest near the opening. See if you can find any tracks leading from the cave. Watch for both human and animal. I’ll send the techs in with the crime kit. We should be there in twenty minutes.”

“Yes, sir.” The young voice wobbled a little, but she had to give him credit, the man didn’t back down at the prospect of being alone in a forest full of shifters. Scotts replaced his radio and nodded to rookie at his side. “Cuff him.”

A deputy licked his lips and resolutely pulled out a set of cuffs from his belt.

Affronted on Jackson’s behalf, Raven glared at Scotts. “Are those really necessary?”

Jackson sat up, taking her by surprise when he brushed his lips against hers. “I’ll be fine.”

A tremor shook her hands, and she reached for him. The feel of his arm beneath her fingers calmed some of the unease that insisted she not let him go. “Did I say thank you, yet?”

Jackson winked despite the fatigue that had to be dragging him down. The length of time shifters were in their animal form often left them asleep for hours, if not days as their system recovered from the trauma. The shorter the shift, the longer the recovery time. “You can thank me properly in the morning.”

She knew what he wanted. Pack status.

She gave a hesitant nod, and Jackson allowed himself to be cuffed and led away with a limp and one last self-satisfied glance at her. Darkness swallowed him, and she bit back the demand that he come back.

Scotts hesitated. “Go home. Rest. Take your friends with you.” He stared at the trees where Dominic had disappeared. “All of them.”

Raven complied without another word. They wouldn’t find anything incriminating here, Dominic would make sure of it. The hunters were gone. Everyone was safe. It was time to close the case.

Too bad she feared it was much too late to keep the others safe from her.

* * *

“Will the police find the others?”

Durant snorted, not bothering to lift his gaze from the windshield. “They won’t be searching for the right things, nor do they have the tracking skills that shifters do.”

The agitation eating Durant alive wasn’t revealed by any actions, but it grew beneath his surface, ready to tear through his skin if provoked. That was fine. His mood matched hers perfectly.

The pain of being moved to the car gradually faded as she concentrated on the feel of Durant’s and Taggert’s warm bodies pressed on either side of her. Her animals responded to their nearness, accelerating the healing process.

Raven agreed with Durant’s assessment of the police. “I’ll have London come back at dawn to track the few hunters that had managed to escape. They were planning to disappear after tonight. My guess is they’ve already moved onto the next hunting ground.” But not if she could help it. She’d track them and ensure this never happened to others.

Right after she talked to Lester. She had most of the pieces of the puzzle. The biggest gap in the case was what had happened to Jason’s body.

The road to the house loomed, and the occupants of the car fell silent. Part of her hadn’t believed she would be returning with everyone relatively safe.

They had won.

“What about Sarah?” Taggert voiced the question that had been nagging at her. They limped together to the house, Durant doing his best to keep them both standing. “She’s still out there.”

“They were controlling her.” To some extent.

“She might have killed at their command, but she’s still a killer,” Durant’s voice rumbled with violence. “You nearly died from her first attack.” Though his words were harsh, his touch remained gentle as he eased her up the stairs. They followed Taggert’s unsteady gait as he lead them to her room.