Electric Storm(21)

“Mr. Lester.” Her lips tightened. She wasn’t amused.

The haze instantly disappeared, and he dipped his head. “My apologies.”

“Think nothing of it.” The creature was too old not to be precisely aware of his every action, the calculating old goat. He was testing her.

“I would think you’d have more contacts to find answers than I would. Why come to me? And why do you believe he’s dead?”

The stillness of his face finally broke, small lines and wrinkles melted away revealing the cold, intimidating man beneath. “All vampires have a connection to the ones they created, their protégés. Ours was severed three weeks ago.”

“But you said he’s been missing for two months?”

“Yes.” Heat filled his eyes, his pupils dilated as anger wrestled for control.

The vampire spice in the air became so thick with his rage she nearly sneezed.

“It wasn’t done by one of mine. I checked personally.” No doubt those he suspected were no longer available for questioning. “I need your resources to research other...venues.” Lester’s open-ended accusations, delivered in a bland voice, left no doubt whom he suspected.

“We don’t stoop to your level.” Jackson shot forward, his yellow eyes hard and intimidating. “This stinks of some underhanded vampire trick.”

Lester rose, only feet separating them. “And I wouldn’t put it past a breed to be ignorant enough to start a war by murdering my son. Miss Raven, I suggest you leash your pet or I will.”

Raven stood slowly, uncertain where she lost control of the meeting. “Mr. Lester, I’m sorry for the loss of your son. I apologize for my companions and ask that you stay.”

Only when he seated himself did the current building in the air gradually dissipate, though it didn’t disappear completely. She could feel the pull under her skin like an addiction, urging her to take all their energy and drink it down. The need had snuck up on her, caught her unawares. It shouldn’t have if she wanted her gift to remain hidden. The last thing she needed was for the wolves and vampires to view her as a threat.

Both sides slowly pulled back from the edge, but she could tell it was only for her benefit. If given a choice, they’d rip each other to shreds.

“Thank you. Mr. Lester, please gather a list of people you’ve...contacted, and I’ll research this matter further.”

“You’ll take the job.” It wasn’t a question.

Raven hesitated, thinking about the animosity between the two races. If she said no, it would only be a matter of time before a confrontation between the two came to a head. All the work promoting to the public that the paranormals were like everyone else would go to shit. “Yes.”

“Very good.” The man’s appearance slowly rippled, his frame bowed, his jowls sagged, and his face loosened into that of an old man once more. He picked up his cane, barely touching it to the floor as he shuffled to the door. “You’ll be amply rewarded for your time.”

As soon as the door shut, Jackson stalked toward her with a decidedly unfriendly expression. Taggert inserted himself between them.

“You sell yourself to the highest bidder like a whore.” The cruel gleam in his eyes convinced her he truly believed what he said.

Raven shrugged, but couldn’t brush away the sharp sting of hurt this time. Pride refused to let it show. “I provide a service to the paranormal community that others cannot. I don’t discriminate between the races.”

“I won’t allow you to dig into pack business on the say so of one of his kind.” He jabbed a figure at the door.

Her patience grew thin with his damn holier than thou attitude. “Then I’ll make sure you’re not aware of my business in the future.” His expression looked like she’d asked him to chew glass.

“There are other possibilities besides pack.” Dominic’s voice floated from her right.

Did he say that for Jackson’s benefit or hers? She couldn’t tell and it bothered her more than she cared to admit. Could the presence of other wolves be reminding him of everything he’d been denied by staying with her? A little part of her trembled at the thought of losing him.

“I’ve never doubted it, but it’s my job to research all the angles. I don’t choose sides; I find the problem and fix it.” When Jackson didn’t say a word, she glanced at Dominic and knew she’d been had. “I know what you’re thinking. Stay out of my business.”

“They could be connected.” He pushed away from the wall, running a hand through his thick mop of wavy hair. “It wasn’t too long ago that this very thing happened. People missing from both pack and clan communities and each race too stubborn to work together. So much could’ve been prevented if the scientists had been stopped.”