Electric Storm(44)

“I sensed less than a handful of animals taking shelter from the storm. Nothing else.” When she glanced at Taggert, she was startled to see him just inches from her, very much the predator.

She pushed at the hard wall of his chest, gasping when a shock zapped between them. Taggert flinched and stepped away, the look in his eyes clearing but not fading completely.

Taggert wandered a short distance away and knelt. “Here.”

“Blood?” She crouched to see what he’d discovered.

“No, tracks. A lot of them.”

Footprints, a couple of size ten and more, too trampled to see clearly. Definitely not kids. Ice wrapped around her heart. “A hunt. How old?” She needed to know if this was part of the murders or if they were tracking Cassie.

“A day or less.” Their eyes met, and they both knew the tracks would disappear in the oncoming storm.

“Follow them.” The others would be furious that they deviated from the plan, but she couldn’t lose this clue.

With a nod, he took off. His speed was incredible, and she knew he held back for her. She didn’t allow herself to think of the miles she was putting between them and the rendezvous point. She unclipped her phone, but knew she’d drained it without having to look at it. She managed to fix a computer for her own use, but the power source was so slight on the phone that all the prototypes had melted.

The brush grew thicker with each step, snatching at her clothes. The air thickened as the storm worsened, the silence more ominous the further they went. Only when Taggert slowed did she swallow back her unease. “What is it?”

“Someone’s watching us. I can smell them.”

A shape streaked toward Taggert’s unguarded back. “No.” Without thinking, she threw a ball of energy. It surged out of her so strongly that her joints ached.

And missed. Vegetation shriveled in the wake of the heat.

Whoever it was had vanished.

Lightning struck nearby, and she could feel the current slice its way through the ground, arching toward her. “Move!”





Chapter Thirteen





PREDAWN

Raven made a quick decision. The lightning came from behind her, the killer was in front. She dodged around Taggert and ran toward where she last saw the figure, easily picking up the trail.

She sensed Taggert gaining on her and cursed her clumsiness. Sweat beaded her brow as the lightning threaded its way toward her like a juggernaut on a mission. She could only hold it at bay for so long before it consumed her.

The smell of fresh blood hit her first. The shape of a girl appeared out of the shadows. Only this girl moved oddly, her movements disjointed as if she’d been taken apart and put back together wrong. The air crackled around them as Raven fought to manage her fear. She couldn’t fail, or Taggert would be left vulnerable.

The energy from the ground was too much for her to even attempt to regulate. Timed carefully, she might be able to funnel the massive voltage and take out the girl before the overload shut her down.

She held out her hand to Taggert, indicating he should keep his distance. Her movement triggered a reaction. The girl lunged forward, all awkwardness gone.

Flinging up her hands, Raven dropped her shields and allowed the torrent she’d held at bay to pass through her. Current surged up from her feet with enough strength to snap her spine straight.

The girl lunged, fangs bared, slashing out. Raven twisted, unable to dodge. Claws tore down her back. At the contact, the power roared out of her with the speed of a barreling train, scraping her insides raw as if taking chunks of her with it.

Burnt hair sizzled in the air. A sharp yelp almost shattered her eardrums and the creature disappeared through the trees. She staggered, then fell to her knees. Her vision wavered, but she refused to relent. Not when they were so vulnerable.

“Raven? I’m almost there.”

“Rylan?” She blinked, unable to understand how communication reserved for vampires and their protégé worked between them without a large blood exchange.

“Hang on.”

As abruptly as she felt the connection, it broke. Then the whole world went black.

The next thing she knew, she was being carried. Her body felt like she’d gone jousting without the tin can called a suit of armor. “Taggert?” Her jaw ached to even speak.

The strangle hold around her tightened. A whimper of pain caught in her throat and another wave of dizziness shot through her as the world spun. She breathed through it and concentrated on staying awake.

“Put me down.” Every nerve ending felt fried. Partly overloaded. What little electricity she had was leaking like crazy. Her energy level would continue to sputter until she stabilized. He had to feel like he put his whole body in a socket.