Electric Storm(5)

Then he relented and retreated, bowing slightly in deference. “Please forgive my rudeness. I’m Jeffrey Durant, manager of Talon’s.”

She reeled in the string of energy, suppressing the unholy need to curse. A formal greeting. Rules of the pack dictated she reply in kind, supply her name at the very least, and the bastard knew it. She had to work with shifters. She couldn’t piss in the pond just because she didn’t want to do something. “Raven–”

“Do you know who I am?” Like a yippy little dog, the blonde charged forward, red blotches of anger coloring her face. Her eyes shimmered a yellowish-green with her emotions, but quickly reverted back to mud brown.

Part shifter.

A weak one.

Most males could shift no matter what percentage of animal DNA they possessed, but the women had to be at least half shifter for their animal to take form. That meant Raven could take this little dog.

Raven adjusted her stance, keeping the kid at her back and met the threat, damning herself for being a sucker. “I don’t give a shit. I know all I need.”

“Oh, do tell.” The rumpled blonde crossed her arms and smirked. “This should be good.”

“You’re too weak to be a pure blood. Not even quarter, if I had to guess. You surround yourself with people who are weaker so you have someone who looks up to you. You enjoy abusing the very people you’re supposed to be protecting.”

A fist flew at her face, and Raven caught it mid-air. Anger allowed her to easily lower the blonde’s arm. She lifted her chin, relieved to know she’d guessed right. If the woman had been a true shifter, her jaw would’ve been crushed. “Are you issuing a challenge?”

A slight murmur went through the crowd. It was the only thing she could think of to get them out of there fast. A challenge meant more than possession of the boy, it meant pack position and a fight to the death. Jackie would die. Raven would see to it. Although she relished a certain poetic justice if she let the little wolf live. It would force the bimbo to the bottom of the pack, where she’d have to earn her place in the hierarchy. And something told Raven it wouldn’t be so easy to step over the very people she’d been treating like servants.

Fury darkened the woman’s eyes, the brown splintered and specks of yellow appeared, then vanished as fast as they came.

“No.” She spit out the one word, a promise of retribution for this humiliation dancing in her eyes.

Giddiness trickled through Raven. Her unique gift remained secret. She’d been foolish to risk it over a boy. The need for fresh air pressed heavily against her, effectively caging her without the use of bars. She faced the tiger and raised a brow, doing her damndest to exude a calm she wasn’t feeling. “Then I believe I’m free to leave?”

A charming smile curled his lips, but the intent stare reminded her of his animal form. He was hunting.

And she was his prey.

“There’s no rush.” He edged closer.

Raven countered quickly, pulling the boy close to her back. “Nor is there a reason to stay.”

The beautiful way he moved drew her gaze, hypnotic and beguiling.

“Except to get to know one another.” The tone of his voice was deep and soothing. So inviting. The beasts at her core inched forward in curiosity.

A movement in the crowd snapped her to attention. The Ogre. Then the tiger’s words registered, leaving a trail of cold in its wake. Clever kitty. She’d bet he lulled many people the same way, using that luscious voice, subtle movements and just the lick of wildness to lure them to him.

“I think not.” Though she tried to rein it in, power burned along her arms at the thought of being held against her will. The beasts retreated, leaving all that power behind along with the dangerous urge to release it. The leather she wore usually protected those nearest her, but direct touch couldn’t mute the effects. Not even wearing gloves kept those around her completely safe when her dander was up.

The boy sucked in a sharp breath, and she quickly dropped her hand from him. She refused to look behind her, but she didn’t need to. She could see everything in the tiger’s reaction. The way he tensed slightly, the way his eyes flickered back and forth between her and the boy.

The crowd drew closer, pressing in on her from all sides, stealing the air around her.

She needed to leave.

The music grew louder, the lights brighter.

A bulb popped, glass shattered. Three more blew in rapid succession.

She took off at a run, dodging through the crowd, ignoring the shouts. The tiger quickly closed the gap between them. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck. Desperate for space, she thrust a burst of current into the crowd. A mass of confusion ensued as everyone received a nasty shock and started shoving one another. Lights flickered, plunging them in darkness. Electricity lashed out of the floor and up into her feet, the charge filling her with power.