He straightened so swiftly she stifled her gasp. “Touch me.”
“Huh?” Raven slowly shook her head. She couldn’t. Not when there was a chance her gift could touch him as well. No matter how tempted. A whisper at the back of her mind begged her to take the jump. Not only would he guarantee her untold pleasure, she could finally learn about shifters phenomenal control up close and personal.
As long as she didn’t kill both of them in the process.
“You touched him.” The words growled from his throat, a tone he seemed to use strictly for her alone, and he crowded closer. “You allowed him to touch you.” It was an accusation.
What the hell? This was not the Jackson she’d come to know. Raven searched for the ball of power and realized it had grown in order to compensate for the shadow.
Grew so much that she was leaking everywhere, threatening to swallow everything whole.
Oh, crap.
She slowly pulled the power to her core. Her heartbeat raced, sweat beaded her hairline as the energy fought to stay free. The power called his wolf, drew him to the surface, making Jackson more aggressive as the beast slipped its human’s hold. No wonder he was playing with her.
Her skin prickled. Heaviness grew in the air. Her hair moved and crackled with energy as she methodically locked all the power down tight. She hadn’t realized she closed her eyes until she opened them to find Jackson exactly where she left him. Only human this time, staring at her with suspicion and more than a bit of curiosity.
Her life could do without his curiosity.
“What did you do?” All his vaunted control was back.
Time for retreat. “I should get ready.” She whirled and entered the bathroom. She shored up her core, but that didn’t fix the problem. She couldn’t let it spill over again, especially not tonight in front of a room full of vampires. She would not become a snack.
“I can’t shift.” His words halted her on the threshold.
Then the full implication of his words struck her.
Their attraction.
That meant she actually wanted him for the ass that he was and not the stupid idea she’d concocted to use a shifter to find control over her growing power.
She whirled to face him, so shocked that she blurted the first thing that came to her mind. “But your wolf almost broke free from your control. I saw your fangs and claws.”
Jackson shook his head once, his eyes never leaving hers. “Only when I’m near you and never a full shift. My alpha sent me to the club, gave me official leave from the pack to avoid being challenged. I’m an enforcer. I can’t enforce without being able to go wolf.”
“So Taggert—”
“Babysitting.” A derisive curl twisted his lips. “Shuffled away like an old wolf with no teeth.”
“But you’ll die if challenged.” Her heartbeat stuttered at the thought.
He gave her a steady look and shrugged. “Can’t shift, can’t be an enforcer. You need to be strong enough to protect the pack.”
The matter of fact way he said it gutted her. “Your wolf can heal—”
“There’s nothing wrong with my wolf. He healed the spinal injury that laid me up, but we haven’t been able to change since. The strain to allow me to walk drained us too much.”
The thought of him injured so badly sent her head spinning. “But, eventually, you’ll be able to go wolf.” The tightness in her chest eased. She couldn’t imagine a world without him in it, bossing around some poor, unsuspecting girl. She gazed over the expanse of lawn, trying to bury the quick spurt of jealousy that stabbed at her at the thought.
“I’ll never live that long,” he said it firmly, without pity.
Her head snapped up at his reply, the tone of his voice. Her eyes narrowed, and her anger built like a wave. The sneaky bastard was up to something. “Why tell me now?”
A smug smile curled his lips. “Your choice is to either mate me or release me back to my pack.” He edged closer but didn’t touch her.
Her lips tightened. “And your death.”
He shrugged, watching her closely. “Eventually. My alpha can only protect me so long. I’m an enforcer. If I’m challenged for position, I will lose.”
“Why tell me? Shouldn’t you be too proud to ask for help?” Spite made her ask. Instead of insulted, his smile hardened.
“You’re not going anywhere without me tonight. If you bite him, you bite me.” Without another word, he left the room.
Raven slumped, her ass landing on the bed. Great, just what she needed, another complication. They were playing her, each of them. And they did it so well she couldn’t see a way out of it that didn’t lead to their death. Unless...