Jackson sounded furious, and she couldn’t say she blamed him. She wanted to believe it was because of his inability to shift, but she had an unsettling feeling that it was because she hadn’t mated him. Nor could she get rid of Rylan’s disturbing conviction that if she didn’t do something about it, Jackson would. Not on purpose. But if his control ever slipped, he’d come for her. Part of her was thrilled at the prospect.
She was ten minutes away. By the time she pulled up, a crowd of people loitered at the entryway of the alley. Humans watched the scene but did nothing to intercede. Typical.
“Stand back.” She pushed her way into the crowd. When they didn’t seem to hear her, she pulled at the energy rumbling beneath her feet, wrapping it around her like a shield.
When she pushed her way into the crowd this time, her shield slapped against the bystanders just watching and doing nothing. People gasped at the nasty shock they received and scrambled to get out of her way.
She saw Jackson first, his muscles bulging, ready to pounce. He noticed her almost immediately, and some of the tension pouring off him eased.
Then she spotted Jackie in the group, her sharp citrus smell clogging in her throat. She ran her fake, ruby tipped nails down the front of Taggert’s ripped shirt. Something about seeing her touch Taggert so intimately had Raven’s power flaring to life. She acted quickly, pushing it through the earth. Instead of zapping Jackie, though, she aimed for Taggert.
The bitch snarled and jerked her hand back as a bit of the current transferred to her. Taggert eyes splintered to yellow. The absolute stillness in which he’d held himself changed when he turned his head toward her. A smile lit his face.
A few of the groupies backed away at his relaxed demeanor, creating room for her to reach his side. “Taggert. You are no longer a slave. You no longer wear the collar.” People gasped, and she could swear she hard Jackson groan. “If they touch you, you have my permission to touch back.”
To prove a point, she sucked in a gust of energy and sent it out like a wave. A number of them went down, a whine like a dog’s caught in their throats. A few hit the brick wall of the building and were out. The rest took off running.
Raven calmly walked over to Jackie and smiled. The woman flinched, but then stubbornly lifted her chin. Raven crossed her arms. “Be very careful of what you start. It may begin with you, but I will make sure that I end it and anyone associated with you.”
“I’ll make sure my alpha knows.” A smirk came to her lips, and with a pleased look in her eyes, she rose to her feet.
“Do that. Tell him I’ll be at Talons tonight if he has anything to discuss with me.”
* * *
“You’re not going alone.” Jackson sat in the front seat of the car, his gaze focused on the traffic around them. But she didn’t need to see his eyes to know he was pissed.
So maybe she shouldn’t have all but challenged another alpha, but she couldn’t allow Taggert to be bullied. “No, I suppose not.”
Taggert’s hand barely brushed against her hair when the strands tumbled around her shoulders. “Hey.” She tucked a piece behind her ear, self-conscious of the way her unique DNA turned part of her hair silver. He inhaled deeply then settled back against the seat.
His shirt gapped open, revealing a chest packed tight with muscles. He fingered a pack of guitar strings, and the hard knot inside her stomach since Jackson called finally softened.
“I still need to stop by the morgue and see if I can find any records on Sarah. I–”
She stopped speaking when Jackson picked up his phone. “Let me ask around first.”
Raven hesitated. She didn’t want them anywhere near her investigation. It was becoming too dangerous; too many shifters were coming up missing. When she hesitated too long, the angles of his face hardened. Against her better judgment, she relented. She understood the need to be useful and hated the way people tried to protect her. He must feel doubly so since the loss of his wolf. “Do it.”
She swung by a local take out place and ordered while waiting for Jackson to finish his call, doing her best not to eavesdrop—or being too obvious about listening anyway. The cadence in his voice when he spoke to a girl changed him into a charming rogue. It was uncomfortable sitting next to him, knowing that he openly flirted with others while he snapped clipped answers at her.
He hung up just as she was being handed the bags. She sent the first bag to Taggert. He took it with a smile and dug in. She gave Jackson the second and claimed the third for herself. She pulled away and parked in the back of the lot, away from prying eyes. Shifters consumed double the calories, and she was no different. If she didn’t eat, her body looked elsewhere for energy, cannibalizing anyone or anything that got too close.