Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend by Stacey Brutger Page A

ignoring the twinges in her ribs. When she
lifted the lid on the powder, she reared back, the astringent stench like nothing
she’d ever encountered.
    That wasn’t vitamins.
    She leaned forward and inhaled carefully, trying to sort
through the smells. Acid burned up her throat as she focused on one scent.
    Poison.
    Shifters were notoriously hard to poison, but continual
doses over an extended period of time would make it possible. Poison would keep
the shifters docile.
    Raven hesitated as she bent over the container, not sure
what to do.
    The quantity of food wasn’t enough to sustain shifters, the
extra supplements needed to keep them alive. If she left it out, she would be
responsible for them starving. If their roles were reversed, she knew what she’d
want done.
    She looked at the sink, then turned on the water and poured the
exact amount for each down the drain.
    The heat in the tent turned stifling as the mid-day sun beat
down on it. The rancid smell of rotten blood increasing until the need for air
clawed in her chest. She threw open the tarp and nearly tromped on Eve in her
escape.
    Eve gave a startled yep.
    Too late to backpedal, Raven spun without thinking, her moves
fluid and controlled.
    A blur to the naked eye.
    Only a few rare shifters could move in sharp bursts that
fast.
    Eve’s mouth dropped open, her face a pasty color as understanding
dawned in her dark eyes.
    So much for pretending to be human.
    Raven could silence her. Snapping her neck would be easy
enough to do, but she held still and waited for judgment.
    She would not be a monster.
    Eve grabbed Raven’s hand and jerked her back inside the
tent. “If anyone finds out you’re a shifter, both our lives will become sheer
torture.”
    Raven nodded at the harsh whisper. “Then don’t tell them.”
    Eve reared back, quickly letting her go as if stung.
    Raven lunged to stop her from fleeing but dropped her arm
when the witch flinched.
    “Killing me will only lead them to learning the truth all
the faster.”
    Raven carefully crossed her arms, offended by the words
despite the fact she’d contemplated that very thing. The woman had been pushed
around enough. Any more and she would snap, and Raven would lose a potential
ally. “If I wanted you dead, I would’ve done it already.”
    Surprisingly, that seemed to relax Eve.
    She’d been around shifters long enough to know it was true.
    “How could I have messed up my readings so badly? So stupid,
I didn’t even think to check you. Female shifters are protected, much too
valuable to be allowed to roam free without guards. They’re much too risky for
us to grab.” The words were an accusation, as if it were Raven’s fault for
being kidnapped.
    The gypsy threaded her hands in her hair and tightened her
grip, beginning to hyperventilate as she paced. “They’ll blame me. It’s too late
to kill you and get rid of the bodies. Your pack will track you here. They’ll
find us. It’s only a matter of time before we’re all dead.”
    Raven’s heart gave a twinge of pity at Eve’s overwhelming
dread, but she had to proceed cautiously. “Not necessarily.”
    Eve stopped dead and stared at her. “What do you mean?”
    “What about Veronica?”
    Eve waved her hands, dismissing the other woman. “She has no
pack affiliations, no one to care what would happen to her.”
    Raven racked her brain for a solution because Eve was right,
if the truth was discovered, they were all dead. “You’re missing the obvious
answer.”
    At Eve’s blank stare, Raven shrugged. “Don’t tell the
others.”
    Eve shook her head even before Raven finished speaking.
“They’re shifters. They’ll find out sooner rather than later. You can’t keep
that type of thing a secret. Then there will be hell to pay. I’d be lucky if
they only kill me and not my son.”
    Eve worked herself up in a state, convincing herself that
turning Raven in was the only solution. And she was partially right. Raven doubted
they would kill