Read Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend for Free Online Page A

it wouldn’t be better to have an
audience, a form of chaperone, but she didn’t want to share that intimate
moment with anyone but him. A growl of hunger rumbled in her stomach. “Now, why
don’t you show me this food?”
    The shadows that haunted his eyes disappeared, heating with
anticipation, and a hunger of another sort roared to life. Taggert saw, he saw
everything damn him, and his seductive smile was a promise of what was to come.
    When he learned that she’d never tasted fair food, he plied
her with a sample of smoked turkey leg, gooey cheese curds, sticky cotton
candy, cakes and sweets until they were both stuffed. Shifters needed extra calories
or their beasts would rise to the surface. For her, it was worse. If she didn’t
constantly eat, she syphoned energy from those around her.
    They avoided the rides by silent agreement, neither wanting
to be confined or trapped. The lights began to dim, signaling the close of the
circus. Raven released a breath, relieved to be away from the constant stream
of people. It had only been two hours, and the loss of her animal left her on
edge. She expected her senses to have leveled off, turning her little better
than human, but the longer she remained without the beast, the more her body
rebelled. Her eyes felt scratchy, noises just a little too loud, leaving her
jumping at shadows. She rubbed her arms as the hairs stood on end, the
sensations so strong, her skin actually hurt to touch.
    “You’re cold.” Taggert frowned, stepping so close she
couldn’t see past his broad shoulders, damned touchy-feely shifters having no
sense of boundaries.
    “Not really.” But she didn’t have the heart to push him off.
His nearness eased the seesaw of her senses. Raven hesitated, surreptitiously
searching the crowd. “Something’s wrong. Shouldn’t the others have found us by
now?”
    Being away from the rest of the pack for so long only
aggravated her unease.
    “Durant’s still in his animal form. They probably stayed
with the car to give us time to enjoy ourselves.” But he didn’t sound like he
believed it.
    Jackson had said they would meet up.
    So where were they?
    “We should head back.”
    Taggert tightened his hold, forcing her to remain at his
side as they walked through the thinning crowd. “If there’s trouble, the last
thing we can do is go back.”
    “But—”
    “We would only be placing them in more danger. We’re safer
here in the crowd. The instant we leave, we’ll be vulnerable.”
    She hated it, but he was right. She wouldn’t risk bringing
trouble back to her pack.
    They needed answers first.
    A chill slithered into her bones as they walked from tent to
tent without stopping. She should demand to find the rest of her pack, tear
apart anyone who would try to take what was hers, but her beast remained
stubbornly silent. Magic hummed under her skin in agitation, rising with her
volatile emotions. It grew in waves, so much stronger without her beast there
as a shield that it threatened to suck her under.
    The wild magic only made it so much worse.
    It yearned to wreak havoc, escape into the crowd. Raven
curled her fingers into fists, and the magic snarled at being denied. It
sizzled under her skin, sinking painfully into her bones in retaliation until
every joint ached.
    Sanity returned as the magic faded. She glanced behind her
in the direction of the exit, but made no move to leave. Every instinct warned
her to remain, that the answers they needed were here. The overwhelming desire
to find her pack remained, but the primal need eased back enough to allow her
to think clearly. “They’re closing the circus. We’ll have to leave eventually.”
     Taggert cast her a glance, and Raven stiffened. She knew
that look. He wanted her to do something that she wasn’t going to like.
    “You’re an alpha. You should be able to connect to them.”
    Raven scowled. Easier said than done. The only way she could
connect with the pack was by using her animal.