Free Raven Investigation 04 - Electric Legend by Stacey Brutger Page B

puff from the barrel alerted her first, and she barely managed to swerve
in time. The dart winged her arm.
    Her muscles burned as the chemicals sped through her body.
    Then Raven bent low, hitting the man in the gut with enough
force that they both went flying. She slammed into the ground with a grunt, while
the man thumped into a car with a heavy thud. The impact knocked the breath
from her lungs. Air became scarce as she grabbed the fender of the car and
dragged herself upright.
    A shadow fell across her, and she peered up into a barrel of
a gun. Without hesitation, the man fired twice.
    A sharp jab of pain slammed into her upper shoulder as if
she’d been stabbed.
    More poison flooded her system.
    Raven refused to go down without a fight, kicking out,
pleased when she heard the bones of his knees crunch as it bent backward.
    The man bellowed, the sounds not remotely human, as if he no
longer had vocal cords. His face was misshapen, not wolf or human but caught in
between. With his mouth open, his fangs appeared more prominent. When their
eyes connected, anger burned in their depths, and he struck her across the face
with the side of the gun.
    Pain exploded in her head, and she allowed herself to
collapse. She wanted to keep fighting, she could take them, but it was
important for them to believe she was human.
    The werebeast threaded his hand in her hair and viciously
yanked her head back. Her neck strained at the awkward angle, and she struggled
to breathe. Muscles corded his arms, but instead of covered in fur, the beast
had a leopard pattern etched over his skin.
    “Do not damage her or they’ll take it out of your hide.” The
soldier strolled into view, calmly watching her get her ass handed to her, a satisfied
twist to his lips.
    The leopardman grunted in disappointment and released her.
    Raven collapsed forward, gulping for air, her head growing
fuzzy. A few feet from her, she stared at the glassy-eyed stuffed animal
Taggert had given her, the little thing trampled in the dirt.
    Two men dragged Taggert’s limp body between them, and her
chest hurt to see him so vulnerable. Even flooded with poison, the magic and
her dragon helped burn through the worst of it. She should escape as Taggert
had ordered her, but instinct warned that if they didn’t capture her, her pack would
be worthless to them.
    Expendable.
    She couldn’t leave them to die.
    Someone grabbed her arm and hauled her upright before thrusting
a boney shoulder in her middle and hoisting her high. It took everything she
had to remain pliant. Even with the dragon firmly hidden, claws pressed against
her fingerprints, and she resisted the need to shred the man to ribbons. The
man carrying her had a heavy limp, and pleasure spiraled through her knowing
she’d at least maimed him. Shifters healed fast, but he could look forward to a
week of agony and think of her with every step.
    Lights and noises from the circus rose as they drew closer. “Put
them in the cages.”
    Canvas rippled, and she realized they’d been escorted
through the back entrance. The man carrying her stopped, and she fought against
the urge to tense. The man lifted her, then she went airborne as he tossed her.
She bit her lip to hold back a squeal. She hit the cage with a thunk , before
crashing to the cold metal floor.
    Agony rippled through her. Her ribs felt bruised, her knee
throbbed. Her head swam as she struggled to remain conscious.
    The world went black for a few seconds when she heard a
roar.
    Durant.
    Alive.
    She lifted her head, feeling woozy as something dripped down
her face. She lifted her hand and encountered a nasty gash at her temple. She stared
in confusion at the blood staining her fingers. She struggled to stand, but her
legs wouldn’t hold her. Vision blurry, she peered beyond the bars of her cage
to see Durant pacing in his tiger form, fully agitated and ready to rip into
anything that neared.
    Taggert lay slumped across from her, completely
unresponsive,