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  WHILE THE MOON’S CALL RIPS THROUGH THE SHIFTER COMMUNITY, A KILLER STALKS FOR PREY AMONGST THEM. TEMPERS RISE, LUST EXPLODES, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF EITHER CAN PROVE TO BE DEADLY.

  Raven’s very private life explodes into the spotlight when she is nominated as a Region on the paranormal police force. The secrets of her past are slowly being exposed. With the safety of the pack paramount, she will do whatever is necessary to protect them. In return, they are teaching her how to navigate the shifter community and control the moon’s call where even the most innocent touch could destroy her carefully crafted world.

  SURVIVAL WILL DEMAND THE ULTIMATE PRICE…

  As she juggles the demands of pack life and police work, the lines between duty and loyalty blur. Shifters are dying in mysterious ways. Raven suspects something sinister is destroying the pack from within. She must dig into the dark corners of the paranormal world, secrets that they would kill to protect, and find the reason behind the deaths before her pack becomes the next target.

  STACEY BRUTGER

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations for articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Copyright © 2013 Stacey Brutger

  Cover artist: Amanda Kelsey of Razzle Dazzle Design (www.razzdazzdesign.com)

  Photographer: Sanjin Pajo of Razzle Dazzle Stock

  Model: Jolien Delbeke

  Editor: Jennifer Bray-Weber (www.jbrayweber.com)

  All rights reserved.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want to thank all my fans for their support and you, the readers, for giving me a chance.

  A special thanks goes out to those who suffered through the first draft in order to make this book better: Madeleine Kenney, Melissa Limoges, Angela Rafuse, Jessie Teicher

  You ladies rock!

  And to my husband and family for believing in me.

  Thank you!

  Chapter One

  TEN DAYS UNTIL THE FULL MOON

  In ten days, the conclave would decide Raven’s fate and that of her pack. They just needed to survive that long. If that wasn’t bad enough, the full moon would rip through the shifter community at the same time. Already the craziness they’d warned her about during the lunar cycle threatened to sweep over her.

  For she must be crazy to even listen to, much less agree to help, the two men who’d broken into her house. They would jeopardize everything she’d been working toward and possibly destroy the fragile pack she’d built. A hum of electricity licked under her skin, aching to be released, but she shook it off.

  She was a rare conduit, born with the ability to control pure energy. Maybe the only one of her kind. That meant she couldn’t afford any mistakes, couldn’t draw attention to herself, or others might discover the secrets she’d been concealing for years.

  Raw emotions had a way of wreaking havoc on her system, triggering her powers. Being in a room full of shifters demanded complete control. She couldn’t afford to turn everyone furry because she had PMS.

  She’d learned the hard way to keep her emotions out of pack decisions when Jackson had been taken from her by the pack that had abandoned him. Her own fault really, because she’d hesitated to claim him when she’d had the chance.

  Dominic, the lone wolf who helped hold her small pack together, had the right idea to pack his bags and disappear when the full moon rose. He would’ve already been gone if it weren’t for these two intruders.

  No dealing with the conclave.

  No slowly going insane with the desperate urge to touch as the moon madness spread from one shifter to the next. That her touch could kill if she didn’t keep on constant guard merely made things a bit trickier. She shook her head, wishing it were that easy to clear her mind.

  Dominic and London stood guard behind the two men. London stared at the back of Griffin’s head. One wrong move and she had no doubt the bear would crush his skull like a watermelon.

  “You need us.” Griffin stood in the middle of the library like he owned the place.

  His words were such a man thing to say, especially when they were the ones asking for help. Their agitation battered at her like war machines of old. Raven stiffened where she stood behind the massive desk, but the distance didn’t help.

  The alpha in her said leave them to their fate, but her conscience wouldn’t let her take the easy out and turn them away out of hand. Not this man. Not with their murky past tying them together. They’d both been held prisoner, caged and awaiting death at the hands of a human psycho who thought it was his duty to cleanse the earth of paranormal filth.

  Or it was until she killed him.

  When she’d demanded help, the rogue had offered it without reservation. She owed it to him to at least listen. “Tell me again.”

  “If you want your wolf back, you’ll need help navigating the shifter world without appearing weak.” Griffin’s chest expanded impressively, his hands on his narrow hips, all arrogance despite his exiled status. Ballsy, too, breaking into her home by just walking through the front door and making himself at home.

  His brilliant green and yellow eyes drew her gaze, the combination disconcerting. Instead of being ringed by a second color, normal to most rogues, his eyes were completely splintered to show both man and wolf in full command.

  The feat of control amazed her since most people would go insane being permanently stuck in such a condition. His all-wolf attitude reminded her of another.

  Jackson.

  She swallowed hard, remorse and betrayal too close to the surface for her to think rationally when Jackson trotted through her mind. She didn’t question how Griffin had learned about her predicament. No doubt he’d seen the police cart Jackson away in chains, stealing him right from under her watch.

  Apparently, she was the only one unaware that when a shifter was taken into custody, their alpha automatically received notification.

  It should’ve been a mere formality.

  Instead, his pack had purposely retrieved him before she could claim him for her own, and she had no one to blame but herself.

  “And you want protection for yourself and Digger in return for your assistance.” The slim, silent man who lingered in the shadows all but disappeared despite the daylight streaming through the windows.

  “Just until the conclave ends.” The hardness of Griffin’s voice grated on her ears, a man used to issuing demands, but the brutal white-knuckled grip on his hips gave him away.

  So much rested on her answer.

  “Why didn’t you disappear when you left the caves?”

  Griffin clenched his jaw, refusing to look away or speak. Bruises dotted his face. The matching set London and Dominic sported were already fading. Stubble lined his strong jaw, shaggy dark hair fell into his eyes, both making him appear like a disreputable thug one would encounter after midnight on an abandoned street.

  At his continued silence, Raven sighed.

  Make that an obstinate thug.

  There was something calculating about him that warned her not all was as it seemed. Being a helpless female and all, no doubt he wouldn’t share it either, not until it came and bit her on the ass.

  By avoiding her questions, he wasn’t leaving her any choice.

  “Because of me.” Digger stepped forward, a painful limp to his leg. The man was d
ark, part Hispanic if she had to guess, and well past his prime. “I can be of value to you.”

  “Quiet.” Griffin barked the one word.

  She tensed at the lash of the command. The old man ignored the gruff order and stared at her levelly, a natural calm surrounding him. “I’m a doctor.”

  Raven’s heart skipped a beat then dropped somewhere in the vicinity of her stomach to boil in acid. Fear burned over her skin, biting at her flesh. Though innocent enough, his words presented a real threat that said kill him now before it’s too late. “No.”

  The expression on his face was that of a kicked puppy, but she refused to relent. No one was experimenting on her again. Images of the cold stone walls of the labs flashed through her mind, the sharp smell of chemicals, the repeatedly painful injections they used to try and alter her DNA until she’d learned to fight back.

  She’d survived, a miracle in itself, one that a number of people wanted to reverse if they ever got their hands on her again. She was too dangerous to let live, not with all the secrets her body harbored.

  “But—”

  “We only need to stay long enough to heal,” Griffin interjected, as if afraid of what his companion would reveal.

  “Raven–”

  “I’m fine.” She waved away Taggert’s concern, wincing when his chocolate eyes splintered yellow as his wolf rose with the call of her power. Despite her determination to protect him, with every exposure of her gift, the ties that bound him to her wound tighter.

  Taggert had been a slave when she’d accidentally bumbled into an auction and claimed him. And until she could officially make him part of her pack, he was vulnerable.

  Still only a slave.

  He reluctantly did as bided, leaning against the wall, angled so his whole attention was centered on her. His eyes locked on her in a way that felt like a caress.

  At the phantom touch, the animals at her core crept closer to the surface, battling to rise. Not willing to release its hold on her, the current thrummed under her skin. Breathing a little too fast, she bit back the pain as energy danced over her body in retaliation.

  When her animals surface, her abilities as a conduit went on the fritz. She could have either one or the other, and she’d yet to find a balance to keep each side happy. The battle would only continue to worsen until one side won.

  The energy finally relented, settling heavily in her bones in a way that ached, a punishment for daring to defy it. Though she worked hard at control, it remained elusive at times when her gift thought it knew what was best for them.

  She was walking blind in the shifter world. She needed help before she got them all killed. If this man could guide her around the many obstacles, could she really turn him away?

  Both intruders were malnourished, skinny to the point that their bones poked from beneath their skin. Each needed to gain at least twenty pounds. As she studied the two of them, she had no doubt Griffin passed what little food he could afford to Digger.

  Griffin radiated distrust. He was vigilant, half-ready to pounce at the first sign of aggression. He could’ve continued without her aid, but he’d swallowed his pride and came to her for help because of his friend.

  He would be trouble.

  Danger increased for everyone when her developing powers were exposed to others. If they learned about her true nature and betrayed her secrets to the world, she’d be hunted in earnest.

  A whiff of cedar curled around her.

  His scent.

  She stared hard at Griffin, wishing she could see through to the truth of him.

  “Raven. Don’t.” Durant spoke for the first time, a tiger that seemed to take up most of the room even though he didn’t move from his spot lounging behind her. He happened to be the last shifter who’d asked her for help, and she’d ended up claiming him.

  She couldn’t afford to add any more people in her pack. She was already too entangled in the shifter world for her comfort.

  “They need help.” Exhaustion pulled at her. She needed rest after burning out her power so recently. She needed peace to keep the beasts at bay. She had a sinking feeling she wasn’t going to get either until after the conclave. “You can’t ask me to ignore them. If they leave here, they’re as good as dead.”

  Durant leaned forward in the chair, elbows on his knees, that intense stare of his hypnotic if she wasn’t careful. “You have enough troubles with the conclave. If the council discovers you’re harboring rogues, they could deny your petition.”

  She shuddered in response to his words. Not only could she lose her petition for pack status, she’d lose her claim of ownership on Taggert. He wouldn’t survive going back on the market.

  Everything was within her grasp...if she was careful.

  Neither Digger nor Griffin spoke a word of protest, already accepting defeat.

  “What information can you give me that none of the others can?” If they knew a way that could garner Jackson’s freedom from his pack, they might be worth the risk. Her pulse leapt at the possibility of getting him back where he belonged.

  Griffin lifted his chin. “My father is the leader.”

  Stifling silence descended.

  Raven slowly blinked, then blew out a breath. “Well, hell.”

  “That only makes them more trouble.” Durant glared at Griffin, a hairsbreadth away from physically reaching across the space separating them and ripping out his throat. “Any information you need on the council, I can provide.”

  “How?” The last thing she wanted was to pit the men against each other, but she couldn’t let such an opportunity pass and he knew it.

  “Talons has been selected to host the conclave.” He clamped his mouth shut after he spoke.

  The news surprised her, and she twisted to face him fully. Though it had to be a major coup, Durant didn’t seem pleased to have his club chosen for the honor.

  And the bastard hadn’t told her, especially after his lecture to her about keeping secrets. Her fingers tensed as the beasts at her core flexed their claws. She eyed Durant, battling to keep her temper in check. “And when were you going to tell me?”

  Her power rose then fell abruptly when the overwhelming smell of so many shifters buffeted her in such a crowded space. Their animals called to hers. The temperature in the room quickly became stifling as her animals clawed their way to the surface.

  Fighting for dominance.

  Fighting for freedom.

  That loss of control scared her the most, and she clamped down harder to hold them at bay.

  Durant raised one brow like an imperial lord, but Raven crossed her arms and waited, refusing to be intimidated.

  “When the time was right.”

  The asinine little...she narrowed her eyes, imagining getting her hands on him, but part of her feared what her beasts’ reaction would be if she dared touch anyone. She pursed her lips as another untenable thought struck her. “You were trying to protect me.”

  Durant didn’t look away as he gave a Gallic shrug. “You would’ve found out eventually.”

  Raven dropped her arms, repressing a growl of frustration. How was she supposed to protect them when they kept secrets from her? And the sad part, they might not be wrong in their assessment. She was a danger to others until she could learn to bridle both sides of her nature.

  They knew pack.

  Who was she to argue that they were mistaken?

  “As the host for the conclave, he is under contract not to trade secrets.” Griffin’s triumphant smile had her shifting her focus to him. If she didn’t accept his offer, she wondered if the council would somehow learn of her situation just out of spite. Relief trickled through the other man’s shields, the first real sign of emotion, though he quickly slammed them shut when he caught her staring.

  She balanced all that she could gain and lose. One thing stood out. If she did nothing, she lost Jackson.

  All else was just possibilities.

  “You can come in now.”

  Dina
darted into the office, a sunny smile on her face, no shame in having been caught listening at the door. “I knew you wouldn’t turn them away. I have the rooms all prepared.” The bright little fox practically bounced on her feet at the mention of having company. Raven grimaced as her stomach twisted, imagining the lavish food Dina would create. She just hoped it would be edible enough to choke down this time.

  Durant towered over her when he stood. “Then I had best select my room before she gives it away.”

  Raven tensed at his declaration. Though his words sounded innocent enough, seduction and threat settled over her skin, wrapping around her as if daring her to refuse him. He wanted to stay and expected her to go back on her word.

  His golden eyes fixated on her, the raw emotions exposed in them left her flustered. Speech deserted her, and she knew how mice must feel when caught in a predator’s gaze. One wrong move and she had no doubt he’d pounce. Too bad her body liked the idea so much. His leather scent infused her, luring her nearer, daring her to close the distance between them.

  It was easier to fight him than it was to fight herself. The damn moon madness shit was going to be the death of her.

  When she made no protest, everyone vanished out the office, Dominic the last to leave. When he got to the door, he shut it with an ominous snick.

  “I’m staying.”

  Part of her wanted to accept his offer, a large part of her, but Raven couldn’t ask him to make the sacrifice. Dominic was their unspoken leader, shouldering most of the responsibility for them since escaping from the labs. He had always been the strongest of them. It unnerved her that he allowed her to see him so uncertain. “We’ll manage. I can’t ask you to change your plans.”

  “You didn’t ask.” He still hadn’t faced her, tension hiking his shoulders up to his ears.