Electric Heat Read Online Free Page B

beat down on her, and
his leather scent lulled her until her eyelids grew heavy.
    * * *
    Raven jolted awake when the car pulled to a stop. Her head was
nestled on Durant’s leg, her hand curled over his thigh. A comforting heat
radiated from him, and she wanted to snuggle closer. If she concentrated, she’d
almost swear she could hear his tiger purring. The sound soothed her. He turned
off the car, and neither moved, both enjoying the novelty of touching.
    Then she became conscious of where exactly her head was
resting…just inches away from his erection. Heat climbed in her cheeks at the
intimate position, and she straightened, avoiding his gaze. She expected a
comment, but he remained silent. When she stole a glance at him, it was to find
his golden eyes watching her with a single-minded focus hot enough to scorch her
insides.
    “You look better.” Good enough to eat went unsaid,
but it was there in his eyes.
    Raven held perfectly still, so as not to squirm under his
scrutiny, and realized with a start that he was correct. She felt almost
normal. She eyed him suspiciously, but his bland expression gave away nothing.
    She checked the vault where she used to store her power, but
it remained barren and cold. And she was beginning to fear nothing would be the
way it used to be. She reached over to brush a hand against her side to gauge
if the spot had grown, but stopped when she noticed he was still watching her.
    She fiddled with her gloves, coming to resent them. They
kept her from touching her pack. The loss of connection left behind an ache
that wouldn’t be appeased any other way.
    She hastily glanced out the window. “Are we there?”
    “We’ve been on their land for the last twenty minutes.” He tipped
his head, gesturing over her shoulder.
    When she turned, she saw a large wrought iron gate blocking
the way. There was no guard box, no security cameras. No electricity at all.
Opposite was a sheer cliff dropping off into nothingness. Beyond, all the eye
could see were miles and miles of wilderness. Much to her surprise, the
absolute silence was actually calming. “How far are we from civilization?”
    Durant unhooked her seatbelt. “Not far. Only about eighty
miles as the crow flies.”
    Raven glanced at the clock. Four hours had passed. Then she
understood. With all the twists and turns, no one could sneak up on the coven.
“Clever.”
    Durant straightened from the car and leaned in to grab his
bag. By the time she’d untangled herself from her seatbelt, he was already
around the vehicle and opening her door. “Where did the witches go?”
    He nodded toward the gate. “The doors had opened when the
witches pulled up.”
    She studied the entrance more closely. “Let me guess. They
closed when we approached.”
    “You got it.” He shouldered his bag and headed toward the doors.
The gate stood fifteen feet high at the tallest point. Shrubs lined both sides
of the entrance, trailing off into a knot of towering trees.
    The closer she got, the denser the magic became, until she
could barely push her way forward. Cobwebs clung to her, thickening to an
invisible spider web that threatened to trap her.
    A binding spell.
    But instead of allowing the spell to seep into her like an
infection, the energy resting under her skin hardened to an impenetrable armor,
blocking the enchantment.
    Magic flowed over her, then splashed off like water before soaking
into the ground.
    Each step became easier than the last.
    Durant strolled through the spell like he didn’t have a care
in the world.
    Damned if she wasn’t a little envious of his wards.
    He pushed on the gates, muscles bulging, but nothing
happened. His brows lowered in annoyance, and he strode toward the shrubs. They
stood just five feet tall, something a shifter could easily scale—hell, jump
with a single bound. So why did she feel so uneasy? “Durant, wait.”
    He halted and turned to look at her. As she neared, she
couldn’t put her finger on what