Electric Moon Read Online Free Page A

increased her suspicions. He was
up to something. She scrambled to think of ways to change his mind. She hated
that she had to rely on him and others for answers, not knowing if they had
their own agendas.
    She resisted the need to retreat.
    She would not allow her ignorance to weaken her.
    “I lose everything if something happens to you.”
    Something in his words didn’t ring true, but she couldn’t
place her finger on it.
    “We’ll begin your lessons in the car.” He grabbed his
leather jacket and vanished out the door before she could protest. She had a
feeling she wouldn’t be able to pry him out of the car even if she tried.
    She moved to follow when a large black wolf appeared on the
doorstep. She stopped short, disconcerted to find such a large beast all but
waiting to huff and puff her door down.
    Then she saw the deep green eyes of her friend in the
animal’s face. The disorientation left her reeling. “Dominic?”
    It had been three days since they’d spoken. She thought he’d
left. Or maybe she shouldn’t be surprised. Dominic was always one to take care
of those he considered his.
    She reached out to sink her fingers into the massive fur encased
him, and his lips pealed up to flash his fangs. “Right. Not a pet.”
    He prowled inside, seemingly satisfied with her response.
She glanced at Taggert and raised a brow.
    Taggert shrugged as if having a wolf inside the house was an
everyday occurrence, his gaze still glued to the doorway where Griffin had
vanished. “Don’t trust that man. He won’t let anything happen to you, but you
can’t let him get close. He has his own schemes. Now that he knows some of what
you can do, he’ll be more dangerous.”
    He meant the collar.
    Raven agreed and that’s what terrified her. She couldn’t
afford to have anyone snoop into her past and search for answers. Especially
not when it was her small pack that would suffer. She stepped outside, not
feeling the sunshine as coldness crept through her gut.
    Griffin thought himself safe here, but if it came down to choice,
she would do whatever necessary to protect her people.

 
     Chapter Three
     
    AFTERNOON
    “ T he
conclave is a collection of five council members. Currently one magic user, a feline
shifter, one vampire and two wolves hold court.”
    “One who just happens to be your father.” Raven struggled to
breathe in the confined space of the car, fighting off the claustrophobia
pressing on her chest, much like being held underwater. She rolled down the
window, trying not to be too obvious. The awful stench of exhaust had never
smelled sweeter as she drove through traffic.
    Griffin grunted but otherwise ignored her clumsy probe for
more information. “One from each race. They pride themselves on being
purebreds. These men and women are not elected officials, they must earn their
spots. A seat opens if someone steps down or dies.”
    The way he phrased the last part let her know which one
happened more often. She took the corner on a busy street, two blocks away from
the police station. “What else?”
    “They hold court every month.”
    “Always during the full moon?”
    Griffin’s smile was more wolf-like than friendly. “Always.
It forces packs to come together when the mating heat is high and pack is at
their most vulnerable. The first two days are used for listening to petitions
or offer challenges that can’t be settled amongst themselves.
    “The third day the council members are secluded to assess and
change the laws. It’s also a day of celebration. The day when new shifters
crest. The full moon helps the transition and reveals the strongest of the
budding pack. The last two days are used to answer petitions and claims.”
    “If this is about shifters, why have magic users and
vampires on the council?”
    Griffin gave her an assessing look, calculating if truth or
lies would work best. “To keep the peace. Shifters have been at war with both.
Witches had at one time ensnared shifters with