Instead, he dropped the towel, stopping her breath in her chest. He grabbed his pants, slowly slipping them over his legs one at a time, and she couldn't look away from the muscular flex of his ass. All she had to do was reach out to feel all that warm skin under her hands.

A sharp shock from the wall startled a yelp out of her. She jerked away and rubbed her ass. She'd been so involved watching him, she hadn't noticed she'd been absorbing a charge. By the time she turned, Jackson had his pants fastened, covering all the important bits.

She nearly groaned and wanted to say *no fair'. He must have guessed her thoughts for he gave a quick grin and raised a brow, silently asking if she wanted him to strip.

Desperation made her blurt out the first thing in her head. "You better go tell Aaron that we're leaving in an hour." She couldn't keep him a prisoner in the house, and what could be safer than a police station?

Jackson's intensity didn't dim after he left, and the promise on his face that this wasn't over kept her blood heated long after he'd disappeared.

The police station was more active than Raven remembered. Jackson opted to stay outside with less people, while Aaron followed her to Scotts' desk. The kid's ghostly eyes flickered from one spot to the next, taking everything in with more than a casual interest, not missing much, as if he'd never been out of his tower.

Though slim, those shoulders hinted he'd grow into an impressive man. Coupled with a sharp intelligence, he would become an alpha to be reckoned with. He'd managed to escape his mother's machinations, so she didn't doubt he'd use the shifter's slyness to his best advantage. But as he walked before her, the oddness she noticed trailed in his wake like radio static.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" The strangeness instantly stopped.

He gave her a look over his shoulders as if completely unaware of his actions. Or maybe not used to other people being able to detect his unique gift.

"Sit." Scotts walked around them and planted himself behind the desk. The cracked leather chair cried in protest when he settled his heavy frame into the seat. Tobacco and sweat saturated the desk, telling her exactly how much time he spent there.

Aaron took a seat, while she leaned her hip against the desk and waited.

Scotts opened a drawer, slapped a gun, a loaded clip and a badge on his desk, along with cell phone, and then shoved them toward her. "Consider yourself sworn into duty."

Raven made no move to take the gun. The sharp smell of oil and spent gunpowder tainted the weapon. "No, thanks."

Scotts stopped searching his desk and met her gaze. "It's not a request. You have to be armed at all times. If the gun is not on you, it is expected to be in your trunk and within easy reach."

She raised a brow at his lecturing tone. "For one, I'm not sure it's such a bright idea to be carrying during a full moon. Not only will shifters smell the gunpowder, a gun won't kill them unless you have enough ammo to really do some damage. Also, not everything we run across will be the big, bad shifters. Silver bullets help on shifters, but silver and iron would be more effective on other races." She prodded the phone. "And these don't work so well for me."

"I'll requisite silver and iron ammo if we have any, three more clips, but the gun is not optional." Scotts rubbed his fingers between his eyes as if she gave him a headache. "Carry the phone. Your desk is there."

He pointed to the empty place across from his. Ancient and scarred, the desk had seen better days. She poked the heavy metal, half expecting it to rock, surprised when it remained sturdy. The rest of the furniture in the bullpen was in similar condition.

"I thought I would be assigned cases and work the streets. There's no need for a desk. No shifters would come to the precinct for help."

An evil smile crossed his face as he said one succulent word. "Paperwork."

Raven winced at his glee. "Bastard."

"That's *boss' to you."

She blinked once then smiled. "Congratulations. You're the best guy for the job."

Scotts scanned the files on the desk. "I'm not sure it's much of a promotion." Then he got down to business. "You'll share the desk with other Regions when they're appointed. I expect you to show up at least once a week. When more are hired, you'll each pick a day to man the desk."

The idea of answering calls and being trapped in a room full of humans made her shudder at all the things that could go wrong. "Although shifters function during both day and night, a lot of the other creatures thrive by hiding in the darkness. They won't appreciate anyone ousting them. You might want to keep that in mind when working on schedules. As for the desk, shifters are very territorial and aren't known for sharing."

Scotts rubbed a hand over his scalp, his short, clipped hair undisturbed. "Let's hope the rest of the Regions don't give me as much trouble as you."

She pushed aside his chiding to latch on the unfamiliar word she heard so recently. The same word her attackers used. "Region? Is that our official title?"

He sat back, his old chair groaning in protest. "Regional Paranormal Liaison is a mouthful. The media dubbed the title Region." He held out his hand. "Welcome to the team."

That might explain the name, but not why two teens had targeted her. Raven accepted Scotts' hand, her leather glove protecting him from the static charge that was so much a part of her. He still jumped at her touch, and she suspected he was naturally sensitive to the paranormal.

"Do you have a lot of applicants?"

"I heard they were flooded, but only a small amount has survived the vetting. Less than one in a hundred. No one else has been voted through." He still seemed miffed that he didn't know who her sponsors were.

She couldn't help but agree. She didn't like knowing that there was some unknown benefactor out there. She suspected they hadn't helped her out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Tell me what you've found out on the case." Scotts' eyes sharpened as he asked the question, all the pleasantries over.

"I reviewed the video. It's like you said. Nothing."

Scotts shuffled through his stack of papers, pulled out a couple of files and tossed them to her. "They couldn't confirm what killed them, but your theory fits."

"Shifters gather during the full moon." Raven nudged the edge of the folders. "So the next few days are the perfect opportunity to hit them hard.

"The plan is ingenious. Just infect one shifter, and he'll go home to his pack. You take out the alpha, and you could potentially destroy the foundation of the pack. Until a new leader can be selected, shifters will be dangerous as they fight for status.

"Now multiply that by ten and imagine the chaos. Hundreds of shifters will run free with no one to keep them in check as they duke it out."

Aaron twitched in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with all the information she was sharing. She ignored him. What did the paranormals expect would happen when they voted in the Regions?

Lines bracketed Scotts' mouth. "And humans will be caught in the crossfire."

It stung that he accepted and dismissed the death of so many shifters, the destruction of such a fundamental way of life for them, and compared that to the loss of a few normals that might or might not be affected. "More than likely."

"Then why kill these two shifters now?"

"Practice?" Raven shook her head. "This is all guessing."

"Do you have any suspects?"

Aaron cleared his throat. "It could be anyone. An alpha thinking to get rid of his rivals, rogues who detest their bottom-rung status, slaves who live so precariously between worlds, vampires who want shifters to revert back to servants again, or even magic users who want to reduce the animals to nothing more than familiars. Let's not discount the humans determined to kill all the monsters. The list is endless."

Raven blinked in surprise, but she shouldn't be. Shifters were predators. They were trained to always be aware of all possible threats.

They fell silent at the daunting task of finding the killers before the full moon when shifters were at their most vulnerable. Raven grabbed the reports, determined to dig deeper.

She'd been contained in the labs during the first war ten years ago. Now war was coming to her, and she'd be dammed if she allowed anyone to steal what was hers before she even had a chance to claim them.

"Don't forget these." Scotts tapped his desk.

Raven curled her lips at the gun and phone. "A suggestion?"

"Can I stop you?"

She gave a tight smile. "Give the Regions Tasers or stun guns. They'd be more effective against shifters than a gun. The only drawback is that the voltage would have to be turned up a few notches, but not so high that a shifter might be forced to change."

Police had a right to use deadly force if confronted by an animal without a harness and tags. They were considered deadly weapons. "It would keep your officers safer than a gun as bullets would only enrage shifters into attacking."

Scotts didn't outright deny her. She'd take that as a small victory. "I'll consider it, but for now, take the damn gun."

Raven reluctantly shoved the clip home and strapped the gun to her waist. The bulk settled awkwardly at her hip. The phone slipped easily in her back pocket, but she didn't hold out much hope it would survive the trip home.

"Here." She grabbed Scotts' files and shoved them at Aaron. "Let's bail."

Aaron obediently grabbed the papers and rose. Instead of his normal loose limbered gait, his shoulders were stiff as he dutifully followed her. "You told them too much."

"All Regions will be paranormal. I didn't say anything they wouldn't already have known." She gave him a side look as they wound their way through the maze of desks.

"These Regions will have a hard enough role to face, their job made more dangerous without someone to watch their backs. I shared as little information I could in order to protect them."

Aaron shook his head. "You sound so idealistic, but what are the chances that it will turn out that way?"

"I would say the same percentage of good and bad cops." They rounded the front counter when a prisoner, cuffed to the floor waiting for booking, lazily lifted his head. Raven's steps slowed, apprehension thickening the air as their gazes clashed.

Matted hair clung to his scalp. Dirt was caked to every surface of him as if he were allergic to water. Those eyes of his flashed when they locked on her then darkened with rage. He flexed and the chains binding him snapped like dental floss. In a smooth move only a shifter could duplicate, he sailed out of his chair and charged them with a roar so loud that the primal sound resonated in her chest.

Chapter Twelve.

Dressed haphazardly in a weathered military jacket, the filthy man shot toward them with amazing speed. The odor of offal and vomit crashed into Raven first, the strength of it making her flinch. Shouts sounded, officers reached for their weapons, but no one would get there in time.

Raven turned and shoved Aaron behind the desk partition. That twang of discord around him increased and rubbed the inside of her skull raw like sandpaper. "Stay here."

Then there was no more time to do anything else.

The impact of a body launched her into the wall. Her spine cracked, her head slammed into the drywall hard enough that her vision blurred for a few panicked seconds. Her feet barely touched the ground then he was on her. Fetid breath clouded the air around her, stinging her eyes with its potency.

She twisted away from one fist, only to receive a blow to her ribs with the other. His fist, like lead pipes, cracked into her, and she lost the ability to breathe. But instead of dropping her like he'd intended, she snagged the edges of his jacket and refused to let go.

No way in hell would she allow anyone else to get hurt because she couldn't fight her own battles. She never expected anyone to physically confront her inside the police station. She only had her own stupidity to blame for letting down her guard. She'd been so confident, cocky that no one would attack them, that she'd become lax.

A police officer snaked his arm around the were's throat and received a head-butt for his trouble that knocked him out cold. Another officer quickly darted forward and dragged him to safety. Using the distraction, Raven dipped into the pool of electricity that churned at her core, and slammed her palm against his chest.

The shifter's eyes widened as he stumbled backward. His arms windmilled to remain upright.

She'd shoved enough current into him to cook a human's heart to a dried lump of coal. As a shifter, the very least he should've been rolling on the floor in pain. All it gave him was a bad case of heartburn and pissed him off.

Damn indestructible shifter.

"Freeze." More officers piled into the cramped entrance, weapons drawn. No one took aim. They couldn't. They didn't have a clear shot.

Neon green eyes assessed her, ignoring the humans around them as of no importance. That's when she knew.

Rogue.

And he meant to kill her.

The discord around her increased, and Raven automatically glanced at Aaron, fear for his safety paramount.

The shifter followed her gaze. A satisfied smile kicked up his lips when his eyes lit on the boy.

The rogue bared his teeth.

Heat flashed through the room.

Then nothing.

He failed to turn furry.

Then she knew Aaron was doing something to prevent the change. The rogue figured it out at the same time. Those big hams at the end of the shifter's arms fisted. Another hit would cave in her ribs. She tensed for the attack, determined to just be faster.

Jackson burst through the doors at that moment. The police tried to hold the line, but he charged through and tossed himself at her attacker. The prisoner whirled to face the new threat, and both men smacked to the floor hard enough that the impact reverberated up her legs.

They twisted, struggling to gain control. Snarls echoed in the small space, the sounds vicious.

Jackson received a blow to his balls that loosened his hold, and the slippery man came at her on all fours.

"Use Tasers," Raven shouted to the officers as they watched the display.

One police officer was ready, and the snap of electricity sizzled as wires zipped through the air. The shifter jerked and batted at the cords like they were annoying bugs.

"Again."

Two more police officers reacted, and the unkempt man snarled as the darts hit true. He grabbed the live wires, the voltage nothing to him, and ripped out the cords without flinching.

Then Jackson kicked the man's legs out from underneath, preventing his advance. The rogue turned and slammed his elbow at Jackson's throat with enough strength to crush his windpipe.

Jackson barely blocked the blow in time. Raven was afraid to interfere. No way would she ever be able to win in a physical fight. It would be a quick way to get them both killed.

"Raven!"

Scotts tossed her a stun gun. The cool plastic stung her palm on impact. She pressed the button, enjoying the lovely blue and white sparks that crackled between the prongs.

But it wasn't enough.

The bastard was too strong.