Eternal Hunter (Night Watch 1)

“Erin! Erin, shit!” The rustle of his clothes and the slog of his footsteps behind her. He grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

His hold jerked her toward him and Erin glared up at his face. “Not now, hunter.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that.” His nose nearly brushed against hers as he brought his face in close. “Newsflash, sweetheart, the ass**le after you killed a man. This isn’t some game!”

“I never thought it was!”

“I’m gonna bring the bastard down, but everything you know about him, every single thing that has happened to you because of him—I have to know.”

Erin exhaled on a hard breath and knew there was no choice. “Okay.”

How would he look at her, she wondered, when he learned the truth?

At least I had one night with him.

One wild night.

Just how many secrets was the woman keeping?

Jude sat at his desk, eyes on the computer screen before him, but not really seeing the damned thing.

Erin.

The woman was fire in his hands. The hottest, sexiest thing in bed he’d ever seen.

And she was dangerous. So dangerous.

Because she’d been lying to him.

The woman had a freaking twisted killer on her trail. One the cops couldn’t catch or stop, so yeah, maybe she had a reason for the skittishness he saw.

But there was more. He knew it.

“So, stayed at the girlfriend’s last night, huh?” Zane asked as he strode into Jude’s office. The guy always made himself right at home. Boundaries didn’t exist so much for Zane.

Jude grunted and rubbed a hand over his bleary eyes. He’d stayed at the crash site, keeping an eye on the uniforms and the crime scene guys, and sure enough, they’d found black paint on the side of Lee Givens’s car.

He’d been forced off the road. No doubt in Jude’s mind.

But was the hit tied to Erin?

“Don’t blame ya.” Zane crossed his arms and leaned back against the window frame. “That’s one hot woman.”

Jude’s hand dropped. “Don’t.” A snarl built in his throat. Zane played free and easy with the women in the city, Other and human.

But Erin was off limits.

“Oooh…” Zane smiled. “Sore spot, huh?”

Jude considered planting his fist in the demon’s face. Not like it would do permanent damage, and wiping that smug-ass grin off Zane’s face would sure make him feel better.

“You found out yet just what she is?”

A woman. That’s what she was. Zane was a good hunter, but he could also be one Grade A Asshole.

“I think I’ll stop by the courthouse later. Get a good look at her.” Zane nodded. “I’ll see what she is.”

Right. Jude just bet the guy would “get a good look” at her. “She doesn’t use glamour.” Glamour was the magic demons used to hide their true selves from the world.

Demons really did look a lot like humans. The only physical difference was generally their eyes. A demon’s real eyes were pitch black—not just the iris, but the whole eye, even the sclera. When it came to demons, there was never any waiting until you saw the “whites of their eyes.”

Only darkness was in their eyes.

Glamour hid that darkness. The magic let the demons blend right in with everyone else.

Sure, the ancient demons were rumored to have a few more…obvious physical differences. But Jude had never encountered one of the horned and tailed bastards that some whispered about late at night. He figured they weren’t real.

Hard to tell in this world, though.

“You don’t know, Donovan.” Zane shrugged. “Let me get a look at her, I’ll know.”

Erin was a hybrid. He knew that. She’d said her father was psychic. Not a demon, just psychic.

But she’d been lying. Shadows had appeared in her golden eyes.

Tonight, he’d get the truth from her.

“You turn up anything on her background yet?” he asked the demon.

The smile dimmed. “You know I hate doing the grunt work.”

True. Zane liked to be out on the streets, kicking the shit out of the deserving. “Yeah, but I got seniority.” Life could be a bitch.

“Asshole.” Zane shook his head. “Her mom abandoned her, dropped her off on her father’s doorstep when she was fifteen.”

Jude tensed. Abandoned? Not really the shifter way. Even the damn coyotes kept their kids close.

Why would her mother leave her?

Fifteen. Right at puberty. The time of the first shift.

“The dad took her in, but he passed away during her first year of college.”

Talk about getting a hard punch in the face. Abandoned by one, and death took the other. “Any other family?”

“Not that I can tell. But with the mom? Could be.”

Jude’s fingers tapped against the desk top. “Track the mom, see what you can find out.” A shifter mother? And a shifter stalker. No way could he overlook that lead.

“Will do.”

Jude frowned. “Where’s Dee?” He hadn’t seen her all morning.

“Pak called her on a vamp case.” Zane looked down at his watch. “Right now, I’d say she’s…oh, cutting the head off some poor undead ass**le.”

Probably. Dee did love her work. And if she was hunting during the day, she had the advantage.

Vamps were weak during the day. Almost human.

Dee always said that weakness leveled up the playing field. Of course, Jude figured the woman didn’t really need any leveling up. She could take the vamps down just as easily when they were running at full power. A talented woman.

Jude rose to his feet. Time for him to do some hunting. No sense in Dee having all the fun.

“Where you going?” Zane asked, straightening from the window.

“To rattle some cages.” And see just what the hell shook loose.

When Jude wanted, he could play the nice guy. Play.

But he could also be a real bastard.

He held his prey pinned against the wall, his forearm lodged against Michael McQueen’s throat. “Now we’re gonna go over this one more time, Mickey.” He smiled, and let the hyena shifter see his teeth. “I’m looking for the new shifter in town.”

Mickey spat at him.

Oh, wrong move. Jude threw the idiot across the room and swiped the back of his hand over his face. “Are you trying to piss me off?”

“You’re not takin’ me in!” Mickey jumped to his feet. Quick little prick.

“Yeah, I am.” Mickey liked to get a bit rough with his girlfriends. And he only dated humans. Guess beating the hell out of them was more fun for him than going up against someone with his own strength. “But before I drag your ass off to jail, you will answer my questions.”