The next move? Stripping her, spreading her out over that bed, driving deep and hard inside her sex.
Jude cleared his throat and glanced up at the ceiling. A job. The job came first.
Hell, she was the job. And as much as his dick would like to lead him around on this case, he had to focus.
And keep her safe.
“You’re going to sleep, and I’m going to find out just what kind of paranormals rule this town.”
The mattress squeaked when she sat down. “What? Jude, I told you, there aren’t any supernaturals—”
“Ah, sweetheart, you’re not the only Other here.” Sure, the paranormals loved the big cities, but there were just too many of their kind. If you looked, you could find paranormals just about everywhere, and he knew there had to be more Other in this city—more vampires, shifters, demons.
To find them, you just needed to know exactly where to look.
“You were at the station with me, you saw the cops—”
“Yeah, none of ’em were shifters.” Wouldn’t have been vamps either. He’d never met a vamp cop. Vamps couldn’t usually hold day jobs. They just weren’t cut out for it. They were stronger at night, so most of them just stayed shut in when the sun was up.
There could have been some demons on the force, though. Maybe one or two, but without Zane there to spot his own kind, Jude wouldn’t see them.
“I worked with those cops for years.” She shook her head. Her dark hair gleamed. “I never saw anything that made me think they weren’t humans.”
He shrugged. “Maybe they were all human, but, see, the problem is, you’re looking at this situation all wrong.”
She blinked and a furrow appeared between her brows. “Uh, I am?”
“Yeah.” That top button would be popping soon. Hell, he could use one claw and have it off in less than a second. Then he could see those perfect br**sts, with the pink ni**les that were so sweet.
Focus.
He looked back up at her eyes. “You were looking for a supernatural to help you. In a town this size, you’ve got to realize, not all paranormals will be the good guys.”
“So I found out.”
Right. “I’m not gonna look for the good guys tonight.” Hunting the bastards was always easier. “I’m gonna go out, rattle some cages, break open some coffins, and see what the hell shakes loose.”
“You—you really think you can come into this town, knowing nothing about the place, and find Other? ”
He flashed her a smile. “One of my talents, sweetheart.” It was all in knowing where to look. He hadn’t worked his way up the food chain at Night Watch by not knowing his cesspools.
Walking on the dark side was old hat to him. He knew, better than most, just how deadly the beast inside could be.
White tigers…rare. So very rare. Because they had an unfortunate reputation and an appetite for death. Other people’s.
Erin didn’t know that about the tigers. If she did, she would be running away from him as fast as she could.
And she thought a wolf was bad.
“Stay here,” he ordered, turning away. “I’ll be back before dawn.” Not much use hunting in the daylight. The creatures he wanted lived by darkness.
So did he, most of the time.
“I want to come with you.”
He froze, hand poised above the door knob. Hell. Hadn’t she seen enough at Delaney’s? Much more and—
She wouldn’t want him near her. Wouldn’t want him touching her. Kissing her. Taking her.
Wouldn’t want him in the same room, much less the same bed.
Not when she saw just what he could become.
Had become, so long ago.
No, no, I won’t lose control again.
There was more to this world than blood and screams and claws and death.
There was—
“Jude?”
Her.
“You don’t need to see”— what I do—“the bastards out there. Where I’m going would be hell to most humans.” He always knew just how to get to hell.
Like to like.
“I’m not human.”
He glanced back at her. She’d risen from the bed and put her shoes on again. Her lips were pale and plump.
“I can handle a few interrogations.” Her smile was twisted. “I’ve seen my share, you know.”
No, she hadn’t. Not his way.
But he didn’t want to leave her in the hotel. Didn’t want her to be alone, not with that freak out there.
Freak—and what am I?
So f**king be it. “When the blood starts pouring, just stand back, got me? Don’t interfere and don’t try to stop me.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you—”
“I’ll do what has to be done.” Always did. “No innocents will be hurt.” His one rule. “Just…stand back, okay?” Don’t try to stop me.
And, hell…don’t fear me.
He wouldn’t cross the line. Hadn’t, in years.
Because the one time he had lost control, the beast had run wild.
The guy was looking for a hooker.
Erin sat beside Jude, her lips pressed together, as he cruised down the strip she’d never visited.
Oh, she knew this particular strip was there. It just hadn’t been on her list of places to visit in Lillian.
“Uh…can we go over this plan again?” Because the fist in her stomach told her this was a bad idea. Very bad.
Searching for a hooker with her lover. Um, not really her thing.
But Jude didn’t even seem to be listening to her. His gaze was on a blonde. A woman with long hair, the shortest skirt Erin had ever seen, and legs clad in fishnet stockings.
Fishnets? Seriously? She’d thought that was just some kind of really lame-ass stereotype, but no, the lady was strutting in her fishnets.
The blonde led the guy with the thinning hair—the guy who’d just hurried out of his car and run to her—into the mouth of the nearby alley.
Jude shoved open his door.
“What are you doing? Jude—”
“She’s feeding. Come on!”
Feeding? Was that really the right word for it? Erin unhooked her seatbelt and bolted after him. Her stupid shoes didn’t make for the easiest of runs, but she kept up with him, snaking across the street and into the alley that reeked with the stench of garbage and sewage and hell knew what else and—
And the john was on the ground, head twisted to the side. The blonde was over him, her mouth working on his neck even as her fingers shoved into the front of his jeans.