“Jude, do you mind if I speak with Ben alone?”
Yeah, he did. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered down at her.
She stared right back up at him. “I need to speak with him alone.”
Dammit. He was not happy with this crap. “I’ll be right outside.” He glanced at the cop. The guy had moved back and leaned against Erin’s desk.
Human.
Her fingers skimmed over his arm. “Thank you.”
Territorial. The word echoed in his head. The lady had no idea just how territorial he was feeling right then or how badly he wanted to rip into the cop.
Her lover. He knew it. He could see it in the man’s eyes. The detective had been with Erin. Hell, maybe he’d even loved her. Jude had heard the way the ass**le first said her name.
And Erin—how did she feel? She’d told him things were over with the cop because she couldn’t fit into his “normal” world, but—
But Jude knew just how badly Erin longed for “normal.”
Rip him apart. Easy prey. Fight. Claim.
Mate.
The beast raged inside.
But he was more than the beast, and he was trying to prove that to Erin. Besides, she had her own choices to make.
He clenched his teeth and stepped back. “If you need me, I’m right outside.” Course, she’d be able to take down a human no problem, so the message wasn’t so much for her.
For the cop. His gaze held the other man’s. Right outside.
When he left the room, Erin swung the door shut behind him.
“Man, are you freaking insane?” Zane demanded instantly. “You’re gonna let that cop stay in there alone with your woman? Did you see the way he was eyeballing her, like a good fu—”
Jude turned his stare on the demon, and Zane wisely shut the hell up.
Then Jude crossed his arms over his chest and got ready to wait.
He’d agreed to stay outside, but it wasn’t like the thin walls would give Erin much privacy. Not to someone like him, anyway.
If that ass**le cop yelled at her again, Jude was going inside, and the claws would be coming out.
“How did you find me?” Erin asked, keeping her voice cool and easing into her desk chair.
A shrug. One that tried to make him appear careless, but the lines bracketing his mouth belied the move. “When I linked the call at Katherine LaShaun’s place to your cell, the DA had to cough up the info.”
Ah, the cell call. She’d figured that would be traced back to her sooner or later. She just had been hoping more for later.
She’d forgotten just how good Ben’s contacts were. “I had to call her. I couldn’t let those boys see their father’s body.
They never would have felt safe at that house, they never—”
“Still trying to save the world?” he asked softly.
Her lips pressed together.
Jude had understood. She’d seen the way he looked at the boys.
Had he seen himself in them? Yeah, she’d bet that he had. Just like she’d seen herself.
Her hands flattened on the desktop. “I didn’t break any laws by calling Katherine.”
“You tipped off a suspect.”
She jumped to her feet. So much for playing it cool. “Please! You and I both know there’s no way Katherine killed Trent! That’s not the kind of woman she is!”
“She thinks he killed her daughter. She’d do anything for her girl, you know that.”
She did, but…“Katherine didn’t kill Trent.”
“You seem awfully sure of that.” He walked around the desk, moving until he stood less than a foot away from her. “Why is that, Erin? And why is it that Trent had your picture in what was left of his hands?”
Because he was another freaking present. She didn’t flinch. “There are things going on here that you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh?” His lips twisted into a cruel smile. The smile didn’t suit him. Not at all. “Like I didn’t understand about you back in Lillian? Every time I tried to get close, you just shoved me back. When I was in the hospital, you didn’t even come to see me.”
“Because I was trying to protect you!” The words burst out. Oh, no, she hadn’t meant to tell him that. Now she was—
“And I find out now that you’re cozying up with some low-rent bounty hunter!” His face reddened as his voice rose. “I saw the way he looked at you, the two of you are—wait, what the hell did you say?”
“Uh…”
The door flew open. “Asshole, don’t raise your voice to her again.” Jude stood in the doorway, his claws out and his eyes glowing.
Ben looked at him and his jaw dropped. “What. The. Hell!”
Jude kicked the door closed with his heel but never took that deadly gaze off the cop.
“I told you there were things you wouldn’t understand,” Erin said. Then, “Jude, back off, okay? I’ve got this.”
“Bullshit. I could hear the prick yelling at you.”
Yeah, well, with his shifter hearing, he probably would have been able to hear a whisper. “This isn’t the way to handle the situation, okay?”
“He’s got claws!” Ben shook his head, hard.
“All the better to rip into prey.” Jude took a step forward.
“What’s up with his eyes? Why are they—”
“All the better to see the ass**le who doesn’t need to be attacking my lady.”
“Jude!” Her snarl had him faltering and glancing over at her. “I can fight this one on my own.” Not helping. No, his big show and tell was making everything a thousand times worse.
“Sweetheart, it’s time your cop learned the truth.” In that devil-may-care grin, she caught the edge of his teeth, those too sharp canines. Erin swallowed and really hoped that Ben hadn’t seen them, too, because if he said something about the fangs, she could already hear Jude’s smart-ass response.
All the better to bite.
As much as she enjoyed his bites, Ben wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment.
And he might run screaming.
It looked like that response could be a near thing right then.
Thanks, Jude. “Ben, relax, okay? Everything is all right.”
“All right? ” he thundered, still shaking his head. Then he shoved her behind him. “Do you see that guy? He’s got claws! ”
She peered around Ben in time to see Jude shrug. “So does she.”
“What?”
“There are some things I never told you about myself,” she said to Ben, using a tone she hoped was calm and easy.