Eternal Flame (Night Watch 3)

He slapped his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “You’re gonna be okay.”

Tony turned toward him, his eyes stained red, and the skin on his hands blistering. He wouldn’t be healing so easily from those wounds. No, as a human, he’d carry the scars. “F-fucking k-kid…”

Zane tensed. He could see the claw marks on Tony’s neck now. Not deep enough to kill. Just deep enough for Davey to play.

“D-demon’s eyes … sh-shifter’s … claws …”

Dee hurried to Tony’s side. “Easy.” She pushed him back onto the ground. Her hands were so gentle on him. She brushed back his hair. “Just take it easy.” There were tears swimming in her eyes because she’d seen the full damage to Tony’s legs. “Simon, get a damn ambulance!”

Simon took off running.

“Who did this to him?” Dee whispered.

“I did.” Because he’d been soft. He’d shown his weakness, and Davey had seen it.

She looked back at him with a furrow of confusion between her eyes. “What?”

“Stay on guard, Dee.” Because he knew Davey hadn’t died in the flames. He knew and—

And a tiger’s roar shook the streets. Oh, shit. No.

But Davey was going after everyone who’d brought down Perseus, and Jude had been there that night.

“Kill anyone who comes close-and if it’s some eighteen-year-old kid with demon’s eyes and blond hair, don’t f**king hesitate.” Because he’d hesitated.

She nodded.

An ambulance sped up, following close behind Simon as he rushed back to Dee. A fire truck raced behind it.

Zane followed the roar as fear tightened his heart. If Davey had found Jude, the bastard had also found Jana.

Jana. He didn’t realize he’d screamed her name.

Zane rounded the corner, running fast to the spot he’d left Jana. She was supposed to be safe. She was supposed to be—

She was locked against Davey. The bastard’s claws were at her throat. Jude stood less than five feet away from them, his own claws out, and his fangs bared. “Let her go!” Jude snarled.

But Davey just jerked her closer against him, and blood leaked down her throat. “Stay back!” Davey ordered and his eyes flew from Jude to Zane. “Both of you, stay the f**k back, or I’ll rip her throat out!”

“Then you’ll die,” Jude told him, edging closer. “Because your shield will be gone. I’ll be on you, and you’ll be dead.”

But Davey, smart, slick Davey, just smiled his still-bloody smile. “She’ll be dead.”

Jana’s gaze met Zane’s.

“He’ll be crazy.” Davey stared right at Zane as he tossed that out. “And you, shifter”-now his eyes darted back to Jude—“you’ll get your ass kicked five seconds later. Because I’m the strongest damn thing you’ve ever seen.”

Jude growled in response, but his body had frozen.

“I knew you’d come for her,” Davey said, and he wrenched Jana back a step. “When I left the fire and I caught her scent …” His head lowered toward her hair, and he inhaled deeply. “I could have walked away, could have just got in my car and left, coming back to hunt another day. But with such great prey close by, how could I leave?”

Sick f**k. “She isn’t prey.”

More blood trickled down Jana’s neck, but she didn’t make a sound. “She’s the prey I’ve been after for a very long time.”

“Y-you …” The word seemed to break from Jana’s mouth then. “Not B-Beth, was it? You were Perseus.”

What? This damn kid? No f**king way.

Davey’s smile flashed again. “I was wondering if you knew. Beth liked to take credit for every damn thing, but Perseus-that was my baby.”

“What the hell?” Jude shook his head. “You’re Other. Why would you hunt your own?”

Davey’s gaze again tracked to Zane. “Why would he? Why would you?” He licked away some of the blood on his lips.

Zane saw Jude’s hands clench into fists. “We go after the bastards who have crossed the line. We don’t hurt innocents. We stop the Other who can’t stop themselves.”

“So do I.” Davey blinked a bit, as if surprised they’d even doubt him. “Perseus goes after those who hurt humans, we- they—”

“That’s a damn lie!” Jana’s eyes were bright. “Marcus didn’t hurt any humans. He—”

Davey’s left hand wrapped in her hair, and he yanked her head back. “He sliced open the throat of Clayton Ridge-way.”

“Because Ridgeway killed Marcus’s girlfriend! And a dozen other women!” Jana didn’t sound scared. Didn’t look it either. Her eyes were so bright … and starting to become streaked with the faintest of red lines.

Zane sucked in a sharp breath. Charging up. Could Davey tell?

“Doesn’t matter what Ridgeway did.” No smile lifted Davey’s lips now. “Paranormals can’t kill humans. The two worlds aren’t meant to cross. When they do, hell comes.”

Hell comes. “The two worlds cross all the time.” Zane risked a few steps closer. The claws didn’t dig any deeper into Jana’s throat. “That crossing … that’s how you and I got to be here, right? Hybrids, both of us. For me, because my mother loved a demon, and for you, because your dad—”

“Don’t talk about him!” The scream echoed through the night.

Yeah, okay, obviously he’d just found Davey’s weakness.

“My dad did the damn best he could. He couldn’t help that a demon tricked him, got into his mind and—”

“Is that what he told you?” Zane asked quietly, keeping the emotion out of his voice. Her throat was still bleeding. If those claws dug in a bit more … “That your mother used her power to work into his mind and steal his will?”

“She was a demon. She tricked him. Made him think she was human.” Sweat slid down Davey’s temples. “He didn’t even know, not until she had me, not until he saw her eyes change.”

Well, shit. “The delivery, right?” Because when you were having a baby, you probably weren’t real focused on holding the glamour.

“He saw her for what she was then.”

Jana slammed her elbow into his stomach. “Demons are f**king people, too!”

“Jana!”