They’d almost succeeded.
“Jude.” Still a whisper, but she thought she saw his eyelids flicker at the sound. “I know…I know you’re weak.” Her cheeks were damp. Blood or tears? Both? “But you’ve got to try and fight, okay? You can’t stay human.”
If he did, he’d bleed out before help arrived. She knew it. Wouldn’t lie to herself.
Her lips wanted to tremble so she pressed them together. His eyes were open, on her. Did he hear her? Did he understand?
Her fingers smoothed over his face. “Try to change back.” It was the only thing that would save him. The power of the shift. The beast could heal, the man couldn’t.
Jude wouldn’t be able to hold the tiger form long, she knew that. Probably only for a few seconds, but if he could just shift…
Some of the wounds would close. The healing powers would amp up and he’d survive.
Maybe.
No, no, he would survive.
The only reason he was still breathing now was because he’d shifted from beast to man. Every shift worked to mend his flesh. So if he could just transform one more time…
There might be a chance for him.
“Shift, Jude.” Her arms wrapped around him, held tight. “Shift!”
His heart rate kicked up but his head fell forward.
She held him tighter.
A growl built in his throat.
“Get an ambulance!” Zane ordered.
The thunder of footsteps on the stairs as Dee ran for help.
If he didn’t shift…
Soft, thick fur brushed against her skin.
Her eyes squeezed shut. Yeah, tears.
The crack of bones tormented her ears. Her hold never lessened. “Fight.”
Faster, faster—his heartbeat thudded in a double-time beat.
Her eyes opened. She saw white fur and the long, lean body of the tiger.
“Sonofabitch!” Zane’s cry. “I knew the bastard wouldn’t go down easy.”
No, not easy. Not her Jude.
He bucked against her, his body trembling. The shape of the tiger began to fade.
Be enough. Enough to let him live.
Moments passed. The tiger disappeared, leaving the broken man in his place.
“Jude?”
He slowly raised his head and stared at her with confusion clouding his eyes. “Erin?”
Her smile felt like it was going to break her face. Too big. Too wide. Too—ah, hell. Erin kissed him.
And he kissed her back. Moved his lips, his tongue.
He was back.
She pulled away, just a few inches. “Don’t ever do that to me again, tiger.” Not too late. For once, finally, not too late.
His mouth hitched into a half-smile. “Trust me, not…part of my…plans.”
Her hands roved over his back. She could still feel the wounds, but they weren’t as deep. The blood flow had eased. The shift had done its job.
Jude wouldn’t die on her.
“You’re one tough ass**le, shifter.” Zane whistled. “For a minute, I thought you were a corpse.”
Jude winced. He was naked, his flesh rippling as he moved. “For a…minute there, I did…too.”
So had she.
Dee’s shoes pounded down the stairs. “Help’s coming, just tell him to hold on—”
Erin glanced back at her in time to see the human stumble to a stop. Dee blinked twice, then smiled. “Shifter.”
If he hadn’t been, he would be dead.
Swallowing, Erin tried to ease back.
“Erin—wait, you’re hurt! ”
Yeah, but he didn’t need to worry about her. The scratch she had was nothing compared to the wounds still on his body.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Can’t you shift to heal?” Zane asked. The demon he’d hauled away lay bound near his feet. Good thing Zane carried his own cuffs— Other proof cuffs she’d glimpsed in the car. They were made out of some kind of special titanium. “You’re losing a lot of blood.”
She’d lost more blood than she would have liked, but her wound had already started to heal.
Jude caught her arm. Lifted it, turned it for better inspection. “You don’t…have to shift.” He sounded stronger. Good.
She shook her head. No, for her, the healing didn’t depend on the shift. A lucky thing, because otherwise, she’d be very easy prey.
His gaze rose to hers. “I saw…what you did.”
“I couldn’t let them kill you.” Her voice was rough and scratchy. She didn’t want to think about what she’d done to those men. No, demons, not men. Not human.
“You’re not…weak.” His eyes widened and he sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re the…next step, aren’t you? Evolution of the whole damn…species. Why shift when you’ve got all the power…in human form…”
Her brow furrowed. Next step? The guy must still be weak. She wasn’t anything special. Far from it.
“Donovan!” The door at the top of the stairs banged open. Voices shouted in the background, but Antonio’s voice was clear as he demanded. “Donovan, dammit, you down there?”
“Help’s arrived,” Dee murmured.
“The cops? Hell.” Zane shook his head. “You called them, Dee? Them? ”
“I called 911,” she told him as Antonio flew down the stairs. It sounded like a dozen men were behind him. “Told them we had an officer down.”
“He’s not an officer,” Zane said, rubbing a hand over his face and then staring at the demons littering the floor. “I f**king hate dens.”
“Yeah, well, Jude’s also not human, but I didn’t tell them that, either.”
“Donovan!” Antonio leapt over the last few steps. “What the hell happened here?”
Jude pushed up, staggering a bit as he rose to his feet. Erin wrapped her arms around him as she tried to steady him as much as possible.
“Ambush,” Zane explained succinctly. “Who would’ve thought these drugged out ass**les could even manage something like this?” Disgust was rich in his voice. No, not just disgust, almost…hatred.
“That…one.” Jude lifted his hand and pointed to the bound demon. “He’s not using.”
“Aw, Christ, man, you’re naked!” Antonio spun around. “You trying to make me go blind or something?”
There was a line of cops behind him. Men and women. A few EMTs were sprinkled in the bunch. Erin moved quickly, putting herself between Jude and the crowd. Not that Jude probably gave a rat’s butt about his modesty, but she did.