Eternal Flame

Chapter 14

“Did you take the deal?” His voice was expressionless.

Jana shook her head. “I wasn’t going to leave you there. I’d already seen what they did to paranormals.” Seen, and never been able to forget. “But Beth wasn’t the type to take no for an answer.”

The pealing of a bell echoed through the house. Jana’s eyes widened. His doorbell? Someone was downstairs?

Zane didn’t look away from her. “What happened?”

“She-the other psychic came at me. She was human. I-I didn’t want to hurt her—”

The doorbell rang again. “Zane …” she whispered, glancing toward the door, “What if …?”

“Whoever it is can go the fuck away.”

A furious pounding carried through the house. Their guest was slamming a fist into the door. “The wolf shifter, Marcus, I told him I was coming to you.” They hadn’t spoken much during their drive because, hell, what was there to say? They’d both just wanted to get away from that swamp, as fast as they could.

He knew she’d been the one sent to kill him. He also knew she hadn’t carried through with her orders. Then they’d both become prisoners.

Until that night…

Freedom.

“So you did go with him.” An edge sharpened in Zane’s words.

She nodded and crept toward the door. “He was the one I told you about. The one Perseus wanted me to kill.” The pounding stopped.

“Zane, what if it’s him or—” Or any of the other assholes who could be after her?

His gaze hardened. “Stay here.” Sounded like a great plan to her.

He yanked on his jeans and hurried out of the bedroom. His footsteps thudded down the stairs. Her breath caught. Zane could probably handle anyone down there, but—

“What the hell are you doing here, Tony?” Zane demanded, and his voice carried easily to her.

Shit. The cop. Jana scrambled for her clothes. She pulled on her jeans-no time to search for the underwear-and shoved her arms into her shirt as she tugged it over her head.

Tony. He didn’t know she was here. Zane would cover for her, it would be fine. She’d be able to leave after—

“Jana!” Zane’s booming voice exploded up the stairs.

Horror filled her. No, no, he wouldn’t just sell her out like that. Not after-after what? The sex? Like a man couldn’t turn his back on a woman just because they’d screwed.

Jana rocked back on her heels. What if it had been a trap? What if Tony had been watching the whole time, and Zane was just going to turn her over to him?

“Jana…” Softer.

Zane stood in the doorway now. She hadn’t even heard him approach. Tony loomed behind him.

Her shoulders straightened. So be it. “Let me get my shoes, Captain, and I’ll come with you.” She’d survived being locked up once before. She’d survive again. Right?

Damn cages.

Her gaze darted to Zane. What the hell had she really thought would happen? Good guys don’t fall for the bad girls. Zane was firmly aligned on the side of the “good” guys. She knew that. Why had she even tried to pretend? Why had she come back to him?

Because he got to me. He’d slid right past the surface and worked his way under her skin. He was her weakness now, one that she’d have to watch.

Jana shoved her feet into her shoes.

“How long have you been here?” Tony asked quietly.

She turned to face him and deliberately kept her hands loose at her sides. “Since yesterday.” Zane’s stare bored into her.

“What happened to the wolf shifter who was in that swamp?” the cop asked.

Jana shrugged. “We split up once we got to Baton Rouge.” Why did it matter?

“So you … were with him.”

Was this an interrogation? “Yeah. Yeah, I just said I was.”

“Did he try to hurt you?” The question was Zane’s.

Jana blinked. “Ah … no.” Okay, and now her stomach was knotting.

“I need to talk to that wolf,” Tony said.

Good luck with that. She bit the words back.

“Jana …” Zane stepped closer to her. “There’s been a killing.”

Her stomach twisted again. “In this city”-she kept her voice low and calm—“there are often killings.”

“Not like this.” Tony shook his head. “Not when a woman’s throat is cut from ear to ear, and I find freaking dog hairs all over the scene.”

Hell, now the questions about Marcus made sense. “No, he’s not—”

“Lindsey Meadows, a college student, was killed right outside of her dorm room. Several hundred kids were in that dorm, and no one heard a damn thing.” Tony’s voice vibrated with tension. “She was last seen having dinner with a blond male.”

“Sound familiar?” Zane asked.

She licked her lips. “I-I don’t … he didn’t kill those girls in New Orleans.”

“Maybe not. But I need to find that wolf,” Tony told her, “and I need to find him now.”

Tony wasn’t after her. The knowledge finally sank in. He wasn’t there to haul her to jail. He was after the shifter because he thought Marcus was a killer.

She remembered pain-filled blue eyes. Hands that trembled. “He didn’t attack those girls. He wasn’t the killer.” No matter what the news stories had implied, Marcus hadn’t been guilty.

“Maybe he wasn’t a killer before,” Tony said, “but I need to see for myself what he is now. If Perseus had him all these months, if they’ve been screwing with his head, there’s no telling what he is.”

Her fault. She hadn’t realized that Perseus had him-or that vamp who’d taken his bite out of her. But she should have known. When she’d escaped the other lab, there had been paranormals there, too. They’d gotten out when she escaped. Her fire had let them all run free.

But, of course, Perseus had another facility. Another backup plan.

Was there another pit still out there? If they’d had one backup location before, wouldn’t they have another now?

Zane turned away from her. “I want to see the crime scene.”

Tony frowned. “My men have—”

“I can find things they might have overlooked.”

Demon senses.

“Let me at that scene. Let me see what I can find before you start this hunt.”

Because Zane had seen Marcus and the marks on his body. Trapped. Tortured. She swallowed.

Tony nodded, his face grim.

“What…” She took a deep breath. “What about me?” Usually a cop would have tried to cuff her by now. But Tony …

He shook his head. “Didn’t Zane tell you? You’re clear.” His voice was bland. “The arsonist who started the fires in New Orleans was killed in that blaze at the Perseus headquarters.”

That deep breath burned in her lungs.

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re clear, Ms. Carter.”

Zane had been telling the truth. He’d done it. He’d gotten her life back.

“But I need that shifter.”

Her life was back, but what about the wolf’s?

She strode forward and grabbed Zane’s hand. “I’m coming with you.”

He stared down at her and a frown pulled his brows together. “You don’t need to—”

“Maybe it’s time I started doing something for somebody other than myself.” The words came out too fast. She lifted her chin. “Marcus was hurting so much when I first found him. He didn’t ask for any of this.”

Zane’s gaze held hers. “We never do.”

No, they didn’t. But fate just came calling. When she called, you had to answer, even if you’d rather slam down the phone.

“Let’s get Jude and Erin out there,” he told the cop. “If a wolf killed at that scene, they’ll know.”

“Ahead of you, Zane. I already gave ‘em a call,” Tony said.

Zane brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Stay with me, every second. The PD has cleared you, but the FBI…”

No, she knew she’d still be high on their extermination list. They’d want their pound of flesh, and so would all the paranormals out there she’d pissed off before. Once they found out about her new weakness, hell, it’d be like sharks who’d sensed blood in the water. They’d come at her in a feeding frenzy.

“Pak’s working on them,” he continued. “But Special Agent Thomas has you in her sights, and she’s not going to back down easily. For her, it’s personal.”

Jana blinked. “Personal? I’ve never done anything to that woman.”

Zane and Tony shared a long look.

“What? What am I missing?” she demanded.

“It’s personal for her,” Zane said slowly. “Because one of the men who died in that fire in New Orleans was her stepbrother. Brent Martin. The scientist who—”

You’ll be awake when I do this and, trust me, it’ll hurt like a bitch.

“I remember him.” Another guy who’d gotten off on giving pain.

“She’s not gonna back down.” Zane’s gaze was steady. “You have to watch your ass with her.”

Now, more than ever. Because if-when-Agent Thomas came gunning for her, Jana wouldn’t have the flames to aid her. Not anymore.

Good thing she still had the gun she’d stolen from the Perseus agents. A girl could never be too careful.

Personal. Hell. But these days, weren’t all the hunts personal? Always personal and always deadly.

It was dark outside, the sky pitch black-no moon, no stars. The kind of night that Jana normally loved because it gave perfect cover.

Tonight that covering darkness had a tingle of shivery awareness skating down her spine.

They were outside a college dorm room, in the alley that ran just behind the building. The flickering, fluorescent lights trickled a pale glow onto the scene. Tony was ahead of them and already bending under the yellow line of police tape. She could just make out the bloodstains on the ground. Jana’s lips pressed together. Jeez, couldn’t someone have cleaned that up?

“So you think we’ve got a wolf hunting again?” The voice was feminine, soft, and tinged with a hint of the South. She hadn’t heard the woman approach. Careful now, Jana slipped deeper into the shadows and watched her. Tall, slim, elegant, the lady seemed perfectly poised in the alley.

The woman’s small nostrils flared as she drew in the scents. If she hadn’t been watching her so closely, Jana would have missed that telling movement. Shifter. Because no human would be making the effort to inhale in an alley.

Jude was behind her, and his hand pressed against the small of her back. His nostrils widened as his gaze swept the alley. She knew he-both of them-would be able to see a whole lot more than she could.

“I don’t know what we’ve got,” Tony said, running a hand through his hair. “You tell me, ADA.”

ADA? As in assistant district attorney. Crap. Jana hunched back into that darkness a bit more.

“I don’t smell a wolf, not anywhere around here.” The ADA’s head cocked. “But you know some shifters can disguise their scents.”

“Like that bastard who was after you,” Zane muttered.

Uh, someone had been after the ADA?

“Yeah.” The growl was Jude’s. There was still rage there. “Like him.”

“If you let me see the body,” the ADA offered, “I can tell if the marks were made from claws.” A faint smile lifted her lips. “You could say I’ve got a lot of experience with wolf marks.”

Tony edged away from the yellow tape. “Jones has the body at the morgue. I already told him you’d be coming.” He sighed. “He said she didn’t struggle. One swipe-one fast attack to the neck-and she was dead.”

Just like the victims back in New Orleans.

“A human killed those girls.” Jana’s voice sounded way too loud.

The ADA looked her way. Not with surprise. The woman had known she was lurking there the whole time.

“There was no record of a suspect being apprehended for those attacks,” Tony said.

“Because Marcus Malone killed him,” Jana said. “The shifter’s girlfriend was one of the vics. The only time he killed was when he was putting that murdering bastard out of his misery. Marcus might be a wolf, but he-wouldn’t do this.”

She felt the weight of the ADA’s stare. Hell. What was her name? What had Tony said? Erica? Erin.

“Haven’t you heard?” Erin asked. “Most folks know that wolves are psychotic.”

Jude inched closer to the ADA.

Jana walked out of those shadows. “Marcus had plenty of chances to hurt and kill.” If that had been what he wanted to do, I never would have made it out of that truck. “He tracked his prey, and he put a sick, sadistic man out of his misery. That’s all.”

“Seems like you know a lot about Marcus,” Zane noted blandly. “Talk a lot on that ride up, did you?”

“When you fled the scene of a crime?” Tony tagged on.

She ignored them both.

Erin’s gaze stayed on her. “I understand,” the ADA said slowly, “that this particular wolf was held captive and tortured for the last few months. Something like that could make any man break. And a wolf …” She shrugged.

“It’s not easier for a wolf to break,” Jana said, fighting to keep her voice even. “It’s harder. Yeah, I know wolves have the rep for being crazy, but they’re also smart and incredibly strong. Strong enough to live through hell and survive.” Just like Marcus had. They hadn’t needed to talk. She’d seen the truth in his eyes.

They’d walked out of hell together.

Erin’s head inclined toward her, and it seemed like the tension in Jude’s shoulders eased, just a bit.

“If the shifter didn’t kill Lindsey Meadows,” Jana told them, “then we’ve got a real big problem here.” She had to point it out, though surely everyone had realized that.

Zane’s arm brushed against Jana’s. Okay. She hadn’t meant to walk to his side. Not really. Her gaze darted to those bloodstains and then back to the ADA’s eyes. Humans were so weak.

It sucked to be weak, and she sure wasn’t about to show weakness now. She hadn’t been given the chance to finish her confession with Zane. He didn’t know the truth. None of the others knew. As far as they were concerned, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, she was the big, bad fire queen. Get in her way, and she’d burn you to ash.

“This crime …” Even the locations were identical. The freak in New Orleans had always picked alleys just behind the vics’ dorms or apartments. “The kill—” No defensive wounds. No sign of a struggle. “-and the victim type are all the same. It fits the serial’s M.O.” What was up with the timing of this kill? So close to Marcus’s arrival in town. Too close. “Someone knows about what happened with the serial killer in New Orleans. About Marcus. And I think that person’s trying to set him up.”

“Why?” came from Jude.

“Because he was the only actual named suspect in New Orleans. He made the papers. Someone wants the spotlight on him again. Someone wants the cops after him.” Hunted. “Someone is turning him into prey again.” The supernaturals who cross the line have to be eliminated. The old spiel from Perseus.

Perseus. Her breath heaved out. “They know.” “Uh, who knows?” Erin asked.

“Project Perseus. They knew all about Marcus. They could be—”

But Zane caught her hand. “Perseus is dead, Jana. The organization is finished. The guards who survived were rounded up. Beth was the leader of that group … the guards confirmed it. She’d started Perseus after a vamp killed her father.”

She knew about the vampire. I found my father on the ground. The bastard had torn his throat open. Beth’s shaking voice whispered through her mind. Because at the beginning, when she’d first approached Jana, they’d talked. Almost been … friends.

No, no, they’d never been friends. Beth’s psychic talent had just made her real good at reading people. And she’d known how to get to Jana.

She offered me a family. A place to fit in. Things had been fine until Jana turned away from the system. Then the claws had come out.

“Beth wanted vengeance,” Jana spoke slowly. “And I gave it to her.” The first vamp she’d killed for Perseus had been the one who’d drained Beth’s father.

Thank you. The only words Beth had spoken after that fire. But Beth’s eyes had been blazing.

That death hadn’t been enough for Beth. Nothing had ever been enough.

So she’d been the one to start Perseus? Jana had always thought Beth took orders from someone else.

“She’s dead,” Zane said. “The Perseus group is finished.” “Nothing ever dies easily in this world,” Jana whispered. The instinct to survive was too strong.

Marcus Malone knew when he was being hunted. He’d spent too much time being prey not to know that feeling.

He glanced back over his shoulder, his nostrils flaring. He didn’t see anyone, didn’t smell anyone, but he knew some bastard was out there. Hunting.

I need to get out of this city.

Perseus had burned. Those flames had lit the night, and he’d escaped that hellhole, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone-something-had risen from the flames.

Coming after me.

There was only one person in this town he trusted. One woman who’d been through the fire.

Maybe he should have been afraid of her. After all, Jana had been the one to hunt him before. She’d also been the one to hold back the fire because she’d realized he wasn’t the sadistic killer Perseus had made him out to be.

And she’d come back for me. He’d caught her scent over the fire and looked up … and Jana had been there. She’d pulled him from those flames in the swamp. Saved his ass.

So he’d returned the favor. He’d gotten her away from the cops. Gotten them both to safety.

But this town wasn’t safe. He swiped a hand over his brow. Not nearly fucking safe enough. Jana thought her demon could protect her.

Her eyes had been so dark. “If you need me, I’ll be with Zane.”

“You really think you can trust him?” A faint smile had lifted her lips. “He’s one of the good guys.”

Marcus didn’t have a lot of experience with good guys. He didn’t trust the demon, but he did trust Jana. She’d studied him, looked beneath the surface. His hands were stained with blood, but that kill-he’d just been avenging his Rita.

Rita.

A blinding pain shot through his head. Those fucking headaches. Every time he thought of Rita, his head seemed to rip open.

He pushed through the bushes and stumbled toward the house on Louis Avenue. Jana would help him. He’d tell her about the eyes on him … because those eyes could be turning to her. He and Jana were linked. Whoever was after him, well, the asshole could come after her, too.

Together, they’d be stronger. Those bastards at Perseus had made him so weak. That bitch had come and touched him, while Beth had stood back and laughed. She’d touched him then—

Weak.

He was still weak. Too weak. Almost like a human. And the headaches … Sonofabitch.

He stumbled and nearly fell onto the porch. The house was dark, but it was late. The demon had to be there, with Jana. They had to—

“Wondered how long it would take for you to crawl out of those shadows.” The voice whispered from the darkness.

It was a voice Marcus knew. He froze. No, no. But he turned his head and fucking sure enough, the asshole was there. Smiling at him.

“Did you really think going to the fire whore would save you?” The insidious whisper slipped right under his skin. Marcus kept his eyes on his stalker, aware of the sweat that had burst from his skin, even on the chilly night.

“Jana’s been here, hasn’t she?” the bastard asked.

But she wasn’t there now. Marcus heard nothing from the house. Jana. He needed her, but she was gone. Hell.

The asshole looked up at the house. “Been in bed with her demon?” Laughter. “Who would have thought… he was supposed to kill her, not screw her.”

Marcus’s claws should have been out. They should have been out and his teeth should be razor sharp. But he wasn’t changing. Because that little bitch had touched him.

You’ll be normal, Marcus. Isn’t that what you want? To be normal? To have a life? No more pain, no more monster. Just a man.

She’d let the girl touch him…. Then …

More laughter and the stalker’s hand lifted. Claws had burst from the jerk’s fingertips. My claws.

They’d taken too much from him in that prison. Not his life, but his beast.

A shifter who couldn’t shift. How was he supposed to survive?

“I thought about letting you live.” The wooden porch creaked. Nowhere to run, not with that devil in front of him. “I thought about it. …”

Those claws were up and so close.

A snarl lifted Marcus’s lips. “I never thought about letting you live.” No, he’d planned to go after this guy, as soon as his strength was back. He’d felt the beast trying to return. The transfer wasn’t permanent, he was sure of it. Once the wolf had been strong again, he’d planned to hunt.

But he’d already been prey.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his stalker’s lips. “Guess one of us is dying tonight.”

Marcus’s head pounded. His heart raced. He lunged forward with his fist raised. The beast inside was screaming, but trapped, trapped—

Claws slashed across Marcus’s throat. The pain was hell-fire hot, and the blood splashed down his shirt as he tried to breathe, tried to gasp, tried to say … Rita.

He fell to his knees.

“Two down …” The whisper filled his ears. The last fucking words he heard were … “Three to go.” Rita. He could see her now, could see—

The shifter and the ADA searched the scene. Their eyes- and their noses-probably didn’t miss a thing. But, well, there wasn’t anything to miss.

“You found dog hairs on the body?” Jana asked. “Just the body, nowhere else?” Odd. Those wolves sure were hairy beasts.

But if they weren’t dealing with a wolf … “Just the body,” Tony agreed.

Setup. Didn’t the guy see it? Marcus wasn’t the one they wanted for this. No way would a wolf’s fur—so not dog hair-have been left in one spot.

“There’s nothing here. Take me to the body,” Erin said flatly.

Tony nodded. “Let’s go. You and Jude can follow me in.” But Erin hesitated beside Jana. “You don’t really look like a killer.”

Jana smiled at her. “I know. That’s why I was so good at my job.” Was, shit. She needed to be more careful.

Erin’s gaze dropped to her throat. “What got ahold of you?”

Oh, yeah, that. “A vamp.”

“Did you burn him? I mean, that’s what you do.” “I didn’t burn him.”

The lady waited. Her dark hair blended with the night.

“She shot him,” Zane said.

“And you didn’t rip him apart?” Erin shook her head. “Zane, I’m surprised at your restraint.”

Tony hurried to his car. “Come on, we need to get to the station. If this killer’s hunting, we don’t have time to waste.”

Erin inclined her head. “You’re right, you know,” she told

Jana.

About what?

“Not all wolves are psychotic.” Her teeth flashed in a white grin. Hmmm … those teeth looked a little too sharp. “And surviving hell is easy for us.”

Then she was gone. The ADA disappeared into the night with Jude and Tony.

“Come on,” Zane said. “We need to go to the station and—”

Okay. A woman had to draw the line somewhere. “I’m not going to the cop house.” Willingly step into the PD? Hell, no. She sucked in a deep gulp of night air. “She was a wolf? A wolf? Jeez, thanks for the head’s up.”

They walked out of the alley. A few college kids were milling around. Two guys. One girl with long, braided hair.

“She’s wolf.” A small hesitation. “And she’s human. Erin’s a hybrid.”

Hybrid. She turned toward him, stopping under a street light. At least this one wasn’t flickering. “A hybrid. Like you.” He nodded.

Jana licked her lips. “Back at Perseus, everything you told them … was it true?”

“Yes.” His eyes darkened.

The night air grew colder. Another girl came out of the dorm, her shoulders hunched, her hair down. She was moving fast, and her blond hair flew behind her. After what had happened there, Jana didn’t blame the girl. She’d be running fast, too. Don’t want to be caught out alone.

“My dad was a sick, sadistic bastard,” Zane said. “One who just happened to be a demon.”

Okay. Not exactly a sweet walk down memory lane. She inched closer to him and felt the warmth of his body seep into hers. “My stepfather was a perverted freak who got off on hurting people, and he happened to be human.” She forced a shrug. “Guess you just can’t ever tell about folks, hmmm?”

His gaze bored into hers. Black now, she could see that. “You don’t care that I’m a demon, do you?”

Um, no. Hadn’t she proven that by all the wild, hot sex she’d had with him?

“Have you ever been afraid of me?” he asked her.

Sometimes. Because he made her feel too much. But she didn’t say that. Instead, she asked him, “You been afraid of me?”

She expected him to grin. Expected some smart-ass answer. His lips tightened. “Yes.”

So not the answer she’d wanted to hear.

His hold on her tightened. “You scare me … because you make me weak.”

“I don’t—”

“You push me to the edge. With you, I’m always afraid I’ll go over.”

“And if you do?” So what?

He shook his head. “Come on.” The others had already left. Gone to the PD.

He opened the passenger door for her. Jana climbed in. Her legs slid over the leather. Zane stared down at her, then leaned forward. “You trust me.” He seemed surprised.

But, hell, not as surprised as she was because, yeah, she did.

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t.” Zane started to pull away.

Jana grabbed his hand. “I think you’re the only one I should trust.” He’d never betrayed her. Hadn’t lied to her. Hadn’t—

“You don’t know what I can do.”

She had a pretty good idea. She’d been with him in the fire. His eyes were level with hers. “I killed him,” he said, whispering the words. “My own father, and I didn’t even hesitate.”

Her fingers squeezed his. “You didn’t—”

“I could still smell her blood on him. The bastard was high on his fucking drugs. Always the damn drugs. He killed her, gutted her, all because she tried to take away his drugs. She just wanted him to get clean.”

Jana swallowed. “Get in the car, Zane.” She didn’t like him being in the open. “Let’s go back home.” She wanted to be alone with him. To hold him. Weird. She’d never wanted to just hold a man before, but Zane wasn’t any man.

His jaw clenched. He pulled back, slammed her door, and hurried around to the driver’s side. When he jumped in, he revved the engine.

Jana touched the masculine fingers that gripped the wheel so tightly. “You did what you had to do.” She could understand that more than any other.

Slowly, his head turned to face her. His gaze was blacker than the night.

“I’ve got a lot of power inside me,” he told her, his voice quiet in the stillness of the car. “Maybe too much. I can do things …” He shook his head. “Killing him was easy for me.”

He’d never told her his demon power scale. She understood why. Most people feared the demons who tipped the scales. He didn’t want to be feared, just accepted. “You’ve got power, but you’ve got control of it.” The control was what mattered. Control separated the demons from the monsters.

“My control broke that night. I was just a kid.” His fingers whitened around the steering wheel. “But I killed him in an instant.” His lids lowered a bit. “What do you think would happen now if I lost my control?”

“I don’t think you would.” After everything they’d been through … no, the man had always been strong. Even when he faced death.

He laughed at that and shifted to reverse with a hard yank of his hand. “Baby, you don’t even know how close I’ve been.” The car slid back. He shifted again. “And you’d better hope you never see me that way. Because when my control shatters, hell comes calling.”

If he was as high on the scale as she believed, yeah, that could happen.

He drove fast. His eyes stayed locked on the road, and not on her anymore.

“Don’t go to the police station,” she told him and kept her fingers against him. “Take us back to your place.” Because she wasn’t afraid of him-or the hell he promised.

The car raced forward. Faster, faster, into the dark.

Fury coiled tight in Zane’s belly. Jana didn’t understand. She didn’t see him, not the real man. If she knew what hid under his skin, if they all knew …

They’d fucking run.

But she sat beside him, and she kept touching him. The woman should be pulling away. He’d tried to warn her while there was still time.

Because time was running out for Jana Carter. He’d realized that when he’d found her in his bedroom. She wasn’t just a fast screw. Someone to hold in the dark. A body to give him pleasure. No, she’d started to mean more.

Hell, he wasn’t even sure when the change had happened, but she mattered to him. Mattered more than anything or anyone else. And that was very dangerous.

No one got too close to him. He didn’t let himself care. He even kept the other Night Watch hunters at a distance. Because when he cared too much, if he let someone slip past his guard …

Dangerous.

But already, the demon wanted her. Jana had a darkness inside of her that the demon in Zane liked. She knew the horrors in the world. Wasn’t afraid of them. Wasn’t afraid of him.

When she should have been.

He risked a glance at her from the corner of his eye. Fucking beautiful. Deceptively delicate. And … Mine.

Maybe time had already run out for her.

He spun the car into his horseshoe drive and eased up on the gas. She’d called his place “home.” Did she even realize that? Did it matter to her? It sure as shit mattered to him.

His headlights flashed across the front of the house … and illuminated the body on the porch.

What the fuck?

Zane slammed on the brakes.

“Zane?”

Jana hadn’t seen the man. He killed the lights. “Stay here,” he growled, already jerking free of his seat belt and shoving open the car door.

“Wait!” The buckle clicked as she unhooked her belt. “What’s happening, I—”

“Stay. Here.” He wasn’t about to risk her. Not until he found out what was happening.

The blood hit him. The thick, coppery scent hung in the air. Strong and fresh.

Hell.

His gaze raked the yard. He didn’t see anyone else, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t there, watching him.

Zane crept up the front steps, his eyes on the body. Worn boots, old, faded jeans, a too big, bloody blue shirt. When he saw the vic’s face, the breath expelled from Zane’s lungs in a rush.

He knew that face. Knew that dirty blond hair and those pale, haggard features. He’d seen the man just days before- when the wolf shifter had fled the fire.

Now, Marcus Malone lay on Zane’s porch, his right arm stretched toward the door, like he was trying to get help. The poor bastard’s throat had been ripped wide open. Ear to ear.

Zane’s eyes closed. This kid hadn’t been the killer.

Victim.

The car door groaned behind him. “Zane?”

He didn’t want her to see this. She’d tried to save the wolf.

“What’s happening?”

His enhanced vision showed him every detail of the scene. No defensive wounds on the shifter’s body. And … his clothes weren’t torn. The poor bastard hadn’t even been given a chance to shift. The killer had come on him too quickly.

And how the hell did someone sneak up on a wolf shifter?

His head snapped up. The same way a killer can-will- sneak up on a demon. When you were dealing with super-naturals, all bets were off.

His gaze flew back to his vehicle. Jana stood half in, half out of the car.

He jumped off the porch and rushed to her side. “We’ve got a big damn problem.” He pushed her inside and slammed the door. His eyes searched the night. Can’t see anyone. Can’t hear anyone.

But Marcus hadn’t gotten much warning, either.

He hurried back to the driver’s side. He’d have to call Pak and Tony. A cleanup crew was needed ASAP. They had to get the body out of there before dawn, before any neighbors could see what had happened. And Night Watch had to figure out-fucking fast-what they were dealing with here.

Perseus? Was the group still active? How? The agents were locked up, courtesy of Chief Daniels. Their leader was dead.

“Zane…”

He spun out of the drive.

“Zane, tell me what’s happening.”

He didn’t want to. This world was full of things he didn’t want to do. “Marcus isn’t our killer.”

She exhaled. “Well, I’ve been telling you—”

“He’s dead.” He yanked out his phone and called Pak even as his eyes snapped to the rearview mirror. No one followed them. Not yet.

“Wh-what?”

“His body was on my porch. The poor bastard’s throat had been ripped out.” Someone had just killed a wolf shifter like it was fucking nothing. Wolf shifters were hard bastards to kill.

No time for defensive wounds. No time to attack. There’d been no blood under Marcus’s nails. No torn clothing. Just like the other scene.

Who the hell had killed the guy and why?

The only links he had to Marcus were Jana and … Perseus.