Eternal Hunter

Chapter 21

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jerome, but your mother isn’t here.”

Erin’s eyes widened as she stared at the emergency room desk clerk, sure the woman was wrong. She had to be wrong. “But she was brought in on an ambulance not even an hour ago.”

The clerk, a short, balding man with a round face, flushed. “Ah, yes, um, I remember that.”

This wasn’t going to be a good story.

“When the doors opened, the EMTs were there, but the patient — ah, she’d…already exited the vehicle.”

Erin blinked. “Run that by me again.”

His face a deeper red now, he said, “The EMTs said she jumped out when they slowed for a blocked intersection. She shoved right past them and managed to kick open the doors.”

A smile lifted her lips. “Really?”

Sweat beaded his brow. “I assure you, this isn’t normal routine, and the EMTs did everything they could to restrain her.”

Her smile widened. “I guess she didn’t feel like being restrained.” If her mother was back in fighting and fleeing form, then she’d be all right.

And Erin knew she’d be seeing her again soon.

Thank you, Theresa.

Their life was far, far from perfect, but a mother who was willing to risk her life in order to get back into her daughter’s good graces, well, that was a woman who deserved a second chance.

Erin would give her one.

Her nails tapped against the counter. “And what about Dee Daniels? How is she?”

Seriously, no human should be that shade of red. “Dee.” He said the name like it was a curse. Based on that telling response, Erin figured the guy had probably seen Dee in the ER a few times. With the way Dee fought, that sure made sense. “Dee, she’s ah…in recovery. Not up to visitors yet.”

“But she’s okay?”

A weak nod. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

Her shoulders relaxed. “Good.” Better than good.

She’d come to the ER at Mercy General alone. Jude had stayed behind to keep answering all the million and one questions that the cops had.

She’d gone after her mother because she’d had to make certain she was all right.

If the woman was well enough to flee, then, yeah, she had to be on the mend.

Voices buzzed behind her. Machines beeped. Doctors rushed past.

She couldn’t see Dee yet—

But there was someone else upstairs.

Erin shoved away from the counter.

“Ah, ma’am?” The desk clerk’s strangled voice.

Erin walked toward the bank of elevators.

“Ma’am? You — you’ve got a lot of blood there…”

She glanced down. The shirt had dried, finally, but the blood made it thick and heavy. And her fingers, the ones she’d been tapping on the counter, were stained red. Whoops.

The elevator doors opened with a chime. She walked inside and turned back to face the clerk. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “Only half the blood’s mine.”

The doors slid shut, but not before she’d seen his face turn from red to a very dark purple.

The crime scene looked like chaos, but Jude knew Tony had everything under control.

The body had been tagged and bagged. The area had been sectioned off. Evidence collected. No detail would be overlooked under Tony’s watch.

Erin wouldn’t be charged. Hell, after she’d given her story, Tony had even gotten one of the cops to take her to the hospital. A police escort.

No, she wouldn’t be charged, and good old Judge Harper would go down as a twisted freak who’d gotten too attached to one of the lawyers in his courtroom.

“When we start digging into his past,” Tony said, coming to stand beside Jude and staring out into the darkness of the swamp, “I give you fifty to one odds”—Tony loved to gamble—“that we’re gonna find out this wasn’t the first time he got batshit crazy.”

Jude grunted his agreement. No telling what skeletons were about to fall out of the judge’s closet.

“This isn’t his first time.” Ben Greer paced toward them, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He’d clipped his badge to the front of his shirt. Lines were etched across his pale face. “There have been some…killings in Lillian over the last few years.”

Jude narrowed his eyes on the cop. “What kind of killings?”

“The kind that some cops don’t care about.” Ben’s lips twisted. “A rapist had his throat slit two years ago and his body was tossed onto the steps of the PD. Before that, a guy who’d walked on a murder charge — a guy guilty as fucking sin, because everyone knew he’d killed his wife and her lover — ah, someone cut out his heart…and then sent the package to the guy’s lawyer.”

“You’re saying that Harper did this?” Tony demanded. “If you knew about him, why the hell didn’t you move on the guy?”

“Because I didn’t have any proof.” A shrug. “I still don’t.” He didn’t look at the bagged body. “I remember though. Harper was the judge on those cases, and a few others where the defendants walked when they shouldn’t have gotten off.”

A pattern. “Like Donald Trent,” Jude said quietly.

“Yeah, yeah, just like Trent. And just like him these other bastards all ended up dead within six months.” Disgust had faint lines appearing around his mouth. “No evidence was left behind, except, on a few of the bodies, we found some damn dog hairs—” He broke off and gave a loud burst of laughter, the kind that sounded a little crazy and the kind that didn’t have one ounce of humor. “Dog hairs. Guess that makes sense now, doesn’t it?”

Jude just stared back at him.

The human shook his head. “Hell. I still don’t have a bit of solid evidence, though, do I? It’s not like I can go to my captain and tell him the judge was a werewolf who liked to get off on-on—”

“On handing out his own justice.” Because Jude realized that was exactly what the judge had been doing, probably for years. If he’d been Lone all that time, battling a nature he couldn’t control, he would have needed prey.

The criminals would have been perfect for him.

So, during the day, Harper had presided on his bench, looking all perfect for the humans. Then at night, he’d let the beast out, and he’d hunted his prey.

Until one fine day, Erin had walked into his courtroom.

Not prey, something more.

Good thing the bastard’s dead. His jaw clenched.

“He…he left the bench after Erin disappeared,” Ben spoke slowly now, as if putting all the puzzle pieces together. “He kept a house in Lillian, but he told everyone he wanted to do some traveling.”

And he’d traveled to Lillian. The better to kill and to make Erin’s life hell. “Sonofabitch.” Jude drove a hand through his hair. “That’s why the woman acted so surprised to see him at the government building.”

“Man, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Tony said. “Slow it down. I’m the bastard you have to bring up to speed, remember?”

Jude crossed his arms over his chest. “When we were in Lillian, Erin and I stumbled across the bastard in the government basement. A woman was there, too, Lacy something. She was acting funny around the judge. I thought it was because they were screwing, but I guess she was just shocked to see the bastard there.”

Ben pursed his lips and a glimmer of humor appeared in his eyes. “Actually, they were screwing, until the judge left the bench.”

“The DA was focused on the Trent case, so he didn’t say anything about the judge.” But the puzzle pieces had all been there. Staring him right between the eyes.

“We’re gonna need to search the judge’s place in Lillian,” Tony said, nodding his head. “No telling what we’ll find there.”

Those skeletons. Because somebody like Harper wasn’t the kind to kill and forget. Wolf shifters never were.

There would be trophies. Keepsakes.

And Ben would get his evidence to hand in to his captain.

Case fucking closed.

Erin hesitated in front of the hospital room door. Her hand lifted and touched the wood. The door was already ajar. She could hear voices. A man’s voice, raspy, weak.

A kid’s voice, high with excitement.

Now probably wasn’t the best time. She could see Lee later, talk to him and explain.

Footsteps padded quickly toward the door. Her breath caught and she eased back a step.

But it was too late.

A small hand pulled open the door, and a little boy with a mop of curls stared up at her. “My daddy’s awake,” he said, and a broad grin split his face, revealing one front tooth.

Erin swallowed. “Th-that’s great.” The door was fully open now. She could see Lee. Pale, bruised, and bandaged. He was propped up in bed, pillows all around him.

A woman stood beside him. She wasn’t touching him. Just standing close. She had the same curly hair that the kid did, only darker.

“E-Erin…Jerome,” Lee spoke with the rasp again. Probably from the tubes they’d shoved down his throat. Or maybe — maybe just from the whole near-dying thing.

A smile swept over the woman’s face. “You’re the one who found Lee! You saved him! I–I heard the cops talking…”

Oh, this wasn’t going to be easy.

The brunette’s stare dropped to rake down Erin’s body. “Uh…are you — are you hurt?”

She’d managed to wash the blood off her hands and she’d traded in her bloody shirt for a scrub top. But Erin knew she still had to look like warm hell. “May I talk to Lee, alone?”

“But what—”

“It’s ok…ay, M-Melis…sa…” His blood pressure and heart rate flashed on the monitor behind him. “Give us…a m-minute…”

The cute kid was still smiling up at her, and Erin shifted from one foot to the other. Then his mother was there, catching his hand and guiding him outside. “Thank you,” she whispered and Erin had to look away.

She closed the door behind them and knotted her fingers behind her back.

Lee watched her. Both of his eyes had thick, dark shadows around them. “You…saved me…” He shook his head. “Don’t…re-remember much. How — how did…you know…where I w-was?”

This was the hard part. Erin eased into the chair next to the bed. Okay. The guy had almost died. She figured he was owed the truth — the whole truth. He might not believe her. He might think she was certifiable, but she was going to tell him. What he did with the knowledge, well, that would be up to him. “Lee, I’ve got a story to tell you.” She glanced at her small, oval nails. “One you might not believe at first, but I swear, every word of it’s true.”

The machines beeped quietly. If he gets too crazy and starts screaming for help because there’s a monster next to him, I can always blame his reaction on the drugs. Yeah, the orderlies would buy that.

But maybe excuses wouldn’t be needed. Erin took a deep breath. “You see, Lee, there’s a whole lot more to this world than most people realize…”

Jude was waiting for her when she came out of the hospital room. He’d heard the soft whisper of her voice and been stunned by her words.

But probably not quite as stunned as Lee Givens had been to hear that Erin was a…sort of werewolf.

Her shoulders were slumped when she came out but her eyes seemed to lighten a bit when she saw him. Good sign. He caught her hand and led her to the elevator. It was nearing one a.m. now. A curly haired kid slept on his mom’s lap in the waiting area. The mother brushed back his curls, humming softly and crying a bit with each slow movement of her hand.

Erin glanced at them, swallowed, and let him push her inside the elevator.

He waited until the doors closed before he spoke. “The guy seemed to take it well.”

“H-his grandmother was a charmer. He already knew about the Other.”

He’d caught that part of the conversation, but he let her talk anyway. He figured she needed to.

“I thought he’d…blame me.”

The lights on the elevator wall blinked as they descended.

“He didn’t.” She shook her head. “He just…thanked me. He let me talk, let me tell him all about Harper—and he thanked me.”

Maybe Lee wasn’t as much of an asshole as he’d always thought.

“He said things would be different for him, that he had a second chance.”

Second chances were damn rare.

The last light flashed on. They’d hit the ground floor. The doors opened with a whisper. Erin stepped forward, but hesitated. “I don’t want to go home tonight. Not there, just…not tonight.”

And he wouldn’t take her back to his cabin. The police were still combing that road. She didn’t need to see the death scene again so soon.

“Don’t worry,” he told her, catching her fingers and bringing them to his lips. Alive. She was alive. He kept having to remind himself of that very important fact because the image of the wolf with his fangs bared over her throat wouldn’t stop playing in his mind. “Got it covered, sweetheart.” He stared into her golden eyes. “I’ve got it covered.”

When he shoved open the hotel’s front door, Jude caught sight of the same punk kid he’d seen before at the front desk. Hell.

The kid’s eyes widened and Jude knew he’d been recognized, too. Blue eyes darted to Erin’s face, lingered for a bit. “Two rooms again?”

Smart-ass. Jude slapped the money down on the countertop. “One — with a king-size bed.”

The acne hadn’t cleared up a bit for the punk. “You sure you only want one room?” The question was directed at Erin.

Why did he have to put up with this ass? Hadn’t his night been hard enough?

“One room.” Her voice was husky and soft and sounded like pure sex.

The kid gulped and shoved a key card across the countertop.

Jude kept his hand around her lush curves and guided her toward the stairs.

“Lucky bastard.” The kid probably thought he wouldn’t hear that, and if he’d been human, maybe he wouldn’t have caught the whisper.

Jude glanced back at him. “Yeah, I am.” He was hoping like hell that his luck continued to hold. Because now that the danger was past, he didn’t want to lose his lady.

The silence stretched between them as they traveled to the room. Erin’s steps were slow and heavy on the carpet. She had to be close to collapse after a night like this one.

He shoved the keycard into the lock. The light flashed green, and Erin grabbed the handle and opened the door.

Different room. Same layout.

Jude swallowed and tried to ignore the fact that his cock was fully erect, twitching with hunger, and that he was more than desperate for Erin.

Considerate. He could do that bit. For her. “You should…get some rest.” The door clicked closed behind him.

Erin gave a nod and jerked the garish green shirt over her head. Her white bra was striped with red. So was her chest. “Shower first,” she said, and turned away from him. He watched her, his eyes on the sleek line of her back. Then his stare dropped to the soft sway of her hips and her truly phenomenal ass.

He’d loved that ass from the beginning. When he’d watched her walk away from him on that hot, stinking street, he hadn’t been able to look away from that sweet ass.

She paused at the bathroom door. Erin kicked off her shoes and shimmied out of her pants. “The shower’s big enough for two, you know.”

Not like he had to be told twice. He toed off the shoes Zane had dug up—from hell knew where—and stripped as he stalked to the bathroom.

The rush of water poured into the tub. Erin had already turned on the shower. Wisps of steam began to appear in the air. He hesitated as he watched her. She’d climbed into the small space, and a clear pane of glass separated them. The water hit her, pouring over her flesh, soaking her hair and sliding in rivulets down her body.

Erin.

She soaped her skin. Lathered her stomach. Smoothed her hands over her breasts.

His mouth went bone dry.

Considerate. He could do it. Maybe.

The glass began to fog and when he lost his million dollar view, Jude jerked to action.

He grabbed the shower door and wrenched it open.

The blood was gone from her body. She was all soft, smooth flesh now.

Naked woman.

He eased in behind her. No way was she going to miss the raging hard-on, but if she didn’t mind it poking her in that gorgeous ass—

Erin turned toward him. The water beat down on them both. “Kiss me.”

His lips took hers. Her tongue thrust into his mouth and stroked over his. Fuck considerate.

The vision of her on the ground, the wolf above her, flashed before his closed eyes, and he growled. His hands locked around her hips and he yanked her even closer.

His cock pressed against her. The feel of that smooth, wet skin was a stimulant that had him shaking.

Her nipples stabbed against his chest. He had to taste the tight, hard tips. Wanted them against his tongue. Jude ripped his mouth from hers. Lowering his head, he craned down and caught one sweet pink tip.

Her moan filled his ears even as his tongue stroked the peak. He’d never get enough of her rich taste. The scent of her cream filled his nostrils.

She wanted him. He was dying for her.

His fingers pushed between them. Erin parted her thighs for him and Jude found her creamy heat. He drove one finger into her. Ready. She was more than ready.

So was he.

The water was too hot. No, maybe that was him.

Screw it.

Another finger plunged inside her and she moaned, a deep, guttural sound.

His cock jerked. Inside.

He backed her up against the side of the shower. He freed her breast, after one more greedy suckle, and his head rose as he stared down at her. Such golden eyes — filled with lust and hunger.

His fingers pumped in her. Once. Twice. His thumb stroked her clit, just the way he knew she liked and when her breath panted, when her eyes flared, when he knew she was just about to come—

Jude dragged his hand away from her.

“Jude!”

Ah, that was what he liked. The sound of his name on her lips, grated with hunger, whispered with demand.

He lifted her up, positioning her so that he could see that perfect pink flesh.

Her back pressed against the tile. Her wet hair stuck to her face and neck.

Beautiful.

He drove his cock inside as deep as he could go — and she came at that first plunge, her sex squeezing him and milking his erection as her delicate muscles convulsed. Her eyes seemed to go blind for a moment and her mouth opened wide.

He kissed her and kept plunging. Ignoring the pounding drive of the water, he sank into the warmth of her sex. Over and over. Thrusting hard and plunging deep.

Like nothing else. Nothing. Else.

Her sex held him tight, the flesh a greedy squeeze on his cock. Tight. So tight.

In. Out.

His groans filled the air. Mixed with her moans. The driving water caught them both.

She’d come again, he knew she would, and he’d be with her.

Her fingers latched onto his shoulders. Her claws bit into the skin.

Deeper. Harder.

Her legs were clamped around his hips, her heels digging into his ass.

“Again, Jude, again!”

His thrusts were wild now as he shoved into that slick paradise. Again, again.

She bit him. Erin caught him at the curve of his shoulder and sank those sharp teeth into his flesh.

Jude erupted inside of her, coming on a wave of white-hot release that gutted him. His knees trembled, his spine prickled and his semen poured inside her.

Mate.

Her cry filled his ears and she came again, squeezing him so tightly with her legs and arms and sex. He loved that — loved the way she held him, loved the sounds of her pleasure, the hot clasp of her body.

Loved her.

And he didn’t even realize he’d whispered the words until Erin’s head snapped up and she clipped him in the chin. “What?”

Ben Greer stared up at the antebellum house on St. Charles Avenue. Erin wasn’t there. He shouldn’t have been surprised, really, but he’d thought he might be able to catch her.

And apologize for being an ass.

He exhaled and turned away from the house. She was probably with that other asshole, the one with the icy blue eyes. Eyes that only warmed when they were on her.

That guy — Jude — wasn’t going to be letting Erin out of his life. And he wasn’t going to be too keen on an ex-lover paying her a visit.

Too bad. Because he would see Erin again. The news she’d told him and the things he’d seen since then, yeah, they’d made his head spin and ache like a bitch, but he was trying to play catch-up, fast.

And trying to figure out just what else he’d been missing in this world.

His cell phone rang. He glanced at the number. Officer Langley. He answered the call even as he climbed into his car. “You got the clear on the Harper house?” He’d called his captain as soon as he’d gotten the go-ahead from Antonio. They’d needed to search the judge’s house and see just what surprises were waiting for them.

“Captain Henderson’s already inside.” Disgust there, anger. “He didn’t want to wait for you to get back.”

No, Henderson wouldn’t. The guy would want as much glory as he could get.

“You wouldn’t believe this place!” Her voice rose with excitement. “The guy kept freaking diaries, journals of his kills.”

Kills. The fingers of his left hand tightened around the steering wheel. “How many are we looking at?”

“Henderson says maybe ten, could be fifteen. The guys aren’t even halfway through his place.”

He exhaled. How had they missed this? For all these years?

The judge had been good at pretending, and, apparently, killing.

“When are you coming back? Henderson thinks we can close some old cases—”

Yeah, they’d probably be closing almost all of Lillian’s unsolved crimes going back for the last twenty years, right to the date when good old Harper had first appeared in the city. “I’m on my way.”

He’d have to pay a visit to Katherine. Let her know that she and the boys were safe.

Then there would be other families to visit. Explanations to be made.

Explanations that wouldn’t include a story about a man who could shift into a wolf. Not that anyone would believe that, anyway, not without proof.

Those dog hairs. They’d been all over some of the vics. He’d never even suspected the truth about them.

“I’m on my way,” he said again and ended the call.

His eyes darted once more to Erin’s dark house. He’d be back. Erin had meant too much for him to just walk away with things shot to hell between them. They wouldn’t be together again. Donovan would see to that. And so would Erin. The way she’d watched the hunter—never looked at me like that.

The car’s engine purred to life.

Maybe, maybe after this case, it would be time for his life to take a change. Maybe a new start. A new city.

Hell, maybe Antonio needed a new detective — one who was learning the real score.

Werewolves. Who the hell would have thought those bastards were real? And sitting on court benches?

She’d wrapped a towel around her body. After Jude’s big confession, Erin had finally managed to snap her jaw back into place and now she paced next to the bed, trying to figure out what to say.

“Erin?”

Her gaze flew to him. He hadn’t dressed. Ah, damn but he was sexy. Those broad shoulders. That chest with the rippling muscles and light covering of golden hair. Erin gulped as she stared helplessly at that flat stomach — and that huge cock. Already fully erect again and so close. Hers for the taking if she just would reach out and touch—

Focus!

She sucked in a deep breath. Okay, she’d killed the wolf shifter tonight. She could handle this. Right? Right. “Did you mean it?”

His hands were on his hips. His narrowed stare never left her face.

Okay. The knot she’d hooked between her breasts seemed to dig into her flesh. “You said you loved me.” Sure, lots of men were known to get a little wild and chatty during sex, but Jude wasn’t most men. “Did you mean it?”

He took one long, gliding step toward her. Another.

She didn’t retreat, and in seconds, he was right before her. “Hell, yeah, sweetheart, I meant it.”

And that lump in her throat — the one that appeared pretty often when he was near — came back with a vengeance.

“I think I’ve loved you since that first hellish night at your place.” Since then? “You were standing there, with the blood on your walls, and your chin was up and you were holding onto your control as tight as you could with both your hands.”

She swallowed so she could speak. “My first instinct was to call you that night.”

“You knew you could count on me.”

Should have been impossible. She wasn’t the trusting sort, never had been, but, yes, she’d known he’d help her.

And he had.

Erin wet her lips. “There’s something you…need to know about the judge.”

He waited. Just waited with that steady gaze.

“He was my mother’s lover. The man she left my father to be with.” The man who’d nearly killed them both. “I didn’t know, not until tonight.” Because the surprises just kept coming for her. But she’d been trying to make sense of things and maybe…“Maybe I wasn’t his mate, maybe he just got everything twisted in his mind because we look alike, maybe—”

He pressed a fingertip against her lips. “He was a fucked up bastard, sweetheart. I don’t give a shit what he thought. You were never his.”

His finger lifted, and her breath left her lungs on a soft sigh.

His blue stare held her gaze. “Something you need to know. This stopped being a case for me a long time ago.” He shook his head. “I’m never supposed to get personal with the clients, but with you, I didn’t have a choice.” His fingers lifted and skimmed the edge of her jaw. “You were the case, and I would have fucking killed to keep you safe.”

He almost had.

“I don’t care if you’re human or wolf. You’re mine, Erin. The woman I want. The only one I’ve ever loved.”

Oh, hell, and he was hers.

“Forget the past. Forget that twisted bastard and start over again — with me. You might not love me yet, but give me a chance, sweetheart. The blood and hell are behind us. We can go slow now, date like humans, play normal.”

Normal was losing its appeal. “That’s not what I want anymore,” she told him and her hand brushed against his abdomen.

Jude sucked in a sharp breath and his pupils flared. “Erin, we can do this, we can—”

“I tried ‘normal.’ That wasn’t really for me.” Wished I’d realized that sooner.

Silence for a beat, then, “What is for you?”

A man who wasn’t afraid of the darkness inside her. A man who had a wild side to match her own.

A man who’d saved her from death.

A man who kissed her like she was his life.

“You are, Jude.” She was taking a risk. One big-ass risk. But for him, for what they might have, she’d do it. “You’re the man I want.” More than a man. So much more. “The one I love.”

That scar, the thin line on his lip that she always wanted to lick, rose as his lips curved. “You mean that? Be sure, very, very sure, because I’m not talking about a fling here. I’m talking about forever.”

Forever with her tiger. Sounded pretty good. She leaned toward him and used her tongue to trace that line on his lip. Then she said, “So am I.”

She’d never thought about spending all her days with someone else before. With so many secrets, she hadn’t even come close to trusting another man with her life.

But Jude knew all of her secrets, and he didn’t care about her past. He didn’t think she was broken or weak. When he looked at her, he looked at her with lust and hunger and—

I can see it now — should have seen it before.

Love.

Maybe she had seen it, but she’d been afraid.

It was time to stop being afraid. Time to start living. Really living.

Her hand rose between their bodies and caught the knot of her towel. With one tug, she jerked it loose. The towel hit the floor.

His gaze brightened. Such a bright blue. The tiger was close.

Good. She liked the beast and loved the man.

Life wouldn’t be perfect for them, she knew that.

But screw perfect. She’d take her tiger and she’d take her wild ride.

And she’d take the love she’d found, forever.

“Fucking beautiful, sweetheart, fucking beautiful.” His mouth pressed against her neck.

Her head fell back and the hunger rose. Jude.

She let her claws out and got ready to take her lover.

A man with more than a bit of the animal inside.

The perfect man for her.

Reading Order

1. Eternal Hunter

2. I'll Be Slaying You

3. Eternal Flame