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Black walls. Laughter. Snarls.
Erin jerked her head around, straining to see.
A tiger, with blood matting its white body. Men attacking the beast, slashing and stabbing with knives.
The tiger fell before her. Its head hit the floor. A puddle of blood spread around the fallen animal.
The fur dissolved. Tanned flesh appeared. A man with blond hair, bloody flesh. Not moving. Not breathing.
More laughter.
“Too fucking easy.”
“I thought he wanted the shifter bastard alive.”
“Doesn’t matter—we’ll still get paid.”
“We damn well better.”
The man’s eyes were open—blue and empty. Not like Jude’s at all.
Not like Jude, not anymore.
“Erin!” Her head snapped back. Zane shook her, hard. “Erin, what the hell? Can you hear me?”
She blinked, and the courtroom was back. She was on the floor. Zane’s fingers dug into her arms, and he crouched above her with lines bracketing his mouth. “Jude.”
“No—it’s Zane.” His head lifted and he called out, “Hey, I need some help over here!”
She grabbed his shirt front and jerked him toward her. “Where’s Jude?” Her teeth wanted to chatter, so she clenched them.
Death dreams. She hated them.
Jude.
How long had she been out? “Where is he?” Close to a scream in a courtroom. Like she cared about the rules then.
“Ah...” He glanced down at her white-knuckled grip. “Your claws are cutting me.”
“He’s in trouble.” Absolute certainty.Too late. Always too late.Lee was still in the hospital. Still in a coma because she’d been too late. And her father was in a grave because she’d been too late.
Damn dreams. Why,whydid she have them if she couldn’t stop death?
Not Jude. Not him.
“What?” The demon shook his head. “Look, you’re confused. You fell hard.” A wince. “I didn’t catch you before you slammed your head on the floor. Give things a minute, you’ll be fine.”
No, she wouldn’t be. “If you don’t tell me where he is, Jude’s dead.”
Finally,thatgot his attention. She saw his Adam’s apple bob. “You—you can’t?—”
“Psychic, remember?” No time to go into the twisted story of her particular talents.
“Jude’s out hunting.” He rose, pulled her to her feet, and ignored the scrape of her claws over his flesh.
“Hunting where?”Hold on, Jude. Please, hold on.She couldn’t lose him. Wouldn’t.
Always too late.
