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Not going back there. Never again.
“Tell us everything you know about him,” Jude said. The crime scene unit was still inside. Gathering their evidence. Walking through her life. They couldn’t hear this. Only Jude and the cop he seemed to trust.
If only she were the trusting kind. But, other than her father, she’d never really trusted anyone fully before.
When you had a lot to lose, trusting was a foolish mistake. Way too easy to get burned.
“Not much to say.”A shrug.He found me. I tried to be so careful and he found me.“He’s a shifter.”I don’t want to run again.
“You’ve seen him?” From Antonio.
Careful. “I-I caught his scent once.”
Antonio just looked blank.
Jude’s fingers snaked down her arm and the heat burned through her shirt. “Shifters carry a distinct scent. It marks us.”
The cop sniffed. “I don’t smell a damn thing, well...those azaleas but?—”
“It’s the way shifters recognize each other,” Jude told him. “Like to like.”
“Oh, shit.” Antonio’s eyes widened as he stared at Erin, his jaw dropping. “You’re a shifter?”
Way to go, hunter.“No, I most certainly amnot.” Her nostrils flared. “I just have very...acute senses.” That part was absolutely true. It felt good to be honest right then.
His gaze raked her. “You holding out on me again, ADA Jerome?”
Yes. “What I am or what I amnotreally isn’t the issue here.” No, the issue was the psychopath who’d painted blood on her wall. “We could have a victim out there, someone who needs help.”
“That’s why my crime scene gang is here. They’re the best.” Simple. “If the bastard left behind any clues, they’ll find ’em.”
“Good.” Erin realized she was leaning toward Jude.What?She snapped straight back up.
She was tired, that was it. Hell of a day. Even worse of a night. So she’d gotten tired and she’d sagged a bit. That was okay. But the tight feeling in her gut, the fierce urge to turn and push against him, that wasnotokay.
She needed to get in bed. Needed to forget the blood and the fear.
But the idea of walking into that house again... “I loved this house,” she muttered, shoving back the hair that had fallen over the side of her face. There had been no ghosts in this house.
Until now.
Antonio frowned at her and after a moment of silence, he said, “So you’ve never seen the guy.” Ah, trying delicacy now.
“I can’t give you a description. Sorry. Iwishthat I could.” Her shoulders lifted then fell. “Male, big, strong.” She’d caught that much in the darkness. “But I can’t tell you a single thing about his face.” Not much help at all.
“You got all that from a scent?” Antonio scratched his chin. “One fine nose you got there, lady.”
He didn’t understand. Maybe Antonio didn’t know as much about theOtherworld as she’d thought.
One of the crime scene techs walked out. She had four evidence bags in her hands. Antonio waited for her to pass them, then he leaned forward and said, “You’re gonna need protection.”
She was stronger than any human he’d send to protect her. A human wouldn’t be strong enough to help her this time. She needed?—
“She’s got protection.”
Jude’s words had her head jerking toward him. She stared into his eyes. So deep and wild. “She’s got protection,” he repeated, the words fierce.
Protection...but at what price?
