AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Never a good sign.
The demon lifted his hand. The minions on the ground didn’t move. Jude figured those guys weren’t gonna be moving anytime soon. But the others, those against the walls and those hiding in the shadows, jerked forward, suddenly appearing way too alert and aware.
Jude rolled his neck, getting loose and ready, and the tiger snarled.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” the demon said, that cocky-ass smile still on his face. “Haven’t we, friends?”
A murmur swept through the group. Laughter.
Mickey.Payback would be a bitch. Jude raised his claws and caught the glint of a knife in the darkness. Ready for himandarmed. Demons in a den were supposed to be so screwed up on the drugs they couldn’t tell reality from?—
“Always hated shifters,” the bastard who had to be the leader muttered. “Fucking animals.”
The demon was trying to piss him off now.
They started to close in, a sea of black eyes.
Stairs behind him. Demons to the front, left, and right. Running wasn’t an option for him. Never had been.
“You’re messing with the wrong guy,” Jude warned, feeling the burn of the shift pulse through him. It would take a few moments to turn. Vulnerable moments. They’d attack when the shift started. The demons would catch him with their knives and do as much damage as they could.
But once he was in tiger form...
“Oh, no, you’re the right guy, Jude Donovan.” A snap of the demon’s teeth. “You’re the guy we’re gonna carve apart.”
Jude fell to the floor as his bones began to snap and crack.
The demons attacked, knives ready, blades flying. Slashing, stabbing, cutting too deep.
He opened his mouth to scream and the tiger roared.
* * *
“Your Honor, I object! This is pure hearsay, the witness has no way to confirm that—” Erin broke off, stumbling. The judge’s face swam before her eyes.
“Ms. Jerome?” Judge Sally Chen called out. “Ms. Jerome, are you all right?”
Erin made a grab for the edge of the jury box. She barely managed to catch herself before she fell face-first onto the gleaming floor. “Ah, yes.” She blinked. The judge’s face sharpened before her, and Erin could see the firm chin and the dark green gaze again. She tried to straighten herself up.
And nearly hit the floor.
“Do you need a recess, ADA?”
She could only manage a faint nod.
“All right, folks. Look, it’s close to quitting time anyway. Let’s resume this case tomorrow morning, eight a.m.” The gavel slammed down.
Erin took a deep breath. Her hand rubbed over her forehead. Her stomach was churning, her knees shaking.
Not good.
“You okay?” Zane’s voice. He had followed her to court and plopped down in the front row.
Right then, she wassoglad he was there. Erin shook her head. “No. No, something’s wrong?—”
The courtroom disappeared.
“Zane?” This couldn’t be happening.
