“Jude can go back to Francis Street. If Jacobson got away, he’ll catch the guy’s scent.”
Jude Donovan was good at catching scents. But then, Jude was a white tiger shifter, so he’d fucking better be good at sniffing.
Zane locked his muscles. “Jude’s good at tracking, but so am I, and you know I don’t stop on a case until I’ve got my prey.” Especially not if the prey was a demon. He always brought the demons down. Or put them down, depending on the case.
“Jude’s got Jacobson,” Pak said, staring up at him. Fuck. Every muscle in Zane’s body tightened and his hands clenched.
“Because I need you on something more important,” Pak told him. “What?”
Pak shook his head. “You can take the fire, Jude can’t. That means he can’t take her.”
Her.
“I don’t think an accelerant was used on Francis Street,” Pak said, “Just like no accelerant was used three nights ago at the fire on Biltmore that took out two vampires, or at the three fires in New Orleans that occurred over the last few months…. Fires all aimed at supernaturals.”
Okay, Pak sure had Zane’s attention. Someone was targeting supernaturals?
“They were aimed at the Other, but it looks like humans were caught in the crossfire. Two human scientists died.”
Hell.
“ ‘Course, the arson investigators think an accelerant was used because those fires burned so fast and so hot.” Pak reached behind him and scooped a manila file off the top of the desk. “A woman was spotted at the crime scenes. Average height. About one-hundred-thirty pounds.”
Zane’s gut clenched.
“Witnesses saw a blonde, with curly hair, running from the other fires.”
Blonde. Maybe she changed her appearance. Now he knew what Pak meant. “The woman tonight was a victim. “
Pak stared back at him, that dark stare unblinking. “You sure about that?”
Too much doubt was in Pak’s voice, and Zane realized that no, he wasn’t sure. In this world, you couldn’t be sure of anything or anyone. Damn. He might have been played. Jaw clenched, Zane demanded, “Just what am I dealing with here?”
“If I’m right, the woman you’re looking for is a human with a very special gift. A gift of fire.”
Shit. An Ignitor. A human who could create fire from nothing, who could let it burn fiery hot and so very fast. A human who could destroy too much.
“You’ve had experience dealing with Ignitors,” Pak said.
Zane’s head jerked in agreement. Not the best experience.
“I want you to find this one. Find her, and bring her in.” The briefest of hesitations. “If the woman from tonight isn’t the one we need, clear her, and move on. But I expect to have the Ignitor who is making these fires contained within the next forty-eight hours.”
Well, it would be easy enough to find the dark-haired beauty with the bedroom eyes. The EMTs had taken her in. She’d still be at the hospital now.
Unless she ran. Unless she wasn’t the victim. Unless she screwed me.
Zane forced his hands to unclench. “Sometimes Ignitors can be hard to contain.” He paused, because the question had to be asked. “Is this a kill mission?” With Ignitors, there wasn’t always a choice. If the fire raged too hot…
Kill or be killed.
“We want her alive,” Pak said. Then the cagey bastard added, “For now.”
How long did it take to bandage a bite mark? Jeez, it wasn’t like the demon had even broken the skin. After two hours- two freaking hours-Jana managed to slip away from the nurses and the docs in their garish green uniforms. She snuck out of the hospital’s exit, making sure she stayed in the shadows, and she hurried down the street as quickly as she could.
It took her about two minutes to realize that she was being trailed. Bad, bad mistake. She should have realized that fact in about thirty seconds.
Must be slipping.
Jana rolled her shoulders, trying to keep her body loose. In this town, she knew she had to be ready for anything. Sure, the majority of women would probably worry about muggers waiting in the night. She knew she was more likely to be attacked by a hungry vamp or a pissed-off demon.
No, Jacobson’s dead. No way did he get out.
She hoped.
Okay. There were two ways to play this. She could attack with guns blazing or …
Jana stepped out of the shadows. “I-I … is someone there?” She let her voice tremble. Playing weak came so naturally to her. She looked weak. Small. Fragile. All the better to lie.
No one answered her. Her eyes narrowed. Time to hit the main street and get off this quiet lane. She could hail a cab and be back at her place in half an hour.
The wind blew against her face, a cold, icy wind, and for an instant, she caught the smell of … ash.
Her body stiffened. Oh, hell, no. That job was finished. She inched back, her gaze darting around the area. She couldn’t risk being taken down.
Jana started heading for the main street. A cab would come along, it had to. And if it didn’t …
A hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. She screamed because that was what she should do.
“Relax, baby. It’s just me.” Zane gave her a shark’s smile, one with lots of sharp, white teeth. “Your knight in shining armor.”
Only he didn’t look particularly knightlike then. The guy was a big, strong menace in the darkness. She knew just how dangerous he was.
“Were you following me?” she whispered and stepped closer to him. Damn, but the guy had some broad shoulders. And a wide, muscled chest.
He was handsome, in a rough, wild kind of way. Dark hair and brows, long, slightly twisted nose, lips a little thin, jaw perfectly square and strong. His eyes were dark shadows now, but she knew his piercing gaze was green. She’d seen his picture long before she met him at the fire. She always studied pictures of her targets. After all, a woman had to make sure she was going after the right mark.
“Following you?” His voice was deep, rumbling, and a shiver worked over her body. From the cold because she didn’t do so well with the cold, and not because she found that rumble sexy.
She glanced back over her shoulder. “I thought I heard …” Jana shook her head and forced her own smile as she looked back at him. “Nothing.”
But she knew he was watching her. Weighing her. Trying to see past her skin.
“Let me take you home,” he said.
If you want to show me how much you appreciate my help just stick around a while.
Her chin rose. Was sex on the demon’s mind? Or was it something more?
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Jana.” The name was safe enough. “Jana Carter.” She paused and shivered again. Damn. “I’m Zane Wynter.”
Right. Zane Wynter, super hunter. Demon badass. Check. “You did follow me, didn’t you?”
“No, baby, I just got here. I saw you walking….” He shrugged. “I was checking up on you. I wanted to see if you were okay.”
Oh. Sweet. Also … lie.
She put her hands on his chest. “I’m okay.” Good thing she knew how to play the game. “ No, bitch, you’re not.”
Hell, she knew that voice. Jana’s head whipped around, and she locked eyes on Henry Jacobson. Crap-the jerk had made it out of the fire.
Well, mostly, anyway. He stepped under a flickering streetlight, and she saw that deep, red blisters covered the right half of his face. Blisters that stretched and twisted down his neck. His shirt had melted, merging with the skin on his chest and the stench of burned flesh filled her nose.
Knew I smelled ash.
She gasped dramatically and shoved her body against Zane’s. The big hero would save her, right?