Hell, he wasn’t even sure when the change had happened, but she mattered to him. Mattered more than anything or anyone else. And that was very dangerous.
No one got too close to him. He didn’t let himself care. He even kept the other Night Watch hunters at a distance. Because when he cared too much, if he let someone slip past his guard …
Dangerous.
But already, the demon wanted her. Jana had a darkness inside of her that the demon in Zane liked. She knew the horrors in the world. Wasn’t afraid of them. Wasn’t afraid of him.
When she should have been.
He risked a glance at her from the corner of his eye. Fucking beautiful. Deceptively delicate. And … Mine.
Maybe time had already run out for her.
He spun the car into his horseshoe drive and eased up on the gas. She’d called his place “home.” Did she even realize that? Did it matter to her? It sure as shit mattered to him.
His headlights flashed across the front of the house … and illuminated the body on the porch.
What the fuck?
Zane slammed on the brakes.
“Zane?”
Jana hadn’t seen the man. He killed the lights. “Stay here,” he growled, already jerking free of his seat belt and shoving open the car door.
“Wait!” The buckle clicked as she unhooked her belt. “What’s happening, I—”
“Stay. Here.” He wasn’t about to risk her. Not until he found out what was happening.
The blood hit him. The thick, coppery scent hung in the air. Strong and fresh.
Hell.
His gaze raked the yard. He didn’t see anyone else, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t there, watching him.
Zane crept up the front steps, his eyes on the body. Worn boots, old, faded jeans, a too big, bloody blue shirt. When he saw the vic’s face, the breath expelled from Zane’s lungs in a rush.
He knew that face. Knew that dirty blond hair and those pale, haggard features. He’d seen the man just days before- when the wolf shifter had fled the fire.
Now, Marcus Malone lay on Zane’s porch, his right arm stretched toward the door, like he was trying to get help. The poor bastard’s throat had been ripped wide open. Ear to ear.
Zane’s eyes closed. This kid hadn’t been the killer.
Victim.
The car door groaned behind him. “Zane?”
He didn’t want her to see this. She’d tried to save the wolf.
“What’s happening?”
His enhanced vision showed him every detail of the scene. No defensive wounds on the shifter’s body. And … his clothes weren’t torn. The poor bastard hadn’t even been given a chance to shift. The killer had come on him too quickly.
And how the hell did someone sneak up on a wolf shifter?
His head snapped up. The same way a killer can-will- sneak up on a demon. When you were dealing with super-naturals, all bets were off.
His gaze flew back to his vehicle. Jana stood half in, half out of the car.
He jumped off the porch and rushed to her side. “We’ve got a big damn problem.” He pushed her inside and slammed the door. His eyes searched the night. Can’t see anyone. Can’t hear anyone.
But Marcus hadn’t gotten much warning, either.
He hurried back to the driver’s side. He’d have to call Pak and Tony. A cleanup crew was needed ASAP. They had to get the body out of there before dawn, before any neighbors could see what had happened. And Night Watch had to figure out-fucking fast-what they were dealing with here.
Perseus? Was the group still active? How? The agents were locked up, courtesy of Chief Daniels. Their leader was dead.
“Zane…”
He spun out of the drive.
“Zane, tell me what’s happening.”
He didn’t want to. This world was full of things he didn’t want to do. “Marcus isn’t our killer.”
She exhaled. “Well, I’ve been telling you—”
“He’s dead.” He yanked out his phone and called Pak even as his eyes snapped to the rearview mirror. No one followed them. Not yet.
“Wh-what?”
“His body was on my porch. The poor bastard’s throat had been ripped out.” Someone had just killed a wolf shifter like it was fucking nothing. Wolf shifters were hard bastards to kill.
No time for defensive wounds. No time to attack. There’d been no blood under Marcus’s nails. No torn clothing. Just like the other scene.
Who the hell had killed the guy and why?
The only links he had to Marcus were Jana and … Perseus.
Chapter 15
The morgue was cold and quiet, just like the fucking grave that it was. Antonio shifted his right foot and wondered how in the hell the ADA could just stand there peering at the gaping wound that had been the vic’s throat. And Erin was close. Right down at the throat, staring with narrowed eyes. The scent alone should have been enough to choke her but—
“These aren’t wolf claw marks. They’re close, but they’re … off. Just a little different.”
Antonio’s brows snapped up. “Ah, you sure?”
Her gaze met his. “I know wolf claw marks when I see them.”
“So do I,” Jude added, his voice rumbling. “And I know a shifter’s scent when I smell it-there’s not a drop of shifter odor on her.” He shook his head. “The girl wasn’t killed by a wolf.”
Then what had attacked her?
Jude’s phone rang. He hurriedly pulled it out of his pocket and turned away from them. “Donovan.” Silence.
“What the fuck? Are you serious?” Jude threw a glance back at them. “Yeah, well, we’d already figured it wasn’t him.”
Antonio knew the call wasn’t bringing good news.
“We’re still at the morgue. No, man, I don’t know what the hell got ahold of her. The marks are like a wolf shifter’s but … no, Erin and I both say they don’t match.” A brief pause. “Yeah, the scent’s wrong.” His eyes narrowed as he listened and paced. “Where are you? Do I need to come—”
He broke off. Erin edged closer to Jude. Her hand lifted to rub against his back. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll wait for you,” he said into the phone. “Hurry in.”
Jude ended the call and huffed out a hard breath. His gaze met Antonio’s. “I’ve got one guy you can mark off your suspect list.”
His gut twisted.
“Marcus Malone didn’t kill that girl.” “You sure?”
“Zane is.” A long sigh. “Because the bastard who murdered the co-ed killed Marcus. Zane just found the wolf shifter’s body. Malone’s throat was clawed open. The poor bastard bled out on Zane’s porch.”
Well, damn. Just like Lindsey Meadows. Antonio’s gaze lingered on her pale form. Someone was hunting in his city. Not being quiet about it either. Fast, brutal kills.
“They’re linked.” Obviously. He just didn’t know how. A wolf shifter … a college kid … why? What had made those two into targets?
The door to the morgue opened with a squeak. His head turned, and his hand went to his holster. Too much damn stress lately. But at this time of night, no one else should be there—
And he sure as shit shouldn’t be seeing Catalina.
But the witch stood in the doorway. Her eyes, wide and green, met his. Her white-blond hair tumbled down her shoulders, and her lips, normally dark red, but now light pink, were pressed into a tight line.
“Catalina?” Jude called, his voice gruff. “What are you doing here?”
“They’re hunting me,” she whispered as she came slowly into the room, her feet shuffling over the floor. “I could feel the darkness coming. I-I scryed. I had to see what was going to happen.”