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She raised a brow and turned to find Antonio glaring at her, the lights of the porch shining behind him His hands were crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed He shook his head "You called in a civilian before you called the cops--"
"He’s the same civilian you called earlier, too," she reminded him There hadn’t been a lot of options for her With the creep on her tail, there never were Back when she’d lived in Lillian, there sure as hell hadn’t been a choice As far as she’d known, the police hadn’t known about the Other
So they certainly wouldn’t have been able to handle a supernatural who’d slipped over the line and gone straight psychotic
"This is different! This is--"
"My life," she fired back at him "I know this isn’t protocol, okay, but this isn’t your average situation" Her voice lowered to a hard whisper, "Not average at all"
A grunt "Trust e"
True Erin sucked in a breath and tried to push her fear and anger aside Antonio was catching the brunt of her fury, but the guy had already done her a favor by pulling in his tearoaned as he stepped forward "How long has this guy been after you?"
She sed "A year" Maybe longer Hard to say She’d gotten her first "gift" almost twelve months before But she’d read up on stalkers and their behavior She knew they often watched their prey fora real move
"Did you think running was going to stop him?"
Jude had briefed him on her situation Well, Jude had told the cop as much as she’d told the shifter Erin hadn’t revealed everything Not yet
She couldn’t
"I’d hoped it would," she said
He took another step toward her The scent of his cologne filled her nostrils The guy alore his cologne Not too heavy but--
Another scent Richer Filling the air, surrounding her
Shifter’s scent
Erin looked to the right, just over Antonio’s shoulder, and she found Jude watching her, his big fra in his eyes A heat Anger?
Desire
"Your creorking hard," Jude said as he stalked toward them
Antonio stiffened just a bit, then eased away froot, and they all knoe need…delicacy"
So they knew about the Other? Or were they Other?
Jude ca so from her body Handy talent, that
"It’s human blood" Flat
The cop nodded "You’d know"
Yeah, he would
"This guy has a real hard-on for our ADA"
Antonio wasn’t exactly high on the tact scale Erin lifted a brow and rind her back teeth
"He’s chased you across the state," Antonio continued "The guy isn’t backing off"
"We’re gonna rowl froettin’ personal for you,"Send patrols out, have theh at that, and she knew the sound held a desperate edge "A patrol car isn’t going to stop this guy He’s Other, and he’s da could stop hiht when he’d caught her in her bedroo his claws into her ar back there Never again
"Tell us everything you know about him," Jude said The cri their evidence Walking through her life They couldn’t hear this Only Jude and the cop he see 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 et burned
"NotHe found me I tried to be so careful and he found ain
"You’ve seen hiht his scent once"
Antonio just looked blank
Jude’s fingers snaked down her arh her shirt "Shifters carry a distinct scent It , 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 am not " 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 ain, ADA Jerome?"
Yes "What I am or what I am not really 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, so is here They’re the best" Simple "If the bastard left behind any clues, they’ll find ’e 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 hiet in bed Needed to forget the blood and the fear
But the idea of walking into that house again…"I loved this house," sheback 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 uy" Ah, trying delicacy now
"I can’t give you a description Sorry I wish that I could" Her shoulders lifted then fell "Male, big, strong" She’d caught thatabout his face" Not ot all that froot there, lady"
He didn’t understand Maybe the guy didn’t know as ht
One of the cris in her hands Antonio waited for her to pass theonna need protection"
She was stronger than any hu enough to help her this tiot protection"
Jude’s words had her head jerking toward hiot protection," he repeated, the words fierce