Eternal Flame

by Cynthia Eden

  “I need to talk to that wolf,” Tony said.

  Good luck with that. She bit the words back.

  “Jana …” Zane stepped closer to her. “There’s been a killing.”

  Her stomach twisted again. “In this city”-she kept her voice low and calm—“there are often killings.”

  “Not like this.” Tony shook his head. “Not when a woman’s throat is cut from ear to ear, and I find freaking dog hairs all over the scene.”

  Hell, now the questions about Marcus made sense. “No, he’s not—”

  “Lindsey Meadows, a college student, was killed right outside of her dorm room. Several hundred kids were in that dorm, and no one heard a damn thing.” Tony’s voice vibrated with tension. “She was last seen having dinner with a blond male.”

  “Sound familiar?” Zane asked.

  She licked her lips. “I-I don’t … he didn’t kill those girls in New Orleans.”

  “Maybe not. But I need to find that wolf,” Tony told her, “and I need to find him now.”

  Tony wasn’t after her. The knowledge finally sank in. He wasn’t there to haul her to jail. He was after the shifter because he thought Marcus was a killer.

  She remembered pain-filled blue eyes. Hands that trembled. “He didn’t attack those girls. He wasn’t the killer.” No matter what the news stories had implied, Marcus hadn’t been guilty.

  “Maybe he wasn’t a killer before,” Tony said, “but I need to see for myself what he is now. If Perseus had him all these months, if they’ve been screwing with his head, there’s no telling what he is.”

  Her fault. She hadn’t realized that Perseus had him-or that vamp who’d taken his bite out of her. But she should have known. When she’d escaped the other lab, there had been paranormals there, too. They’d gotten out when she escaped. Her fire had let them all run free.

  But, of course, Perseus had another facility. Another backup plan.

  Was there another pit still out there? If they’d had one backup location before, wouldn’t they have another now?

  Zane turned away from her. “I want to see the crime scene.”

  Tony frowned. “My men have—”

  “I can find things they might have overlooked.”

  Demon senses.

  “Let me at that scene. Let me see what I can find before you start this hunt.”

  Because Zane had seen Marcus and the marks on his body. Trapped. Tortured. She swallowed.

  Tony nodded, his face grim.

  “What…” She took a deep breath. “What about me?” Usually a cop would have tried to cuff her by now. But Tony …

  He shook his head. “Didn’t Zane tell you? You’re clear.” His voice was bland. “The arsonist who started the fires in New Orleans was killed in that blaze at the Perseus headquarters.”

  That deep breath burned in her lungs.

  “As far as I’m concerned, you’re clear, Ms. Carter.”

  Zane had been telling the truth. He’d done it. He’d gotten her life back.

  “But I need that shifter.”

  Her life was back, but what about the wolf’s?

  She strode forward and grabbed Zane’s hand. “I’m coming with you.”

  He stared down at her and a frown pulled his brows together. “You don’t need to—”

  “Maybe it’s time I started doing something for somebody other than myself.” The words came out too fast. She lifted her chin. “Marcus was hurting so much when I first found him. He didn’t ask for any of this.”

  Zane’s gaze held hers. “We never do.”

  No, they didn’t. But fate just came calling. When she called, you had to answer, even if you’d rather slam down the phone.

  “Let’s get Jude and Erin out there,” he told the cop. “If a wolf killed at that scene, they’ll know.”

  “Ahead of you, Zane. I already gave ‘em a call,” Tony said.

  Zane brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Stay with me, every second. The PD has cleared you, but the FBI…”

  No, she knew she’d still be high on their extermination list. They’d want their pound of flesh, and so would all the paranormals out there she’d pissed off before. Once they found out about her new weakness, hell, it’d be like sharks who’d sensed blood in the water. They’d come at her in a feeding frenzy.

  “Pak’s working on them,” he continued. “But Special Agent Thomas has you in her sights, and she’s not going to back down easily. For her, it’s personal.”

  Jana blinked. “Personal? I’ve never done anything to that woman.”

  Zane and Tony shared a long look.

  “What? What am I missing?” she demanded.

  “It’s personal for her,” Zane said slowly. “Because one of the men who died in that fire in New Orleans was her stepbrother. Brent Martin. The scientist who—”

  You’ll be awake when I do this and, trust me, it’ll hurt like a bitch.

  “I remember him.” Another guy who’d gotten off on giving pain.

  “She’s not gonna back down.” Zane’s gaze was steady. “You have to watch your ass with her.”

  Now, more than ever. Because if-when-Agent Thomas came gunning for her, Jana wouldn’t have the flames to aid her. Not anymore.

  Good thing she still had the gun she’d stolen from the Perseus agents. A girl could never be too careful.

  Personal. Hell. But these days, weren’t all the hunts personal? Always personal and always deadly.

  It was dark outside, the sky pitch black-no moon, no stars. The kind of night that Jana normally loved because it gave perfect cover.

  Tonight that covering darkness had a tingle of shivery awareness skating down her spine.

  They were outside a college dorm room, in the alley that ran just behind the building. The flickering, fluorescent lights trickled a pale glow onto the scene. Tony was ahead of them and already bending under the yellow line of police tape. She could just make out the bloodstains on the ground. Jana’s lips pressed together. Jeez, couldn’t someone have cleaned that up?

  “So you think we’ve got a wolf hunting again?” The voice was feminine, soft, and tinged with a hint of the South. She hadn’t heard the woman approach. Careful now, Jana slipped deeper into the shadows and watched her. Tall, slim, elegant, the lady seemed perfectly poised in the alley.

  The woman’s small nostrils flared as she drew in the scents. If she hadn’t been watching her so closely, Jana would have missed that telling movement. Shifter. Because no human would be making the effort to inhale in an alley.

  Jude was behind her, and his hand pressed against the small of her back. His nostrils widened as his gaze swept the alley. She knew he-both of them-would be able to see a whole lot more than she could.

  “I don’t know what we’ve got,” Tony said, running a hand through his hair. “You tell me, ADA.”

  ADA? As in assistant district attorney. Crap. Jana hunched back into that darkness a bit more.

  “I don’t smell a wolf, not anywhere around here.” The ADA’s head cocked. “But you know some shifters can disguise their scents.”

  “Like that bastard who was after you,” Zane muttered.

  Uh, someone had been after the ADA?

  “Yeah.” The growl was Jude’s. There was still rage there. “Like him.”

  “If you let me see the body,” the ADA offered, “I can tell if the marks were made from claws.” A faint smile lifted her lips. “You could say I’ve got a lot of experience with wolf marks.”

  Tony edged away from the yellow tape. “Jones has the body at the morgue. I already told him you’d be coming.” He sighed. “He said she didn’t struggle. One swipe-one fast attack to the neck-and she was dead.”

  Just like the victims back in New Orleans.

  “A human killed those girls.” Jana’s voice sounded way too loud.

  The ADA looked her way. Not with surprise. The woman had known she was lurking there the whole time.

  “There was no record of a suspect bei
ng apprehended for those attacks,” Tony said.

  “Because Marcus Malone killed him,” Jana said. “The shifter’s girlfriend was one of the vics. The only time he killed was when he was putting that murdering bastard out of his misery. Marcus might be a wolf, but he-wouldn’t do this.”

  She felt the weight of the ADA’s stare. Hell. What was her name? What had Tony said? Erica? Erin.

  “Haven’t you heard?” Erin asked. “Most folks know that wolves are psychotic.”

  Jude inched closer to the ADA.

  Jana walked out of those shadows. “Marcus had plenty of chances to hurt and kill.” If that had been what he wanted to do, I never would have made it out of that truck. “He tracked his prey, and he put a sick, sadistic man out of his misery. That’s all.”

  “Seems like you know a lot about Marcus,” Zane noted blandly. “Talk a lot on that ride up, did you?”

  “When you fled the scene of a crime?” Tony tagged on.

  She ignored them both.

  Erin’s gaze stayed on her. “I understand,” the ADA said slowly, “that this particular wolf was held captive and tortured for the last few months. Something like that could make any man break. And a wolf …” She shrugged.

  “It’s not easier for a wolf to break,” Jana said, fighting to keep her voice even. “It’s harder. Yeah, I know wolves have the rep for being crazy, but they’re also smart and incredibly strong. Strong enough to live through hell and survive.” Just like Marcus had. They hadn’t needed to talk. She’d seen the truth in his eyes.

  They’d walked out of hell together.

  Erin’s head inclined toward her, and it seemed like the tension in Jude’s shoulders eased, just a bit.

  “If the shifter didn’t kill Lindsey Meadows,” Jana told them, “then we’ve got a real big problem here.” She had to point it out, though surely everyone had realized that.

  Zane’s arm brushed against Jana’s. Okay. She hadn’t meant to walk to his side. Not really. Her gaze darted to those bloodstains and then back to the ADA’s eyes. Humans were so weak.

  It sucked to be weak, and she sure wasn’t about to show weakness now. She hadn’t been given the chance to finish her confession with Zane. He didn’t know the truth. None of the others knew. As far as they were concerned, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, she was the big, bad fire queen. Get in her way, and she’d burn you to ash.

  “This crime …” Even the locations were identical. The freak in New Orleans had always picked alleys just behind the vics’ dorms or apartments. “The kill—” No defensive wounds. No sign of a struggle. “-and the victim type are all the same. It fits the serial’s M.O.” What was up with the timing of this kill? So close to Marcus’s arrival in town. Too close. “Someone knows about what happened with the serial killer in New Orleans. About Marcus. And I think that person’s trying to set him up.”

  “Why?” came from Jude.

  “Because he was the only actual named suspect in New Orleans. He made the papers. Someone wants the spotlight on him again. Someone wants the cops after him.” Hunted. “Someone is turning him into prey again.” The supernaturals who cross the line have to be eliminated. The old spiel from Perseus.

  Perseus. Her breath heaved out. “They know.” “Uh, who knows?” Erin asked.

  “Project Perseus. They knew all about Marcus. They could be—”

  But Zane caught her hand. “Perseus is dead, Jana. The organization is finished. The guards who survived were rounded up. Beth was the leader of that group … the guards confirmed it. She’d started Perseus after a vamp killed her father.”

  She knew about the vampire. I found my father on the ground. The bastard had torn his throat open. Beth’s shaking voice whispered through her mind. Because at the beginning, when she’d first approached Jana, they’d talked. Almost been … friends.

  No, no, they’d never been friends. Beth’s psychic talent had just made her real good at reading people. And she’d known how to get to Jana.

  She offered me a family. A place to fit in. Things had been fine until Jana turned away from the system. Then the claws had come out.

  “Beth wanted vengeance,” Jana spoke slowly. “And I gave it to her.” The first vamp she’d killed for Perseus had been the one who’d drained Beth’s father.

  Thank you. The only words Beth had spoken after that fire. But Beth’s eyes had been blazing.

  That death hadn’t been enough for Beth. Nothing had ever been enough.

  So she’d been the one to start Perseus? Jana had always thought Beth took orders from someone else.

  “She’s dead,” Zane said. “The Perseus group is finished.” “Nothing ever dies easily in this world,” Jana whispered. The instinct to survive was too strong.

  Marcus Malone knew when he was being hunted. He’d spent too much time being prey not to know that feeling.

  He glanced back over his shoulder, his nostrils flaring. He didn’t see anyone, didn’t smell anyone, but he knew some bastard was out there. Hunting.

  I need to get out of this city.

  Perseus had burned. Those flames had lit the night, and he’d escaped that hellhole, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone-something-had risen from the flames.

  Coming after me.

  There was only one person in this town he trusted. One woman who’d been through the fire.

  Maybe he should have been afraid of her. After all, Jana had been the one to hunt him before. She’d also been the one to hold back the fire because she’d realized he wasn’t the sadistic killer Perseus had made him out to be.

  And she’d come back for me. He’d caught her scent over the fire and looked up … and Jana had been there. She’d pulled him from those flames in the swamp. Saved his ass.

  So he’d returned the favor. He’d gotten her away from the cops. Gotten them both to safety.

  But this town wasn’t safe. He swiped a hand over his brow. Not nearly fucking safe enough. Jana thought her demon could protect her.

  Her eyes had been so dark. “If you need me, I’ll be with Zane.”

  “You really think you can trust him?” A faint smile had lifted her lips. “He’s one of the good guys.”

  Marcus didn’t have a lot of experience with good guys. He didn’t trust the demon, but he did trust Jana. She’d studied him, looked beneath the surface. His hands were stained with blood, but that kill-he’d just been avenging his Rita.

  Rita.

  A blinding pain shot through his head. Those fucking headaches. Every time he thought of Rita, his head seemed to rip open.

  He pushed through the bushes and stumbled toward the house on Louis Avenue. Jana would help him. He’d tell her about the eyes on him … because those eyes could be turning to her. He and Jana were linked. Whoever was after him, well, the asshole could come after her, too.

  Together, they’d be stronger. Those bastards at Perseus had made him so weak. That bitch had come and touched him, while Beth had stood back and laughed. She’d touched him then—

  Weak.

  He was still weak. Too weak. Almost like a human. And the headaches … Sonofabitch.

  He stumbled and nearly fell onto the porch. The house was dark, but it was late. The demon had to be there, with Jana. They had to—

  “Wondered how long it would take for you to crawl out of those shadows.” The voice whispered from the darkness.

  It was a voice Marcus knew. He froze. No, no. But he turned his head and fucking sure enough, the asshole was there. Smiling at him.

  “Did you really think going to the fire whore would save you?” The insidious whisper slipped right under his skin. Marcus kept his eyes on his stalker, aware of the sweat that had burst from his skin, even on the chilly night.

  “Jana’s been here, hasn’t she?” the bastard asked.

  But she wasn’t there now. Marcus heard nothing from the house. Jana. He needed her, but she was gone. Hell.

  The asshole looked up at the house. “Been in be
d with her demon?” Laughter. “Who would have thought… he was supposed to kill her, not screw her.”

  Marcus’s claws should have been out. They should have been out and his teeth should be razor sharp. But he wasn’t changing. Because that little bitch had touched him.

  You’ll be normal, Marcus. Isn’t that what you want? To be normal? To have a life? No more pain, no more monster. Just a man.

  She’d let the girl touch him…. Then …

  More laughter and the stalker’s hand lifted. Claws had burst from the jerk’s fingertips. My claws.

  They’d taken too much from him in that prison. Not his life, but his beast.

  A shifter who couldn’t shift. How was he supposed to survive?

  “I thought about letting you live.” The wooden porch creaked. Nowhere to run, not with that devil in front of him. “I thought about it. …”

  Those claws were up and so close.

  A snarl lifted Marcus’s lips. “I never thought about letting you live.” No, he’d planned to go after this guy, as soon as his strength was back. He’d felt the beast trying to return. The transfer wasn’t permanent, he was sure of it. Once the wolf had been strong again, he’d planned to hunt.

  But he’d already been prey.

  A ghost of a smile appeared on his stalker’s lips. “Guess one of us is dying tonight.”

  Marcus’s head pounded. His heart raced. He lunged forward with his fist raised. The beast inside was screaming, but trapped, trapped—

  Claws slashed across Marcus’s throat. The pain was hell-fire hot, and the blood splashed down his shirt as he tried to breathe, tried to gasp, tried to say … Rita.

  He fell to his knees.

  “Two down …” The whisper filled his ears. The last fucking words he heard were … “Three to go.” Rita. He could see her now, could see—

  The shifter and the ADA searched the scene. Their eyes- and their noses-probably didn’t miss a thing. But, well, there wasn’t anything to miss.

  “You found dog hairs on the body?” Jana asked. “Just the body, nowhere else?” Odd. Those wolves sure were hairy beasts.

  But if they weren’t dealing with a wolf … “Just the body,” Tony agreed.

  Setup. Didn’t the guy see it? Marcus wasn’t the one they wanted for this. No way would a wolf’s fur—so not dog hair-have been left in one spot.