Jude forced himself to glance back. Caught between man and beast, he struggled to hold on, just for a moment more.
Glowing yellow eyes stared at him. Shining from the darkness of the woods.
Oh, shit. The old man hadn’t been afraid of him in those last few moments. No, not of him.
The wolf raced out of the trees, body thick with muscles and black fur. Its mouth was open, the razor sharp teeth glinting with saliva.
The bastard was heading straight for them.
Jude opened his mouth to cry, but he couldn’t speak anymore. The hellfire of the shift blasted through him. Sweet, sweet pain.
No, the man couldn’t speak, but the tiger roared his challenge into the darkness—and to the wolf.
Chapter 14
A shifter’s weakest moments came during the time of change from man to beast. The shift wasn’t instant. It was fast, yes, but the bones had to snap and reshape and the flesh had to change and the—
It was brutal. Hard.
And dangerous.
Erin had seen her share of shifts before. She knew the game. And she knew that Jude couldn’t take the wolf right then.
So she did the only thing she could.
Erin ran in front of him. The tiger snarled in fury behind her, but he couldn’t attack yet. He was trapped between man and beast.
She stared at the wolf. She hadn’t smelled him. Because of the kymine or because he’d cloaked his scent? The bastard had been able to sneak right up on them.
All the better to kill.
“You stay the hell back!” She lifted her claws, ready to do as much damage as she could.
The wolf was big, with a long, muscled body. A thick muzzle, pointed ears, and those glowing eyes—
Her heart slammed into her chest.
Those eyes.
The wolf froze, staring up at her. A rumble rose in the beast’s throat.
Oh, God, no.
She’d seen those eyes before.
Something bumped against her thigh, a hard jolt that had her stumbling. Erin looked down, eyes wide, scared, stunned.
Jude had finished his shift. The tiger stood near her, using his weight to force her to the side.
So he could stand before her.
Red stained his fur, darkening that thick, white and black pelt. But the tiger easily outweighed the wolf. Hell, he had to be twice the other animal’s size. His teeth were bigger, sharper. His claws far longer and stronger.
“No!” The cry was ripped from her. She couldn’t let this happen.
The wolf’s head swung toward her and the beast howled. A long, mournful sound.
A sound she knew too well.
“No,” a whisper this time.
The tiger’s muscles bunched as he prepared to attack.
She couldn’t let him do it. Erin threw herself against him, holding on tight as she sank her fingers into that fur and clung with all her strength. “Jude, let the wolf go!”
He trembled against her, and his head turned toward her as he opened his mouth with a cry loud enough to rattle her bones.
The wolf lunged forward, ready to attack.
“Leave him alone!” Erin screamed and held on even tighter. This couldn’t be happening.
But the wolf was there. Watching with eyes that never blinked.
“Get out of here.” Erin stared into those eyes. The tiger’s body was too tense against her, and she knew Jude was using all of his control in an effort to hold back his attack.
The wolf’s black muzzle lowered toward the ground.
Jude’s left claw lifted as he got ready for a deadly swipe.
“Run, now!” Erin pressed all of her weight against the tiger. Dammit, go!
The wolf turned and fled into the darkness.
Her breath choked out. She turned her head and buried it in the tiger’s soft fur. Oh, hell.
Jude leapt away from her. Erin slipped and almost fell flat on her face. For the second time that night.
Jude shot toward the twisting trees.
“No! Jude, stop!” She knew the man inside the tiger understood her perfectly.
She just wasn’t sure if he’d listen to her.
When he didn’t slow down, she shouted, “That’s not the ass**le after me!”
Still didn’t slow.
Another few seconds and he’d be gone.
“Jude, that—that’s my mother!”
The big cat’s claws dug into the ground as he came to a shuddering halt. He glanced back at her, blue eyes too bright in the darkness.
Now he knew. The last secret.
She pushed to her feet. Wished that her knees didn’t feel so weak. “Remember those crazy, psychotic wolves you told me about? Guess it’s time I told you, I’m one of them.”
In the distance, a wolf howled and the sound ripped right into her heart.
“Jude! Jude, dammit, wait! You’re still bleeding!”
He shoved open the motel room door, heard the crash as it banged back and hit the wall. Keeping his head low, he stormed across the threshold, fighting to keep his rage in check while—
Erin grabbed his arm. “Stop! Listen to me!”
Teeth clenched, he spun to face her. He’d managed to jerk on the spare jeans he kept in the truck, for shifting emergencies, but with his side still burning like hell, a shirt hadn’t been an option.
Erin stared up at him, face stark, lips quivering. So beautiful.
A wolf?
Hell.
“I-I should have told you before.”
Uh, yeah. She should have.
Her fingers curled around his arm. “You made it clear how you felt about wolves—”
“Sweetheart, that’s the way everyone feels.” All the Other anyway. They all knew the rule: If you were smart, you stayed away from the wolves.
Smart. He grimaced. Not him because he sure hadn’t stayed away. He’d run straight to her and gotten his ass addicted to her sweet flesh.
Sweet wolf flesh.
A tiger tangled up with a wolf. His grandfather had to be someplace, laughing his striped ass off.
Her hand fell away. “How many wolves have you actually met, other than me?”
His brows flew up, and he ignored what was turning into a dull throb in his side. At least he was healing. “Um, you mean other than the ass**le stalking you?”
She kicked the door shut with her heel even as her eyes slit. “No one’s perfect, Jude. Not wolves. Not tigers. You should know that.”
Oh, hell, no, she hadn’t just thrown his past into his face. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back against the mud-brown wall. “Don’t go there, sweetheart.” He’d trusted her. Bared his soul. While—what? All the time she’d been keeping her secrets from him? He’d been trying to help her.