Jade rushed across the room. “Az! Put him down, you can’t—”
Then she saw the cop’s teeth. The too-sharp canines that hung behind his lips. The man’s claws were out and currently digging into Az’s arms.
Despite the attack, Az wasn’t letting go of him.
“I could smell him,” Az said, lifting the fellow even higher into the air. “Shifter. Same scent those other jerks carried.”
But she didn’t recognize this guy, and she’d thought that she knew every panther shifter in Brandt’s pack.
She rose onto her toes and peered over Az’s shoulder. Was this maybe-cop another hunter Brandt had hired?
“Call him . . . off . . .” The guy grunted. “I’m not . . . gonna hurt you.”
Like she hadn’t heard that one before. Jade scrambled back and found the discarded weapon. She checked to make sure it was loaded—oh yes—and then rushed around Az to aim the weapon at the cop. “Step back, Az.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he did.
The shifter fell to the floor, gasping. Az had a killer grip.
“Who are you?” Jade demanded as her hold on the gun tightened. “And why the hell are you dressed like a cop?”
His palms flattened on the wooden floor. “Because I am a cop.” He looked up at her, revealing a hard, chiseled face—and a wicked smile that flashed his sharp canines. “And a shifter.”
“Are you working for Brandt?” Because Az had said the guy smelled like the others.
“I’m working to take Dupre down.” He said those words with vehemence. “That twisted bastard is destroying the panthers in Louisiana.” Now the stranger rose to his feet. “We’re not all psychotic f**ks, despite what you may think.”
“You mean despite what I’ve seen.” She wasn’t lowering the weapon. Jade didn’t trust this guy. Sure, cops were supposed to be all good and safe, but the only man she felt safe with was—
Az.
Az’s gaze darted between her and the cop.
The shifter grunted. “Look, my name’s Tanner. Tanner Chance. And I want to stop Dupre just as much as you do.”
“Doubtful.” Highly.
Az spread his feet a bit and straightened his shoulders, a slight movement that held an aura of menace. “How did you find us?” Az wanted to know.
“You stole a car.” The cop shifter shrugged. “There’s an APB out for you. I was just the lucky bastard who found you first.”
“I don’t believe in luck,” Jade said. Especially since she’d only seemed to have bad luck in the last few years.
The gun was a steady weight in her hand. She was a good shot, but even if she hadn’t been, it would be hard to miss her target at a range this close.
“Fine. Don’t believe in it.” The guy called Tanner exhaled heavily. “Believe in a GPS locator and a cop who hauled ass to get to you before anyone else could.”
She could buy that bit.
Tanner’s gaze slid to Az. “Who’s the muscle?”
Az crossed his arms over his chest and stared steadily back at the cop.
“Caught my scent, huh?” Tanner frowned at him. “So you’ve got an enhanced sense of smell, and you’re too damn strong to be a human.”
“I’m her guardian,” Az said. “Azrael.”
Her gaze slipped to him. As in . . . guardian angel? Seriously? Of course, it totally figured that her guardian angel would have fallen from grace.
Tanner’s gaze narrowed. “You’re also the ass**le that managed to piss off the pack of panthers in New Orleans.”
Az smiled.
Her heart did a crazy jump in her chest. Why did she like his smile so much?
“I do what I can,” Az allowed. He hadn’t relaxed his body, not yet.
But then, she wasn’t about to drop her weapon either. Jade had met far too many boys in blue that she didn’t trust.
The cop raised his hands, probably trying to show that he was harmless. The fact that he was sporting two-inch long claws didn’t help his harmless act any. “Look, you don’t have much time,” Tanner said. “Brandt has a bounty on your head, and, if they aren’t already, then every supernatural in the area will be gunning for you.”
Jade laughed at that. “He’s been hunting me for years.”
“No. Not you. Not this time.” His dark head inclined toward Az. “Your guardian.” Tanner’s green gaze slid back to catch hers. “You know panthers don’t share well.” She saw the slight flex of his nostrils.