best you can do is mark your territory?” Of all the things this situation could have brought to Jarod, that was the last thing Belle expected. Men really were idiots.
“Hey, it’s not all that easy. You try peeing while you’re standing with one leg in the air. Downright embarrassing when you miss. Or worse, fall over. Learning how to box with my teeth’s a whole lot easier.”
Once she started laughing, she couldn’t seem to stop. Every time she thought she was done, she’d look at him, screw up her face, raise an arm, and crash back down in another fit of helpless giggles. “Men are such idiots,” she managed, voicing aloud her earlier musing because he needed to hear it. Lord! Pissing contests! “Even when they’ve got four feet.”
“Son of a cocksucker.”
His abrupt change of mood sobered her up. “What’s wrong?”
Jarod reached for his clothes. “The Russians are leaving again. We’ve got to find out what’s in that warehouse. This might be the best chance we get.”
Belle grabbed for her jacket. “We should call for backup.”
“Oh, sure. Ah, hey, guys, don’t mind me. I just forgot to shave tonight and am a bit on the furry side.” Jarod rolled his eyes. “I don’t think you get it, babe. I can’t control this thing. I could shift again. Try explaining that to the captain. Not to mention I’d end up getting dissected in some foul-smelling lab by creepy guys in white coats.”
“I’m just saying!” She punched his arm before shoving her gun into the holster at the small of her back. “We can’t go in there without backup. There’s like twenty of them and two of us. The odds are not in our favor.”
“We’re not following them, ’cause they left. We’re -- I’m -- going to go check out the warehouse. I want to see what they’re up to in there.”
“This isn’t on the books, is it.” It wasn’t a question.
“Hey, I tried to make you go home. I didn’t want you involved, but you insisted. I have to find out what these guys are up to. I don’t want them running around the city making werewolves out of everyone who gets in their way. Or worse, the criminal element. That would be the beginning of a really bad week for law enforcement, don’t you think?” And really, how much worse could the week get?
* * *
Turned out, things could get a lot worse. He knew that the moment he managed to get through the security panel at the warehouse door. Way too easy. And, sure enough, as the door swung open, he heard that click -- the one that said “You’ve just triggered something bad.”
“Get back!” he heard himself screaming, though his voice seemed to be coming from miles away. But Belle was too close. The blast would kill her. Anger and fear warred within him as he sprang for her, the weight of his shifted form knocking her down even as the first explosion triggered. He gathered her close, tucking her beneath him as the blast pushed them down, shielding her with his furred hide. He was tougher this way. He might not survive the explosion but she would, damn it. And she knew, now. Knew what he was.
Belle was nothing if not tenacious. She’d never give up. Not till she found out what had killed him, and why… “Damn good cop.” Her scent filled him. Soothed him. Her scent and more. Blood. His blood but not hers. Yeah. He could live with that. “Good instincts. Shoulda called for backup,” he whispered as his world went dark.
* * *
“Good afternoon, Miss Duprey. Please have a seat.”
“Officer.” One dark eyebrow raised a fraction of a millimeter. “Officer Duprey. And you’re in my jurisdiction, so you’d do well to remember that, Agent Miller.”
“Please have a seat, Officer Duprey.”
Humor her, would he? Asshole. All these bureau guys were assholes. She had a mind to… “Where’s my partner?”
“As I’m sure you know by now, Officer Duprey, your partner is a werewolf.”
“Werewolves don’t exist.” Belle answered without hesitation or