Hell & High Water

  been? Lou had been the closest thing to a committed relationship Dex had ever had. There had been a lot of first-time moments.

  No point in analyzing it now. His relationship, much like his career at the HPF, was over. All he could do now was what he did best, throw himself into his work. This was his last chance. He had to make this work.

  Being a detective for the HPF meant he got shit from Humans, because that’s where his jurisdiction started and ended. Being an agent for the THIRDS meant he’d be getting shit from Humans and Therians. Double the fun. He couldn’t complain. It also meant he was getting double the pay and benefits, if he survived long enough to reap the rewards. Wait…. THIRDS, Therians, Alphas… predators.

  “Oh my God,” he gasped and abruptly clutched onto Tony’s arm as reality set in. “I’m going to be shredded like string cheese!” He’d been stabbed, shot, received broken bones, fractures, sprains, beatings, bruising, cuts, but he’d never come up against someone who could kill him with one bite.

  “What is it with you and cheese?” Tony pried Dex’s fingers off his arm and continued to walk, ignoring Dex’s near panicked state. As an HPF detective, Dex had never faced any Therians in their Therian form, not even docile ones. After all, shifting in public was considered a misdemeanor, right up there with indecent exposure, and once they were in their Therian form, if they committed a crime, they were the THIRDS’ responsibility. Now they were his responsibility, and he was going to be dealing with Therians who wiped their asses with the law.

  The closest Dex had ever gotten to being mauled was when Cael hit puberty and his first shift happened. Therians could control their shift but it was possible for an overly stressful moment to trigger a shift; which was why most first shifts happened when puberty hit and tended to happen spontaneously. Like every other young Therian going through the frightening ordeal for the first time, Cael went nuts. Despite having attended all the mandatory classes for Families with Therian Youth—which was meant to prepare them for that exact moment, they all panicked, and Cael managed to graze Dex’s leg with his claws before Tony got his hands on the First Shift Response Kit containing the necessary sedatives.

  As much as Dex understood it was still his little brother inside the cheetah Therian and that Cael hadn’t meant to hurt him, Dex’s blood all over the kitchen floor had left them all shaken. It was Tony who had then made certain his boys recovered, both physically and psychologically from the aftereffects. The faint scars on Dex’s leg no longer brought them the overwhelming guilt it once had—Tony for not preventing the near miss, Dex for being afraid of his own brother, and Cael for having hurt Dex.

  “I’m not being a drama queen here. I am about to shit a brick.”

  Tony stopped to give him a pointed look. “You want to survive, Rookie, you listen to your partner.”

  “Rookie?” What the hell? “I’ve been on the force ten years!”

  “The Human Police Force. In this world, you’re a rookie. You’ll be dealing with all the same nutjobs you were dealing with before, except now they have jaws and claws that will pull you apart like your favorite string cheese. Remember that. Jaws and claws. Repeat after me. Jaws.”

  He was serious. Dex took a deep breath and released it slowly, his anxiety giving way to irritation. “Jaws.”

  “And claws.”

  “And claws,” Dex said, enunciating each word. He had a terrible urge to make claws with his hands, but he got the feeling Tony might kick his ass. Still, it was tempting. Clearly his face must have said as much, because Tony jabbed a finger in his dire