Diego went upstairs to his desk and greeted his brother, whose bloodshot eyes looked worse than Diego’s. Xavier gave him a tired wave but a cocky grin. Xavier loved a good party.
Diego turned to his reports for a three-month-long case he’d concluded a couple of days before he’d met Cassidy. Now, the final bust, which had been such a victory, seemed to have happened in another lifetime. He’d met Cassidy and… everything changed.
Diego walked around that thought as he finished the report and e-mailed it to the captain. Then he got Xavier, who wasn’t getting much paperwork done here, and took his brother with him to Shiftertown.
* * *
Cassidy lifted her aching head from the kitchen table when she heard the throb of the Thunderbird outside. “Oh, Goddess, it’s Diego.”
Shifters weren’t supposed to have hangovers. Their metabolisms were strong enough to negate the dehydration of too much alcohol. Cassidy didn’t remember drinking that much beer, but then, if she’d been able to remember all the beers, she probably wouldn’t have this hangover.
What she did remember was the kiss, finding herself in Diego’s arms, his mouth slanted over hers in the dark living room. His big hand on her thigh, the strength of him as he held her. He’d tasted of warmth and power, and she’d loved it. She’d flung her arms around him and kissed him with wild abandon.
How embarrassing.
Jace opened the front door and greeted Diego and Xavier. Eric was… Who the hell knew where Eric was? Cassidy struggled to her feet as Jace led the brothers into the kitchen and offered them coffee.
Did Diego look ashamed of the kiss, of the way he’d scooped her up to him with his arm under her bu**ocks? No. He flashed her a grin, his eyes dark and sparkling with teasing wickedness. He looked fresh and rested and not the least bit worried.
Cassidy felt her face heat. What was the matter with her? Shifter women weren’t prudes. They enjoyed their love affairs and made no secret of the fact that they were after the best mate they could get. Cassidy hadn’t pulled up her shirt to flash Donovan on accident.
She found herself wanting to look away from Diego, so she made sure she met his gaze. “Hey, Diego. I’m still in Shiftertown. I feel too crappy to run away anywhere today.”
Diego’s gaze roved her up and down. “Yeah, you look a little ragged.”
Xavier took the steaming cup of fresh-brewed coffee from Jace. It smelled wonderful in the kitchen—the rich coffee scent overriding everything. Jace’s brew was legendary. Cassidy reached for the cup Jace handed her and cradled it like a lover.
“Never tell a woman she doesn’t look her absolute best,” Xavier said. “Bad, bad idea.” He took a sip of coffee and shot Cassidy a white-toothed grin. “You look great, hermana.”
Diego shrugged as he sipped his coffee. “This is good.” He gave Jace an admiring look. “Do you always make the coffee?”
Jace gestured to the old-fashioned coffeepot with the percolator on top. “Just call me coffee king.”
Diego looked around. “Where’s Eric? I’m going back out to that rock cave to look around, and he might want to come too.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to say she’d join them, then she remembered that she was grounded. Damn humans and their stupid laws. Shifters had never worried about going everywhere they pleased before the Collar. She sat down, head pounding, and filled her mouth with beautiful coffee.
She sensed warmth next to her. Diego had sat down with her and now smiled into her face. “You all right, mi ja?”
Cassidy loved it when he called her that, the beautiful syllables rolling in his dark voice. She heard Xavier and Jace in the background, the two men walking out the back door, but she barely registered them.
“Headache,” Cassidy said.
“I thought Shifters didn’t get drunk.”
Cassidy blushed again. “Hey, last night was rough for me.”
Diego’s arm rested across the back of her chair. His body heat touched her through her thin T-shirt, making her want to squirm. She inhaled his scent… and stopped.
What met her nose was Diego’s usual musk and spice, but something touched it a tiny bit, a hint of acrid smoke and mint she’d smelled last night at the place where the hunter had hidden. Cassidy turned her head and sniffed his suit jacket. No, she hadn’t mistaken it, though it was very faint.
Maybe something lingering from last night? Could be. Diego had showered—she smelled the soap, and he was wearing a different jacket today. Plus, she hadn’t noticed the same kind of smell on Eric.
“What are you doing?”
Diego’s low voice arrested her. Cassidy looked up at him so close, noting his face was clean-shaven again this morning. She liked his dark skin, his hair as black as midnight, and his eyes nearly as dark.
“You smell… interesting,” she said.
“Oh, great. Do I need more aftershave?”
“No.” Cassidy inhaled the scent of his coat again while Diego sat very still. Eric had told her, when she’d limped out this morning, feeling like shit, what the smell up in the mountains had been.
Fae.
Cassidy had never met or seen a Fae in her long life. Fae hadn’t lived in the human world for centuries, leaving finally for Faerie after the Fae-Shifter war. Shifters had elected to remain in the human world and live the best they could, while the Fae had gone. The Fae had already begun leaving when humans started using more and more iron. Fae hated iron.
Cassidy’s head was too fuzzy to puzzle it all out this morning. Eric hadn’t given her a long explanation. Cassidy had just sort of mumbled, “Fae, right,” before sitting down and begging for coffee.
But now she wondered. The shooter had been using a rifle—which was made of steel. Plus he’d vanished in a bright light, just as he had up in the construction site. Did Fae do that? And why did Diego smell like one now?
“Cass.”
Cassidy looked up at Diego, who was watching her with dark eyes. “Hmm?”
“I shouldn’t have kissed you last night,” he was saying. “Or let you kiss me. I was way out of line. But I haven’t been doing anything right since I met you.”
Cassidy could only look at him. She should think of something witty to say. She’d always been able to be witty with Donovan. Their mutual wisecracks had filled every room. Now, with Diego, Cassidy sat tongue-tied. She couldn’t think of anything more witty to say than, “Oh?”
Diego turned to his reports for a three-month-long case he’d concluded a couple of days before he’d met Cassidy. Now, the final bust, which had been such a victory, seemed to have happened in another lifetime. He’d met Cassidy and… everything changed.
Diego walked around that thought as he finished the report and e-mailed it to the captain. Then he got Xavier, who wasn’t getting much paperwork done here, and took his brother with him to Shiftertown.
* * *
Cassidy lifted her aching head from the kitchen table when she heard the throb of the Thunderbird outside. “Oh, Goddess, it’s Diego.”
Shifters weren’t supposed to have hangovers. Their metabolisms were strong enough to negate the dehydration of too much alcohol. Cassidy didn’t remember drinking that much beer, but then, if she’d been able to remember all the beers, she probably wouldn’t have this hangover.
What she did remember was the kiss, finding herself in Diego’s arms, his mouth slanted over hers in the dark living room. His big hand on her thigh, the strength of him as he held her. He’d tasted of warmth and power, and she’d loved it. She’d flung her arms around him and kissed him with wild abandon.
How embarrassing.
Jace opened the front door and greeted Diego and Xavier. Eric was… Who the hell knew where Eric was? Cassidy struggled to her feet as Jace led the brothers into the kitchen and offered them coffee.
Did Diego look ashamed of the kiss, of the way he’d scooped her up to him with his arm under her bu**ocks? No. He flashed her a grin, his eyes dark and sparkling with teasing wickedness. He looked fresh and rested and not the least bit worried.
Cassidy felt her face heat. What was the matter with her? Shifter women weren’t prudes. They enjoyed their love affairs and made no secret of the fact that they were after the best mate they could get. Cassidy hadn’t pulled up her shirt to flash Donovan on accident.
She found herself wanting to look away from Diego, so she made sure she met his gaze. “Hey, Diego. I’m still in Shiftertown. I feel too crappy to run away anywhere today.”
Diego’s gaze roved her up and down. “Yeah, you look a little ragged.”
Xavier took the steaming cup of fresh-brewed coffee from Jace. It smelled wonderful in the kitchen—the rich coffee scent overriding everything. Jace’s brew was legendary. Cassidy reached for the cup Jace handed her and cradled it like a lover.
“Never tell a woman she doesn’t look her absolute best,” Xavier said. “Bad, bad idea.” He took a sip of coffee and shot Cassidy a white-toothed grin. “You look great, hermana.”
Diego shrugged as he sipped his coffee. “This is good.” He gave Jace an admiring look. “Do you always make the coffee?”
Jace gestured to the old-fashioned coffeepot with the percolator on top. “Just call me coffee king.”
Diego looked around. “Where’s Eric? I’m going back out to that rock cave to look around, and he might want to come too.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to say she’d join them, then she remembered that she was grounded. Damn humans and their stupid laws. Shifters had never worried about going everywhere they pleased before the Collar. She sat down, head pounding, and filled her mouth with beautiful coffee.
She sensed warmth next to her. Diego had sat down with her and now smiled into her face. “You all right, mi ja?”
Cassidy loved it when he called her that, the beautiful syllables rolling in his dark voice. She heard Xavier and Jace in the background, the two men walking out the back door, but she barely registered them.
“Headache,” Cassidy said.
“I thought Shifters didn’t get drunk.”
Cassidy blushed again. “Hey, last night was rough for me.”
Diego’s arm rested across the back of her chair. His body heat touched her through her thin T-shirt, making her want to squirm. She inhaled his scent… and stopped.
What met her nose was Diego’s usual musk and spice, but something touched it a tiny bit, a hint of acrid smoke and mint she’d smelled last night at the place where the hunter had hidden. Cassidy turned her head and sniffed his suit jacket. No, she hadn’t mistaken it, though it was very faint.
Maybe something lingering from last night? Could be. Diego had showered—she smelled the soap, and he was wearing a different jacket today. Plus, she hadn’t noticed the same kind of smell on Eric.
“What are you doing?”
Diego’s low voice arrested her. Cassidy looked up at him so close, noting his face was clean-shaven again this morning. She liked his dark skin, his hair as black as midnight, and his eyes nearly as dark.
“You smell… interesting,” she said.
“Oh, great. Do I need more aftershave?”
“No.” Cassidy inhaled the scent of his coat again while Diego sat very still. Eric had told her, when she’d limped out this morning, feeling like shit, what the smell up in the mountains had been.
Fae.
Cassidy had never met or seen a Fae in her long life. Fae hadn’t lived in the human world for centuries, leaving finally for Faerie after the Fae-Shifter war. Shifters had elected to remain in the human world and live the best they could, while the Fae had gone. The Fae had already begun leaving when humans started using more and more iron. Fae hated iron.
Cassidy’s head was too fuzzy to puzzle it all out this morning. Eric hadn’t given her a long explanation. Cassidy had just sort of mumbled, “Fae, right,” before sitting down and begging for coffee.
But now she wondered. The shooter had been using a rifle—which was made of steel. Plus he’d vanished in a bright light, just as he had up in the construction site. Did Fae do that? And why did Diego smell like one now?
“Cass.”
Cassidy looked up at Diego, who was watching her with dark eyes. “Hmm?”
“I shouldn’t have kissed you last night,” he was saying. “Or let you kiss me. I was way out of line. But I haven’t been doing anything right since I met you.”
Cassidy could only look at him. She should think of something witty to say. She’d always been able to be witty with Donovan. Their mutual wisecracks had filled every room. Now, with Diego, Cassidy sat tongue-tied. She couldn’t think of anything more witty to say than, “Oh?”
