“Can’t think of anyone,” Diego said. His watch beeped. “Time’s up.”
Eric studied him thoughtfully, but Shane was still angry. “We can’t trust humans, Eric. I always said so. Let me get the truth out of him.”
“Leave it, Shane,” Eric said.
“I think we’re done here,” Diego said. He turned around, only to find himself facing the wall of Shane. The man could move fast for someone so big.
Shane topped Diego by several inches. His face was changing into the bear-man’s Diego had faced outside Cassidy’s bedroom, his fingers again razor-sharp claws.
Diego looked straight into Shane’s eyes. “Move.”
Shane didn’t move. Neither did Eric or Cassidy, though Diego sensed Cassidy ready to spring at Shane. Eric had laughed when Diego had refused to be intimidated by Shane, but he wasn’t laughing now. The man was waiting to see who won the battle of wills, Diego realized. They were establishing dominance.
“Understand something,” Diego said to Shane in a careful voice. “I know I can’t fight you one-on-one. I don’t have the strength. You could kill me right now, and I’m betting that your Collar wouldn’t slow you down fast enough to save me. But I will promise that if anything happens to me back here, you’ll be facing Xavier. Trust me, you don’t want to. Xav might act like a guy who lives to party, but he’s got a lot more anger in him than I do. If something happens to me, he’ll go for you, and he won’t stop for anything.”
A spark jumped on Shane’s Collar. Cassidy stood rigidly beside Diego, and Eric waited, quietly, for the outcome.
“Eric,” Cassidy said softly. “Stop this.”
Eric said nothing. Diego figured Eric would have a reason for not intervening, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Was he testing Diego? And why?
“He’s been with Fae, Cass,” Shane said. “We can’t trust him. You can’t trust him.”
Cassidy kept her gaze on her brother. “Eric, let me vouch for him.”
Eric’s quiet stance vanished. “No.”
At the same time, Shane said, “Don’t you dare let her.”
“No, it makes sense,” Cassidy said. “My fault for bringing him here tonight. My fault for bringing him to Shiftertown at all. There’s a lot of Shifters out there, and if he’s going to be safe from them, they need to know he’s protected. You’re leader, you’re needed. You can’t pay the price. But I can.”
“Price?” Diego demanded. “What price?”
“Cass, no,” Shane said, sounding anguished.
“Someone tell me what’s going on,” Diego said. “Now.”
“Cassidy, don’t do this.” Now Eric was pleading.
“If he’s going to be around Shifters, it’s the best way. You know it.”
Brother and sister exchanged a long look. For a moment, Eric’s eyes held pain, raw and stark. Then they filled with understanding, even sympathy.
“This is what you want?” he asked quietly.
Cassidy stepped to Eric and put her hand on his chest. “This is what I want.”
“It might not work out,” Eric said in a warning voice.
“Then it doesn’t.”
The two exchanged another look, rife with emotion, then Eric nodded once.
“No,” Shane growled. He brought up his claws.
Cassidy snarled. Her own fingers turned to claws, and she slashed quickly. Not at Shane—at her own hand.
Diego couldn’t stop her. By the time he grabbed her, Cassidy had slashed three deep marks into her palm and turned her hand upside down over Eric’s. Blood rained down to Eric’s open hand.
“I swear by my blood,” Cassidy said.
Shane’s Collar sparked. “Damn it, Cass, no.”
“It’s done,” Cassidy said calmly. “Let him go, Shane.”
Shane looked devastated.
“Cassidy, what the hell did you just do?” Diego demanded.
Cassidy plucked a tissue from a box on a table and wiped her hand with it. “I vouched for you. Now, no Shifter in our Shiftertown will give you problems.”
“What are you talking about?” Time was running out. Any second now, Xavier would try to burst in here, probably with LVPD’s finest at his back.
Shane stepped solidly in front of Diego again. His claws had vanished, his face human again, and his Collar had stopped sparking. He looked angry but resigned. “Listen to me, human cop. If you make Cassidy pay for your mistakes, I’ll kill you myself. I don’t care about Collars or human law. I’ll do it.”
Diego could arrest Shane and confine him for the rest of his life for even saying that. But he was tired of the whole confrontation. “Just shut up, Shane,” Diego said. “I’m not in the mood.”
Shane remained fixed. Beside him, Eric took Cassidy’s hands and kissed them. He gave her a worried and a loving look.
“I’d never let Cassidy pay for my mistakes,” Diego said to all of them. “Understand that.”
Shane’s dark eyes were still filled with fury. “Understand this, Diego. Cass took a blood oath for you. That means that if you step out of line, if you betray any Shifter in any way to anyone, Eric will have to kill her.”
CHAPTER TEN
Cassidy ran after Diego as he stormed down the back hall. As soon as they hit the club, he swung on her, his eyes glittering with rage.
“What crazy, f**ked-up thing was that about?” he demanded.
“Diego.” Cassidy reached for him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xavier start for them. Diego shook his head at him, warning him off. Xavier nodded once, took Lindsay’s hand, and led her to the dance floor.
Diego took Cassidy’s hand and turned it palm up. The slashes she’d made had already closed. Shifters healed quickly. “Trust me,” she said. “It was necessary.”
“Let me understand. If I do anything Eric considers a betrayal—to you or to him, or to any Shifter—he thinks he can kill you for it?”
“It won’t come to that,” Cassidy said. “The Shifters will know I wouldn’t make a pledge lightly. But what you had with Shane was just a taste. If I don’t protect you, you’ll have dominance fight after dominance fight with every Shifter you meet. Some harmless, some violent.”
Eric studied him thoughtfully, but Shane was still angry. “We can’t trust humans, Eric. I always said so. Let me get the truth out of him.”
“Leave it, Shane,” Eric said.
“I think we’re done here,” Diego said. He turned around, only to find himself facing the wall of Shane. The man could move fast for someone so big.
Shane topped Diego by several inches. His face was changing into the bear-man’s Diego had faced outside Cassidy’s bedroom, his fingers again razor-sharp claws.
Diego looked straight into Shane’s eyes. “Move.”
Shane didn’t move. Neither did Eric or Cassidy, though Diego sensed Cassidy ready to spring at Shane. Eric had laughed when Diego had refused to be intimidated by Shane, but he wasn’t laughing now. The man was waiting to see who won the battle of wills, Diego realized. They were establishing dominance.
“Understand something,” Diego said to Shane in a careful voice. “I know I can’t fight you one-on-one. I don’t have the strength. You could kill me right now, and I’m betting that your Collar wouldn’t slow you down fast enough to save me. But I will promise that if anything happens to me back here, you’ll be facing Xavier. Trust me, you don’t want to. Xav might act like a guy who lives to party, but he’s got a lot more anger in him than I do. If something happens to me, he’ll go for you, and he won’t stop for anything.”
A spark jumped on Shane’s Collar. Cassidy stood rigidly beside Diego, and Eric waited, quietly, for the outcome.
“Eric,” Cassidy said softly. “Stop this.”
Eric said nothing. Diego figured Eric would have a reason for not intervening, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Was he testing Diego? And why?
“He’s been with Fae, Cass,” Shane said. “We can’t trust him. You can’t trust him.”
Cassidy kept her gaze on her brother. “Eric, let me vouch for him.”
Eric’s quiet stance vanished. “No.”
At the same time, Shane said, “Don’t you dare let her.”
“No, it makes sense,” Cassidy said. “My fault for bringing him here tonight. My fault for bringing him to Shiftertown at all. There’s a lot of Shifters out there, and if he’s going to be safe from them, they need to know he’s protected. You’re leader, you’re needed. You can’t pay the price. But I can.”
“Price?” Diego demanded. “What price?”
“Cass, no,” Shane said, sounding anguished.
“Someone tell me what’s going on,” Diego said. “Now.”
“Cassidy, don’t do this.” Now Eric was pleading.
“If he’s going to be around Shifters, it’s the best way. You know it.”
Brother and sister exchanged a long look. For a moment, Eric’s eyes held pain, raw and stark. Then they filled with understanding, even sympathy.
“This is what you want?” he asked quietly.
Cassidy stepped to Eric and put her hand on his chest. “This is what I want.”
“It might not work out,” Eric said in a warning voice.
“Then it doesn’t.”
The two exchanged another look, rife with emotion, then Eric nodded once.
“No,” Shane growled. He brought up his claws.
Cassidy snarled. Her own fingers turned to claws, and she slashed quickly. Not at Shane—at her own hand.
Diego couldn’t stop her. By the time he grabbed her, Cassidy had slashed three deep marks into her palm and turned her hand upside down over Eric’s. Blood rained down to Eric’s open hand.
“I swear by my blood,” Cassidy said.
Shane’s Collar sparked. “Damn it, Cass, no.”
“It’s done,” Cassidy said calmly. “Let him go, Shane.”
Shane looked devastated.
“Cassidy, what the hell did you just do?” Diego demanded.
Cassidy plucked a tissue from a box on a table and wiped her hand with it. “I vouched for you. Now, no Shifter in our Shiftertown will give you problems.”
“What are you talking about?” Time was running out. Any second now, Xavier would try to burst in here, probably with LVPD’s finest at his back.
Shane stepped solidly in front of Diego again. His claws had vanished, his face human again, and his Collar had stopped sparking. He looked angry but resigned. “Listen to me, human cop. If you make Cassidy pay for your mistakes, I’ll kill you myself. I don’t care about Collars or human law. I’ll do it.”
Diego could arrest Shane and confine him for the rest of his life for even saying that. But he was tired of the whole confrontation. “Just shut up, Shane,” Diego said. “I’m not in the mood.”
Shane remained fixed. Beside him, Eric took Cassidy’s hands and kissed them. He gave her a worried and a loving look.
“I’d never let Cassidy pay for my mistakes,” Diego said to all of them. “Understand that.”
Shane’s dark eyes were still filled with fury. “Understand this, Diego. Cass took a blood oath for you. That means that if you step out of line, if you betray any Shifter in any way to anyone, Eric will have to kill her.”
CHAPTER TEN
Cassidy ran after Diego as he stormed down the back hall. As soon as they hit the club, he swung on her, his eyes glittering with rage.
“What crazy, f**ked-up thing was that about?” he demanded.
“Diego.” Cassidy reached for him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xavier start for them. Diego shook his head at him, warning him off. Xavier nodded once, took Lindsay’s hand, and led her to the dance floor.
Diego took Cassidy’s hand and turned it palm up. The slashes she’d made had already closed. Shifters healed quickly. “Trust me,” she said. “It was necessary.”
“Let me understand. If I do anything Eric considers a betrayal—to you or to him, or to any Shifter—he thinks he can kill you for it?”
“It won’t come to that,” Cassidy said. “The Shifters will know I wouldn’t make a pledge lightly. But what you had with Shane was just a taste. If I don’t protect you, you’ll have dominance fight after dominance fight with every Shifter you meet. Some harmless, some violent.”
