“I’m Shifter.”
Diego finished with the wires and worked on the chains. They were locked in place with small padlocks. A quick search produced no keys, but small locks like these were nothing to a boy who’d been trained to break into cars by age ten.
Diego picked them carefully. “I’m not going to hide you,” he said.
“No, but humans and Shifters don’t mix well. It’s hard on the human.”
“You want to let me worry about that?”
“I’ve seen it happen, Diego. Humans lose their jobs, get shunned by their families. Don’t risk that for me.”
Cassidy was the one bound hand and foot, and she was worried about him.
“Mamita wants to meet you. She’s not going to shun you. As for my career—an ass**le from my office kidnapped you and wrapped you in chains. I’m not the one losing my job.”
The last chain fell from her wrists. Cassidy rose with a groan, but her arms went right around Diego.
Diego gathered her to him as he helped her to stand, then they held each other. Cassidy buried her face in Diego’s shoulder, her embrace strong and warm. Diego was happy to hold her and soothe her, which helped soothe him.
He leaned into her, rubbing her skin, absorbing her warmth. Animals tended to cuddle together for reassurance, and Diego thought they were pretty smart.
A rumble filled the little cave. Shane rolled up from the floor, waking up and fighting mad.
“Easy,” Xavier said. He turned the Taser on him.
Shane opened his mouth and roared.
He’s like a bear waking out of its hibernation sleep. He doesn’t know who we are.
Diego brought out his own Taser again. “Xav, give him a chance but take him down if you have to.”
Cassidy stepped away from Diego. Though her body was covered with dirt, her hair a tangled mess, she stood straight and strong.
Shane swung around to Diego and Cassidy with a long, low snarl. He charged.
Cassidy pushed Diego behind her. “Shane!” she said. “Stop.”
Diego grabbed Cassidy and tried to move her, because Shane wasn’t stopping. The bear’s Collar was going off, sizzling all over the place, but he kept coming.
Cassidy held up her hand. “Shane. Stop, now.”
Shane’s gaze snapped to Cassidy’s. Awareness slammed through his eyes, followed by an oh-shit look. Shane stopped so fast he skidded on the mud, paws shoving over the last of the candles before he crashed into the stone slab and went still.
Cassidy went to him. “Shane? You all right?”
Shane sat back on his bear haunches, shaking his head. Cassidy leaned down and stroked his fur.
Now there’s something you don’t see every day. A gigantic grizzly sitting on the stone floor, splashed with wax and dirt, growling as a beautiful woman petted him on the head.
Shane shifted back to his human form, growling and groaning all the way. “Ow.” Now he was a very large naked man smeared with wax and dirt, with a beautiful woman petting his head.
“You OK, Shane?” Diego asked.
“Yeah.” Shane rubbed his face, gently pushing Cassidy away. “Good shot, Diego. Did you get the shit?”
“He’s still out,” Diego said.
Reid lay motionless, Xavier returning his Taser to him.
“I’ll kill him,” Shane said.
Diego shook his head. “Get in line.”
Cassidy returned to Diego, arms stealing around his waist as though she couldn’t not touch him. “I want to talk to him. How can we keep him from vanishing?”
Eric came through the entrance, shifting as he rose to his full height. He took in the scene and went at once to Cassidy. Cassidy turned her embrace to her brother, the two holding each other tightly for a moment. There was nothing sexual in the contact—just two people who loved each other, happy to see each other whole.
Eric broke the embrace, rubbing Cassidy’s shoulders. “Have Diego and Shane take you home. The Fae is mine.”
Diego had heard that phrase often enough to know what it meant. Eric wanted them all to leave so he could kill Reid in private. Whether Reid died swiftly or lingered, Eric would finish him, Collar or no.
“No,” Cassidy said. “I want to face him.”
“Too dangerous,” her brother answered. “He’s obviously after you, Cass, and needs to be dealt with.”
“He killed Donovan.” Her voice filled with emotion. “He killed my mate, Eric. It’s my right.”
Shane broke in. “He’s a f**king Fae and a Shifter hunter. I say let Eric… um… talk to him.”
“No.” At Diego’s sharp word, everyone turned to look at him—all but Xavier, who kept his gaze on the captive.
“This isn’t the wilds of Scotland in the Middle Ages,” Diego said. “Reid is a cop—a human cop as far as other humans are concerned. If it’s even rumored that a Shifter gutted him, all Shifters will pay.”
Eric growled. “So what do you propose, human? He’s Fae. Our enemy. You want us to let him get away with what he’s done?”
“No, I want you to let me deal with it.”
“You can’t,” Eric said.
“You’d be surprised what I can do.”
They faced each other, Shifter to human. Eric was going to make this a dominance thing, but Diego didn’t give a rat’s ass about dominance. Reid would pay for touching Cassidy—but if Eric ripped into him, all the Shifters, including Cassidy, would be punished for it.
“Eric,” Cassidy said softly. “Diego’s right.”
Eric dragged his gaze from Diego and pinned it on Cassidy. “I don’t want you facing this guy either, Cass. Don’t even think about it.”
From the look on her face, Cassidy was definitely thinking about it. “At least let me talk to him,” she said. “I need to talk to him.”
“She needs closure,” Diego said. “Trust me, I know this.”
Eric’s gaze was right back on Diego. “You think I don’t understand? I’ve been alive for three times as long as you have. I lost my mate and was left with a cub to raise on my own. I’ve been hunted and rounded up, chained down so humans could perform experiments on me. Don’t tell me I don’t understand about revenge.”
“Um, ladies and gentleman,” Xavier said in the corner. “Reid’s waking up, and this man can vanish himself. Our question is—how do we keep him contained while you argue about who gets to do the honors?”
Diego finished with the wires and worked on the chains. They were locked in place with small padlocks. A quick search produced no keys, but small locks like these were nothing to a boy who’d been trained to break into cars by age ten.
Diego picked them carefully. “I’m not going to hide you,” he said.
“No, but humans and Shifters don’t mix well. It’s hard on the human.”
“You want to let me worry about that?”
“I’ve seen it happen, Diego. Humans lose their jobs, get shunned by their families. Don’t risk that for me.”
Cassidy was the one bound hand and foot, and she was worried about him.
“Mamita wants to meet you. She’s not going to shun you. As for my career—an ass**le from my office kidnapped you and wrapped you in chains. I’m not the one losing my job.”
The last chain fell from her wrists. Cassidy rose with a groan, but her arms went right around Diego.
Diego gathered her to him as he helped her to stand, then they held each other. Cassidy buried her face in Diego’s shoulder, her embrace strong and warm. Diego was happy to hold her and soothe her, which helped soothe him.
He leaned into her, rubbing her skin, absorbing her warmth. Animals tended to cuddle together for reassurance, and Diego thought they were pretty smart.
A rumble filled the little cave. Shane rolled up from the floor, waking up and fighting mad.
“Easy,” Xavier said. He turned the Taser on him.
Shane opened his mouth and roared.
He’s like a bear waking out of its hibernation sleep. He doesn’t know who we are.
Diego brought out his own Taser again. “Xav, give him a chance but take him down if you have to.”
Cassidy stepped away from Diego. Though her body was covered with dirt, her hair a tangled mess, she stood straight and strong.
Shane swung around to Diego and Cassidy with a long, low snarl. He charged.
Cassidy pushed Diego behind her. “Shane!” she said. “Stop.”
Diego grabbed Cassidy and tried to move her, because Shane wasn’t stopping. The bear’s Collar was going off, sizzling all over the place, but he kept coming.
Cassidy held up her hand. “Shane. Stop, now.”
Shane’s gaze snapped to Cassidy’s. Awareness slammed through his eyes, followed by an oh-shit look. Shane stopped so fast he skidded on the mud, paws shoving over the last of the candles before he crashed into the stone slab and went still.
Cassidy went to him. “Shane? You all right?”
Shane sat back on his bear haunches, shaking his head. Cassidy leaned down and stroked his fur.
Now there’s something you don’t see every day. A gigantic grizzly sitting on the stone floor, splashed with wax and dirt, growling as a beautiful woman petted him on the head.
Shane shifted back to his human form, growling and groaning all the way. “Ow.” Now he was a very large naked man smeared with wax and dirt, with a beautiful woman petting his head.
“You OK, Shane?” Diego asked.
“Yeah.” Shane rubbed his face, gently pushing Cassidy away. “Good shot, Diego. Did you get the shit?”
“He’s still out,” Diego said.
Reid lay motionless, Xavier returning his Taser to him.
“I’ll kill him,” Shane said.
Diego shook his head. “Get in line.”
Cassidy returned to Diego, arms stealing around his waist as though she couldn’t not touch him. “I want to talk to him. How can we keep him from vanishing?”
Eric came through the entrance, shifting as he rose to his full height. He took in the scene and went at once to Cassidy. Cassidy turned her embrace to her brother, the two holding each other tightly for a moment. There was nothing sexual in the contact—just two people who loved each other, happy to see each other whole.
Eric broke the embrace, rubbing Cassidy’s shoulders. “Have Diego and Shane take you home. The Fae is mine.”
Diego had heard that phrase often enough to know what it meant. Eric wanted them all to leave so he could kill Reid in private. Whether Reid died swiftly or lingered, Eric would finish him, Collar or no.
“No,” Cassidy said. “I want to face him.”
“Too dangerous,” her brother answered. “He’s obviously after you, Cass, and needs to be dealt with.”
“He killed Donovan.” Her voice filled with emotion. “He killed my mate, Eric. It’s my right.”
Shane broke in. “He’s a f**king Fae and a Shifter hunter. I say let Eric… um… talk to him.”
“No.” At Diego’s sharp word, everyone turned to look at him—all but Xavier, who kept his gaze on the captive.
“This isn’t the wilds of Scotland in the Middle Ages,” Diego said. “Reid is a cop—a human cop as far as other humans are concerned. If it’s even rumored that a Shifter gutted him, all Shifters will pay.”
Eric growled. “So what do you propose, human? He’s Fae. Our enemy. You want us to let him get away with what he’s done?”
“No, I want you to let me deal with it.”
“You can’t,” Eric said.
“You’d be surprised what I can do.”
They faced each other, Shifter to human. Eric was going to make this a dominance thing, but Diego didn’t give a rat’s ass about dominance. Reid would pay for touching Cassidy—but if Eric ripped into him, all the Shifters, including Cassidy, would be punished for it.
“Eric,” Cassidy said softly. “Diego’s right.”
Eric dragged his gaze from Diego and pinned it on Cassidy. “I don’t want you facing this guy either, Cass. Don’t even think about it.”
From the look on her face, Cassidy was definitely thinking about it. “At least let me talk to him,” she said. “I need to talk to him.”
“She needs closure,” Diego said. “Trust me, I know this.”
Eric’s gaze was right back on Diego. “You think I don’t understand? I’ve been alive for three times as long as you have. I lost my mate and was left with a cub to raise on my own. I’ve been hunted and rounded up, chained down so humans could perform experiments on me. Don’t tell me I don’t understand about revenge.”
“Um, ladies and gentleman,” Xavier said in the corner. “Reid’s waking up, and this man can vanish himself. Our question is—how do we keep him contained while you argue about who gets to do the honors?”
