The females. They were sequestered and naked, surrounded by the children too small to be around the full-grown males. Shifter males would have the instinct to kill the offspring of rival males—as with the problem of Torey in Cassidy’s Shiftertown—but the ferals wouldn’t even try to suppress the instinct. Miguel had obviously gotten around that problem by sequestering all cubs until they were big enough to fight for themselves. Even worse, some of the women down here were human.
Only one person rose to meet Cassidy—the alpha female, Miguel’s mate, who’d looked at Cassidy in such worry.
“Get them out,” Cassidy shouted at her. “Now.”
No one moved.
Damn it, there was no time. Diego’s attack depended on surprise, chaos, swiftness. Miguel would figure out how to regroup, and then they’d lose the advantage.
“This building is going to blow,” Cassidy said. “You have to leave.”
The females still stared at her, every confidence they’d ever possessed having been beaten from them long ago.
“Miguel’s down,” Cassidy said. “He’s finished. You’re free.”
“No!” The alpha’s cry was anguished. “You bitch, what did you do to my mate?”
She launched herself at Cassidy, shifting along the way.
Cassidy shifted again, her bones aching, her Collar already slowing her down. But she knew how this had to end. She had to defeat the alpha, become alpha herself, before the rest of the women would follow her.
The female, an Ursine, was unhampered by a Collar, but she’d been weakened by living down here in the darkness. In the real world, she wouldn’t have had the dominance Miguel had given her here.
The fight was swift. Cassidy’s Collar snapped and sparked, pain biting deep. Cassidy tried to close her mind to it and pinned the female with her paw. She fought the instinct that made her want to snap the woman’s neck, telling herself that whatever this woman had become, it wasn’t her fault.
Cassidy knocked the female’s head on the stone floor, and the woman groaned, the fight going out of her. Cassidy rose to her full height and shifted, pretending that the change wasn’t agony.
“Miguel mate-claimed me,” she said. “I just defeated your alpha, and unless someone else wants to challenge me, I’m alpha. And we’re going. Now.”
Animal instinct was amazing. The females sat for a stunned moment, then the idea made it through their brains that Cassidy had strength and power and, most of all, could protect them. Even the human females figured that out.
They got up, gathered their cubs, and started for the stairs.
“Diego,” Cassidy shouted upward. “We’re coming!”
“Hurry it up, mi ja,” Diego said, still sounding amazingly calm. “Marlo’s a pyromaniac.”
Cassidy herded the seven females and dozen cubs up the stairs. She’d have to come last, she knew, letting them know no one was getting left behind.
Cassidy caught the last, slow, crying little boy and sent him up the stairs after his mother. She grabbed the fallen alpha, who’d shifted back to human, slung her over her shoulder, and started up the stairs.
The Shifters were regrouping, looking for Miguel. Diego was propelling the women out of the gloom, Shane returning to help.
“Cass!” Diego shouted at her. “Hurry!”
Miguel was coming around. He saw Cassidy dash by with his mate over her shoulder, and came up with a roar.
Cassidy ran past Diego, who was walking through the big room as though he had all the time in the world. She emerged from the factory into sunlight and heat. Shane charged by her, crying cubs clinging to his back. Xavier was already out by the jeep, leaning heavily against it, Reid next to him. Some men from the village were there as well.
The bartender from the cantina saw the females coming toward them, gave a cry of joy, and launched himself at a dark-haired young human woman carrying a small boy. Father and daughter. Arms went around each other, the two crying and hugging.
Cassidy laid the alpha female on the ground next to the jeep then started back to the building. Diego hadn’t come out yet. She hurt too much to shift, but fear kept her running on her cut and bleeding human feet.
Before she made it halfway back, Diego emerged. He was dirty and bloody, his clothes ripped by claws, but he walked steadily toward her.
Behind him, the factory blew. Marlo’s charges, one after the other, sent the remaining walls of the factory heaving outward, and an orange ball of flame rose high into the hot sky.
Diego shouldered his shotgun as he reached Cassidy, then he put one arm around her shoulders and gave her a swift kiss on her lips.
“Hey, mi ja,” he said, his smile warm. “Need a ride?”
Diego didn’t get a chance to speak to Reid until they reached the airstrip.
“How did you do that?” Diego asked Reid. Reid stood with him and Xavier under a corrugated tin shelter as Diego checked Xavier over. “How did you know exactly where we were and how to get in?”
“GPS,” Reid answered. The man looked none the worse for wear, not even scratched or dirty. “Your pilot gave Eric the coordinates of the factory. I landed myself on the roof, looked things over, and figured out the fighting was worst in the main room. Got in there, saw your brother wounded, and pulled him out.”
“Thanks, Reid,” Xavier croaked. “I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing,” Reid said, and walked away.
Xavier groaned a little as he propped himself against the big water cooler Marlo had provided. “Reid is weird, but I’m grateful to him. Stop worrying about me, hermano, and go find out who those other guys Eric brought are.”
A second, smaller plane sat on the end of the dirt runway. This one had contained Reid, Eric, a couple of Eric’s trackers, and some Shifters Diego hadn’t met.
The Shifter that seemed to be the leader had dark hair going gray at the temples, blue eyes, and the hardest stare Diego had ever seen.
“This is Dylan Morrissey,” Eric said when Diego reached them. “From Austin. His son’s the Shiftertown leader there. I asked him here to check out this feral problem.”
Dylan looked Diego up and down, nostrils widening as he inhaled Diego’s scent. He obviously tried to make Diego look away, but Diego was getting a little tired of this game. He met Dylan’s gaze squarely and stayed put.
Dylan held out his hand, conceding. “Well met.”
Only one person rose to meet Cassidy—the alpha female, Miguel’s mate, who’d looked at Cassidy in such worry.
“Get them out,” Cassidy shouted at her. “Now.”
No one moved.
Damn it, there was no time. Diego’s attack depended on surprise, chaos, swiftness. Miguel would figure out how to regroup, and then they’d lose the advantage.
“This building is going to blow,” Cassidy said. “You have to leave.”
The females still stared at her, every confidence they’d ever possessed having been beaten from them long ago.
“Miguel’s down,” Cassidy said. “He’s finished. You’re free.”
“No!” The alpha’s cry was anguished. “You bitch, what did you do to my mate?”
She launched herself at Cassidy, shifting along the way.
Cassidy shifted again, her bones aching, her Collar already slowing her down. But she knew how this had to end. She had to defeat the alpha, become alpha herself, before the rest of the women would follow her.
The female, an Ursine, was unhampered by a Collar, but she’d been weakened by living down here in the darkness. In the real world, she wouldn’t have had the dominance Miguel had given her here.
The fight was swift. Cassidy’s Collar snapped and sparked, pain biting deep. Cassidy tried to close her mind to it and pinned the female with her paw. She fought the instinct that made her want to snap the woman’s neck, telling herself that whatever this woman had become, it wasn’t her fault.
Cassidy knocked the female’s head on the stone floor, and the woman groaned, the fight going out of her. Cassidy rose to her full height and shifted, pretending that the change wasn’t agony.
“Miguel mate-claimed me,” she said. “I just defeated your alpha, and unless someone else wants to challenge me, I’m alpha. And we’re going. Now.”
Animal instinct was amazing. The females sat for a stunned moment, then the idea made it through their brains that Cassidy had strength and power and, most of all, could protect them. Even the human females figured that out.
They got up, gathered their cubs, and started for the stairs.
“Diego,” Cassidy shouted upward. “We’re coming!”
“Hurry it up, mi ja,” Diego said, still sounding amazingly calm. “Marlo’s a pyromaniac.”
Cassidy herded the seven females and dozen cubs up the stairs. She’d have to come last, she knew, letting them know no one was getting left behind.
Cassidy caught the last, slow, crying little boy and sent him up the stairs after his mother. She grabbed the fallen alpha, who’d shifted back to human, slung her over her shoulder, and started up the stairs.
The Shifters were regrouping, looking for Miguel. Diego was propelling the women out of the gloom, Shane returning to help.
“Cass!” Diego shouted at her. “Hurry!”
Miguel was coming around. He saw Cassidy dash by with his mate over her shoulder, and came up with a roar.
Cassidy ran past Diego, who was walking through the big room as though he had all the time in the world. She emerged from the factory into sunlight and heat. Shane charged by her, crying cubs clinging to his back. Xavier was already out by the jeep, leaning heavily against it, Reid next to him. Some men from the village were there as well.
The bartender from the cantina saw the females coming toward them, gave a cry of joy, and launched himself at a dark-haired young human woman carrying a small boy. Father and daughter. Arms went around each other, the two crying and hugging.
Cassidy laid the alpha female on the ground next to the jeep then started back to the building. Diego hadn’t come out yet. She hurt too much to shift, but fear kept her running on her cut and bleeding human feet.
Before she made it halfway back, Diego emerged. He was dirty and bloody, his clothes ripped by claws, but he walked steadily toward her.
Behind him, the factory blew. Marlo’s charges, one after the other, sent the remaining walls of the factory heaving outward, and an orange ball of flame rose high into the hot sky.
Diego shouldered his shotgun as he reached Cassidy, then he put one arm around her shoulders and gave her a swift kiss on her lips.
“Hey, mi ja,” he said, his smile warm. “Need a ride?”
Diego didn’t get a chance to speak to Reid until they reached the airstrip.
“How did you do that?” Diego asked Reid. Reid stood with him and Xavier under a corrugated tin shelter as Diego checked Xavier over. “How did you know exactly where we were and how to get in?”
“GPS,” Reid answered. The man looked none the worse for wear, not even scratched or dirty. “Your pilot gave Eric the coordinates of the factory. I landed myself on the roof, looked things over, and figured out the fighting was worst in the main room. Got in there, saw your brother wounded, and pulled him out.”
“Thanks, Reid,” Xavier croaked. “I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing,” Reid said, and walked away.
Xavier groaned a little as he propped himself against the big water cooler Marlo had provided. “Reid is weird, but I’m grateful to him. Stop worrying about me, hermano, and go find out who those other guys Eric brought are.”
A second, smaller plane sat on the end of the dirt runway. This one had contained Reid, Eric, a couple of Eric’s trackers, and some Shifters Diego hadn’t met.
The Shifter that seemed to be the leader had dark hair going gray at the temples, blue eyes, and the hardest stare Diego had ever seen.
“This is Dylan Morrissey,” Eric said when Diego reached them. “From Austin. His son’s the Shiftertown leader there. I asked him here to check out this feral problem.”
Dylan looked Diego up and down, nostrils widening as he inhaled Diego’s scent. He obviously tried to make Diego look away, but Diego was getting a little tired of this game. He met Dylan’s gaze squarely and stayed put.
Dylan held out his hand, conceding. “Well met.”
