Wild Cat

want to answer to me.”

Diego glared at him. “Damn it, that’s not the point. Cassidy isn’t supposed to leave Shiftertown-at all. If she’s seen out of it, she’ll be arrested, Shifter Division will get her, and there won’t be anything I can do.”

“She won’t be seen,” Eric said in a hard voice.

“How the hell do you know that?”

Jace came out of the back carrying a mug of coffee. He looked from Eric to Diego, assessed the mood, then lifted the mug and drank the coffee himself.

“The phone call Jace just took was from one of my trackers,” Eric said. “They’re checking in every half hour. I heard what he said. Cassidy is fine.”

Jace nodded confirmation and took another sip of coffee.

“Son of a bitch,” Diego said. “It’s not about how well she’s guarded. The only reason she’s not in a Shifter Division cage is because I vouched for her, promised that she’d stay home. You need to find her and get her back here. Now.”

“I just told you what she’s going through,” Eric said in a hard voice. “Her mate was cut down by human hunters. Tonight is his remembrance blessing, and she’s making her peace with where he died. She hasn’t been able to make herself go there until now, which is a huge step forward for her. I couldn’t tell her no.” Eric’s expression reflected anguish, but Diego couldn’t let this go so easily. “I know what she’s feeling,” Eric went on, “because I went through it too. She needed to go, and I understood. I sent the trackers with her to make damn sure nothing happens to her. She’s praying, and she’s fine.”

“I’m damn glad to hear she’s fine, but you should have stopped her,” Diego said heatedly. “Do you know what Shifter Division will do to her if they find her running around without a leash? Whatever the hell they want. They won’t stop themselves. She’s only a Shifter, a female Shifter. That’s how they think.”

All compassion vanished from Eric’s eyes. “If they touch her, they’re dead. I don’t care about Collars, and I don’t care about rules. Think about that.” Eric flicked Diego’s tie. “Without a leash. Yeah, that’s funny.”

Diego didn’t move. “If you fight the cops, it’s you that’s dead. You, your son, your sister, and anyone else Shifter Division decides to put down. You think about that while you take me to her.”

They faced each other, brown eyes staring into green. Diego saw anger congealed inside Eric, twenty long Shiftertown years of it.

The man had power, yes, and Diego saw that Eric hated dampening that power to obey the rules. But he’d do it, Diego also saw. Eric would do anything to keep those in his protection safe. Had done it, was doing it every day of his life. Diego understood, because he had the same instinct.

Eric raised his hands. The gesture might be conceding, but the look on Eric’s face was anything but.

“I’ll take you out to where she’s gone, but only if you promise not to arrest her. We’ll bring her back, you tell your Shifter Division she’s doing fine, and you leave her the hell alone.”

“No,” Diego said. Eric’s eyes widened a little, the blaze of rage startling, but Diego faced him down. “We find her, we bring her back here, and then I decide what to do with her.”

Eric wanted to fight him; Diego read that in his face. The man wasn’t just Collared and confined, he’d had every natural authority taken away from him, and he hated it. Eric had nothing left in his arsenal. But that didn’t mean he still didn’t have power. Diego knew that if he’d confronted Eric in Eric’s true territory, with Eric’s rules, before the Collar, Diego would already be a smear on the floor.

“Ready to go?” Diego asked softly.

Eric snarled, the sound low and laced with menace. He held Diego’s gaze a little while longer, then he abruptly turned and yanked open the front door, just stopping himself from ripping it off the hinges. He strode out, and the door banged behind him, hard enough to bring plaster down from the ceiling.

Before Diego could follow, Jace stepped in front of him. “Bring her home,” Jace said in a quiet voice. “You’re right, human. Cassidy shouldn’t have gone.”

It wasn’t anger that made Jace voice the thought. It was worry for Cassidy. But Diego didn’t miss that Jace had waited until his father was out of the house before he’d expressed his disagreement.

“I’ll get her back,” Diego said, then he went out after Eric.

CHAPTER FOUR

Outside, Eric leaned against Diego’s black T-Bird, waiting. To most observers he’d look relaxed, but Diego sensed the tension in him, a cat ready to spring.

As Diego made for the car, another Shifter came out of the house next door. This one was damn tall and hugely muscled, with a big, granitelike face. He wore a biker vest, which showed off tatts that ran down his arms. He was much bigger than Eric, much bigger than any human Diego had ever seen. Bear Shifter, maybe?

On the porch behind him stood a woman almost as tall as the man. They both wore Collars, which glinted in the late afternoon light. “Everything all right, Eric?” the woman called. “Who’s the human?”

The bear man gave Diego a toothy smile. “Mama don’t like humans. They worry her.”

Dios mio, that woman was his mother?

“Everything’s fine, Shane,” Eric said. “This is Diego. I’m taking him to Cassidy.”

Shane’s smile faded. “What happened? Did Brody call? You need me?”

“No.” Eric’s voice was calm, even casual. Diego realized he was deliberately downplaying his anger, perhaps so the bear wouldn’t react to it. “Nothing’s going on. I’m just going to round up Cass and bring her home.”

Shane laughed suddenly, a loud, booming sound that reminded Diego of Jobe. “Round up Cass. Right. Call me if you need backup.”

“You’ll be the first.” Eric opened the door of Diego’s car and got inside.

Diego found himself once again the object of Shane’s stare, plus mama bear’s from the porch. A big male bear and his pissed-off mother, eyeing the pesky human in their midst. It might be funny if not for their uncanny resemblance to grizzlies.

Diego deliberately turned away from Shane and got into the driver’s seat. Without looking at the bears, he started the car and pulled onto the street.

He saw Eric watching him.

“What?” Diego asked in irritation.

“Shane and Nell are some of the highest-ranking bears around,” Eric said. “Nell is head of their clan. And you just turned your back on them like you didn’t care.”

“I’m armed,” Diego said. “And they’re Collared.”

“Doesn’t matter. You did the equivalent of flipping them off, or if you were a Shifter, spraying.”

“Yeah, that’s what I need. A pissing contest with bears.” Diego knew though, from his childhood, how important pissing contests could be.

Eric leaned back in the seat and put his booted foot on the dashboard as Diego drove down the narrow street to the entrance of Shiftertown and out through the gates.

“You’re right that I shouldn’t have let Cass go out,” Eric said as the dilapidated streets outside Shiftertown flowed by. “That’s why I sent so many guards with her, including Shane’s brother, Brody. One mean bear.”

Diego glanced at him, but Eric was looking out the window. It must have cost Eric, leader of all Shiftertown, to admit he was wrong.

“Why did you?” Diego asked.

“Because it’s the one-year anniversary of her mate’s death. There are rituals we do for that. Cassidy will do one in the place her mate died, and then we’ll have a family memorial, which these days includes everyone in our Shiftertown. Rituals are important for us, damned important. Important enough to risk danger for. Stay for the memorial-you’ll understand.”

Eric issued the invitation offhandedly, but Diego sensed that it was significant. First, though, they had to find Cassidy.