Diego’s breath came faster. Cassidy looked up into his eyes, her heart thumping as she saw the naked need in them.

He wanted her. Whatever he was fantasizing right now, it was driving him as crazy as Cassidy’s fantasies were driving her.

But Diego was holding himself back. He was a strong man, would be an alpha if he were Shifter. Diego had rules he had to follow, and by Goddess, he was following them.

Cassidy was about to throw the rules to the wind and let her frenzy out when Eric walked in the back door. Her brother took in Cassidy and Diego sitting so close, and his nostrils widened.

Eric must have smelled the faint Fae scent, because he stopped, sniffed, and riveted his gaze to Cassidy. She shook her head the slightest bit.

Diego was definitely human, not Fae, not even half Fae. Though Cassidy had never seen a Fae, she knew what signs to look for; every Shifter did. Full-blood Fae had pointed ears, white blond hair, and cold, cold eyes. Half human, half Fae could look human, but their eyes were just as cold.

Eric didn’t pursue it. “Your brother says you want to have a look at that outcropping where the shooter was,” he said to Diego. “Good idea. You can drive.”

Cassidy itched and burned. She wanted to go with them; she wanted to find out why this hunter was stalking her, and whether he had anything to do with Donovan’s death. Despite her awakening frenzy, she wasn’t letting go of her quest to bring down the hunters who’d killed Donovan. He’d been her mate and hadn’t deserved to die.

She knew that if she told Diego she wanted to hunt and kill the men who’d shot Donovan, he’d do his best to stop her. Shifters were Collared, tamed. Supposed to be anyway. Diego would say it was his job to stop her.

Cassidy had things to do, anyway. She folded her arms as Diego stood up, his warmth going away. She had this hangover to get rid of, for one, and people she had to take care of. Being Eric’s second meant she helped Shifters with their troubles, keeping Eric from being overwhelmed with all but the direst problems. People came to Cassidy first.

“Just tell me everything,” she said.

Eric came up behind her chair, leaned down, and folded his arms around her. He nuzzled her cheek, his warmth comforting her as it had since she’d been a tiny cub. Eric rubbed her arms, kissed the top of her head, and straightened up.

Diego was looking at them, as though he longed to give Cassidy a good-bye hug too. Cassidy stood up, arms slightly open at her sides, a signal that she was open to an embrace. Whether Diego understood the body language or not, he gave her a regretful look, turned away, and followed Eric out the door.

CHAPTER EIGHT

They took Xavier’s truck back up the mountain, because he had four-wheel drive and Diego didn’t want to abuse the T-Bird any more than he had to. He remembered the way—he was good at memorizing terrain—but let Eric point it out anyway.

The three of them went over the area for several hours but returned to Shiftertown without much to report.

Cassidy was in the backyard when they returned. Diego took one look at her bending over in her form-hugging jeans, her cropped top hanging a bit loose at her stomach, and started sweating. The woman was gorgeous. Her light hair swung over her shoulders as she played with the small wildcat at her feet.

Cassidy wasn’t skinny—Diego had noted that most Shifter women were larger than human females—but she was well proportioned to her height. That meant the long, strong legs he’d seen nice and bare, full br**sts, and curved hips. Luscious.

When she heard them come out, Cassidy scooped up the cub and greeted them. The cub looked like a white tiger, and it had the sweetest blue eyes Diego had ever seen.

“This is Torey,” Cassidy said, holding up the cub, its oversized paws batting the air. “He just lost his dad.”

“Poor thing,” Xavier said. He put a hand out to pet it, then jumped back when Torey growled and swatted at him. “OK, looking at the cute kitty from over here.”

Cassidy grinned. The squirming cub had pulled Cassidy’s shirt up a little, baring her navel with the little gold stud. Diego would have to ask her what happened to the stud when she shifted.

Jace walked out behind them and started handing out bottles of beer. He seemed to be the beverage dispenser of the family. “Torey doesn’t trust full-grown males yet, for good reason.”

“Why’s that?” Diego asked. He politely took the beer but didn’t open it.

Eric answered while Cassidy stroked the tiger’s head and cooed at him. “Because he’s an orphan, no father, mother, or pride leader to look after him now. The other males in the clan instinctively want to kill him.”

“Shit,” Diego said. “Why?” And just this morning he’d sneered at Lieutenant Reid for claiming Shifters were too violent.

Eric shrugged. “It’s instinct. A male wants his own genetics passed on. When a male dies, other males move in to try to take the female, kill her cubs, and start their own prides or packs. That way they don’t have to worry about those cubs—especially the male ones—growing up and pushing them out.”

Xavier listened, openmouthed. He closed it again. “I was going to say that was barbaric, but you know, after our dad got killed, other men tried to put the moves on our mother. And they didn’t much like me and Diego. She didn’t have any money or anything, but she was good-looking. And alone.”

Cassidy’s compassion showed in her eyes as she looked at Diego. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d lost your father.”