Wild Cat

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

There was nothing like waking up with fifteen hundred pounds of bear on top of you. Diego shoved, but Shane was still out.

He heard another crackle of Taser, smelled more burning flesh, then heard Xav’s voice. “No, you’re staying down.”

“Diego?” That was Cassidy.

Diego slithered and slid out from under the unconscious grizzly and climbed to his feet.

Xavier stood over Reid, Reid out on the floor, his bare torso covered with sweat, blood, and dirt. Cassidy lay naked on the stone, very still, as though afraid to move. Diego limped to her, holstering the Taser he still held and kicking candles out of his way.

Chains wrapped Cassidy’s wrists and feet, and wires ran through those up and down her body to her Collar and then to a Taser. No wonder she didn’t want to move. If she set off the Collar, she’d light up the chains as well.

“I’m sorry, Diego,” she murmured.

“Why are you sorry? Reid did this, not you.”

Diego felt along her Collar for the connections-simple ones, he was happy to find, but Reid would pay for every one of them.

“I shouldn’t have gone back into your apartment without checking it out, first. I knew Reid was still out there somewhere. I should have had Brody come with me.”

Diego gently pulled wires from the Collar. “Don’t beat yourself up, Cass. I’m kind of wondering why you went out the window in the first place. My mom’s chilaquiles aren’t that bad.”

“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 asshole 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 fucking 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?”

“You said iron hurt Fae,” Diego said, “but Reid obviously works just fine around iron. What about silver?”

“Fae love silver,” Cassidy said. “The purer the better.”

“That’s good,” Xavier said. “Because I don’t have any pure silver sitting around waiting to be used on a Fae.”

“Tranq him,” Diego said. “And we’ll take him to my place. We keep him drugged until we decide what to do with him.”

“Fine,” Eric said. “But we take him to Shiftertown. No, don’t argue with me. We have a better chance of hiding him there. No human neighbors to wonder why there’s Shifters all over your place. And if he tries to escape, there will be nowhere for him to run.”

Diego conceded the argument. He went back to Xav’s truck for the same tranq rifle Reid had checked out of Shifter Division days ago, brought it back inside, and took a lot of satisfaction from shooting the dart into the side of Reid’s ass.

Cassidy found herself once more watching Diego drive, this time in Xavier’s truck. Eric was in his own car with Xavier, and in their trunk was Reid, bound and tranquilized.

Cassidy wore sweats that Eric had thoughtfully brought for her. Her dress must still be at Diego’s. The mate bond kept squeezing her and humming happily. Diego had come for her. He’d known where to find her, and he’d come.

She reached over and rested her hand on Diego’s arm. Just touching him made her feel better. Diego glanced at her, his eyes full of warmth.

Cassidy wrapped her hand more firmly around his arm and sank her head into his shoulder. The hunt, the fight, had only stirred his warmth, she felt. Diego wanted sex; she could sense it and scent it. He’d wait until they were finished with this business, until he was certain Cassidy was safe. And then…

The mate bond was helping to keep down other things inside her. Rage, grief, the need for vengeance. They swooped at her, one after the other, but the mate bond kept them from driving her into a killing frenzy. She closed her eyes and breathed Diego’s scent. Comforting. Warm.

At the Warden house, they unloaded the unconscious Reid, not without drawing attention. Shifters had no concept of minding their own business. They came out of houses and stood watching curiously as Diego and Xav carried Reid into the house.

Nell came over from the porch next door. “That him?” she asked Cassidy.

Eric had gone inside closely after Diego and Xav. The trackers on their bikes and Shane in his truck were just pulling in.

Cassidy couldn’t speak, emotions now overwhelming her. Nell, understanding, pulled her into a hug, her arms strong. “I know, honey. I know. Want me in there with you?”

Cassidy wiped tears from her eyes. “No. Thanks. I have to do this.”

Nell gave her a quick squeeze. “All right, but if you want me, you just yell. I’m good at getting men to confess their sins. I’ve had all that practice with Shane and Brody.”

Cassidy smiled but at the same time blinked back more tears. “I’ll be fine.”

But would she?

Cassidy went inside to find that they’d tied up Reid on the floor, in a space cleared in the living room. Xavier sat backward on a wooden chair to watch him, both a Taser and a regular pistol in his hands. Eric waited on the other side of the room, Jace beside him. Diego stood above Reid, the tranquilizer rifle resting easily in his arms.

Cassidy halted at Reid’s feet, her emotions churning. She wanted to kill him, at the same time she wanted to pound on him until he begged her to stop.

Diego reached over to the dining room table, grabbed a glass of water that had been resting there, and poured the water over Reid’s face.

Reid coughed, and his eyes fluttered open.

Diego cocked the tranquilizer rifle and pressed it into Reid’s stomach. “First question. Who are you, really?”

Reid’s eyes were glassy as he stared up at Diego. He blinked, trying to focus. “You know me. Stuart Reid. I’m dokk alfar.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“That’s what he said to me,” Cassidy said. “In the cave. He said his people were the dokk alfar. He called the Fae the… something that sounded German.”

“Hoch alfar,” Jace said, breaking in. “It’s of Scandinavian derivation. It means, literally, high elf. Dokk alfar can be translated as dark elf.”

“There’s elves now?” Xavier asked. “What is this-Lord of the Rings? Pointy ears, long hair, bows and arrows?”

“Goddess, you’re ignorant,” Reid sneered.

Cassidy scented it, Reid’s body heating into the flare that built right before he vanished. “Diego.”

Diego dug the rifle into Reid’s stomach. “I can tranq you before you can fire up. Just stay here and answer, or you’re going to have one hell of a hangover.”

Jace came to them, still interested in Reid’s revelation. “Where do you think Tolkien got his ideas for his elves? From the legends of the Fae-from Celtic, Norse, and Anglo-Saxon stories. I’ve never seen a dark Fae, never knew they existed.”

“They exist,” Reid said. “I exist.”

“So, you’re not half Fae,” Eric said.

“No.” He shot Cassidy a derisive look. “I am pure.”

Cassidy had had enough. She advanced on him, ready to shift, ready to gut him.

“Why Donovan? Why him?” The last word robbed her of breath. Grief, rage, sorrow, confusion took hold of her. “And don’t you dare say he was only Shifter.”

To her amazement, Reid looked ashamed. “He wasn’t supposed to die,” he said. “I’m sorry. Those hunters killed him before I could stop them.”