Wild Cat

“Half Fae can, Jace.” Eric’s voice was quiet. “There’s enough immunity in their non-Fae halves to allow them to tolerate iron. That’s why they’re so dangerous.” He took a sip of beer. “I need to talk to this cop.”

“He vanished.” Diego said. “Disappeared with a burst of light. Is that a Fae thing?”

Eric shook his head. “I haven’t heard of half Fae being able to appear and disappear at will, but who knows? I don’t know a lot about Fae magic.”

“I don’t know anything about any magic,” Diego said. “But I know about the shit people do to each other.”

Eric regarded him a moment. “Something happened to you, Diego, something beyond your partner being killed, even your father being killed.”

“A lot of things have happened to me.” Diego’s old anger stirred. Cassidy looked up at him, as though sensing his pain, and Diego went back to petting her. She needed the comfort as well. “But they’re not what I’m talking about right now. I want to get Reid. I’m happy to arrest him and lock him up, but first I need to find him.”

“I’ll send some of my trackers to his apartment to have a sniff around,” Eric said. “So we can start looking.”

“I already sent Xav over there to keep an eye on the place. Reid might not go back there, though, now that we know where to find him.” Xav, as angry as Diego about last night’s attack on Cassidy, had been happy to help.

“Reid doesn’t need to go back,” Eric said. “My trackers can fix on his scent and use that to search him out.”

Diego shook his head. “I can’t let you start an all-out hunt. Reid’s still a police officer, and if you hurt him or kill him I might not be able to help you. Cops hate cop killers, even if the cop is a criminal himself.”

Eric gave him a hard green stare. “I can help you find him, Diego. I have resources you don’t.”

“I know that, and I appreciate it. I don’t mind some assistance, Eric, but you have to let me take him down.”

“Fair.” Eric’s voice was mild, but Diego knew better. He’d have to watch him.

Cassidy growled, a throaty rumble, gave Diego’s hand a lick with a rough tongue, then languidly climbed off him.

Her cat was beautiful. Diego thought about the cow crack Reid had made and decided to break one of Reid’s limbs for that.

Cassidy made her way down the hall to her bedroom. Eric suddenly slammed his bottle to the coffee table and climbed to his feet. “I’m grilling outside,” he said. “Stay for supper.”

Shifters couldn’t do something as simple as cook out. The whole family got involved—Jace grilling buns and putting together the extras, neighbors drifting in to lend a hand or contribute food, and earning themselves an unspoken invitation.

Shane’s mother, Nell, came over with a luscious-looking pie. “Blackberry,” she said as she passed Diego. “Bears’ favorite.”

Diego planted himself at the cooker and watched Eric spreading steaks across the grill along with burger patties. Expensive steaks, if Diego were any judge.

Eric had sent his trackers to Reid’s apartment as promised, but he’d instructed them, with Diego standing next to him, to let Xavier take point. Brody and company already liked Xavier—most people did—and agreed. Xav told Diego on the phone that he also didn’t think Reid would show his face at the apartment again, but said he’d work with the trackers and keep them cool.

Diego picked up a spatula and flipped a burger Eric didn’t reach in time. “Next time I’ll bring you some of my mom’s adobada. You’ll sweat into next winter.”

“Sure, human. We need that in this climate from hell.”

“Spicy foods cool you down. Scientific fact.”

“Right.” Eric poked at the meat. “I bet you thought we ate everything raw.”

Diego shrugged. “I figured you hunted it down and dragged it home.”

“I’ve done it. Back in the wild, when there was nothing else.” He gave Diego a serious look. “Then we discovered barbeque sauce.”

Diego chuckled as he took a drink of beer. Then Cassidy walked out of the house, and all coherent thought left him.

She’d changed back to her human form and now wore a white sleeveless blouse, ass-hugging jeans, and sandals with a hint of heel. She’d brushed out her hair, and now it hung past her shoulders, parted simply in front.

Cassidy’s tall body swayed as she walked. She didn’t parade herself; she simply moved without hurry, as she walked to the cooler on the back patio, and all her curves moved in perfect harmony.

Diego wasn’t the only one watching her. Every male within range stopped and stared as Cassidy extracted a beer from the cooler, opened it, lifted the bottle to her lips, and took a long, slow drink. It was like watching heaven. Diego followed the beer spilling down her lucky throat, imagined the sweat on the bottle’s neck as her mouth slid around it.

“Mating need,” Eric said without looking up from the grill.

Diego jumped. “What?”

Eric gestured with his fork at the males whose gazes riveted to Cassidy. “Cassidy is of cub-bearing age, and she’s no longer mated. Males outnumber females around here five to one. Whenever Cassidy walks outside, every unmated male around zeros in on her.”

Diego saw that. Blatantly or subtly, the men watched Cassidy. “And you let them?”