“Yeah, so I noticed.”

“But really, will you help?” Cassidy took his hand and raised it to her lips. “I don’t want Donovan to have died for nothing.”

“I get that.”

He liked how her breath felt on his fingers. Diego caressed her cheek, his arousal demanding attention.

“This mate-claim thing,” he said. “I’m not quite clear on all of it. Explain it to me.”

Cassidy released his hand. “It’s part of Shifter law, created when we were first free of the Fae, and territory and dominance disputes were common.” Cassidy stretched again as she talked, so distracting. She had the sexiest legs in creation. “The mate-claim ensured that a female wasn’t just grabbed by any and all males and used until she died. When a female is mate-claimed, that means all other males have to leave her alone. The female either accepts the mate-claim, which means she and the male are joined in the mating ceremonies under the sun and under the full moon. Or, the female can turn down the claim and be free for the next male who wants to claim her. But the mate-claim marks the female as off-limits. If another male wants her, he has to Challenge.”

“Tell me about that. The Challenge.”

“It’s a fight—in the old days, to the death. Now it’s just a fight until one male gives up, but they can be pretty dangerous. The winner gets the mate-claim. The female retains the right to reject the claim of the challenger.”

Diego rubbed his lip. “So when I said to Miguel, Consider this a challenge, he… considered it a Challenge.”

“Every Shifter within hearing did,” Cassidy said.

“But you can reject it, you said. I heard you scream to Miguel that you rejected his claim.”

“Yes, a female can reject the claim anytime she wants. She needs to do it in front of witnesses.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

Cassidy blinked. “What?”

“Apparently, I won the Challenge against Miguel for this mate-claim. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to reject me. Like when we were standing on the airstrip, and Eric was going on about me Challenging for you, which meant the mate-claim for you was passed to me. We were standing in front of Dylan and Shane and the Shifters we rescued—lots of witnesses. Why didn’t you reject the claim then?”

Cassidy reddened. “Maybe I didn’t want to.”

“No?” Diego let his voice go soft. “But I’m not Shifter.”

She moved toward him, her tight dress all kinds of good. “I haven’t turned it down, Diego Escobar, because the mating frenzy is driving me crazy, and the mate-claim gives me an excuse to jump your bones.”

“Yeah?” Diego smiled in the darkness and slid his arm around her. “Do you want to jump my bones now?”

She growled low in her throat. “You know,” she said, kissing his ear, “after I shifted back and got dressed—I didn’t bother putting on my underwear.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Diego went still, and she scented his pheromones sharp on the air.

“Mi ja, why do you tell me things like that?” he asked.

Cassidy loved his voice. She lifted herself over him. “To make you want me.”

“How could you think I don’t want you? But there’s not much room in this car. I say we go home. Fast.”

“Can’t.” Cassidy kissed his face, her unfettered br**sts pressing his shoulder and chest. “I need you right now. I’m going insane.”

She reached around for her zipper and squirmed out of the top half of her dress. Diego’s eyes went dark, and he kissed her skin with warm lips.

Somehow he got them into the small backseat. Cassidy yanked open Diego’s pants while he laughed, then she scooted up her skirt to prove she really was commando.

“Damn, woman.” Diego wrapped his arms around her hips and brought her down to him. “Oh, yeah, there you go. I love how tight you always are.”

Cassidy wanted to shout out how good he felt sliding in. “I love how you fill me up,” she whispered.

She clenched her fists. She wanted to savor every moment, but her body kept thrusting against his, needing to soothe the burn.

He clenched his fists. “Slow down, sweetheart,” he said. “I want this to last.”

“I can’t.” Cassidy pushed herself down on him again. Diego ran his hands over her back, making calming sounds.

Not so much lovemaking, she thought, as frenzied, burning need. He was pressing up inside her, stretching her so wide. He claimed she was tight, but it was him, so big. He reached her secret places and filled them.

Diego murmured to her in his wine-dark voice, hands calming. Diego was her perfect counterpart—matching her wild Shifter frenzy with soothing warmth. A safe harbor for a woman who’d been tossing about in misery.

She loved him.

“Diego.”

Cassidy got her mouth on his neck and suckled, hard. Diego groaned. She nipped and licked, sucked and pulled. Diego thrust into her, his touch no longer soothing. He caught her fire, and they both burned.

“Damn you, Cass.”

More hot thrusts, and then his release. Cassidy rode him awhile longer, searching for the peak, finding it when he rubbed his thumb over her very wet opening. She screamed out loud, and then she was falling, falling, landing on Diego’s strength. He pulled her close and held her, keeping her safe.

Cassidy found Eric the next morning sitting at the kitchen table contemplating six Collars laid out across the dark wood.