Free Wild Cat by Jennifer Ashley Page A

join them. The animals circled the outcropping in a perfect pincher move, coming at the shooter from all sides to pen him in. Diego let fly another shot to keep the hunter busy.
    The wildcats, bear, and wolf moved in beautiful formation. The animals couldn’t communicate in words, had nothing to go on but instinct and visual cues. Yet they maneuvered like a well-oiled team, exactly anticipating each other’s moves. Diego could work like that with Xavier, had been able to work like that with Jobe.
    Eric and the wolf slunk the last ten yards and lowered themselves, disappearing from Diego’s sight. The bear moved slowly behind the rocks and it too disappeared. The cats moved in the other direction, hugging the ground, readying themselves to spring.
    Diego trained the scope on the hunter again. The heat signature around the guy had grown larger, much larger. A second person? Diego saw no sign of anyone else, just the man with the rifle who suddenly seemed very hot.
    The heat bubble exploded, flooding green through the scope. Diego jerked away, blinking. At the same time, the animals let out snarls—the bear roaring—and charged.
    Diego gave up his cover and scrambled down the hill. He’d have to stop the Shifters from ripping the guy apart, though Diego would be happy to slap cuffs on whoever it was in there. He’d charge him with illegally hunting Collared Shifters, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at a police officer, and—if this was the same hunter that had been at the construction site—tranqing Jemez and Hooper and nearly causing Diego’s death. This would be fun.
    The deep roar of the bear boomed up and down the mountain and vibrated the moonlit sky. His roar was answered by the deep growls of a wildcat and the howl of a wolf. Diego ran faster.
    He reached the outcropping the hunter had been using as a blind, took cover behind a massive boulder, and trained his pistol on the interior. “Drop your weapon, and get on the ground. Now .”
    Nothing happened.
    The wildcats came out from behind the rocks, Cassidy with muzzle pressed to the ground, sniffing, sniffing. The bear shambled around from the side of the outcropping, the biggest damn grizzly Diego had ever seen.
    Eric’s head was up, his leopard eyes white with rage. Sparks chased around the Collar on his massive neck. The wolf sat on his haunches, looking angry.
    Diego risked a look inside the rock shelter. It was empty, the mud inside smooth, no sign of anyone having been there.

CHAPTER SIX

    X avier came roaring up in his F-250 as Diego climbed down to the road. Dirt and gravel shot into the air as Xavier braked, then he leapt out of his truck. Xavier spied Diego flanked by two wildcats and a bear, and stopped, a shotgun resting loosely in his hands.
    “All clear,” Diego said as he hiked the last few feet to the road.
    Xavier didn’t raise the shotgun, but he kept it handy and looked hard at the Shifters.
    “These are Cassidy and Eric Warden,” Diego said, jerking his thumb at the wildcats. “And their neighbor, Brody. I need to give them a ride home.”
    Xavier warily eyed the bear. “That’s a frigging grizzly, Diego.”
    “I know.”
    Xavier raised his brows, then caught what was in Diego’s expression and shrugged. “OK.”
    Cassidy chose that moment to change into her tall, lithe, human form. Xavier’s eyes widened, and Diego stepped protectively in front of her.
    “Stop ogling and get her a blanket.”
    Xavier blinked at his older brother in surprise, then he grinned hard. Still carrying the shotgun, Xavier stepped to Diego’s car and pulled out a blanket.
    Cassidy wrapped the scratchy wool around her, not missing how Diego had tried to hide her from Xavier’s gaze. Mates did that, instinctively, protecting their females from other male Shifters, but Cassidy knew Diego had not done it for any mate reason. He was thinking like a human, believing Cassidy would worry about Xavier seeing her without clothing.
    Xavier was Diego’s