She should be used to it by now. Any story that might actually give her an insight into the Breeds, or might shed some light on the hell they still lived through, and she was blocked. Anytime she came close to the truth, it was covered up.
“Bastard!” She glared at him furiously before turning on her heel, despite his warning, and moving back along the path she had followed in.
Damn him.
“Cassa. Stay where you are!” Hard, cold demand filled his voice.
“Go to hell!” She tossed the words back at him, intent on getting just as far away from him and as fast as possible.
“Give him hell, Ms. Hawkins,” Dog laughed. “This is almost as good as actually catching Jonas covering up a crime. Perhaps we’ll be luckier next time and really find something. Don’t you think the Breeds should be revealed for who we are? You are a reporter after all. Doesn’t the story matter?” She could hear the smirk in his voice.
As if she wanted to find anything while he was in the vicinity. The next time she would make certain she blocked her scent first. That way, nosy Coyotes couldn’t stop her, harass her or otherwise endanger her self-preservation, where Cabal was concerned.
“I said hold up, dammit.” Hard fingers wrapped around her arm and dragged her to a stop, despite her struggles. “You’re not going anywhere.”
She wasn’t going anywhere? Cassa lowered her gaze to stare at the sight of his darker, broader fingers as they encircled her wrist, holding her in place. There was just enough light to make out his features, to detect the glitter of gold in the forest green eyes, and the hint of red as moonlight glinted within them.
Animal eyes. He was a Breed, and she often let herself forget that one little point. He wasn’t a normal male, and the reaction she had to him sure as hell wasn’t normal.
“You can file a complaint for harassment,” Dog’s voice echoed in the night again. The Coyote was damned brave considering he and his two men were surrounded by well-armed Felines.
“Shut up, Dog.” Cabal’s tone was just hard enough to hint at the tension that suddenly flared between them.
Cassa felt it. She watched his nostrils flare, knew he was drawing in her scent, that he could smell her arousal as well as her reaction to the clasp of his fingers.
Such a simple touch, yet the powerful dominance and clear arrogance that was so much a part of him wrapped around her tightly.
It was just his fingers, but she felt so much more. She swore she felt his touch traveling through her body, through her veins, soaking into her pores.
“Let me go, Cabal.” Mating heat had started with much less than such a simple touch.
Dog’s chuckle echoed through the night again. “Boys, this could get interesting. These Felines get a little intense over their women. And she smells like a hot one.”
Heat flamed through her face. Cassa could feel the wave of angry embarrassment that washed through her as she glared back at the Coyote. Her angry look was met with a flash of strong white teeth in the darkness.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” Cabal warned her, the softness of his voice sending chills racing down her spine.
“Of course I shouldn’t have,” she agreed sarcastically. “I should have just let you have your little party alone. Let you hide the truth and bury my head in the sand just as everyone else does, shouldn’t I?”
She watched his face. Even in the darkness she could detect the tightening of his features and the sudden lust that flared in his eyes.
“That’s exactly what you should have done,” he snapped back at her as he turned and began to move, practically dragging her behind him.
“Like hell!” She jerked at the hold he had on her. “Dammit, Cabal, stop pulling at me.”
He stopped suddenly, turning on her, his eyes shining in the darkness. “Are you going to come with me peaceably?”
“I doubt it.” She would have kicked at him if she thought it would do her any good.
“That’s what I thought,” he snarled. “Lawe, finish up here, and escort those damned Coyotes off this mountain,” he suddenly ordered. “I’ll meet you back at base.”
Where the hell base was, she had no idea, but before she could protest or question anything, he was pulling her down the path once again. Where the hell he actually thought he was taking her, she wasn’t sure. The one thing she was certain of: She most likely didn’t want to be there with Cabal.
“This isn’t going to work,” she hissed furiously.
“It’s working fine for me.”
Of course it was working fine for him. She had no doubt in her mind.