Eric’s human brother-in-law was smart, practical, and not easily intimidated, damn him. “She didn’t want to, but Iona understands the danger,” Eric answered.

“You had to bring her here? Couldn’t you protect her in her own house?”

“The thing is big and has too many entrances, too many windows. No place to hide.” Eric took a sip of beer. “I’m surprised you humans have survived this long.”

“Humans have alarm systems, big dogs, and hired security to protect them.”

“All useless against someone like McNeil.” Eric opened his eyes all the way to give Diego a stern look. “Understand something, Diego. McNeil is dangerous. He’s exactly like me, except I can be calm because I’m secure in my place as leader. He’s not anymore, so he’s looking for any way to push me out so he can rule. That means that no one connected with me is safe—not you, not Cass and your unborn cub, not Jace, and now, not Iona. I can protect you best if you’re all in one place. If I’m forced to divide my attention all over town, McNeil will slip in somewhere and gouge me, using one of you to do it. You’re all fair game to him.”

“So you decided to meet him at a fight club?” Diego asked, eyes showing his anger. “What happens if you lose?”

“I won’t lose.” Eric stopped. “But in case I do, make sure Iona rejects his claim loud and clear, in front of witnesses. Then bring her back here, under Cassidy’s and Jace’s protection. If I’m badly hurt or killed, Cassidy will become leader, which means McNeil will go after her. You and Jace will have to protect Cass too, with everything you’ve got. Get Shane and Brody and Nell with you—Nell’s pretty much fourth in dominance, or maybe even above Jace, I don’t know. But between all of you, you can keep Iona and Cassidy safe.”

Eric slumped back into the sofa, the speech tiring him. But he had to say it, and say it quickly, cutting through whatever protests Diego was about to voice.

“All right,” Diego said after a time. “Cass and I will look out for Iona if something happens to you. There must be something you can do about Graham, though. You’re Shiftertown leader. Arrest him or something.”

“It’s a tricky situation. It’s not Graham’s choice to be here, and if I grab him and confine him to a hole—or get the humans to arrest him—his Lupines will never forgive me. There would be retaliation battles for years to come. I need to win in a fair fight against Graham. Leaders don’t resort to tricks.”

“Sure, Eric,” Diego said. “What if he touched Iona?”

“Then I’d kill him.”

Diego nodded, knowing Eric wasn’t joking. “All right, then. You need a second at this fight? Can a human be second?”

“Yeah, thanks. You and Shane can back me up. I don’t want Jace there, in case Graham tries something underhanded. I don’t trust him to fight fair.”

“Done.”

Eric had never liked humans before he’d met Diego, but his brother-in-law was proving that humans could be as strong, loyal, and protective as Shifters.

Iona came out of Cassidy’s bedroom, and Eric’s thoughts about the upcoming fight dissolved. Cassidy had given Iona a cropped top and skirt, Cassidy being too tall to lend Iona any jeans. The skirt bared Iona’s athletic legs, and the top showed a slice of slim belly that Eric wanted to lick.

He was up off the couch and at Iona’s side before Iona could leave the hall. Cassidy squeezed around them, amused, and headed for Diego, but Eric leaned Iona back against the wall.

“My home is the best place for you,” Eric said, liking how she fit inside the curve of him. “Under my protection.”

“We’ll talk about it,” Iona said.

Eric breathed in her scent, something tight inside him loosening. “I’ll tell Jace to stop on his way home and buy us some chocolates.”

Her eyes went dark, her scent filling with need. “If you want the truth, I can’t taste chocolate without thinking of you.”

“Good.” Eric licked the corner of her mouth. “I only like it when it tastes of you.”

“We could find a hose,” he heard Cassidy say to Diego.

“You’d just get the hallway all wet,” Diego answered.

Iona blushed. Eric touched a kiss to her mouth. “Ignore them. Cass likes to tease.” Eric could tell that Cassidy was pleased with Iona though.

Iona shivered and rubbed her arms. “I’m still hungry.”

Cassidy rose from the arm of Diego’s chair and headed for the kitchen. “Sweetie, when I went through my first mating heat, I wanted to eat everything in sight. Now that I’m pregnant, I want to eat everything in sight again. I say we have ice cream.”

Eric didn’t want to let Iona go. He wanted to lean against her there, in the hall, absorbing her warmth, her smell, the taste of her.

But eating would help her metabolism, which was going crazy, as all females’ did when the mating urge first touched them. Soon Iona would want to slake her hunger a different way, and Eric would be right there to help her.

Diego and Eric watched from the living room as Cass and Iona devoured a tub of ice cream at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

The two women were already getting along, Cassidy talking in her open way, asking Iona about her family, the construction company, and her life growing up as a half Shifter. Iona, who always told Eric to mind his own business, readily answered Cassidy’s questions.

Then Cass and Iona put their heads together and started talking softly to each other. Occasionally they’d glance up at the two men in the living room, and snicker.

Females.

After the ice cream, Iona started yawning and declared she’d go to bed. She was exhausted from the wedding, the reception, the mate-claim, meeting all these Shifters…

Eric let Iona enter Jace’s bedroom alone. He knew that if he followed her in, he wouldn’t want to leave. He’d kiss her again, savoring more than he’d been able to in the hall, then he’d take her down to the bed, burrowing under her clothes and completing the mating.

In Iona’s current state, she wouldn’t fight him. But Eric didn’t want only a casual encounter with Iona, she looking to ease her frenzy. When Eric took her, he wanted it to be as full mates. Then he’d make Iona his, forever.