Hunting Colby Read online

  “Red was supposed to meet with a vampire from your community the night he went missing. I’d like to question that vampire. I assume you know your charges or at least someone who would.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Which vampire are we discussing?”

  “Alcide.”

  A spark of interest glinted in Cesio’s gaze. He’d gone from a male interested in playing sex games to an overlord watching prey in seconds. “Why meet with Alcide? Were they lovers?”

  My cool grappled with a laugh fighting its way to the surface. “I’m not sure.” I highly doubted it, but I had heard of stranger things. “You know Alcide?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. He has a terrible reputation, Gwen. You should allow me to do the questioning. I’d hate to incur Master Tane’s wrath if you were to be killed on my territory. I’m also very, very good at getting answers.” His foot traveled over my calf.

  I jumped at the sudden touch. “This doesn’t help me find the human though. I want him back alive.” I dug my fingernails into the armchair.

  “All I can offer is that if your human is found dead, I will personally hand Alcide over to the Nosferatu. Maybe the young one with you could take care of this matter. Oh wait, I’d heard they were friends. Maybe you should question Mutt more thoroughly for Alcide’s location.”

  Grimacing, I shot him a glare. “You think I haven’t?”

  My sharp response elicited something like a purr from Cesio. He leaned forward. “How exactly did you ask him?” His gaze roved south along my chest.

  The door behind Cesio cracked open. A server entered, carrying a tray with wine and glasses.

  “Uh, I asked him?” I crossed my arms. Being agreeable was leading me nowhere. I wasn’t Rose. Seduction and flirting had never been one of my strongest skills. I eyed the wine bottle the server set in front of me. No matter how much I drank, I’d still be a bitch. “What the fuck do you mean, how did I ask him?”

  “Maybe you should use more persuasion.” He signaled the server to leave.

  I glanced at my exposed cleavage then back at the vampire. “Yeah, that’s not happening.” I might have thrown up a little in my mouth.

  The server hung behind Cesio but didn’t appear to be leaving. He lifted his chin so our gazes met under his long, black hair.

  My heart stuttered. It was Colby in disguise. I’d recognize those steel green eyes anywhere. Reflexively, I inhaled his faint scent.

  Cesio chuckled. “That’s not what I meant.”

  I swung my attention back to Cesio, schooling my facial expression to the security guard mask I wore whenever escorting my master. “What?” Shit. Shit. Shit. What was Colby doing here? He’d better not stake the Overlord. My connection with Tane wouldn’t save his ass if he murdered a vampire without just cause.

  “You seem like a female who enjoys being in charge. Some males enjoy that.” Meaning him?

  Something slid up my leg.

  I clamped my teeth around a yelp of surprise. My glare jerked to Colby as his eyes flared with shifter light. Was he shifting?

  Time slowed. Colby’s face elongated to wolf-beast form. Claws and teeth pushed through his flesh while his wide eyes went from human green to wolf golden. My mate shifted mid-air as he leaped toward Cesio. His dark fur shone with the same blond highlights in his hair. He took my breath away. With claws extended, he swiped at the overlord.

  “Colby, no!” I shouted. He couldn’t kill him, not without a shitload of repercussion.

  Cesio moved with the experience of a well-trained warrior. He ducked Colby’s strike with ease and tossed my mate against the wall. Shifters could take on most vampires, but the old ones had made it to that age for a reason. Fighting skill could ensure a vampire saw centuries.

  Colby’s ability could match Cesio’s, but he fought in a new body with limbs longer than he was used to and an unfamiliar strength.

  Cesio would easily tear Colby to shreds.

  I hurried between the males, facing the vampire. “Please don’t kill him. He’s just protecting me.”

  Cesio brushed his hair from his face, his fangs extended long and sharp. “From what?”

  “Your touch.” I reached behind and buried my hands in Colby’s thick pelt. “He’s my—my new mate, so his hormones are running hot.”

  “Your mate.” His voice went flat. “You came up here with me, dressed like that…” He snorted and took a few steps away from us. “Your invitation inside this club has been revoked. Do you need to be escorted out?”

  “No. We’re leaving.”

  “And tell Mutt to keep his pets at home.” Cesio exited via the elevator.

  “Pigheaded zombie breeder.” I twisted to face Colby as he shifted to human form. Great, I had to march him out of the club naked. Pieces of the server’s uniform lay all over the floor. “That could have gone smoother. And congratulations on finding your trigger to shift. Can you work on your timing now?”

  He rose to his feet and stared at his hands. “That hurt less than I’d imagined, and I shifted fast.” He flexed his fingers, and the claws receded.

  “Yes, yes, you’re amazing. What the fuck are you doing here?” I shoved him toward the open doorway.

  He gave me a hard look. “You didn’t come to the hotel like you were supposed to.”

  “Cesio refused. I had to improvise.” I glanced at his bare ass. “Do you have any other clothes?” He couldn’t have owned the server’s uniform before entering the club.

  “Yeah.” He glanced at the elevator.

  “Forget it. We’re not going after him. He’s asked us to leave, and we will.”

  “Gwen—”

  “That lead is dead. He wasn’t going to help. You were right.” Those last words were worth speaking just to watch Colby’s mouth hang open. I patted his behind. “Nice.”

  I followed as he stomped away, descending a staircase to the basement, and appreciated my view. A prone human slept on the floor in his underwear, and a pile of folded clothes sat on a shelf beside some canned food. I glanced to make sure his chest rose and fell.

  “I had to incapacitate him for his clothes.” Colby checked his pulse. “He’ll be fine but will have a hell of a headache.”

  “So…you came in here because?” I needed to hear him say it. Juvenile, I knew, but that didn’t change things.

  He paused with his T-shirt over his head for a moment before continuing to dress. “I was worried about you.” The nonchalant way he spoke was betrayed when he cleared his throat. “Let’s get you out of here and out of that dress.” He grabbed my wrist and led me toward the back door.

  My lungs seized. “What?”

  “I mean, get you in some regular clothes. Out of that lady-of-the-evening wear.” He moved through an empty hallway.

  “Wait.” I yanked out of his grasp. “I can’t leave Mutt here alone.”

  His eyebrows vanished under the tangle of his long bangs. “He’s a grown man. I’m sure he can find his way home.”

  “He’s young and he swallowed his pride to help us tonight. I won’t abandon him to Cesio’s hospitality.” I searched the corridor for the entrance to the club.

  Colby snarled and punched the closest wall. “Why can’t you follow orders?”

  “Because I’m used to giving them.” My answer was so simple it knocked him silent. “You didn’t need to rescue me. I was doing fine.”

  “He was pawing you.”

  “He touched my leg.” I narrowed my eyes and circled Colby. “You’re jealous and protective. Better be more careful—you’re beginning to act like a fully mated shifter.” Sarcasm weighed my words, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You should have trusted me to deal with Cesio.”

  “Trust? You bow and scrape at every vampire you meet. Of course you’d believe anything he said.”

  I retreated from him as if he’d hit me physically.

  He followed, looming with each step. “This is why we’re a bad idea. I lose my head around you. I’m doing stupid things I would never h
ave attempted.”

  “That’s just the hormones. My mother reassures me it will fade with time.” For both of our sakes, I hoped it happened soon.

  “Gwen, could you sit on the sidelines while I go on the hunt?”

  “No.”

  “You’d want to be at my side. That means slaying.”

  “I have no qualms killing vampires who break the laws. I’ve done my share of this work way before meeting you.”

  “But I do have a problem with it. I can’t stand the idea of something happening to you. Taking you into a fight is my worst nightmare. I’d lose it as soon as someone touched you. My team can’t afford their leader going feral in the middle of a battle.” He frowned. “I should never have brought you home with me. I’m sorry.”

  My heart ached so badly I couldn’t breathe.

  “I need time to think.” Without a look back, he strode from the club, deserting me to my own self-loathing.

  I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. I would not cry. Staring at my warped reflection in the window of the exit door, I pictured a hole within my chest and tossed all my feelings inside. I stomped my heel against the hard floor, and it echoed in the empty space.

  No.

  No more tears.

  No more chasing.

  No more Colby. It was his loss. I’d done all I could but change who I was for him. I wouldn’t go down that road. I was Gwen Fatima Brizido. Killer. Hunter. Warrior.

  I straightened my spine and took a deep breath before entering the club at the opposite end of the hall.

  Mutt still hung out at the bar, nursing a beer. His head jerked as soon as I stepped inside and he grinned. Tossing back the rest of his drink, he strolled through the parting crowd toward me. “Ready to go?”

  “Very.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  An out-of-breath parking attendant returned, keys dangling from his fingers. “The car’s gone. I’ll call the cops.” He hurried to the desk and lifted the phone.

  I sighed and set my hands on my hips. There were so many possibilities, but the most logical was a certain pissed-off shifter male. Colby probably carried an extra set of keys and had a way of locating his car.

  Mutt’s eyes went dark as the night. “What does he mean, gone?” His voice matched his gaze.

  I pressed my hand against his chest as he took a step toward the frightened parking attendant. “Colby took it.”

  Shaking his head, he focused on me. “Say what?”

  “He was here, we fought, and I assume he took his car.” I glanced at the attendant. “Don’t call the police. We know who has the car.” How he found it would be a question for another day. I turned from everyone before they could see the misery in my eyes and wended along the sidewalk.

  Mutt shambled next to me. “I liked that car. I was looking forward to driving it.” He harrumphed and stuck his hands in his pockets as we continued to the end of the block in silence. “I should have kept my hat with me.” The sound of material tearing had me twisting to face him. He’d torn the bottom of his T-shirt off and tied it around his head to hide his pointed ears. “I can’t wind up on YouTube. The brotherhood would crucify me.” He shuddered. “Really, they would.”

  “I know. Remember, I work for your king. Who do you think they’d send to hammer the silver nails in?” My gaze traveled from his outfit to mine. “God, I look like a hooker and you my pimp.”

  “What did you and Colby fight about?” The scant amount of pedestrians on the sidewalks gave us a wide girth; some even crossed the street. People had a sixth sense about predators. The smart ones listened to that instinct.

  “I can’t travel on the subway to Brooklyn like this. I’ll end up killing some jerk who tries to proposition me.” I was in that kind of mood. “We’ll go to your place. I’m sure with some creative rolling and tying, a pair of your pants might fit me.”

  “Sure. Once you tell me what has you so twisted in knots.” Mutt had stepped closer until we were almost touching.

  I shrugged. He might as well know, considering I’d be taking my frustration out on his hide while we trained. “Colby’s being a jerk. It’s a natural shifter trait. Most males carry it.” I crossed my arm over my chest to cover the exposed flesh.

  “Hmm…I hear the females carry the stubborn traits.” He sauntered ahead before I could retaliate.

  “Colby attacked Cesio in beast form because he touched me.” I increased my pace, quite a feat in heels.

  A small smile curled Mutt’s lips. “That’s cute.”

  I sputtered and almost sprained my ankle. “What?”

  “He really likes you a lot.” Mutt swung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him in a friendly manner.

  “He left me.” I swung my hand in front of us. “On the street dressed like Rose.”

  “He left you with me. He knows I won’t let anything happen to you.” He gave me a gentle squeeze. “Once he’s cooled off and thinking with his big head instead of his little head, he’ll be back. Trust me. I saw the way he looked at you, especially in that dress.” He chuckled. “Maybe we shouldn’t have let you wear Rose’s clothes.”

  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”

  We continued our journey in a comfortable silence. The cabs weren’t stopping when I waved and sped away when Mutt did. I’m not sure if it was Mutt’s protective arm around my shoulder that deterred any passing comments from the gangs we passed or my daggered glares, but no one bothered us.

  Mutt lived in the western part of Chelsea. He owned a warehouse that he’d converted to art studios and rented out. A portion of the lower floor he kept for himself. The art world accepted his uncommon hours. The rent he earned paid for the building, but not much else.

  The dark, empty streets didn’t bother me. I was raised as a predator in the jungle. Things that lurked in the dark should fear me. The building covered half a block, and the entrance to his home was in the back.

  He undid the four padlocks and chains on the sliding garage door before opening it. A chill always accompanied the air in his home; the vaulted metallic ceiling made it difficult to keep the place warm. The majority of the space was used as a practice arena for fighting. Weapons of all shapes and sizes decorated the wall. Most of them were gifts from his brothers, and he had no clue how to handle them. Mutt’s gifts lay in hand-to-hand combat. Even as a human he’d earned two black belts, one in karate and the other in mixed martial arts, which warranted him enough attention to be turned vampire.

  I trained him in jujitsu and all the weapons on the wall, from swords to guns. He also hired a shaolin warrior to teach him their techniques. It didn’t leave us much time, and hunting for his missing friend screwed our schedule.

  The sound of the shower running reached my ears as I crossed the threshold. I belly-flopped on the floor, sliding the gun from my thigh holster. “Mutt, down.”

  He followed my orders as I was saying them. His puzzled expression cleared as he heard the noise.

  “You have any roommates I don’t know about?” I released the safety on the gun and crept forward, scanning the dark corners. Discarded clothes lay on the floor by the bathroom door, and a faint, familiar scent reached my nose.

  “No, the only person who knows how to get in without keys is—”

  “Alcide.” I set the safety and returned my gun to its holster, then opened the bathroom door. Steam poured out, and I could barely make out his form behind the shower stall glass.

  He sang. I couldn’t understand, since it was in Italian, but it sounded sad. He paused as my heels clicked on the tile. “Hello?”

  I opened the shower door. “Half the city is looking for you.”

  He blinked the water from his eyes as he assessed me from head to toe. Then a smile grew on his face. “And the other half wants me dead.” His smile wasn’t the only thing that grew.

  Reaching around him, I turned the dial to ice-cold and slammed the door.

  His screeches trailed behind me as I exited.

&n
bsp; Mutt sat in his favorite chair. It was so old it had molded to his shape. “You have this way of leaving a lasting impression on everyone you meet. I need to learn how to do this.” He grinned as I shot him a look.

  “I’m stealing clothes.”

  “Mi casa es su casa.” He watched the bathroom doorway with interest.

  Scavenging through Mutt’s bureau, I found a pair of yoga pants that might fit. I held them up.

  “Oh, someone must have forgotten those.” He gave me a smug wink.

  “Yeah, but are they clean?” I didn’t have a problem wearing old girlfriend clothes.

  “If they’re in the drawer, they’re clean.”

  Alcide strode out into the living space with a towel around his waist. “Who is that?” He pointed at me as I pulled on the yoga pants. My dress was now a long shirt; too bad half my cleavage still hung out.

  “Never mind her. Where the fuck have you been, man? I’ve—we’ve been combing the streets for your body.” Mutt crossed his long leg over his knee. “And why are slayers after you?”

  Alcide seemed to deflate before us. He puddled onto the couch next to Mutt and flung his arm over his eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  I raised my eyebrow at Mutt, who rolled his eyes. Inching closer, I stayed on my feet behind Mutt’s chair with my gun in the palm of my hand. The bullets wouldn’t kill but would hurt. Alcide was Mutt’s friend, not mine. “You’d better explain soon before Mutt’s big brothers take an interest.”

  Alcide jerked. “I want them to! I thought you couldn’t call them.”

  “I can’t, but she can.” Mutt leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees. “Is that why you asked a few weeks ago?”

  His friend sat up to face us, hands clasped together tight. “I think Cesio is breaking the breeding laws.”

  A cold chill ran over my skin. The vampire nation had strict rules on creating new citizens. It all came down to supply and demand. Too many vampires meant more mouths to feed, which led to more humans being food and finding out about vampire existence.