Hunting Colby

by Annie Nicholas

  “What proof do you have?” Setting my hand on the back of the chair, I took in Alcide’s scent to help judge if he spoke the truth.

  “Proof? If I had that, then the Nosferatu would be in the city and Cesio would be dust. All I have are small pieces to a puzzle.” He hung his head, running his fingers through his wet hair. The gesture reminded me of Colby. “I fed what I knew to the slayer group that works for Master Tane in hopes they could inform him or find more evidence.”

  “What?” My surprised question passed my lips before his words truly registered in my head. “You were working with the slayers?”

  He nodded. “I was supposed to meet with my contact, one of their leaders, a few nights ago, but he never showed. He’s not answering his cell phone either. I’m getting worried.” His head shot up from their cradle. “Wait a minute.” He pointed at me. “You were in the motel room the other night and attacked me.”

  I rolled the tension from my shoulders. He smelled of truth, or at least, he believed what he said was true. “You were walking into a trap. I saved your scrawny ass. They think you killed their friend. He was supposed to meet with you then vanished.” I groaned. Explaining this to Colby wouldn’t be easy. “I need to know everything. They still want to stake you.” I took a seat next to him, not letting the gun go.

  He glanced at it. “You don’t trust me.”

  “I don’t trust anyone.”

  “And you’re not human.”

  “I’m a shifter and, more importantly, I’m head of Master Tane’s security. If Cesio is breaking breeding laws, Master Tane needs to know.”

  Alcide whistled and glanced at Mutt. “Are you in more trouble than me?”

  Grinning, Mutt nodded. “Gwen is here to set me straight. If you answer her questions, I might consider not kicking your ass for not coming to me with this in the first place.”

  The vampire swallowed visibly. “I wanted to, but I really don’t have any concrete evidence.” Alcide faced me. “It started with my human companion. She mentioned there was a flu affecting many of her friends, an anemic flu. It seems the sick were all low on blood, some needing transfusions. She was young, and all her friends liked to gather at the clubs. They’re easy prey. It was enough to set off my alarms. I told her to stay home in the evenings, unless I could accompany her, and went to some of the hospitals to discreetly question staff.” By discreetly, I assumed he meant he entranced them.

  I leaned toward him. “Why concern yourself?” He didn’t hold any position of importance so he didn’t have to make such an effort.

  He winced. “I liked her. My companion, she was fun and gentle. There’s not much gentleness in a vampire’s life. She was also headstrong and independent. Against my advice, she continued to go out on her own.”

  “Liked?” I asked, noting his use of past tense.

  “I found her at home, weak and helpless. No signs of abuse, but I did find a set of bite marks not belonging to me.” Alcide stared unseeing ahead, his thoughts focused inwards. “Someone else had fed from her to a dangerous level, but she couldn’t remember the event. At the hospital, she died. They said it was the anemic flu.”

  I cleared my throat. He had cared for her, but love could be blind. The source of her mysterious bite seemed obvious to me however he didn’t appear to want to see it. Instead he conjured phantom plagues and mysterious plots. “Alcide, I still don’t see any connection to Cesio.” It took a lot of effort not to bitch slap some sense into the grieving vampire. His misguided theories might have cost Red his life.

  “I’m getting to that.” He met my gaze, his eyes turning hard. “I know what you’re thinking. That she cheated on me. I thought the same at first, but what about all the others in the hospital?” Shaking his head, he leaned back on the couch. “Cesio’s smart.”

  “The old ones always are.” So I’d been wrong. He could see beyond his heart. I should have known; I didn’t think Mutt would consider a fool his friend.

  “Think about it. If he were breeding a small army, how can he feed them without drawing either human or Nosferatu attention? He can’t let his young vampires out in the street to hunt. Rising body counts would be all over the news and draw the Nosferatu.”

  A cold lump of fear dropped into the pit of my stomach.

  Mutt straightened in his chair. “He’s making it seem like an illness?”

  Oh my God, the cold turned into nausea. “It’s a brilliant plan. Not everyone is dying?” I shot the question at Alcide.

  “No, of course not. If they were, it would be all over the news. Even the number of humans falling ill are not overwhelming, just enough to make them scratch their heads.”

  “If he spreads it out over the whole city so no one hospital is overwhelmed, then no alarms are set off. Nobody would notice the increase. With enough people recovering, the death counts are low.” I rubbed my temples. “Shit. So whoever is doing this has a food supply.”

  “It’s Cesio.” Mutt folded his arms over his chest. “My gut is never wrong about these things.”

  I snarled at no specific person, and it echoed against the empty warehouse walls. “I agree.”

  Alcide’s eyes widened but he didn’t scoot away like most vampires would have. I liked him a little more for it.

  Jumping to my feet, I had to pace to keep up with my racing thoughts. “You’re right. We can’t go to the Nosferatu with this yet. There’s nothing concrete. A few sick humans caused by vampires won’t bother anyone if the humans recover.” I stopped in my tracks in front of Alcide. “Why do you think Cesio is breeding?”

  “The bite marks.” That made sense. Each vampire’s bite was different, almost like a fingerprint, but I was far from an expert on the subject. “The puncture holes were tiny, like made by thin needles. It’s probably why the doctors didn’t detect them. Young vampire’s baby teeth are formed this way—thin, translucent, and very, very sharp.”

  “The young I’ve met don’t have much control over their hunger. I don’t understand why the death toll isn’t higher.” I hadn’t much experience with this. I dealt with the old, not the young.

  Alcide shrugged. “Me neither. This is why I tried to find help.”

  “But with slayers?” Mutt frowned. “Why not ask me?”

  “What would you have done? If Cesio suspected you knew, he’d find a way to destroy you. It’s not a secret there’s no love lost between you. I needed someone objective.”

  I sighed and stared at the concrete floor. “Except now they think you’re behind it. If I hadn’t shown up at the motel, your ass would have been ash.”

  “I didn’t realize the girl was a lure. She was too easy, and I was so hungry. Real nice…” Alcide held his hands in front of his chest.

  Classy.

  “Enough.” Mutt’s voice cut like glass. “She’s off limits. She belongs to the slayers.” He twisted in his seat to face me. “So what do we do now?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tension built on the back of my neck, and I tried to ease the knot by stretching as I paced the length of the warehouse with my cell phone in hand. Colby wasn’t answering my calls, the dickhead.

  I spun to face the boys still sitting in the chairs. Alcide had dressed while I’d taken some time to mull things over. “We should start with our smallest, yet most important issue. Where were you supposed to meet Red, Alcide?”

  “At a bar in Queens. He knew the place and wanted to meet in a crowded public area.”

  I continued pacing. “Did you tell anyone about it?” If we could find Red alive, we might have a witness to Cesio's wrong doings and get Colby off Alcide’s back.

  “No!”

  “Well, someone found out. Help me. Did you see anyone at the bar you recognized, say something about the hospital visit, tell them about your companion?” The knot in my neck moved to my chest. If I could shift, I’d be worried about losing control and getting furry.

  Alcide squirmed in his chair as our gaze
s met. “I—I didn’t see any vampires at the bar, only humans. One of them might have been a companion. I can’t keep track of them all. Some vampires keep four or five of them.”

  “Someone might have recognized you.” I tapped my chin. “Still doesn’t link you to Red, though. Did your companion socialize with other companions?”

  He nodded. “Most of them do.”

  “She could have voiced your concern over this anemic flu. It’s easy for gossip to spread.” I worked for the master of such skills and had been used on occasion to spread rumors.

  His baffled expression clarified his opinion of humans. He didn’t think beyond their bodies and blood. Most vampires forgot that they were once from this race and that humans could think as well as they could. “I guess she could have mentioned it.”

  “Did the companions she socialized with service any of Cesio’s men?”

  “Fuck.” He whispered the word as his head fell into his hands. “Technically, we’re all Cesio’s men, but some do feed his personal guard.”

  “One of them must have heard about your concern and set a tracker on you.” Master Tane wasn’t the only one who used shifters. Many of the Overlords made deals with local packs. I didn’t know the New York City pack well enough to make inquiries, though.

  “Why take Red and not me?”

  Mutt snorted. “Because he posed more of a threat.”

  A spark of warmth bloomed in my chest as I smirked. The young vampire was listening to me and learning. “All this speculation won’t get us anywhere. We have to assume Cesio has Red and that he still lives.” A shiver ran over my spine. I couldn’t think of any scenario in which Red survived. “Where would he keep prisoners?” In a city like New York, there were thousands of places. I glanced at the digital clock on the wall over the training ring. “It’ll be dawn soon. We can’t do anything until after sunset.” I pulled Mutt’s oversized sweatshirt over my head and rolled the sleeves. “Get some rest. I’ll call as soon as I have a plan.”

  Mutt jerked to his feet as I moved toward the exit. “Where are you going?”

  “Back to my hotel to get some decent clothes and weapons. Then I need to find Colby.”

  Mutt followed me to the door. “Good luck.”

  I eyed the locks. “How did Alcide get in when you padlocked the place?”

  “Secret tunnel.”

  I gaped. “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “Then it wouldn’t be a secret.” He closed the door, and I heard the interior locks sliding in place. It was good that Mutt thought independently, but it still irked me that he’d confide in Alcide and not me, his teacher.

  It didn’t take long to jog to a main street and flag a cab. Without Mutt’s presence, they seemed more receptive to giving me a ride. I couldn’t blame them. The vampire struck an imposing figure.

  The long ride over the bridge, back to Brooklyn, gave me a few moments to tune out my worries. Sometimes the best thing to do was nothing. At least we had a better idea of who took Red. We’d been hunting the wrong vampire the whole time.

  I paid the cabbie once we arrived at my hotel. My heart zigged as my soul zagged. The lot was empty except for a familiar car parked next to my vehicle.

  Colby’s sleek sedan.

  I took slow, measured steps to the entrance and paused so I wouldn’t appear eager.

  Why wasn’t he answering his phone? Was he injured on the other side? What could have possibly happened to prevent him from answering his phone except his arrogance? In the end, fury overrode any logic. I unlocked the door and strode in, hands on hips and ready to reach for my gun.

  Colby lay on my bed, arms resting behind his head, ankles crossed as he watched the television. “Hey, sweet cheeks.” He gave me a crooked smile.

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” I stormed across the room and picked up the cell sitting on the table. It showed all my calls and a map tracking a signal to what appeared to be my hotel. I glanced at my chest. The stupid tracker was still between my breasts. “You’ve been tracking me.”

  “Yep.”

  I reached inside the sweatshirt and dress, groping for the device before tearing it from my skin.

  He ducked as I tossed it at his head. “What were you doing in that industrial area all night? Warehouse shopping?”

  “If you cared enough, you should have stuck around instead of having a tantrum.”

  “You’re right.” He sat up against the headboard and patted the mattress in front of him. “All these hormones and then the shift made me less reasonable than a fourteen-year-old boy. I had to clear my head.”

  My heart twisted every time I laid my eyes on him. I crossed my arms and tried to stare at anything but him sitting on my bed. “You don’t have the right to keep playing yo-yo with my heart. You should have more respect.” Part of me wished I’d never met him.

  He made a soft noise. “You’re my trigger, Gwen.” His confession sent a jolt of electricity over my nerves. “When Cesio touched you, it triggered the image of you sitting in my kitchen while I combed your hair. Next thing I knew, I had shifted.” He patted the mattress once more. “Sit by me—please.”

  My mouth went dry. “I have things to tell you. I mean, there have been developments in—”

  “Red’s whereabouts?”

  “Yeah…” I took a step closer to the bed. “How did you know?”

  “I listened to your messages.”

  I ground my teeth. “Why didn’t you call back?” This behavior had to be a human thing he’d picked up from his adopted parents, because it sure wasn’t shifter.

  “I trusted you to take care of it.”

  My mind went blank. “Really?” He had a terrible ability to disarm all my internal guards by saying the perfect thing at the right time.

  The sheepish smile returned to his hard lips. “It wasn’t easy. I might have left wear marks on the carpet from pacing.”

  I glanced at my feet and chuckled. “On this cheap stuff? I doubt the management will notice.” Kicking off my heels, I sighed with relief. I’d been dying to do that all night. I sat at the end of the bed and faced Colby. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  “Tell me what you know.”

  “I think Cesio has Red but I haven’t a clue where. What I need is intel.”

  He leaned toward me. “We can hit his nest in daylight while they’re asleep. A strike force is a phone call away.”

  I shook my head. “The old ones don’t need to rest during the day. Defenses are at maximum during daylight hours because they know their weaknesses. Cesio thinks we’re still blaming Alcide for Red’s disappearance. I think we should pay him an official call as Nosferatu representatives—he can’t deny us. And then we strike.” Cesio wouldn’t expect such a bold move. I considered calling Master Tane first but couldn’t risk him forbidding me. This way I could claim it a matter of misinterpretation of my position.

  If we found Red and exposed an illegal breeding program then no one would care how we did it, but if Cesio was innocent my hide would decorate my Master’s floor.

  “You want me to represent the Nosferatu? That’s ironic, isn’t it?” He grabbed my ankle and set my bare, sore foot on the bed. With firm strokes, he massaged my sole.

  A noise of pleasure escaped my throat. “Not you. Mutt.” I closed my eyes as he dug his fingers deeper into the knot in my arch.

  “I thought he and Mutt didn’t get along.”

  “They don’t. He resents Mutt being chosen to become Nos over him.” It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. “He can’t risk killing him, not yet. It would draw too much attention. He’ll let Mutt inside as a representative of the Nosferatu council and us as his guards.”

  “Just us?” He switched to my other foot.

  “We can take three more. Five is an acceptable honor guard. We should wait a few hours after sunset and allow some of the nest’s populace to leave. There’ll be less casualties this way.”

  He worked both his ha
nds along my calves. “That gives us enough time then.”

  My eyes shot open and met his. “For what?” Our noses almost touched, he’d drawn so close.

  “To start off, I’m getting you out of Mutt’s clothes.” He made a face of disgust before pulling the large sweatshirt over my head. “You stink of him.” Tossing it to the floor, he began working on my pants.

  “Whoa.” I couldn’t catch my breath. Was this it? Had he accepted me as his mate?

  His green gaze trapped my attention, his focus so intent I couldn’t move as he ran his hands over my bare legs. The message in his eyes was clear.

  Mine.

  A shiver of anticipation ran through my limbs. I gripped the collar of his black T-shirt and tugged him to my mouth. The waiting, the hunting was over. I had him.

  Mine.

  Our lips met together in a clang of teeth and crush of flesh. Finally, the passion burning between us was unleashed. I heard the tear of cloth and felt Colby’s wandering hands caressing my stomach as he moved toward my chest.

  I wrenched his shirt over his head, breaking our kiss for a second before his mouth found mine once more. All thoughts of Cesio and Red had vanished. The city no longer existed for me, only Colby and this room. Running my fingers in the tangled mess on his head, I clung to him.

  He traced the lace of my bra, and a growl rolled in his throat. Gripping the edges of my bra, he snapped it open and pulled away from our kiss as he yanked the last scraps of clothing from my body except my panties. His gaze devoured me, like the first time I’d undressed in his apartment. It was a complete surrender to his shifter self, a complete surrender to me.

  I straddled his lap as he leaned back to kneel on the mattress, still in his fucking jeans. The feel of his solid muscles moving under my hands was a touch of heaven. How many times had I fantasized about this moment? Yet those dreams faded in comparison to reality.

  He rolled his hips, pressing the hard bulge in his pants against the apex of my thighs.

  I sighed and threw my head back, allowing him to support my back with his hands. I loved the strength in him, not just physical but mental. He’d been a lone wolf from a young age and survived to grow into a good man. A protector of humans when they didn’t even know what hunted them in the night. It was time somebody embraced him to their heart and gave him sanctuary. That person would be me.