Annie Nicholas: Hunting Colby

At least Manhattan seemed stable. Overlord Cesio resided there and kept a tight rein on the dramatics.

As we approached the motel, a scent caught my attention. My heart stilled as well as my feet. “It can’t be,” I whispered.

“What is it?” Mutt hovered over my back, attempting to look in two directions at the same time.

I gestured for him to be quiet and inhaled deeply. Something knotted in my gut uncoiled, luxuriating in the scent. Easing my gun from its holster at the small of my back, I caressed its familiar shape in the palm of my hand. “There are slayers inside.”

“How can you tell?”

“I smell the one I’m familiar with. Chances are he knows we’re here.” Fuck. Colby led a group of misguided slayers. I hadn’t been this close to him since the night he’d run. This time when I caught him it would be for good. Stepping around the puddles, I drew closer to the door.

While tracking Colby around the globe, I had memorized his scent. He’d dodged my every move, escaping for good without a trace. I had dreamed of cornering him alone one day and demanding an explanation as to why he found me so repulsive. It looked as if I’d finally have my chance. I rolled my head and cracked my neck. Without hesitation, I kicked the door open, weapon clutched in both hands.

A woman’s sharp scream stabbed my eardrums. I blinked and tracked the vampire as he lunged at the female with supernatural speed, placing his body between me and her. His value rose in my estimate.

The female retreated to the far wall, her well-manicured hands over her mouth. Her beauty and flirtatious manner were perfect for bait. A vampire searching for someone sweet and sexy to nibble on would follow her straight to her slayer employer.

Colby. He’d used this tactic before.

Stupid-headed vampire, didn’t he wonder what a fresh thing like her was doing in a slum? He deserved to be staked for such idiocy.

To my left, a black-haired giant leaped from his hiding place in the closet with a battle howl remarkable for a human. I easily sidestepped the attack and elbowed him behind the ear. He fell to the ground in a limp pile.

Colby stepped out of the bathroom. His green gaze met mine from across the room, and a frown slashed across his cold expression. Stake in hand, blond hair disarrayed, and sporting a five o’clock shadow, he devastated me on levels non-shifters couldn’t ever understand. “Gwen?”

Trying to breathe with lungs that didn’t work, I nodded. A part of me hoped I had the same affect on him. Wolves mated for life. If Colby thought out of sight would lead to him being out of my mind, he was dead wrong. I’d struggled my whole life training as a warrior, fought up the pack ranks until I led Master Tane’s personal shifter guard, and became the first to head a successful hunt on a crazed Nosferatu vampire.

And lived.

I didn’t know how to yield. Even with my disability, I showed those who thought me weak that I was twice the beast they were.

Colby belonged to me, no matter how fucked up or lost we both were. He raised an eyebrow as my gun trained on him. I couldn’t let him kill this vampire without cause. As far as I knew, no kill-orders had been issued within New York City and since I was training the local Nosferatu brat to hunt vampires…I think I’d be in the know.

Mutt’s friend finally seemed to register that the human female wasn’t going to be his date and that a slayer had stepped in the room. His mouth formed an O before he tore across the room and crashed through the back window.

With the speed of our race, Colby leaned to the side, dodging the human female to leap after his escaping prey. He never made it.

Mutt had pushed past me and shoved Colby mid-leap. The young vampire’s speed and strength surpassed those of shifters. His lack of skill and finesse caused Colby to crash into the wall, leaving a slayer-shaped dent in the drywall.

I holstered my gun as I rushed to his motionless body. “You’d better not have killed him.” His chest rose when I rolled him on his back. Running my hands over Colby’s scalp, I checked for depressions. I breathed a sigh of relief. Damn, the male had a hard head.

A sob broke the hushed silence blanketing the room. I glanced over my shoulder at the human female whose gaze was riveted on Mutt. His hat had shifted to expose an ear, and one fang extended past his lips.

“You’d better glamour her.” I gestured for him to hurry before the human’s sobs turned into screams. My gaze returned to Colby, who showed no sign of distress; however, I still felt short of breath. For three months I’d thought of him. Wondered where he hid and why he ran. Brushing a wayward strand of hair from his forehead, I stared at his male beauty. I could get my answers. Finally.

“Uh, Gwen?” Mutt held the human by the shoulders. “I can’t get inside her head.”

The human glared in my direction, her arms crossed over her chest and tears drying on her cheeks. “Who the fuck are you?”

I blinked and remembered Colby’s favorite tactic in hunting vampires. “Are you bait?”

Her eyes grew wider.

That was all the answer I needed. My master’s blood slave used to be Colby’s last bait girl, so I knew the drill quite well. “Her mental shields will be stronger than most humans. Bust through them.”

“I—I might hurt her.” Mutt winced as I shot him a frustrated look. “I’m just learning this shit. I might scramble things inside.”

With a few practiced moves, I maneuvered Colby so I could carry his unconscious form fireman style. It took more effort than I’d expected. Three months away from the gym was taking its toll on my body. I glared at the human female with the curves and softness I lacked. “What’s your name?”

Setting her hands on her hips, she met my gaze, the frightened female of seconds ago fading fast. “Rose.” The name sounded tender and delicate, just like the woman appeared. Cute little body with soft hair tumbling down to her waist, she embodied everything I’m not. She wagged a finger at me. “Put him down. He ain’t goin’ nowhere with you.”

A growl rolled in my chest. “Move aside. I have no qualm with you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t tear you apart.” She probably had no clue what I was. Shifting my mate’s weight on my back, I palmed a throwing dagger. “Where’s Red? He can vouch for me.” The big redhead was Colby’s second in command and had fought alongside me in Rio.

I received a blank stare for an answer. Maybe he’d quit. If I recalled properly, his hair had been turning white around the edges.

“This is a private matter between me and Colby. If I wanted him harmed, he’d already be dead.” I gestured to his unconscious form on my shoulder. “My name is Gwen. Maybe he’d mentioned me?”

Nothing.

Like I’d thought, Colby kept his crew in the dark. They knew nothing of his heritage or what transpired between us in Rio. Coward.

I approved of Red. If memory served right, he didn’t follow Colby blindly. As a shifter, he would have made an excellent hunter. Wish he were here to clear this matter. “I won’t harm your leader.” I gave Rose a weary smile. “We just need to have a talk.”

She snorted. “Are you the reason we’ve been country-hoppin’ like it’s a new sport these last few months?”

“Yes.” Every time I’d been close enough to catch Colby, he’d vanish. I’d expended every favor and dime I’d owned hunting him down. I allowed my irises to change to their wolf color and shape. It was the only part of my body that could shift.

Rose’s stare riveted to my eyes. She swallowed and stepped out of my path. “Once he wakes, you won’t be able to keep him. You know that?”

“I do, but it’ll give me a few minutes to at least speak with him once more.”