Annie Nicholas - Hunting Colby

Urban jungles didn’t differ much from the wild when it came to hunting. I had to use all my shifter senses to track my prey and stay safe in both these places. Only my tactics differed.

Loud music thumped against my sensitive ears, masking most basics sounds, but I’d been trained to hunt during the intense thunderstorms that rolled off the oceans in my native Brazil. I knew how to deal with distractions.

Most of the people boogied , as my American friend Connie would have said, on the dance floor or gathered around the central bar. I wasn’t interested in them. The one I watched, from my empty table, sipped a drink while he stood at a bar in back of the club. Only couples seeking privacy surrounded us. They paid him no heed.

Or me.

A perfect place for a vampire to hunt.

I took a sip of my soda and leaned back as I propped my boots on a chair across from me. Surveillance was boring, but I couldn’t afford to make a mistake. I had to be sure this was the right guy.

Casually pointing my phone in the vampire’s direction, I took a few pictures then texted them. The person looking for him couldn’t provide a photo, so I had to hang back and wait for confirmation. The vampire fit the description I’d been given perfectly.

Sashaying into the back of the club, a woman made a direct line for my mark. I noticed a few stray glances in her direction from men already occupied with dates. Even though I didn’t care for women, I had to admit she was beautiful. She flipped her long, wavy brown hair over her shoulder and gave the vampire a dazzling smile. Leaning over the bar, her dressed strained against her ample cleavage as she ordered a drink. She couldn’t be more obvious.

Things were looking up. My boring assignment might turn into a rescue. If I had to tear this vampire from her pretty neck, I’d let my protégé, Mutt, spank her for being so stupid and easy.

I balanced my chair on its back legs. Where the hell was my protégé? Mutt was the one looking for this jerk. It had been a long night of tracking in bars and I longed for my bed.

The vampire’s gaze lingered on the floozy's legs as it skimmed along her body. He obviously wanted a meal, and she was now on the menu. I couldn’t stop him from feeding. Not unless he meant her harm. According to the Vampire Nation’s law, as long as he didn’t damage her, he could feed then wipe her memory. Heck, many vampires kept human companions.

Who was I to stop him from a meal? I just wished Mutt would move his ass and get here to see if this vampire was his missing friend. Then I could put an end to this night, find my bed, and return to my book.

My phone vibrated on the table top and I read the message. Mutt couldn’t be sure if this was Alcide from the pictures. He was on his way. I hung my head and said a silent farewell to a quiet night spent at home.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the vampire sidling next to the pretty woman and whisper something in her ear. She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger and gave him a come-hither smile.

I rolled my eyes. Thank the full moon I’d been born a shifter. I couldn’t imagine having to seduce each of my meals. I’d starve to death.

The couple emptied their glasses, and strolled arm in arm toward the exit. I blinked. That was fast. The vampire’s tongue must be made of gold.

Gathering my phone, I tossed a few bills on the table to cover my soda and texted Mutt to follow the GPS signal on my phone since I was on the move again. I waited until the door closed behind the couple before jumping to my feet and following.

Not to be obvious, I turned into an alley and tracked them from behind the stores. Their scent traveled on the wind and made it easy for me. I didn’t want to collar the wrong guy. My master was already pissed and I didn’t need to add to his list of grievances against me.

Mutt was my punishment for not returning to my duties as promised. I’d been assigned to teach the young Nosferatu and keep him out of trouble. This was the price I paid for my pride. My pack served the Nosferatu clan leader, the most feared group of vampires. They were more monster than man and ruled the Vampire Nation.

I headed security. Well, I used to. My brother did it now. A few months ago, while trying to discover who had attempted to kill my master, I’d encountered a male shifter named Colby. He turned out to be my mate. Before I could say jumping-jack-flash, he ran. For a month I tracked his trail until he vanished in Beijing.

Bastard was a slayer and knew what he was doing when it came to hiding. How could I return to my pack when my heart lay shattered within my chest? My own mate didn’t want me. Why would my pack? I could barely stand myself since then.

Between the buildings, I glimpsed the couple crossing the street to a cheap motel.

I pulled out my phone again to text when a presence suddenly fell over my senses like a shadow on the wind. Spinning around, I struck out and hit something made of stone.

“Ouch. What the fuck, Gwen?” Mutt rubbed his chest where my punch had landed. He loomed over me in his worn jeans and scuffed running shoes. An old winter cap hid his bald head and pointed ears. Most people would think he was a twenty-something street thug. They wouldn’t be too far off with his age. He was closer to thirty-something. Baby-vampires were dangerous. Baby-Nosferatu could be nuclear.

Assessing my knuckles, I tried to ignore the sharp pain in my joints as I moved them. They didn’t appear broken. Why the Nosferatu clan would give such power to a kid was beyond me. They normally chose a vampire of age and distinction to bestow their dark kiss upon. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” I tossed him a sharp look. “What took you so long?”

“You texted me minutes ago. Do you think I can teleport?” His blue eyes grew wide. “Can I?”

“No.” I shook my head and returned my attention to the motel. “At least, I don’t think so. You have to ask one of your brothers.”

“I wish you’d stop calling them that.” He came next to me, his hands buried in his pockets. “They’re not around to ask. They just pop up when they want and dictate things to me.”

“Humph.” Sounded just like the clan. Time worked differently when a creature didn’t age. They probably thought they were here often enough, especially with me around to take care of Mutt on a day-to-day basis. I pointed at the motel. “I think I saw your friend enter with a female human.”

“Why doesn’t he answer his phone or return home?”

“All good questions that we can ask him. Let’s go.” Sticking to the shadows, I strode across the street.

Mutt’s friend had disappeared last week and being the bleeding heart that I am, I finally agreed to help Mutt look for him. Vampires vanished all the time, changing identities and such things. Mutt had to learn these lessons. Keeping friends was detrimental for his kind.

I couldn’t control the sneer on my lips as a human bumped into my shoulder. New York City was filled with them and their stink. Why my would-be mate associated with them, I couldn’t imagine. Feeble and nose-blind, most were nothing but prey for the vampires.

The city proved even worse than I’d been told. Territorial battles were still secretly being waged by the clans, while the Nosferatu watched that no vampire laws were broken. Chaos reigned in every burrow. Vampire slumlords, rich crazies, and gangs battled for dominance. Did the humans notice? Not at all. The Nosferatu made sure of it.

In the middle of this, I was expected to help raise Mutt. Teach him how to hunt and to kill, since in essence that was what Nosferatu did. They maintained supernatural laws with capital punishment and were every vampire’s nightmare.