Hunting Colby

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 gazes 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 hands 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.

“You’re so beautiful.” He placed tender kisses along my neck, my collar bone, until he reached my breasts. With slow precision, he traced my areola with the tip of his tongue.

Beautiful? No one had ever referred to me as that. Fast, yes. Cunning, yes. Strong, yes. I wasn’t a Rose. I was built to fight and hunt, to snarl in my prey's face while I tore its throat out.

I set my hands over my breasts. “Don’t.”

Concern marked his face. “Don’t touch you?” His jaw tightened.

“No, don’t lie. I know who and what I am. Don’t give me false compliments. They just hurt.”

A small humorless laugh left his mouth before he pulled my hands from my body. “Haven’t you ever looked at yourself?” Lifting me in his arms, he carried me to the bathroom in front of the large mirror over the sink.

I hung my head so my long hair would cover my small breasts.

“Stop that.” Colby stood behind me and hissed the words in my ear while pulling my hair back over my shoulders. With his fingertips, he guided my chin up to meet his gaze in the mirror. “That is pure beauty. Never believe anything else.” He released his hold on me and ran his hands over the slight curve of my hips. “Sleek.” Traced the muscles of my upper thighs. “Strong.” He kissed the back of my neck and caressed my left breast. “Soft.”

“Wouldn’t you like me more if I had curves like…like Rose or Connie?” There, I said it, my worst fears and vulnerability. I didn’t care to be feminine—God knows those heels were the death of me—but for Colby I could try. I glanced at my reflection.

Lust filled his stare. “They’re weak. I would shatter their bodies and spirits, but not you.” He pressed against me, his fingers seeking the edges of my panties. “Sometimes I think you might break me instead.”

I spun and jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around him. We were truly well matched. In his eyes I was perfect, as he was for me. “Make me yours.” I gripped his hair and claimed his mouth.

Stumbling to the bed, he carried me while undoing his jeans. His rush only inflamed my desire.

I landed on the bed and watched as he struggled. His cock stood out thick and hard, a pearl of wetness at its tip.

“Never buying button-fly again.” He covered my body with his, pressing his weight onto me, leaving no flesh untouched. Lifting my right leg over his hip, he gained better access to my entrance. He slid his cock between my nether lips, rubbing my bud, but he didn’t go any further.

I hooked my feet behind his tight ass and moaned at the sweet torture. How long had it been since I’d lain with a male? Five, maybe six years? I’d waited long enough. “Fuck me.” With my legs, I pulled him closer.

He had buried his face in my neck and hair, and all I could hear was his deep chuckle. “Don’t worry, I plan to.” Penetrating just an inch, he pulled out again. “You’re tight.”

I clawed at his back, trying to guide him back inside, but he didn’t budge. “And you’re thick.” I groaned as he thoroughly pinned me to the mattress.

“Ah-ah, not yet.” He gave me a hard look.

Dominance games came naturally to our kind; however, we were both alphas. No subs lay in this bed. I snapped my teeth at his face reflexively and twisted my hips, almost rolling him. He was just too strong for me, which set my desires ablaze. I bucked under his body.

Colby snarled back, sounding more wolf than human. He thrust inside me until his root met my apex. His angry noise became one of pleasure.

“Yes.” It was all I could manage to say, the only word I could remember how to speak.

He moved his hips, controlling the pace, until his balls slapped my behind. Gripping the headboard for leverage, he plunged deeper and harder.

I met every thrust with my own. Clawing his ass, I needed all of him. Nonsensical noises filled our room, like animals gone crazy.

He arched his back, still pounding inside of me.

I hugged him close until my teeth found the flesh over his heart, and I bit.

“Oh, God. Yes. Yes,” he cried out. The heat of his seed sent me over, joining in his climax, our shouts a mix of release and acceptance.

I claimed him. He was mine. Forever.