Hunting Colby

Chapter Seven

Twisting from Colby’s grasp, I couldn’t contain my shock. A tsunami crashing over the city wouldn’t have stunned me more. “What?”

His gaze bore into mine with unspoken questions. “I told you at your hotel. I can’t shift.”

The world spun for a second when my heart finally restarted. “That’s not what you said.” I jerked out of his grasp. “You asked how much I knew about shifters who couldn’t shift. That’s not the same as ‘I can’t shift, Gwen.’” All of yesterday’s wounds cracked open and the pain oozed out. “I thought you meant me.” I pointed at myself as my chest constricted. “I thought you didn’t want me because…” My voice grew hoarse.

All this time, these last few months, he had run because of his inadequacies, not mine.

I shook my head as I retreated from his grasp. He didn’t know my secret.

He tilted his head to the side. “Why wouldn’t I want you?”

In my confused state, I’d managed to place the table between us. “Do you need a list?” Every single defect, shortcomings, and failures came to mind. Putting them into words would destroy what self-confidence I still retained. “How do you know you can’t shift?”

Scratching his head, he peered at me from under the hair that had fallen over his eyes. “Because I can’t do it. I’ve never been able to. Nothing changes on the full moon.”

“Full moon? That’s just a myth.” I couldn’t help gaping. My lips slowly formed an O as things fell together in my head. “You were raised by humans. You never had any contact with shifters?”

He shook his head. “At first…” Shrugging, he gazed out the window. “When I was younger I tried, but they all shunned me. So, I—survived.”

The modern world made it difficult for packs to remain secret. At one point in ancient history, our race had almost gone extinct because of human hunting. Fear remained a large part of pack society. Heck, it had driven mine to serve vampires. Strays proved to be a problem for packs. They’d been used in the past as decoys and spies—even children—so I could see packs being wary of a lone teenage pup.

“You never had anyone to teach you.”

His frown grew from confused to sad. “I’d thought when you agreed to come here that you were okay with my not being able to shift.” He shook his head and tugged at his hair. “I need to shower and rest.” The hard mask he wore for the rest of the world returned on his face.

I rested my hand under my sore throat and cleared it. “You don’t understand anything.” A laugh escaped me with a hint of hysteria. “I’m so relieved.”

He raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. The few times I’d been in contact with Colby, he’d never appeared to be the emotional type. Some would call him cold, but I saw only reservation. He didn’t waste his time and energy on feelings. It’s what made him Colby. Yet he’d taken the time to open a little to me and expose those delicate emotions.

I understood him on so many levels. We had so much in common and he just didn’t know it. Moving on swift feet, I returned to my place in front of him. “I can’t shift either.” There, I’d said it out loud. My family’s dirty little secret, an alpha daughter who couldn’t shift to save her life.

His other eyebrow joined the first in meeting his hairline as his eyes grew wider. “How’s that possible?”

I laughed again and grabbed his hands. “Nature works in mysterious ways, Colby. Who says how mates are chosen? But your problem has an easy fix. I can teach you to shift.”

He chuckled and tucked my damp hair behind my ears. “But you just said you couldn’t do it.”

“Doesn’t mean my parents didn’t teach me. They tried everything, from regular lessons to hypnosis to drugs. Heck, even my master made an attempt by entering my mind—”

“You let that son of a bitch touch you?” The fury that flashed across his face took my breath away. I’d never seen Colby more alive.

I placed my hand over his lips. It was the most intimate touch we’d shared so far and he quieted instantly. “Let’s not argue about him. I know how you feel, but we have enough concerns.” There were unspoken issues between Master Tane and Colby. Things I wasn’t prepared to hear yet. We had enough obstacles to overcome and I wanted to deal with them one at a time.

Colby’s eyes narrowed. Then he kissed the palm of my hand. Soft and gentle, the slight touch sent a spark of desire so strong I almost cried out. “Fine, on one condition.”

“What is it?”

“You stop calling him ‘master’ around me.”

This was such a small thing to ask. I nodded without a second thought. “Okay, Tane it is.”

He flinched as I said my master’s name.

I cleared my throat. “I heard about Budapest and what he did to—”

“Like you said, we have enough problems for now without discussing that soul-sucking monster.” He stared at the ground. I could feel the walls rising between us again. I guess returning to my pack and my position as head of my master—Tane’s—security would be out of the question if I wanted to keep Colby.

I didn’t need a crystal ball to see my future. Hard choices would have to be made. Why couldn’t my life be simpler? Every female wanted to find her mate and take him back to her pack, rear pups, and continue the line. Nothing in my life followed those rules, so why should finding my mate be any different?

“Then why can’t you shift?” He still wouldn’t look at me.

The vise around my chest squeezed harder. “I have a genetic disorder. It runs in my family.” Keeping my chin held high, I managed to maintain a steady voice. “I’m pure shifter. I have all their skills and senses, just not the beast.”

He glanced up at me, curiosity apparent in his gaze.

“I reached my position as an alpha in my pack because I’m the best at what I do.”

“Which is?”

A smile popped onto my face at the question. “Hunt and kill.”

The laugh that exploded from Colby brightened his expression. For a split second, I witnessed what he must have been like as a young male. “Yes, you can.” His mirth settled into a wiry grin. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“I kicked your ass in Rio.”

He snorted. “I got away.”

“I let you go!”

His grin faded. “Yeah, right into your master’s grasp.” He shook his head.

I met his glare and crossed my arms over my chest. “I won’t apologize for doing my job well. I protected you to the best of my ability. It could have gone very differently if I hadn’t intervened on your behalf.” Colby had called Rose damaged goods. He needed to look in a mirror. No wonder he’d run from me; I was another problem to add to his list.

Taking a deep breath, I released it slowly. Whenever the thought of Colby crossed my mind, I only considered how to catch him and make him see me. I thought he ran because of something I’d done. Now, I stood before him and saw him. He’d run to protect me. In an odd way, I understood.

A forced relationship wouldn’t work between us. Both of our heads were too thick and stubborn. I needed Colby to want me for who I was as a person, not just because fate made me smell like I was his. I slipped my fingers around his and squeezed.

He visibly relaxed his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. With his other, he kept hold of my fingers. The tentative gesture would be the first link in building a bridge between us. I just prayed that I wouldn’t burn it.

“I need a shower.” He moved with reluctance and waited until right before the door swung closed to release my hand.

Clutching my hands to my chest, I stared at the door, chewing my bottom lip. Shit. What should I do now? My pack would see this as weakness on both our parts. I wish I could talk to someone. Bad enough they all knew he ran. There was Connie, my master’s blood slave, but she had less sense when it came to males than I did.

A ding ran through the apartment and sent me two feet straight into the air. With a racing heart and a sheepish grin, I followed the chime to the washer and tossed my clothes in the dryer. I dressed in one of Colby’s T-shirts that fell to mid-thigh. The robe carried his scent, and I placed it back over my shoulders. A poor substitute for the real thing.

I crawled onto the cot, under the blankets, and waited for him. This was becoming an unacceptable habit.