“Trust? You bow and scrape at every vampire you meet. Of course you’d believe anything he said.”
I retreated from him as if he’d hit me physically.
He followed, looming with each step. “This is why we’re a bad idea. I lose my head around you. I’m doing stupid things I would never have attempted.”
“That’s just the hormones. My mother reassures me it will fade with time.” For both of our sakes, I hoped it happened soon.
“Gwen, could you sit on the sidelines while I go on the hunt?”
“No.”
“You’d want to be at my side. That means slaying.”
“I have no qualms killing vampires who break the laws. I’ve done my share of this work way before meeting you.”
“But I do have a problem with it. I can’t stand the idea of something happening to you. Taking you into a fight is my worst nightmare. I’d lose it as soon as someone touched you. My team can’t afford their leader going feral in the middle of a battle.” He frowned. “I should never have brought you home with me. I’m sorry.”
My heart ached so badly I couldn’t breathe.
“I need time to think.” Without a look back, he strode from the club, deserting me to my own self-loathing.
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. I would not cry. Staring at my warped reflection in the window of the exit door, I pictured a hole within my chest and tossed all my feelings inside. I stomped my heel against the hard floor, and it echoed in the empty space.
No.
No more tears.
No more chasing.
No more Colby. It was his loss. I’d done all I could but change who I was for him. I wouldn’t go down that road. I was Gwen Fatima Brizido. Killer. Hunter. Warrior.
I straightened my spine and took a deep breath before entering the club at the opposite end of the hall.
Mutt still hung out at the bar, nursing a beer. His head jerked as soon as I stepped inside and he grinned. Tossing back the rest of his drink, he strolled through the parting crowd toward me. “Ready to go?”
“Very.”
Chapter Thirteen
An out-of-breath parking attendant returned, keys dangling from his fingers. “The car’s gone. I’ll call the cops.” He hurried to the desk and lifted the phone.
I sighed and set my hands on my hips. There were so many possibilities, but the most logical was a certain pissed-off shifter male. Colby probably carried an extra set of keys and had a way of locating his car.
Mutt’s eyes went dark as the night. “What does he mean, gone?” His voice matched his gaze.
I pressed my hand against his chest as he took a step toward the frightened parking attendant. “Colby took it.”
Shaking his head, he focused on me. “Say what?”
“He was here, we fought, and I assume he took his car.” I glanced at the attendant. “Don’t call the police. We know who has the car.” How he found it would be a question for another day. I turned from everyone before they could see the misery in my eyes and wended along the sidewalk.
Mutt shambled next to me. “I liked that car. I was looking forward to driving it.” He harrumphed and stuck his hands in his pockets as we continued to the end of the block in silence. “I should have kept my hat with me.” The sound of material tearing had me twisting to face him. He’d torn the bottom of his T-shirt off and tied it around his head to hide his pointed ears. “I can’t wind up on YouTube. The brotherhood would crucify me.” He shuddered. “Really, they would.”
“I know. Remember, I work for your king. Who do you think they’d send to hammer the silver nails in?” My gaze traveled from his outfit to mine. “God, I look like a hooker and you my pimp.”
“What did you and Colby fight about?” The scant amount of pedestrians on the sidewalks gave us a wide girth; some even crossed the street. People had a sixth sense about predators. The smart ones listened to that instinct.
“I can’t travel on the subway to Brooklyn like this. I’ll end up killing some jerk who tries to proposition me.” I was in that kind of mood. “We’ll go to your place. I’m sure with some creative rolling and tying, a pair of your pants might fit me.”
“Sure. Once you tell me what has you so twisted in knots.” Mutt had stepped closer until we were almost touching.
I shrugged. He might as well know, considering I’d be taking my frustration out on his hide while we trained. “Colby’s being a jerk. It’s a natural shifter trait. Most males carry it.” I crossed my arm over my chest to cover the exposed flesh.
“Hmm…I hear the females carry the stubborn traits.” He sauntered ahead before I could retaliate.
“Colby attacked Cesio in beast form because he touched me.” I increased my pace, quite a feat in heels.
A small smile curled Mutt’s lips. “That’s cute.”
I sputtered and almost sprained my ankle. “What?”
“He really likes you a lot.” Mutt swung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him in a friendly manner.
“He left me.” I swung my hand in front of us. “On the street dressed like Rose.”
“He left you with me. He knows I won’t let anything happen to you.” He gave me a gentle squeeze. “Once he’s cooled off and thinking with his big head instead of his little head, he’ll be back. Trust me. I saw the way he looked at you, especially in that dress.” He chuckled. “Maybe we shouldn’t have let you wear Rose’s clothes.”
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”
We continued our journey in a comfortable silence. The cabs weren’t stopping when I waved and sped away when Mutt did. I’m not sure if it was Mutt’s protective arm around my shoulder that deterred any passing comments from the gangs we passed or my daggered glares, but no one bothered us.
Mutt lived in the western part of Chelsea. He owned a warehouse that he’d converted to art studios and rented out. A portion of the lower floor he kept for himself. The art world accepted his uncommon hours. The rent he earned paid for the building, but not much else.
The dark, empty streets didn’t bother me. I was raised as a predator in the jungle. Things that lurked in the dark should fear me. The building covered half a block, and the entrance to his home was in the back.
He undid the four padlocks and chains on the sliding garage door before opening it. A chill always accompanied the air in his home; the vaulted metallic ceiling made it difficult to keep the place warm. The majority of the space was used as a practice arena for fighting. Weapons of all shapes and sizes decorated the wall. Most of them were gifts from his brothers, and he had no clue how to handle them. Mutt’s gifts lay in hand-to-hand combat. Even as a human he’d earned two black belts, one in karate and the other in mixed martial arts, which warranted him enough attention to be turned vampire.
I trained him in jujitsu and all the weapons on the wall, from swords to guns. He also hired a shaolin warrior to teach him their techniques. It didn’t leave us much time, and hunting for his missing friend screwed our schedule.
The sound of the shower running reached my ears as I crossed the threshold. I belly-flopped on the floor, sliding the gun from my thigh holster. “Mutt, down.”
He followed my orders as I was saying them. His puzzled expression cleared as he heard the noise.
“You have any roommates I don’t know about?” I released the safety on the gun and crept forward, scanning the dark corners. Discarded clothes lay on the floor by the bathroom door, and a faint, familiar scent reached my nose.