Colton's Dilemma (Shadow Breeds) by Dara Nelson Page B

somehow been created without The Elders’ help and who had then organized other vampires to take down The Elders.  She was different.  She was more like Colton.  But that didn’t mean that Colton wanted to be buddy-buddy with her.  No, he preferred his somewhat-solitary lifestyle.  Just him and Hansen and his men, men who had fought by his side, men who would die for him, men who he would die for – at least until she came along.
    Again, that question that had plagued him when he had run back to the house earlier when she had sent some sort of invisible power to pull him back crossed his mind – what is she?  He pushed the question away, for now.
    As he walked to the bed he said, “So – this getting hot at night – it also makes you open the window without realizing it?”
    “Oh, I didn’t open that.   I thought maybe Hansen or you did,” she said, stopping him in his tracks.  He immediately pulled her tighter to his chest as his eyes darted around the room.   He sniffed hard, trying to catch a scent, but at the moment all he could smell was her.  He was at the end of the bed, half way between the closet and the bathroom when he heard the low growl coming from the doorway.  She heard it too – and he squeezed her tighter and whispered, “Shhhh,” before her scream could come out.  Thankfully she was able to swallow it back down, but she was trembling in his arms.  The wolf’s red eyes locked on his.  “I’m going to set you down behind me,” he murmured quiet enough for only her to hear, “the second I move – run to the bathroom and lock yourself in.”  He knew her adrenaline would keep her from feeling any pain in her ankle, so she should be able to move fairly quickly – besides, the bathroom was only two hops away if you were running.  He only hoped he could give her enough time – these werewolves were fast – faster than her but not faster than him. 
    She nodded slightly and he released her legs slowly and brought her around to stand behind him – his eyes never leaving the wolf’s face.  He could see the wolf’s haunches preparing to launch – could see the muscles twitch as they readied for release – could smell his eager anticipation of a strike.  And he could also feel her hands on his waist as she clung desperately to him – her fear making her hands unable to release – and he liked them there.
    His knees bent slightly as he prepared to counter the wolf’s jump with one of his own – when suddenly his ears heard the whoosh of an arrow slicing through the air.  The wolf yelped and then collapsed onto its side – killed instantly by a silver arrow from Hansen’s crossbow as he stood on the stairs.  Colton spun around and pulled her into his embrace – both to comfort her and to keep her from looking up and see ing the now naked dead human male that lay on the floor just outside his bedroom door.  This was not something she needed to know – yet.
    “Is it, is it dead?” she sobbed into his chest, trembling and completely panic-stricken.
    He heard his door close and knew it was safe to release her from his grasp.  His hands held both cheeks, forcing her eyes to lock with his.  He knew he could just erase her memory of the last few minutes – but he didn’t want mess with her head like that, not until she was healed.  “Look at me, come on, focus.  There you go, that’s my girl.  You’re fine.  You’re safe now.”
    ******************************************My girl?  Did he just call her my girl?  And did her heart really start racing like she was a school girl whose crush had just told her that he liked her?   Oh, and by the way….
    “Safe?  Bullshit, safe.  How the hell did a wolf open a window and climb in here?  And why didn’t it attack me when it first came in?  And how in the hell did it open the bedroom door?” she gasped.  He looked into her eyes – eyes that were begging him, pleading with him for answers.  Answers that he