Season of the Witch (Claws Clause 2)

“Where is he, Shea?” he asked, drawing her attention back to his scowl. “And don’t lie to me again. I’ll know and, trust me, my wolf won’t be happy.”

There he went with the demands again. And, even worse, he managed to touch a raw nerve.

His wolf? The wolf she’d never met?

“Your wolf?” she snapped, hoping to distract Colton with her own flash of anger. And it was true anger. “The wolf you’ve kept locked up so tight, I’ve never even seen it? That wolf, Colton?”

So what if he still insisted that their mating wasn’t meant to be? Everything she had ever learned about being a shifter’s mate said that she was supposed to be the perfect complement to the man and the beast. After all this time, she’d never even seen Colton’s wolf.

Mentioning his other half wasn’t just a slap in the face to Shea. It was also one more sign that they weren’t really meant to be.

Which was a good thing, Shea had to tell herself. She’d just signed up to be a Nightwalker’s queen. There wasn’t a chance in hell she could be with Colton now.

If only she could remember that. Under the weight of his stormy stare, wrapped in his scent, her fingers itching to stroke his chest… Shea was finding it very, very difficult to forget her attraction to Colton.

But she had to.

The only reason Julian let her leave his throne room in the first place was because the first blood exchange was complete. He made it very clear that she had her freedom for now, but as soon as she was ready for the second exchange, he would be coming for her.

Shea wasn’t looking forward to it.

She didn’t stick around long enough to ask questions about what any of that meant, either. Especially when it was obvious that Hudson—barely healed and still covered in blood—was going to stay behind with the vampires instead of leaving with his sister.

He swore he’d be safe. He said he’d be okay.

She had no choice but to believe him. And, desperate to escape, she had—until she came face to face with Colton out on the dance floor.

Now she was dealing with a ticked off shifter who still hadn’t told her what he was doing there. Just like she’d thought earlier, he had a thing or two to say about her presence at Bloodlust.

Earlier, though, she was still harboring hope that Colton would accept her as his mate. Now that she’d promised her future to Julian, it didn’t matter what Colton had to say anymore.

So when she started to stalk toward the entrance again, she hoped she’d get the hint and leave her alone.

He didn’t.

Colton grabbed her gently, circling her wrist with his hand before tugging her with enough force to spin her into his arms. Shea let out a soft squeal of surprise, tilting her head back as her tits pressed up against his hard, sexy chest.

Oh, Goddess.

Her pulse thudded in excitement as her heart raced. Colt tucked his chin into his chest so that he could watch her even more closely with his unblinking stare.

His eyes were icy blue as he said gruffly, “We’ll save that face to face for later. Right now, I want to meet your brother. Where can I find him?”

Colton was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling against her. The heat of his breath caressed her face as Shea realized that he was a few inches away from meeting her lips.

If only.

Using her free hand to push against his unmoving torso, Shea put enough space between them so that she could use her brain. Her libido was all for jumping him, while her common sense whispered that they were still on Nightwalker property and someone could walk out of the club any second now and see them.

She shook her head. “Colton, I—”

“Where. Is. He?”

He stepped back into her personal space, the look on his gorgeous face daring her to step away from him again.

And, damn it, she didn’t want to.

It was the way he stroked her hand. As they engaged in a staring contest, neither willing to back down, Colton loosened his grip on her wrist, two fingers caressing the side of her palm before he let her go, still waiting for her to answer him.