Claws // Colby Brock

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"Yeah," I muttered. I felt embarrassed and didn't even know why. What was so embarrassing about worshipping something? The Goddess was benevolent and understanding, she was probably the only being I knew who'd never teased or tried to annoy me. I had every right to attach to her like a moth to a flame.

At least she didn't make wisecracks about my sexual endeavours.

Colby simply nodded in response and took a step back further into the house, allowing me to pass by him. He shut the door as I headed toward the living room, a sting of confusion in my chest. I didn't like how dismissive he'd seemed when asking if I was talking to the Goddess. Was this going to become a problem like everything fucking else?

I sat down on the loveseat and this time, rather than keeping his distance at the other end, Colby sat toward the middle, raising his feet onto the coffee table and stretching his arms over the back of the couch, which happened to put his hand just behind my shoulders. I subtly shifted a little closer, but he didn't drop his arm to embrace me in any way.

"Brother, we've got a clean up job tonight," Sam explained briefly, staring down at his phone. He was frowning. "If humans see this before we get there, they're going to be very confused."

Colby seemed to sigh as he laid his head back. "How obvious?"

"Bite marks galore."

"Great."

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, there are about six bodies." I startled as I tuned fully into their conversation, which I realised everyone else had done, too. Devyn and Jake both flinched at the number of humans a group of vampires must have left behind.

"Even so, we don't need everyone," Colby pointed out casually, unaffected by the volume of deaths. He glanced around the group before shrugging a shoulder. "Reggie, Cassie and you are normally best for cleanup."

Sam groaned. "I don't wanna."

To my surprise — and definitely Sam's — Colby smiled. The whine that left Sam's throat was reminiscent of that of a child complaining. "Really, man?"

"It's a lot of bodies," he insisted awkwardly. "I don't mind one or two but six? It feels like a lot for me..."

"You don't need to come, Sam," Cassie said casually as she rose from the couch with Reggie. "Just give us the address, we'll get it done on our own."

Colby shook his head. "No. We don't need all of us but cleanups are a three-man job. You're not going just the two of you." He paused for a moment and pressed his lips together, drawing my eyes to them. "If Sam doesn't want to go, I'll come instead."

"You hate cleanup jobs," Kevin exclaimed in confusion.

"Sam's right, it's probably a lot for most of you. Shit like that doesn't affect me. Besides, Aiden and Paula are prowling about. I wouldn't have sent Sam even with five of us."

Cassie shrugged. "We're not complaining."

Colby nodded and got up with them, but before any of them zipped away like they normally did, he turned to me and bent at the waist, capturing my jaw swiftly with one hand. This kiss was nothing like those we'd shared before, it was just a short, sweet goodbye. And it left me fighting off my mouth muscles from smiling like an idiot in the middle of all of his friends.

As if he could tell, he gave me a subtle wink then disappeared in a blur, taking Cassie and Reggie with him. I pretended like nothing had happened, pulling out my phone and shifting to be more comfortable.

"I didn't get a chance to speak to you before, Amira," Mike started casually, equally eager to act like nothing was unusual. I didn't look at him, though, afraid even the slightest movement would reignite my need to smile. "The other night, you did well to follow instructions. You were patient and waited right until I gave you the heads up to start attacking."

"Not to mention taking most of them out yourself," Kevin added.

"Without killing any of them."

I barely raised my head, catching Sam's admirable gaze at me, and shuffled on the spot. "Yeah, well, I was out to make a point. Just because I follow my instincts most of the time, doesn't mean I can't be reasonable."

"And now that you've proved that, I'm far more willing to trust you." Mike paused as he thought for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. "I can't say for certain, but I believe Colby feels the same way. The next time we confront anyone, I'll be sure to figure that out for you."

"Thanks," I muttered absently.

He nodded. "The more trust Colby has in you, the more freedom you'll get on the battlefield. I may be the main one to strategise, but he has the last say in everything we do so it does make a difference."

"I'll see what I can do about that," I replied with a little smirk on my face. They could take it however they wanted to, but I knew my meaning. I wanted to see what I could do with Colby's newfound fondness for me for the rest of the group, to see if I was now able to get him to lay off a little on them, too. It was a long shot especially as he'd only just figured his own feelings out, but I was fairly confident that in time, that man could be wrapped around my finger. I just had to play my cards right.

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