Hunter's Edge

Chapter Twelve

Human Rules Don't Apply

"You need me."

Even in that deeper, growling voice, he would have to be deaf not to hear the plea. Even in her altered form, he'd have to be blind not to see the loneliness and pain in her gaze. It was so damn clear to him—now.

Why hadn't he been able to see it before now?

"We're not doing this," he said, shaking his head when she eased forward. Although her body was larger, obviously more powerful, it was still clearly female, her torso covered by a pelt of short, fine fur before thickening out on her limbs.

"We aren't normal people anymore, Kel. We can't have normal lives. We can't have normal things." Stroking one clawed digit down his chest, Phoebe rasped in her changed voice, "But we can have each other. We can have this."

Kel's fingers tightened around her wrist. In this form, it was easily three times as wide, probably as thick around as his own. The fine, silky fur was incongruously soft and on the deadly black curve of her claws, he could see the remnants of the blood-red polish she loved to slick on her nails.

Keeping his voice as gentle as he could, Kel said, "But I don't want this." He eased her wrist away and she jerked back, recoiling a few steps. Her shoulders slumped, her head bowed.

She stood there, utterly dejected.

For a moment, he thought it was done.

Turning, he headed out the door, his shirt and shoes still in hand. Out in the hall, the music from the club floor was louder, more vibrant, a hard, driving beat. He'd just made it back into the club when a whisper of warning danced along his spine. Her rage flooded the air and as though the rest of the bar's occupants sensed the rage, on the other side of the door, the music ended abruptly.

Talking ceased.

In the doorway, he stilled and turned, one hand resting on the doorjamb as he looked back. Still in the wolf-creature form, she rushed him. He evaded her first attack, dropping his shirt and shoes to the ground and turned to meet her. "I don't want to do this, Phoebe."

"Too fucking bad—you don't want to do what I want. So we do this," she snarled. Her words were thicker, even deeper than they had been moments ago. Fury wrapped around her, tainting everything.

Tainting her.

"I don't like hurting women, Phoebe," he said, keeping his voice soft and low. It was nothing more than the truth. It wasn't unavoidable but it never failed to leave him with a bad taste in his mouth.

And this was worse.

"You think you can hurt me?" she jeered. "Fucking stiff. Only been one of us for ten years... I've been this way longer than you've been alive. And you think you can hurt me?"

Kel didn't bother wasting his breath explaining something that was obvious to him. He was a Hunter. He didn't think he could hurt her. He knew he could.

Some enterprising soul apparently felt sorry for her. The guy who pushed between Phoebe and Kel was on the short side, balding, with a friendly smile. "You don't want to pick a fight with a Hunter, kid," he said. He shot Kel a nervous glance over his shoulder and then looked back at Phoebe. "Nothing but trouble doing that."

Phoebe snarled at him and struck out, attempting to knock him back. "Mind your own business." She went around him and the good Samaritan gave her a faintly pitying look before melting back into the background.