The Tracker's Mate: Sunderverse (Mate Tracker Book 1)

by Ingrid Seymour

  At the time, I had wanted to believe that he missed me as much as I did, but why would he inflict that kind of pain on himself when he could’ve come back and told me he loved me, and I would’ve welcomed him with open arms as if he’d never left.

  It took a couple of weeks, but Rosalina’s advice finally started to make sense. I’d felt less than whole without Jake, but I finally learned that I wasn’t. I was still one-hundred percent Antonietta Luna Sunder. With or without Jake, I had a life to live, and it could be a good one. Then time showed me that, indeed, it was. I still had a heck-of-a-lot to live for, even if I didn’t think another man could ever measure up to Jake, even if I suspected he’d broken my heart for good, and it would never function properly again. Hell, it hadn’t functioned properly with Stephen. I had liked him, but without passion.

  And now, here he was, sitting in front of me, looking hotter than he ever had, and resurrecting all kinds of memories from the mental attic where I’d stuffed them.

  God, this is a terrible idea.

  Maybe if I didn’t look at him. My eyes flicked to Rosalina as I figuratively strapped on my big girl panties and reminded myself that, for a year, I’d been happy because I’d taken care of the person who mattered most in the world...

  Toni.

  Rosalina smiled at me. All in all, she was handling this well, though the slight pinch of her eyebrows didn’t escape my notice. Behind her nonchalant exterior, she was judging. Hard.

  I cleared my throat and met Jake’s gaze. “Okay, so... I will help you, but first, I want to understand why Ulfen won’t give the kidnappers what they want. If he can bring his son home, and he’s just being an ass about it, I’m not going to risk my life.”

  “Ulfen can’t give them what they want because their demands are ridiculous. They aren’t made in good faith.”

  “Why not?”

  “They want his pack to leave St. Louis.”

  “What?! That is ridiculous.”

  Werewolves and their packs were territorial as hell. If Erickson and his people left their homes—which was as likely as the Fae leaving Elf-hame—they would find conflict everywhere they went. Other packs would chase them away the moment they tried to settle in their territory. Not to mention that, as an alpha, Ulfen’s job was to protect his pack, above everything else, even his family. Besides, who gave Bernadetta the right to try to kick anyone out of their homes? The nerve!

  “Okay, I’ll play,” I said, “but you have to promise that, after this, you’ll leave me alone.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t a promise kind of guy. In fact, he hated promises. He’d told me so repeatedly in the past, and I’d never been able to extract a vow from him, no matter how small.

  He hesitated for a long moment, but at last, he inclined his head, solemnly. “I promise.”

  “Good.” I swallowed thickly, a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was this promise what I really wanted from him? God, I’d thought I’d gotten over this man, but maybe I was just full of crap. I pushed those thoughts aside and got to business.

  “Now, first things first,” I said. “I’ll need something of Stephen’s. You know how it works.” When I needed to find a known mark and had an item that belonged to them, I didn’t need to brew a potion, which would save time. An excellent prospect since the sooner I could finish this, the sooner I could get back to normal.

  Jake sighed in frustration. “I’ve been trying to get my hands on such an item since I got back into town, but I haven’t been able to.”

  I frowned. “Wait, I thought you two were close friends.”

  “Yes, but his place burned to the ground, and his office was ransacked like yours. They took every personal item that could be used for tracking, so I got nothing.”

  “Then we need to talk to his father,” I said. “Ulfen must have something of his son. Or a girlfriend... How about a girlfriend?”

  “Stephen wasn’t seeing anyone and Ulfen... um... he’s not cooperating.”

  “What do you mean? I thought he hired you.”

  “I lied. Actually, he blames me for some of Stephen’s behavior. He’s warned me not to bother him again unless I want his pack to tear me to pieces.”

  Rosalina left her chair and slowly walked backward into the kitchen. Every few seconds, she stuck her head out to listen, then finally came back out with a bag of microwave popcorn. She retook her seat, opened the popcorn, and started eating as if she were at the movie theater.

  Jake and I gave her a sideways glance, then refocused.

  “What behavior?” I asked, then shook my hands in front of me. “Never mind, I don’t need to know about that. All I need is for you to bring me something that belongs to Stephen, so I can get to work.”

  “Haven’t you been listening? I told you I don’t have anything.”

  I flipped my hands, palms up, and gave him an annoyed glare. “Then how the hell do you expect me to track him?”

  “You can talk to Ulfen, tell him you’re willing to help.”

  I sputtered a laugh. “That’s your plan?”

  He nodded, giving me a look that seemed to say “there’s nothing wrong with my plan.”

  “If you truly were close friends with Stephen, he would have told you that his father hates me.”

  Rosalina made a sound of agreement in the back of her throat. She was too busy stuffing popcorn into her mouth and licking her fingers to do much else.

  “Stephen did tell me what happened. I know Ulfen hates you for the same reasons he hates me. He thinks you were pulling Stephen away from his duties. But when you offer to track Stephen, he’ll put all that aside.”

  Rosalina raised her hand as if she were in school. We glanced in her direction.

  “You don’t have to raise your hand,” I said. “What is it?”

  “This is something I’ve been wondering. Ulfen Erickson is loaded, hasn’t he already paid someone to track his son?”

  Jake nodded. “In fact, he has. Several trackers, but they’ve all failed. Ulfen’s people have been all over the city chasing their useless leads. Fiore is good. She must have someone running interference, botching the tracking spells. I don’t know.”

  “So what makes you think I’ll succeed?” I asked, confused.

  He huffed. “You’re a much better tracker than any of those bozos. Besides, you know Stephen. You had a close relationship with him. You know that can play a role.”

  It was true. Once you connected with someone at a certain level, it was easier to find them. That was why I had never tried to track Jake, even though he’d left one lonely T-shirt behind. I found it under the bed when I vacated the apartment. It was the only thing he didn’t pack, and it had been an oversight. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted me to find him, and I’d, at least, had enough pride not to go chasing after him—even if I did sob my eyeballs out.

  I stood and began pacing in front of the love seat, a hand pressed to my forehead. “I don’t know, Jake. Ulfen will probably kick me out, too.”

  “You have to give it a try. I feel that you’re Stephen’s last hope.”

  “Sheesh!” Rosalina exclaimed. “Don’t tell her that. It’s already bad enough.”

  Jake’s jaw tensed, and he gave my friend one of those intense looks that could make guys twice his size cower under a table. Rosalina pushed to the edge of her chair and met his mean glare with one of her own. She wasn’t easily intimidated—even by a werewolf.

  “Jake,” I warned. “This is her place, and you need to respect that.”

  I almost felt Jake reeling his anger in as if it were a huge, thrashing shark that had smelled blood. He didn’t like anyone telling him what to do and what not to do. It was the alpha in him. It had always been a problem. He inhaled sharply and gave Rosalina an apologetic nod.

  I brought us back to the matter at hand. “So we go see Ulfen tomorrow and—”

  “Tomorrow?” Jake rose to his feet, gaping at me as if I’d lost my mind. “We can’t wait. We only have four
more days to find Stephen.”

  “What?! Why didn’t you mention this before.”

  “I did.” Jake regarded me with a deep frown, looking confused.

  Oh, shit! He must have said it when I was deaf. I glared at Rosalina. Why didn’t she mention this before? She gave me a forced grin and a tiny shrug.

  I pretended to smooth one of my eyebrows while I hid my face behind my hand. “Um, yes, you did. I just... I don’t know... the explosion and everything... it’s all moving so fast.” I glanced at Jake through a gap between my fingers.

  He was still frowning, and I could tell he didn’t quite buy what I was saying.

  “So we go now?” I said, half statement, half question.

  He nodded.

  “Where do we go? Ulfen’s house?”

  “No. His house is a fortress. We wouldn’t get past the front gate. But I know where to find him.”

  As we prepared to leave, Rosalina held my hands tightly. “Be careful,”

  I gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll do it just this once, then we get back on track.”

  “I know.”

  I left with Jake, fighting the conflicting emotions that crowded my chest and reminding myself that this was all about saving a life, and that couldn’t be a mistake.

  Chapter 19

  Jake sat in the passenger seat of my Camaro, which he’d pushed back to accommodate his long legs.

  “I always loved this car,” he said, petting the dashboard as if the car were a dog.

  I started the engine, frowning. “Where to?”

  His comment had sounded as if he was reminiscing about the good ol’ times, and I didn’t like it. That past hurt. I wanted to look forward, get this over with, and escort Jake and all this nonsense back out of my life.

  He sat back and buckled up. “Get on I-44. I’ll tell you where to get off.”

  We drove in silence for several minutes. The air felt thick, and I couldn’t stop my hands from twisting over the wheel, making the leather squeak.

  “That’s starting to drive me crazy,” he said as we got close to the Botanical Gardens exit.

  “Sorry.” I popped a piece of gum into my mouth and started chewing, focusing on keeping my hands still.

  Jake tapped his fingers on his thigh, bouncing his knee nervously. I got fixated on the movement, and it started to drive me crazy.

  “Can you stop?” I glanced at his nervous leg.

  “Oh, sorry.” He stopped and placed his hands flat on his thighs. He stared at them as if it were taking all his concentration to keep them still.

  “This is awkward,” I finally said, feeling stupid. I hadn’t felt this inadequate in a very long time, and I didn’t like it.

  “It is,” he admitted. I expected him to say more, but he just stared straight ahead. “Get off here.”

  I exited the interstate and took a right on South Vanderventer Ave. As I drove, trying not to think of the huge elephant inside the Camaro, one of Dad’s pearls of wisdom came to me from the recesses of my memory.

  “Always speak your mind, honey. I can’t read your thoughts, and if you let me guess what you’re thinking, I’ll probably guess wrong. So just tell me, what the hell is on your mind?”

  I smiled to myself.

  “Something funny?” Jake asked.

  I shook my head. “Just remembering Dad and something he used to tell me all the time.”

  He grew quiet again. A question buzzed inside my head, something I had asked the universe a thousand times after Jake left, except the universe had never answered. And now, the one person who could solve the puzzle was here, and I couldn’t bring myself to ask. The worst part was... I was afraid of what he might say, of how his explanation might undo me once more—even if I’d learned to love myself properly, and I thought I understood my worth.

  But who was I kidding? I had to know.

  “Why did you leave?” I blurted out.

  “I wish I could—” he said at the same time but stopped abruptly. He let out a sad chuckle that was deep and throaty.

  “It’s not funny.” I pressed on the brake and stopped at a red light.

  “No, it isn’t. It’s anything but.”

  He instructed me to take a right on Kentucky Ave and to park the car. We sat quietly for a moment after I shut off the engine.

  I took a deep breath and let go of all the advice swimming in my head. It seemed like there were twenty people in there trying to tell me what to do. Dad, Mom, Daniella, Lucia, Rosalina, Tom. They’d all told me to forget Jake and not spend more time worrying about him. For better or worse, I stifled their murmurs and decided to just be me.

  “I think we should talk,” I said, without glancing in his direction. “I’d like to talk, to understand.”

  I waited for Jake’s answer, watching him out of the corner of my eye. His fingers were digging into his thighs, and the hints of claws flashed for an instant. That bad, huh?

  “Never mind,” I said. “Just don’t get blood in Dad’s car, okay?”

  Realizing what he was doing, he relaxed his hands. “I think talking will make things worse.”

  “Excuse me?” Anger flared inside of me, and words crowded inside my mouth.

  Of course, you think talking is going to make things worse and prefer disappearing off the face of the earth. And why not? It’s a hell of a lot easier.

  That was what I wanted to say but anger didn’t let me articulate it. Clearly, here lay the proof that all the advice swimming in my head was there for a good reason. People much smarter than me had been kind enough to provide it because they knew the stuff I came up with on my own sucked.

  “Just forget it,” I said. “It was just a brief moment of insanity that prompted me to ask.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, and I could feel the frustration leaving his body in waves, like ripples in the water after a rock breaks its surface. His energy felt like a rocket ready to blast off into space, and with no way out, it seemed a distinct possibility he might blow up inside my car.

  Just when I thought he might go all supernova on me, he let out a pent-up breath, and as if making a decision that had cost him dearly, he angled his body in my direction and looked me in the eye.

  “I never meant to hurt you,” he said in a quiet tone that sent a shiver up my neck.

  Something about his expression made my stomach shrink to the size of a pea. I could tell from the sadness in his eyes that he really believed that talking would be something we might regret.

  But how could that be? Dad always said that talking was good, that letting your feelings stew was like building a bomb, that things left to interpretation would get twisted into lies and mistakes. Did his advice not apply in this case? Should I leave good enough alone like everyone had advised?

  Yet, how could I live without knowing? How could I live believing something that might be a lie? And maybe Jake was mistaken, and once we talked, this hollow in my heart would go away, and I would be able to forgive him and live the rest of my life without shadows that belonged in the past.

  I sighed. “Whether or not you meant to hurt me, you did.”

  “I’m sorry.” His apology sounded sincere, and even though he’d broken my heart in two, I had no reason to doubt he truly felt sorry.

  I wished he would say more, but he didn’t, and that made me wonder if his silence was meant to spare me additional pain.

  You don’t need to know, Toni. You don’t need to know.

  After a long silence, he took a deep breath and glanced out the window. “Ready to face Ulfen?”

  “As ready as I’m ever going to be.”

  Chapter 20

  Jake took me to a club on The Grove, a bustling commercial district that extended for about a mile down Manchester Ave. The name of the club was The Chained Wolf, a place I’d seen before—Rosalina and I loved partying at The Grove—but had avoided it like mange because... well... werewolves and I just didn’t mix.

  I hadn’t even known the club bel
onged to Ulfen Erickson, so now I had another reason to avoid it.

  “Ulfen spends a lot of time here,” Jake said, scowling at the sign, a neon design in purple, depicting a howling wolf with a ball and chain attached to one of its hind legs. Music blasted from within, and about ten people were waiting in line to get in.

  This wasn’t the type of place I would have guessed Ulfen Erickson would frequent, much less own. A club where yuppies met for Tinder hookups wasn’t exactly a proper married-man hangout zone. Not that I ever got the impression he loved his wife. Stephen had always complained about the way Ulfen treated her. Apparently, infidelity had become one of his favorite pastimes. I would guess the club gave him ample opportunity to find young women to seduce.

  “He thinks because he’s an alpha he can do whatever he wants,” Stephen had told me more than once, which made me wonder about the alpha I was currently tangled with. Jake certainly looked like the kind of man who could get away with doing whatever he wanted, including breaking a nineteen-year-old’s heart. He was strong, attractive as hell, and—

  Gah! I really needed to chuck these stupid thoughts in the garbage. Finding Stephen should be my whole focus. I would put all my senses into finding him and then get back to solving the love life problems of the rich and famous of St. Louis.

  “Let’s go through the back.” Jake headed toward a side, dark alley.

  “Why?”

  “The bouncers have instructions to kick me to the curb on sight.”

  “Lovely.”

  At the back of the building, we waited behind a dumpster. The smell of dead rats wafted in the air. I held my breath while Jake kept an eye on the back entrance. Two bulbs on either side of the metal door provided the only illumination.

  I’d just been about to ask how long he planned to wait when the door opened. Jake put an arm out in front of me, pressing my back against the wall, and squishing my boobs. Really? Way to cop a feel, dude. I held my breath as the sound of steps echoed in the alley. Something heavy crashed inside the dumpster. I spooked, and my heart skipped a beat, but I managed to bite my tongue and not make a sound.