Page 10 of Jace's Mate

She could smell them.Trackthem, even.There was a small nest tucked in the south corner of what passed for a living room—beneath the ripped baseboard and behind a crooked floor lamp.

The kitchen was barely wide enough to turn around in.The oversized fridge stuck out like an afterthought, nearly brushing the edge of the scuffed round table pressed against the far wall.

A narrow window above the sink gave her a view of the back “yard”—a patch of overgrown weeds roughly the size of a beach towel.

Wilton never stayed in cities.He preferred remote houses with no neighbors and lots of woods.

Why Baltimore?

And why did she feel so deeply unsettled here?

Anikka inhaled slowly, the air inside stale and dry.She needed sun.Fresh air.The feeling of wind tugging through her hair.She ached for the outside world like a starving animal aching for food.

Late spring had arrived, bringing with it the promise of warmth and change.

And freedom.

A bold thought slipped into her mind—unbidden, shocking in its clarity.

Clothes off.Skin to sun.Free.

Anikka jolted at the primal weight of it.She swallowed hard, blinking herself back to the present.

Eldin was still watching her.

With a huff, she shifted her weight.“Here’s the thing, Eldin.My uncle found andadoptedme.He’s my uncle, not my jailer.”

She lifted her chin, fixing him with a glare that dared him to challenge her.

“I’m going to the store.I’m going to get the ingredients for tonight’s dinner.Because we both know if dinner isn’t hot and ready when Wilton walks through that door, the punishment won’t be pretty.”Her voice lowered.“And let’s not pretendyou’dget the order right.You never do.”

Without waiting for a response, Anikka snatched the list and the credit card Wilton kept in a drawer for grocery runs.

“If you want to come with me, fine.If not, have a seat and stay out of my way.”

She tugged open the warped wooden door and stepped outside.

Sunlight spilled over her skin like silk.

She tilted her face to the sky and closed her eyes.

The warmth.The light.Even the lingering chill from last night’s air—all of it feltright.Like something ancient inside her had been curled up in a dark box and had finally stretched for the first time in days.

As soon as a soft breeze teased the hem of her ugly skirt, that tingling sensation started all over again.But this time, it was easier to tamp down.

Still, she felt like… running.

Yes—running.Fast and free.

She could picture herself in an open field, her long legs slicing through tall grass, her breath coming hard and fast as she sprinted toward the tree line.She imagined weaving in and out of thick forest, the wind rushing past her skin, the earth beneath her feet alive with energy.

Bare feet.

The image startled her.She could almost feel the cool earth beneath them, the pulse of life humming up through her soles.

And then—dark hair.Long.Wild.Blowing behind her like a shadow.

Only… the image in her mind was different.It wasn’therhair.Not in the way she wore it now.