Page 69 of The Tracker's Mate: Sunderverse

“Don’t look at me like that,” Jake said. “Stephen still likes her, whether or not you think he should do better than a tracker.”

Clearing his throat, Ulfen twisted in his seat. “I admit I told my son something to that effect, but that was well over a year ago. My opinion of Ms. Sunder has drastically changed.”

“Has it?” I cocked my head to one side and gave him a questioning stare.

“Yes, it has.” He stood, rounded the sofa, and placed his hands on the head rest. “Even more now that I know you’re a fierce werewolf.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course, that was all that mattered to him. Next, he would ask me who my father was and then his opinion of me would really soar.

“I bet it has,” Jake put in.

“That’s neither here nor there.” Ulfen reached for a telephone that rested on the bar top. “We need to call the Pack Rule members and tell them about this.”

“You don’t think you’re blowing things out of proportion just a little?” I asked. “I mean, why bother all those... nice elders and alphas?”

“On something like this, Ms. Sunder,” Ulfen said as he dialed the phone number, “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Chapter 25

Ulfen’s driver tookJake and me back to my place. Jake insisted on accompanying me to make sure I got home safely. When I tried to dismiss him at the door, he pushed his way in, closed the door behind him, engaged the deadlock, and slid the chain into place.

“I doubt that will stop any hybrids from breaking in,” I said.

“What was the glowing all about, Toni?” He gave me an unwavering, deadpan stare.

“Damn!” I whirled, stomped toward the kitchen and fed Cupid. His blue fins waved beautifully in the water as he swam to the top. “I was hoping no one had noticed that.” I tapped Cupid’s fishbowl, then walked to the living room, and sank onto my brand-new couch.

“Maybe Ulfen didn’t, but I didn’t miss a thing.” He sat next to me, his shoulders angled in my direction. “Was that another... new development?”

I nodded, feeling my body wither with exhaustion—all the way from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. When would I reach a state resembling normalcy? Something seemed to change every day, throwing me for another loop before I recovered from the last one.

“You blasted that vampire with your touch,” Jake said. “He didn’t get back up—at least not while we were there.”

“Do you think I killed him?” It was stupid to fret about that. Loud Mouth had been about to tear my head off, but I’d already killed someone, and I didn’t want to add another one to my tally. Hell, I didn’t want to have a tally.

“I hope you did,” Jake, the insensitive ass, said.