Page 75 of The Tracker's Secret

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BACK IN ERIC’S HOUSE, he shifted from one step to the next, clothes appearing in place as he did so.

Huh? How?!

“Shift back,” he ordered, his back to me.

I had only one second to wonder how I could go back to my human shape, when my body elongated, my claws and fangs sheathed themselves, and my fur disappeared. I snatched my spare change of clothes from my duffel bag and put them on in a hurry.

“You’re going to have to teach me how to keep my clothes on,” I said, stuffing my arms into my T-shirt.

He scoffed. “There’s nothing to teach. In case you haven’t noticed, I wear a shifter ring.”

I slipped on my pants. “Shifter ring?”

Eric turned to face me and held up his right hand. “A witch made it for me, its only magical purpose is to spare my clothes every time I shift.

“Neat! Where can I get one?”

“I doubt you could afford it. They don’t come cheap.”

“How much?”

“Five hundred thousand dollars.”

I choked. “You’re right. I don’t have that kind of money. Naked it is.”

Eric took a step closer, his blue eyes holding a question. “Well, do you remember yourself? Your wolf?”

“I...” I stopped, unable to answer as a landslide of memories suddenly washed over me all at once.

I saw myself in this room, yesterday, shifting, going wild. I’d attacked Eric, but he’d run out of the room, forcing me to chase him back into the woods. There, I managed to scratch him once, but he mostly stayed ahead of me, issuing orders that I wouldn’t heed. Instead, I had run until I tired myself out and passed out from exhaustion. Interesting!

After that, different images of Damien and Mom’s face flashed before my eyes. Damien looked the same, but Mom kept getting older in each of them. It took me a moment to realize I was seeing all the times that the Copper Mage had put his spell on me.

Next, I was at the repair shop the night Jake and I rescued Stephen. I remembered turning and fighting a massive shifter in the shape of a gorilla. Then I’d helped Jake. He was injured. Two vampires were on him, and I...

Oh, God!

I took several steps back, a hand flying to my mouth as horror washed over me.

“I take that as a yes.” Eric stepped closer. “Are you all right?”

“I killed someone,” I said, my voice trembling. “The first time I shifted, I killed someone.”

He frowned but didn’t look concerned. “Did they deserve it?”

“What?!”

“Did they deserve to die?” he repeated.

“That’s not the point. The point is that... I’m a murderer.”

He shrugged. “Then do us all a favor and turn yourself in.”

My breath shuddered as I inhaled. I started backing away.

“Um, actually, don’t turn yourself in.” Eric scratched the back of his neck. “That was a joke.”