Page 46 of The Tracker's Secret
I came around the artsy wall that fronted the door to find the area that had held the party looking nothing like it had the other night. There was no dance floor and definitely no disco ball and dancing spotlights. The glass bar was gone as well as the bottle-filled shelves.
Tasteful, modern living room furniture filled the space instead, creating several sitting areas to read, lounge, or receive visitors. More abstract, contemporary art hung on the back wall, and a twisted metal sculpture that resembled chewed taffy separated the area in two.
My eyes roved around as I tried to decide which way to go. Back to the study? I started walking in that direction when a voice boomed overhead, startling me.
“Not that way,” Eric Cross grumbled through unseen speakers. “Go to your left, take the steps to the bottom floor, walk to the end of the hall, then take a right.”
Good morning to you, too.
I found the staircase, a slick piece of architecture of polished wood trimmed with metal, and a banister made of tension cables. I rushed downstairs, ran down the hallway, took a right into a large room, and skidded to a stop.
Eric stood facing me, his back to a mirrored wall, his hands interlaced in front of him, the wolf ring prominent on his right index finger. He wore loose sweatpants and a sleeveless T-shirt. His arms were slender, yet muscular. Judging by the sweat stains down his gray top, it looked like he’d been working out for hours already. He didn’t have the kind of bulk that Jake or Stephen did, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was in excellent physical shape.
He glanced over at a digital clock on the wall, which read 4:00 AM. “You like to live on the edge, don’t you?”
My first instinct was to say that I was sorry, but I bit the words back. I hadn’t been late. I had nothing to apologize for.
He huffed when I didn’t say anything, then encouraged me to move closer with a “come here” gesture. I took two steps in his direction and stopped. He beckoned me again and again, until I stood three steps away from him, too close for comfort.
“How many times have you shifted?” he asked, going straight to the point.
“Once,” I answered curtly. If he wasn’t going to be friendly, I didn’t see whyIhad to be.
He narrowed his eyes. “Damien said he should have applied his spell a couple of weeks ago, which means your wolf has had ample time to make an appearance more than once. This either means that you’re strong or that she’s weak. I vote for the latter.”
Damn!He was good. He’d just insulted me even though he’d called me strong. Whatever, I had no time for this man’s dick ways. I was here to get answers and learn to control this constant desire to burst into fur.
I asked my first question. “Why do you talk about the wolf as if it’s separate from me? I thought they were one and the same.”
“Yes and no,” he answered without elaborating.
Gee! So very helpful.
“Have you had any urges to shift?”
“All the time.”
He raised his eyebrows. “So you’re fighting them?”
“Yes. I’m afraid to lose control. I don’t remember what happened when I shifted.”
He paused, considering for a moment.
“Is that common? Not remembering, I mean.”
“Not common, but it can happen when... the wolf is powerful. Though, I doubt that is the case with you. There’s no telling what Damien’s years of spells have done to you. Your wolf was repressed for a very long time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s broken beyond repair.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, panicked.
“Never mind. There is no point in speculating. Let’s just find out.” He crossed his arms and kicked a foot out, striking a careless pose. “Go ahead and shift.”
“Um, what?”
“Shift. Turn into a wolf. You’re a werewolf, right?”
I blinked slowly. “I thought you were going to teach me hownotto shift.”
“Hownotto shift?” Eric snorted with exaggerated amusement. “Let me make this clear. Without Damien’s spells,notshifting is not an option anymore. If he hadn’t tampered with you, shifting would have been part of your life since the moment you were born. If you want to learn to control the wolf, youhaveto shift. You have to let her... be.”
