Page 43 of The Tracker's Secret
Aaron sprang to his feet. “A vampire?”
“I understand it’s not exactly the type of mate you were looking for, but I can assure you that the two of youwillbe compatible.”
His eyes searched the room, then he sat back down slowly, looking lost. He didn’t appear angry, which I had been afraid of. Instead, he seemed tired and extremely disappointed.
“I’m sure you’re right,” he said. “I would probably fall madly in love with him, but I have enough problems as it is. I can’t invite more.”
“Whatever decision you make, Aaron, I will understand it. I know how complicated things can get in our world. All I will say is that you shouldn’t let fear stop you from looking for happiness. Besides, you wouldn’t be alone anymore. You would have someone by your side to help you weather whatever storm comes your way.”
He shook his head. “I can’t. I just can’t. I’m sorry.”
Pain shaped his features as he stood up again and walked out of the office. I walked after him, stopped by Rosalina’s desk, and watched him exit.
She sank in her chair. “I guess that was a no.”
Outside, Aaron reached his Jaguar, but he didn’t get in. Instead, he laid his head on the roof of the car and just stood there as other vehicles drove past him. After a long moment, he pulled away from the car and turned around to face our building. Rosalina and I exchanged a glance.
I held my breath, expectantly.
Aaron squared his shoulders and walked over with firm steps, a determined expression on his face. He pushed the door open and reentered the office.
“You’re right, Toni. The hell with being afraid. I want to meet him.”
***
IWAITED OUTSIDE OFthe ice cream shop minutes before Josh’s 2PM shift. I was slurping on the last bit of a vanilla milkshake when the young vampire parked his car at the very back of the lot and walked over, his reflective umbrella in hand.
Besides the trance, this was another part of the process that I found difficult. As easy as it would have been to schedule an “accidental” meeting between two mates who would inevitably fall in love, making my life a lot easier, I couldn’t do that.
Not everyone was ready to meet their soulmate. Rosalina was the perfect example. She didn’t want that kind of commitment and simply wasn’t in the right place for something so serious and permanent. I hoped one day she would be, but I understood that she might not. Some people never were. I just hoped Rosalina and Josh weren’t among the latter.
Josh walked slowly, his eyes set on the pavement. He sported the khaki and yellow uniform that all Ted’s employees wore. He didn’t look like someone who particularly felt like going into work.
I took a step forward into his path, waiting for him to notice me. That same sour sent I’d detected on the vamp at Eric’s party wafted from him, making me curious once more. He got very close to me until he noticed my shoes and glanced up. A forlorn expression shaped his face, making him look like a sad puppy dog. But when he caught my eye, he smiled and greeted me.
“Good afternoon.” He had a boyish voice to go with his young features.
He started to skirt around me, but he stopped when I returned his greeting. “Hi, Josh. I would like to talk to you about something important.”
He blinked in surprise, his shoulders tensed. “How do you know my name?”
I held my palms up. “Oh, it’s nothing bad, on the contrary. My name is Antonietta Sunder.” I handed over my business card. “I own a tracker agency.”
“Matetracker agency,” he elaborated, frowning as he read the card.
“That’s right. I will not interrupt your day further. I know you have work to do, but I wanted to give you this.” I handed over a cardstock envelope with the name of the agency embossed in the corner. “Please, read it when you have a chance. I hope you will find it interesting and decide to follow the instructions at the end of the letter. Have a good day, Josh.”
He whirled as I walked away. “Wait.” Stretching out his hand, making sure it didn’t go past the reach of his umbrella, he offered the envelope back.
My heart sank. He wouldn’t even give it a chance. I took it back, feeling terribly sad for Aaron. I started to put it away in my purse when Josh spoke.
“Would you read it for me, please? It’s hard for me to read in the sunlight, and once I get inside I won’t have a chance.”
I smiled in relief. “Of course, I’d love to read it for you.”
Opening the envelope with care, I took the letter out and unfolded it.
––––––––
