Page 74 of The Tracker's Rage
“I can imagine.” He sipped his coffee then transferred a few pieces of fruit onto his plate and added a Danish from the pastry box.
As I chomped on a strawberry, my eyes darted between the mage and the alpha. They were two unlikely companions—people I would have never met if not for Mom’s lies. Yet, I was glad to be here with them, to know them and count them as my friends.
“So, spill,” Damien said. “What happened last night?”
I started from the beginning, telling them about Ulfen’s visit, and his suspicion that someone was controlling his son through a pendant. Then I told them what had been happening to me when I touched things, how my tracker skills seem to be changing. And about that day I’d sensed Jake’s approach.
Finally, I was about to tell them about what I’d seen when I touched Stephen’s pendant when I decided that the mention of hybrids might get them too distracted. I wanted to know their opinion about what I’d done to that vampire before they got lost in the weeds of some major conspiracy going on in the city. So I told them about the battle and how I blasted Loud Mouth after turning into a high wattage electric bulb.
Both Eric and Damien remained silent for a moment, staring at me in undisguised surprise.
“So... what’s the verdict?” I asked since they remained as mute as bricks. “Am I going to blow up one day when my powers get out of control? Or is this a good thing?”
Eric deferred to Damien, turning his body in the mage’s direction and raising his eyebrows.
Damien sighed. “I would be lying if I said I know what’s happening to you. All I have are guesses.”
“Shoot guesses then.”
“Okay, well, maybe my spell kept more than your werewolf in check.”
“You mean it also affected my tracking skills?” I asked.
He nodded.
“But trackers can’t blast people,” I argued.
This time Damien deferred to Eric, who thought for a moment, then said, “The way you bombarded that vampire with your thoughts makes me wonder if you used your alpha powers in combination with your tracking abilities. Maybe, instead of just pushing your thoughts, you also blasted him with a sensory overload. Vampires, like werewolves, have very strong senses, and perhaps, he couldn’t handle the force of your mental attack.”
All I heard were a lot of “maybes” and “perhaps,” which didn’t put my mind at ease one bit. I wanted to know when these changes would stop. The onslaught of sensory stimuli might drive me crazy one day.
“I know this is not what you wanted to hear,” Eric said, “but the best we can do is keep an eye on you and continue training. Finding out how your skills have evolved while you’re in the middle of a battle with a vampire is not optimal. We can push the boundaries while we work together. You better believe that’s a much safer method. Don’t you think?”
“I guess,” I admitted begrudgingly.
Damien was looking at Eric through narrowed eyes as he pensively ran a long index finger over his upper lip. His white eyebrows were raised as he evaluated the werewolf.
“What?” Eric huffed.
“I believe, my dear Eric, that your debt with me is fully repaid. There’s no need for you to continue training this young pup.” He smiled crookedly, looking satisfied with himself.
“I can’t cast her out. Not in hercondition.” Eric sounded outraged.
“Hey,” I protested. “It’s not like I’m sick or anything.” I frowned. “Am I?”
They both ignored me, and Damien continued his mocking charade. “What difference does it make? People stumble through life every day, completely clueless and helpless.”
“Seriously?” I demanded. “I’m not stumbling through life.” The words carried no conviction. Considering the craziness of the last few weeks, there definitely had been a lot of stumbling.
“Somebody’s got to do something,” Eric argued. “Since the guilty party,” he stared pointedly at the mage, “is washing his hands of her.”
Damien looked to the heavens with a dramatic flair. “Oh, Eric, why don’t you just admit it? You have taken a liking to Toni.”
Eric crossed his arms and glowered, closing himself off, refusing to answer Damien’s question.
“It seems to me that thou protests too much.” Damien chuckled.
Exasperated, Eric threw his arms up in the air and abandoned his stool. “And what if I have?”
