Page 1 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
CHAPTER 1
Grief was a creatureof many teeth, eating me alive.
Every night as I went to bed and every morning as I woke up, my first thought was of Rosalina. At once, my heart tightened, and it remained completely clenched for the rest of the day, making me feel as if I was asphyxiating.
It had been like that for two weeks. Today was no different.
I sat up with a jolt in one of the guest bedrooms in Eric’s house. Burying my face in my hands, I exhaled, certain I hadn’t slept a drop even though I’d gone to bed early, hoping to get some much-needed rest before today’s tracking trance.
I kicked off the bed sheets, went into the bathroom, and then took a scalding shower to loosen my stiff muscles.
Jake would be here later to help me. He’d wanted to stay last night but was way too busy with his new pack leader responsibilities. Since his grandfather’s murder, there had been all kinds of things to take care of: legal matters to sort out, businesses to tour and familiarize himself with, pack squabbles to settle, people to meet—a bunch of things he wanted nothing to do with at the moment. Not with everything else going on in our lives.
I had given him a crash course on sign language, and the things Rosalina did to help ease the side effects of my trances. He insisted on learning as much as he could and assured me he would make me as comfortable as possible.
“You’ll never have to do this alone again,” he said to me yesterday before he left to meet his grandfather’s lawyer or, more accurately,hislawyer.
I knew he was trying to help, but his words only managed to upset me because Rosalina wasn’t here, because I hadn’t found her... The thought of never seeing her again was something I fought off every second of the day. I could not accept that possibility.
She would be back soon.
Today, even.
This morning’s tracking would reveal her location for once and for all. We’d thought of a way we might find Rosalina, even if everything else had failed. And I wouldn’t let her down. I would rescue her from wherever that godforsaken Midnight Witch was keeping her.
I hopped out of the shower and quickly got ready. I had a stash of clothes and toiletries that seemed to grow every day. How I’d ended up practically living here came as a surprise every time I thought about it. If a month ago anyone had told me that I would be this close to Eric Cross, I would have laughed in their face. But here I was, living under the same roof as one of the most feared werewolves in St. Louis.
I’d only been back to my place to pick up my stuff. Jake, Eric, and even Damien had insisted I shouldn’t be alone—not with Mekare Graves still at large. It had been twelve days since we’d last seen her. Though now, it was more than only us trying to stop her. Law enforcement was also keeping an eye out for her. The witch had attracted everyone’s attention with her antics, which, on top of harassing us, murdering Stephen Erickson, and kidnapping my partner, included distributing rhabo all over St. Louis.
Just two days ago I visited Tom Freeman in his office and finally told him everything. Well, almost everything. I couldn’t tell him anything relating to the Pack Rule, but I told him about the rhabo cure, our battle at the coven temple, Mekare Graves, my kidnapping by her, Rosalina’s disappearance, and everything else I was free to share.
He was mad, of course.
“I can’t believe you waited this long to tell me, Toni,” he chided me, looking very disappointed.
“I’ve been busy, looking for Rosalina.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I could help? I do have a host of resources at my disposal.”
“A big help they’ve been,” I said, bitterness thick in my voice.
He only raised an eyebrow and regarded me sadly, his fatherly expression making me feel guilty.
“Sorry,” I said. “These past few days have been rough.”
“I can only imagine. A lot of what you’ve done is... against the law,” he said, measuring his words.
“Are you gonna arrest me?” If he did, I would deny everything. I would not be put in jail—at least not until Rosalina was safe.
He didn’t answer my question. Instead, he said, “You didn’t do any of this alone, especially that massacre at the coven temple. That is clear. Who helped you? I’m sure I can guess, but...” He raised his eyebrows, inviting me to name names.
I kept my lips sealed tight. I would not betray my friends. I loved Tom, but screw the law. We hadn’t done anything morally wrong.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“The vampires who died that day were bad people, Tom, and the entire city is better off without them. They killed an entire pack, only two people survived. All in all, it was self-defense.”
“I’m sure it was, including using magic to erase all the evidence from the crime scene. Damien Ward did that?”
