Page 87 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
Selfish. You’re so selfish. You take and you take and you take,the thought that had echoed in my head at the warehouse came back to me.
“Are you certain?”
I swallowed, fighting against myselfishdesire to save Jake, my fear of what my life would become without him. Pain seared through me as my mate’s pale face materialized before my eyes, death rendering his silver eyes flat, empty.
No!A scream tore through my mind.
“I’m certain!” I exclaimed, startling Jake.
Hands trembling, I reached for my phone and dialed.
Selfish. You’re so selfish. You take and you take and you take.
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, LUCIAstood in Eric’s study, running her fingers over the Demonology Register’s spine. Her pretty face was scrunched up with interest as she picked it up and leafed through it.
I had just finished explaining why I called her here. Jake and I had picked her up from the hotel where she was staying. I’d lied to Mom, telling her I wanted to take my little sister off her hands for a bit since being cooped up together in a hotel room was starting to drive them up the wall. Mom had been glad to be rid of her youngest daughter, her big sigh as she peered longingly at the novel on the nightstand left me no doubt of that.
Guilt about my lies had started roosting in my chest, its huge wings flapping around every time I thought about it.
“This is really cool,” Lucia commented as she found a particularly gruesome illustration of a goat-like demon with something that looked like pus leaking from its bulging eyes.
“Yeah, cool,” I said under my breath.
She was dressed in her favorite attire, a baggy hoodie, a pair of ripped jeans, and high-top Converse. Her wavy brown hair was up in a ponytail. She wore no makeup, jewelry, or anything most girls her age did, and her simplicity was pure unadulterated beauty.
She set the book down. “You know... I haven’t told you, but I got a scholarship offer from the League of Demon Hunters.”
“You did?” I asked, surprised.
Being a demon hunter was a very rareandexclusive profession. They also made a ton of money.
“Yep, full ride, too,” she said as if it didn’t mean anything that one of the most exclusive higher education institutions wanted to recruit her.
“That’s awesome, Luce!”
She shrugged dismissively.
I bit the inside of my cheek, doing my best not to blurt out something that would put her in a bad mood. Trackers were far more common than telekinetics, which meant I never got any offers for scholarships to go anywhere, not even the community college. If I had, my life might’ve been completely different. I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Despite the mess I was in, that could have meant never meeting Rosalina, Damien, or Eric. Nope, I wouldn’t like that alternate universe.
I refocused my attention on Lucia, who was now checking out the portrait of Eric’s wife and daughter by the fireplace.
She hooked a finger toward it. “Is that his family?”
I nodded, pressing a finger to my lips and pointing at my ear.
“Right,” she said, “werewolf hearing.”
I let a few beats pass and finally couldn’t wait anymore. “So... do you think you’d be up to helping us?”
She didn’t reply right away but kept me in suspense. At last, she shrugged. “Yeah, why not? Can’t let your hot boyfriend die, and it might help me decide if demon hunting is for me. Mom wants me to stay nearby, but heck no! The League of Demon Hunters is in New York, so you’d better believe it’s on theyespile.” She winked and walked closer. “So when do we start, big sis?”
* * *
LUCIA WALKED AROUNDthe pentagram, evaluating it carefully. There was a sparkle in her eyes that betrayed her excitement. She was trying to act cool, but I could tell she was itching to give this a try.
Once again, guilt about not telling mom washed over me. If Lucia decided that demon hunting was for her and she went to New York City, it would be my fault. Mom had cried for days after Leo left, and that had been with three daughters still at home. I could only imagine what losing her last baby would do to her. She would definitely blame me when she found out I’d had a hand in exposing Lucia to nothing less than dwellers from hell.
