Hunting Tess by Kathryn Summers (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

what on earth could possess her to think something like that. Part of me wonders if it’s because she found out she’s my mate. “You have a Master chasing after you, and you think living in an apartment with five other girls over the summer will somehow protect you? You really want to explain to your roommates why they can’t let anyone in? Because you will have to enact draconian measures to stay safe and I don’t think any college girl will go along with that.”

“I’m a college girl.”

“Who turns into a giant panther! Your life is not normal and never has been! I’m sorry, I wish you could live a normal life doing normal things with normal people, but from the sound of it that ship sailed long ago.”

“I can’t live with you forever.” The sentence is like a vise around my heart but I don’t show it. She heaves a great sigh and slumps further into her seat. “Eventually I’ll need to go after the Master. But at least don’t make me a mooch. I should pay rent.”

There is absolutely no earthly reason she needs to do any such thing, but if it makes her feel better then she can. Five bucks a month should do it. At least she isn’t pressing the matter of staying at her old apartment.

I ease back onto the road, thankful I took a less travelled path back to Colorado. The atmosphere in the car is awkward and I don’t know how to make her feel more comfortable. None of the humans I dated ever had trouble relaxing. I guess Tess didn’t either until Harley told her what she means to me. Maybe I should suggest going back to the way things were before she found out. I definitely want to be with my mate, but I’m afraid if I even put my hand in her personal space she’ll jump out of the car.

“Your parents,” Tess starts, “are they . . . bonded?”

I try not to show my excitement at her talking about the bond. Part of me was worried she would clam up at the topic. “They are. He was twenty-two and she was twenty when it happened.”

“Do they ever fight?”

“Ha! Frequently. And loudly.” I look at her out of the corner of my eye. “Being bonded doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. It’s a relationship, just like others have.”

“Then what’s different about being bonded?”

I take a deep breath trying to sort my thoughts. She’s already heard this information from Caleb and Lorelai, but now that she knows she’s part of it, it’s different. “You’re perfectly compatible with the other person. It’s who you’ll be happiest with.”

“But I thought there were potential mates. How do you know you’ll be happier with one versus another?”

I chuckle at the question I have wondered my whole life. “I guess it’s about choice. That, and knowing which one is the right one.”

She gets quiet again which I expect.

“And me?”

“What about you?” I ask with a smile to which she gives me a look. Her eyes are squinted and her mouth is turned down in a small frown. “Do you really want to know?”

She thinks about this for a second before shaking her head, dropping the subject. It’s probably for the best since she isn’t ready to hear how deeply my feelings for her run. Not yet, at least.

She fiddles with her fingers while gazing out the window. I try to keep tabs on her out of the corner of my eye without being too conspicuous.

“I don’t know about the future,” she says softly, her voice growing quieter with every passing word, “but I do care about you.”

Happiness swells in my chest until it feels like I’m going to burst. Reaching over I take her delicate hand in my own, no longer able to keep the distance between us. “I care about you too.”

A soft pink rises to her cheeks as she studies my hand clasped around her own. The small smile she wears gradually fades until a slight crease sits between her brows.

“Does the bond . . . does it make you like me?”

“It does strengthen my feelings,” I admit, leaving out that all my protective instincts regarding her are heightened as well. “But I’ll have you know that I liked you before I found out we were bonded. You were passionate and, I’ll admit, reckless. Still are. But you were so confident that I nearly asked you out while standing in my living room.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

My answer brings another small smile. Hopefully I can keep doing the same the entire trip.

CHAPTER 13

HER

My eyes are half closed when he knocks softly on the door, coming to lie on the bed next to me.

“Do you want me to restart the movie?” I ask sleepily, knowing I won’t make it past the first three minutes.

The bed dips when he shifts closer, wrapping his arm around my waist and burying his head in my hair. He breathes deeply and I get the sense something is wrong. Placing my hand over his, I wait for him to speak, drawing lazy patterns across the back of his hand. When he doesn’t say anything for a couple of minutes I venture, “Rough night?”

He grips me tighter and I wonder what happened during work to upset him.

“Something happened that we didn’t get to in time.”

“Want to talk about it?”

He tugs me gently until I’m on my back so I can see his face. “A group of young women on vacation in Guadalajara went missing a few days ago. The team stationed in Mexico City were trying to track them since their disappearance was of a special nature, and one of my friends on the team asked for help.”

“Vampires?”

“No, something else,” he says, running a finger down the side of my face. “But we didn’t narrow down the warehouse in time. There weren’t any survivors.”

I turn off the movie to give him my undivided attention. Understanding that feeling of failure well, I continue making