The Tracker's Secret: Sunderverse (Mate Tracker Book 2) by Ingrid Seymour (the gingerbread man read aloud .txt) 📗

“But... she didn’t know much about it,” I added. “What is it exactly?”

“No one knows, but it’s clearly the creation of some witch or mage. There’s definitely magic in it, some toxic chemicals, too. It’s highly addictive, and vampires are dropping dead like flies. As you can imagine, vamp leaders are in an uproar and very focused on finding the source. Bernadetta Fiore blames werewolves. She thinks that whoever created this drug works for them, and she may not be far from the truth. Vampires are out every night, looking for dealers and killing them. Most of the time, they turn out to be werewolves.”

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath as the magnitude of the problem became evident. “I had no idea.”

He gave me a “do you see why I want to protect you?” look, though really, it should have been more like a “do you see why I’ve been acting like an ass?” kind of look.

“How do Eric Cross and Damien Ward fit into the picture?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

“There are people who think Ward might have had a hand in creating rhabo.”

I thought of the large pot on his stove and the lab glassware on his shelves, and it wasn’t hard to imagine him brewing rhabo in his fancy kitchen. My moonfable and Jake’s inability to smell the wolf in me were proof that the mage had the skill.

Oh, shit! Rosalina would be so disappointed. She was still pretty excited about the mage and even had another date with him in a couple of days.

“And what about Eric?” I asked.

“He was serving rhabo at his party, so he clearly has a connection with the supplier.”

Whether or not Eric had been forced to serve the drug, this was an undeniable truth.

I thought of Damien, of how he’d coerced Eric to help me. What if he’d also made him serve rhabo? Eric had supposedly owed him a favor, but what if that had been a lie? What if there was more to it?

“So now you see why I’m worried about you?” Jake asked.

I nodded, if a bit reluctantly. I ate another fry, deep in thought. The news should have killed my appetite, but it was alive and kicking, turned up a notch by whatever had gone on this morning during my “training.”

“Rhabo... what a stupid name.” I mused.

“It’s aptly named, actually. Rh stands for the rhesus factor in blood, and A, B, and O stand for the blood types.”

“Oh, that never crossed my mind.” I felt really stupid. It seemed obvious now.

“The vamps say that it tastes like blood, except a thousand times better. They say it slithers hot over the tongue and down the gullet. They say it makes them feel alive.”

“Wow, no wonder it’s addictive.”

“It’s certainly a hit with those that regret having become vampires and miss that alive feeling. They can even order it positive or negative, depending on their taste preference.”

“God, this is so messed up.” Poor Josh! “What about rehab?” I asked.

Jake shrugged and shook his head. “They’re dying too fast even for that. One taste seems to be enough to cause an addiction.”

“That’s insane.”

“It really is more like a poison. It feels like there should be an antidote or something,” he mused.

We exchanged a glance, his sudden idea seeming quite valid.

“Someone must already have thought about that,” I said. “Maybe they’re even working on a solution. Don’t you think?” My chest filled with hope for Aaron and Josh.

Jake nodded. “It sounds reasonable.”

If such a thing existed, I needed it. But how could I find it?

Jake held out his hands, palms up. “Will you listen to me now? Will you stay away from Damien Ward and Eric Cross?”

To pacify him and get him off my back, I wanted to say yes, but the word wouldn’t come out. For some reason, I couldn’t lie to him.

“Toni, what’s going on? What could you possibly have to do with those two guys? I don’t understand. Are you tracking someone for them? Because if you are, I doubt it’s a mate. Eric became a monster after his family died and remains loyal to their memory. So I know he doesn’t need a mate. And Ward... he goes through women like... like your sister goes through boyfriends.”

For a second, I thought about telling Jake the truth. The words burned at the tip of my tongue, itching to be released. In some ways, maybe Jake knowing would make things easier. Maybe I could tell Eric to buzz off, and I could learn everything from Jake instead. But the fear that stirred in my heart at the thought of what could happen made me bite the truth back. I had no idea what Jake would do, what it would mean to be his mate. Maybe he would expect me to close the agency and focus on building his lineage. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy all the sex, but still I needed to know more before I got swept up in the frenzy of a revelation that might alter my life forever. But, despite all my reservations, the next thing I knew... my mouth got ahead of my brain and took it upon itself to ask a stupid question.

“Would you want me if I was a werewolf?”

Jake’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked as blindsided by my words as I felt. My heart skipped a beat as I took in his expression. It seemed to spell N-O in capital letters.

“Never mind.” I waved both hands in front of my face. “Stupid question. Erase that. Forget I even asked.”

He pushed to the edge of his chair, his gaze drilling into mine, waking up a passion that lay dormant, like an ember that only needed his attention to ignite a roaring fire.

“It is a stupid question,” he said. “Because you shouldn’t need to ask. You know the answer very well.” He stood up slowly and leaned closer, one hand pressed against the desk. For an instant, I thought