The Tracker's Mate: Sunderverse (Mate Tracker Book 1) by Ingrid Seymour (book recommendations website TXT) 📕

would have to talk. How dare she allow a hot-blooded male to sleep mere feet away from me when I hadn’t had sex in over a year and a half, and when said male was the last one and only I’d ever had sex with? What the hell was she thinking?

Clearly, she was getting her some. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this inconsiderate.

“For protection,” he said. “I insisted.”

“My mom cast protection spells on the condo when Rosalina bought it, and the complex has its own security, so you don’t need to worry about it.” I sat in front of my sandwich and started peeling off the plastic wrap, but my stomach flipped in weird ways, chasing the hunger away.

Jake sat across from me, resting his interlaced fingers in front of him. He had a new tattoo around his left biceps, an arrow that wrapped around, its tip and fletching almost meeting in the front. His other biceps sported a bursting sun, its rays spilling around his shoulder. I knew it well, had traced it with my finger many times as I drifted to sleep by his side.

He was very familiar with my first tattoo as well, a small nautical compass under my right breast. I’d gotten two new ones since he’d been gone, though. The word “tracking” with a lifeline at both ends, and the newest: an ornate heart with a crescent moon in the middle and an arrow going across both. The first was on my left forearm and the other under my collar bone.

“Protection charms are good,” he said, “but you can never be too careful. Bernadetta has all manner of witches and mages at her disposal. Some of the best, and after what happened at your office... well, I’ve been worried ever since.”

I opened the bag of chips and dumped them on the plate. I picked one and popped it in my mouth. It was salty and greasy and made me want another one. Those tricky bastards had it right, you couldn’t eat only one. I ate five more, trying to understand what the hell Jake was saying.

“You’re making no sense,” I said.

He frowned, his thick, dark eyebrows drawing together. I remembered one day I had offered to pluck a few of the stray hairs to make their shape perfect. He batted my hand away and told me they already were. He was right about that.

“I’m making no sense?” he echoed. “How is that?”

“Over a year ago you didn’t give a shit. Why should you care now?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I clamped my lips together. I had promised myself to leave well enough alone, but damn it if I didn’t have a bone to pick with this man.

As always, he clammed up and looked as if he were biting his tongue not to give me a piece of his mind. I needed to stop harping on this. Jake hadn’t loved me—at least not the way he’d led me to believe. Or maybe I’ve been the fool who’d blown things out of proportion and scared him away.

He took a deep breath and met my gaze. “Whatever you may think of me, Toni, get this in your head. I do care. I’m not a cold-hearted bastard. I don’t want anything to happen to you or your friend.”

“I see.” I took a huge bite out of my sandwich. A piece of lettuce slid out from between the bread slices and flopped onto my face. Chin accessory. Great look! I picked it off, put it on the plate, and struggled to chew the doughy mess I’d stuffed inside my mouth. I sneaked in a bit of milk to help me along.

Jake raised an eyebrow, stole one of my potato chips, and ate it.

I swallowed audibly and had to drink more milk to clear the lump in my throat. I was so sick of dancing around this issue. If I could learn anything from this, it should be to speak honestly and without shame because trying to guess what the hell was on in this man’s mind was harder than learning sign language.

“Tell me something, Jake, and please be honest.”

“I’m always honest.” He spread both hands out and puffed his chest as if saying “look at all my honesty.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, afraid he was mocking me. “Are you ever going to tell me why you left?”

He released a heavy sigh and stood, the chair scraping against the floor behind him. “No,” he said plainly, then turned and walked back to the sofa.

I was on my feet, my impulses getting the best of me again. “You’re an asshole.”

He kept walking as if I hadn’t spoken, but I needed a reaction from him. Something. Anything. So I said the first thing that came to mind.

“I lied to you, Jake. There are so many things I never told you because I never trusted you all the way.”

He stopped, his silhouette freezing in the middle of the dark living room.

Satisfaction washed over me. Yeah, that’s right. I hope that hurts. I hope it makes you doubt everything we ever shared.

Without turning to look at me, he said, “I deserve all the resentment you feel toward me.”

I thought he would say more, but he just lay down on the sofa, becoming nothing but a big shadowy lump as he curled up to sleep.

Cursing under my breath, I took my food and went back to my room.

“Bastard!”

Tomorrow, he could go find someone else to “protect.” Rosalina and I didn’t need him. Now that I had tried and failed to find Stephen, those stupid kidnappers didn’t have to worry about me spoiling their fun anymore, and everything could go back to normal.

Chapter 25

When Rosalina and I woke up the next morning, Jake was gone. He had jotted a note and left it on the kitchen table.

Thank you, both.

A phone number followed.

“Very eloquent,” I said.

Rosalina looked sheepish. “Um, he insisted on staying the night.”

“I know. I