my breath. Everyone turned to me.
“What do you mean?” Ulfen asked.
“I really can’t explain.”
Rosalina and Jake frowned at me but knew better than to ask any questions in front of Ulfen. They would surely ask once he was gone, though that didn’t mean I would have definite answers for them. I was going on a hunch since I didn’t exactly understand how my powers were changing.
“Do you know where I can find him?” I asked.
“He has been spending a lot of time at The Chained Wolf. That would be a good place to start.” The Chained Wolf was Ulfen’s nightclub, a happening place for single yuppies.
Rosalina’s shoulders sank noticeably, and I turned to glance at her. She didn’t say anything, but I could imagine what she was thinking. She didn’t want me to get involved in this—yet another distraction from our work.
“I assume he’s there at night,” I said. “During club hours, correct?”
Ulfen nodded.
“Well, then at least it won’t interfere with my workday. I have a business to run, Mr. Erickson, and I can’t abandon it every time you have family drama.”
Ulfen tapped his breast pocket. “That’s precisely the reason I wish to pay for your services.”
“And I’ve told you already, I don’t want your money.”
“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. And once more, thank you.” He turned to leave, then stopped, giving Jake a thorough examination. “I heard you Knights are joining the Blackridge family. Congratulations.” He said the last word as if he actually meant “my condolences.”
Jake said nothing, didn’t even acknowledge the congratulations with a nod. Instead, he looked sickened at the reminder of his impending nuptials. My own stomach did a flip as I imagined him walking down the aisle toward that simpering blonde.
She had no business messing with my wolf.
I blinked at that thought, and the possessive feeling that came over me. It made me wonder what I would do if I saw Allison Blackridge again. Murder didn’t seem too far-fetched, and at this rate, life in prison didn’t either.
“Not the smartest move,” Ulfen said. “Craig Blackridge is not a man anyone should trust.”
“Of course you would say that,” Jake answered. “You don’t have an allegiance with his pack. You prefer to side with Travis Hillworth.”
A lump caught in my throat at the name. Ulfen and my werewolf father had an allegiance? I hadn’t known that, and from the sounds of it, it seemed that Jake had just made a pact with a bunch that went against the Ericksons and Hillworths. My head spun with the information and what it could mean.
“Watch your back, Mr. Knight,” Ulfen said. “Betrayal is the predominant card in Craig Blackridge’s deck.” He opened the door to leave, then turned in my direction and added, “I will be at The Chained Wolf tonight, Ms. Sunder. Stephen doesn’t know that I have uncovered his secret, so please, keep it that way, if you talk to him.”
As he left, both Rosalina and Jake glowered at me, a million questions etched on their worried faces.
“WHAT IS GOING ON?” Rosalina asked as soon as the door swung closed. “What do you mean you don’t have to have the pendant?”
Jake moved closer, looking as curious as Rosalina.
I gathered my thoughts, trying to figure out a way to explain all the strange things I’d been experiencing. “I’m still figuring it out, but it seems my skills are changing. I still need to talk to Damien about it. But the thing is... I’ve been experiencing weird visions when I touch random objects, things that seem to be associated with the objects themselves. It’s a lot like what I go through when I’m in a tracking trance. I see things, and also get distinct scents and sounds.”
“What about the side effects?” Rosalina asked. “Do you have those afterward?”
“No.”
“Wow. That’s great.”
Jake frowned. “So you’re thinking that if you touch Stephen’s pendant, you might be able to see something.”
I nodded. “It’s worth a try, at least.”
“You would have to be close to him,” Jake said.
“Yeah, really close,” Rosalina put in.
I shrugged. “I don’t think that will be a problem. I got close before.”
“Did you ever?” Rosalina said in a singsong tone.
Jake balled his hands into fists. “I don’t like this plan. Stephen is dangerous.”
“That sounds to me like jealousy talking, Jakie,” I said.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
He threw his hands up in the air and paced around.
“I’ll go tonight,” I said.
“Why don’t you focus on your agency?” He spread his arms, gesturing around. “Forget about all