Page 23 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

Tracy didn’t bother to hide her grin when Jace started with a curse and whipped around.He would have fallen off the edge of the bank into the stream if Mitchell hadn’t grabbed the back of his jacket.Her bear had caught Mitchell’s presence a split second before she saw him.

“Well, that’s good… I guess,” Jace muttered.

“You guess?”Mitchell asked, loosening his grip.

Jace reached out and gripped Mitchell’s arm with a wry smile.“Okay, it’s a good thing.”

Mitchell yanked Jace onto more solid ground and scowled at him.“What are you doing here?”

“I needed to tell you something,” Jace said.

“Tell me.”

Jace shot Mitchell a pained expression.“I was also hoping that… well, maybe Tracy might have another one of those meals in a pouch.I’m starving.”

Mitchell looked at her and she nodded with a slight grin.Maybe the way to tame a grouchy human was through his stomach.It worked with Ty every time.Mitchell turned his intent focus back to Jace and gave his friend a short nod.

Tracy already had her cookstove out and one pouch cooking.She pulled a second pouch out and placed more water on to boil while the two men crossed over the creek and climbed up onto the small island.She noticed that the crossing today would be a little trickier, as the rain from last night had swollen the creek quite a bit.

“You have a choice of eggs, cheese, and potatoes or biscuits and plant-based sausage gravy,” she said.

“I’m good with either,” Jace replied.

Tracy narrowed her eyes as she studied Jace’s face.He was being too nice.He gave her a cautious smile as he walked over.

“How did you find us?”she asked.

“It wasn’t easy.The only reason I could was because I know how Mitchell thinks,” Jace replied.

“Here.”

She held out the pouch that was ready.Jace eagerly accepted the hot food with a low moan of pleasure.He sat down on the poncho that she had spread out on the log for herself and Mitchell.This time, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes in exasperation.Mitchell snorted a laugh before he gratefully accepted the pouch she held out for him.At the rate they were going through her food supply, she would be out in less than a week.

She pulled an energy bar out of the front pocket of her backpack for her breakfast and picked up her coffee cup.There were many things in life that she would graciously share.Her morning coffee wasn’t one of them.

“What made you so eager to return?”Mitchell asked.

Jace paused and looked up at Mitchell with a serious expression.“I decided to go farther east, to the first shifter road.”

Mitchell frowned.“You know that is forbidden.”

Jace scoffed and waved his spoon at Mitchell.“You’ll thank me in a minute.I overheard a group of shifters.They are searching for us.”

Tracy hissed with dismay and looked at Mitchell.“I was afraid of this.When word got out about Ella?—”

“What did they say?”Mitchell asked.

Jace frowned.“I couldn’t hear everything.They said something about someone hiring them to find a human and hunting.I didn’t stick around.I knew you would be the closest.I ran through the night.”

Mitchell’s frown deepened.“You ran straight here?You didn’t cover your tracks?”

Jace glared back at Mitchell.“Yes, I came straight here.I wanted to find and warn you.Hell, for all I knewshecould be a part of the group and you are leading herand themstraight to the rest of the clan!Besides, it was dark and raining like hell.”

Tracy shook her head and spoke directly to Mitchell, “I told you, the only group I'm part of is the Anthropology and Archeology department of the State's Animal Sanctuary, Research, and Observation Center.My brother, Ty, is the Curator in charge of the Observatory,” she explained.

Jace lowered his empty meal container to his lap and gave her a nasty look.“A lot of fancy words.Does it mean that you want to watch us like predators in the dark?Do you want us all to be trapped in your fancy 'Observatory'?Do you like showing off what's left of what you destroyed?”

Tracy threw her hands up in the air, spilling some of her now cold coffee over her hand and on the ground.With a growl of frustration, she tossed the rest of the contents in the cup.It was undrinkable.

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