Frostfire Read Free Page A

did my best to blend in, and once again, I found myself
     wishing that I had more Kanin blood in me.
    Even this close, the tint on the windows of the car was still too dark for me to see
     through. I needed more information, so I decided to call Ridley Dresden.
    He was the Rektor, so he might have a better idea of what was going on. The Rektor
     was in charge of trackers, organizing placements, assigning changelings, and basically
     just keeping us all in order. Because of his position, Ridley was privy to more information
     than I was, and he might be able to shed some light on the sedan.
    Before I called, I decided to use the video option on my phone. It seemed like a smarter
     choice, because then I could actually show Ridley the car instead of just describing
     it to him.
    But when Ridley finally answered—shirtless, with his brown curls even more untamed
     than normal—I realized that maybe I should’ve sent him a text first, letting him know
     that I’d be video-chatting with him.
    “Bryn?” he asked, and behind him I saw movement as someone got up, wrapping themselves
     in a dark comforter. “Is everything okay?”
    “Yes. And no,” I said, keeping my voice low so people walking by on the street wouldn’t
     hear. “Sorry if I’m disturbing you.”
    “No, it’s okay.” He sat up straighter, and the rabbit amulet he wore on a leather
     strap around his neck slid across his bare chest. I heard a girl’s voice in the background,
     but I couldn’t understand her. “One second.” He held his hand over the phone, covering
     both the camera and the mic, but I could still hear him promising to call her later.
     “Sorry. I’m back.”
    “Aren’t you supposed to be working right now?” I asked, raising a disapproving eyebrow.
    “I’m on a lunch break. It’s called a nooner,” Ridley said, meeting my gaze with a
     devilish gleam in his eye.
    The year I graduated from the tracker program was the year Ridley became the Rektor.
     I hadn’t really known him before that, but his reputation had preceded him. Everyone
     regarded him as one of the finest trackers, but though he was only twenty-four, he’d
     been forced to retire three years ago. He was still youthful looking, especially for
     a guy in his mid-twenties, but thanks in part to his persistent stubble, he couldn’t
     pass for a teenager any longer.
    But that was the only bit of his reputation that I’d heard about. He had a long history
     of being a serial dater, and this wasn’t the first time I’d accidentally caught him
     in a compromising situation.
    But over the years he’d proved himself to be an excellent Rektor and a loyal friend.
     So I tried not to fault him too much for his escapades.
    “But anyway, what’s going on with you?” Ridley asked. The glint in his dark eyes was
     quickly replaced by concern.
    “Do you know anything about someone else following Linus Berling?” I asked.
    His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
    “Is there any reason for someone else to be tracking him?” I clarified. “Anyone else
     from Doldastam, or another Kanin tracker? Maybe even from another tribe?”
    “Why would anyone else be following him?” Ridley shook his head. “You’re his tracker.
     You’re the only one that should be on him. Did you see someone?”
    “Not exactly.” I chewed the inside of my cheek and looked up from the phone at the
     dark sedan, which hadn’t moved. “I haven’t seen any one , but this car has been following him.” I turned the phone around to show it to Ridley.
    “Which one?” Ridley asked, and I tilted the phone to show him more directly.
    “The black one with the windows tinted. Do you recognize it?”
    Ridley was quiet for a moment, considering. “No, I can’t say that I do.”
    “I was afraid of that.” I leaned back against the brick wall and turned the phone
     back around to me. Ridley had leaned forward, like he’d been inspecting the image
     of the car closely.
    “You haven’t seen