by Emery Skye
His eyes are glazed over and there's a faraway look as he remembers events from his childhood.
I let his words seep in, but my mind rejects them.
I can't begin to imagine the pain of a child whose mother runs and hides from him. The dejection, the heartache, the absolute loneliness.
"Your friend is right. I am dangerous," he drops his head even further.
"You're not that dangerous and Beth couldn't hurt a fly. She saved a damn bunny when we were hiking. Pu...lease."
He chuckles; it deepens.
"Beth’s always been better at keeping her demon at bay."
"Why?"
His shoulders rise and fall. "I think it's because she wasn't meant to have this life."
"And you were?"
"It doesn't matter if I was or not. This is a curse, Lexi. Cambions are monsters. Never forget that."
"I refuse to believe you deserved to can cursed even before birth. And, there’s nothing I’ve seen to make me believe that either you or Beth are monsters. That's stupid," I say earnestly. "Besides, you're one of the most controlled people I've ever seen," I continue. I think back to when we got into the fight at school, outside the bar, outside the diner. I've never seen him lose it. Not really.
It's his turn to laugh, but it’s void of humor. "There have been times when the demon’s close that I've had to walk away from people, from you,” he deadpans.
“I don't even know what I'm capable of. That day I skipped class, I thought I was going to rip a kid’s head from his shoulders and watch him bleed out. I would've enjoyed it, Lexi. I am a monster.” His jaw clenches.
"So, what? Everyone has times when they wanna kill someone," pause. Do normal people think about killing others? Oh boy, maybe they don't. The suicidal stuff never seemed normal, but homicidal...Shit.
He shakes his head. "I don't think so."
My brows pinch together in consternation.
"What about when I almost killed Masterson? You said you didn't think God was a part of that?" It's difficult to say Masterson’s name. The blood drains from my face, I recall the feeling of his flesh against mine, the look of his face turning from a healthy pink to a deadly purple, the vessel in his eye rupturing a deep red, staining the white.
He straightens his shoulders.
"You were protecting an innocent creature. You’re not a Cambion."
The frustration is too much. "I wanna know what I am. If my parents were here, I could try and ask them something! But they were taken from me. Why did that vampire kill them? Why is this happening? Why was Chase chosen for this?"
A lone tear travels down my face, leaving a streak in its wake. Hunter wipes my cheek, leaving a trail of warmth lingering. I bask in the comfort his touch brings me.
I don't want to admit it, but I can't help myself. "I'm scared, Hunter."
He pulls me into his arms; my head rests comfortably against his chest.
He tips my chin up so my eyes meet his. He's wearing an expression of intensity. "I will never let anything, or anyone hurt you," he swears. Butterflies flap their wings violently in my stomach.
Hunter strokes my arm with his thumb. I wish this damn jacket wasn't on so his touch would be closer to my skin, but I'll take what I can get.
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," I know it's a cheap shot, but I can't help myself. If I'm not a Cambion, Hunter will leave me. It would be illegal for us to stay together.
His body sags in defeat and my shoulders copy the gesture as the dawning realization falls on us both.
The door creaks open and out comes Beth. "I've got an idea!" she skips like a damn gazelle onto the front porch as I scurry out of Hunter's embrace.
Beth’s brow’s arched so high, it's practically blending with her hairline.
She pulls up a folding chair and takes a seat across from us.
She rubs her arms furiously. “It's fur...eezing out here.”
I realize I'm still wearing Hunter's jacket. My mind mentally weighs the costs and benefits of keeping it on. Right now, the cost of freezing is too great, and I decide to keep it on regardless of anymore cocked brows and pinched lips.
"Elizabeth," Hunter says in a brotherly and equally warning tone.
"You're such a butthead. I can have something good to say, occasionally. God." She rolls her big, green eyes at him. "Can we please go inside? This sucks."
I smile at them. These siblings have earned a place in my heart.
"Get on with it," he orders.
She flips a stiff middle finger in his direction, and I hear a deep growl emanate from him. I'm not sure what a sibling Cambion fight looks like, but I'd rather not find out.
"Let's hear it and then we'll go inside. I'm starving," I tell her.
" I don't know how the Cupids will like this, but whatever," she shifts in her chair so she's facing me.
"I say Lexi should come home with us," her thin lips stretch into a large smile. Hunter's face scrunches into a pained expression. It's almost comical.
"Beth, that's really sweet, but I've got to finish school. I can't up and leave."
Beth gapes at me like I'm the biggest idiot in the world. The chill in the air is nothing compared to cold shoulder I'm getting from her.
"You have to come with us. Either that, or we're staying with you!" She says with resolved determination.
"You're older than sixteen, aren’t you?" I ask skeptically. Sometimes, yeah, she acts like the biggest child I've ever met and other times there's no way this girl is only sixteen.
She laughs with such charisma, it's hard to not join in at the silent joke I've seemingly missed.
"No, I'm not. More like twenty-four."
"What?" I shout. "You've got to be kidding me!"
She shakes her head. A big smile’s plastered on her thin, oval face.
"How old are you?" I ask Hunter.
"Twenty-six," I release a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
"That's not so bad. At least you guys aren't like in the hundreds or something. How long do hybrids live anyway?"
"A long time," Beth answers right as Hunter says, "Too long."
They give one another the evil eye.
"We are going back to Fairmont," Caity says as she joins us. She's wearing a large silk shawl over her thin shoulders and her arms are wrapped around herself. Bits of her pearly skin show underneath the thin fabric.
"What do you mean 'we'?" I ask.
"If you're one of us than we have to protect you and, sweetie, you are one of us. We would take you home with us, but it's too dangerous right now," Caity breathes. The cold brings her exhale to life. The temperature is dropping and fast. I guess the sun isn't going to make an appearance after all.
"And, we are Nephilim not Cupids," Caity says, glaring at Beth.
We now know she overheard our conversation.
Pierce walks outside next and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Caity. "You savages can consider your job done and leave."
"Pierce!" I exclaim.
His silver eyes penetrate mine.
"Where Lexi goes, we go," Hunter tells him with steely resolve.
Pierce shoots daggers his direction. He's shaking in frustration and I want to wrap my arms around my best friend and take this struggle from him. Pierce is too good. He doesn't deserve this. The Transition is hurting him, changing him into something he's not.
"No, you're not."
"Pierce, I want them to come with me," I say aloud, causing both Beth and Caity to smile. As much as Caity seems discontent around Beth and Hunter, she loves me and loves my desire to keep people around me. At the end of the day, Caity's my best friend before she's a hybrid.
Pierce tilts his head and a mischievous glint lights his eyes. Caity must see the change in our friend too, because she places a hand on his arm and says, "Pierce," in a low voice. He shakes her off.
"Did Hunter tell you why he came to Fairmont?" Pierce asks with a cocked brow.
He's using the last b
it of ammo he has and it's a low blow. I should ignore the comment and wait until Hunter and I are alone to question him, but my curiosity prevails.
"Why did you come to Fairmont," I ask him, shifting on the bench so my body is angled toward his. Beth's chin drops like it’s weighted. Hunter's sours and Caity gazes at me with sadness in her eyes.
"You were my job. I was paid to make sure you stayed alive," a flurry of emotion sweeps over my chest, but I push it off. I need answers not an emotional frenzy.
"What?" I ask in a disbelieving tone. "I was a job?"
He nods his head and offers no defense.
"Who paid you to watch over me?"
He looks to the side, his deflective maneuver.
"Tell me," I snap.
"I don't know. There was a typed note with orders to keep you alive at all costs and a check."
"What did the note say?"
His jaw clenches as if it’s rejecting the words about to come from his mouth. "It stated I needed to watch over the girl with stats: height, weight, white, age, etc. At first, I didn't know if it was you or Caity. I had never met a girl immune to my essence like you were. You baffled me, but the picture hanging in the wall was far more interesting. The marks on the man's arm were marks of the early Cambion race. When you told me Caity created it, I thought Caity might be my mark, but when we met the night, I watched a movie with you, she told me the truth about how you dreamt it. I knew then, that you had to be my mark."
"So, someone wants me dead and someone else wants me alive," they all nod. "And, we have no idea who either are or why?" I clarify. They nod again.
"Perfect!”
…
More by Emery Skye
Angel Academy Series
Devoted (Angel Academy Book 1)
Torn (Angel Academy Book 2)
Stand Alone
Finding Hope (Memoir from a Drug Addict)
Coming Soon
Descended (Angel Academy Novel, #3)
Book 2 in the Hybrid Series
Acknowledgements
Hybrid was so much fun to write, and I want to thank a few people for making it happen. My beta readers… you are amazing! I didn’t have a chance to share this book with as many folks as I wanted prior to publishing, but the ones I did, couldn’t have been more helpful. I also want to thank my friend, Kyla and her awesome editing skills. A huge thank you to my loving & supportive family and, of course, incredible dog Rocky!
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