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Chapter 123
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The Hybrid Mate Chapter 124
"Why?" Bella's voice sounded hoarse and her lips tingled in disappointment. "Because I think I know a way to bring you back. I just wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, or if I should just let you move on," he said quietly. "Now I know." "I still love Victor," she told him gently. "That won't ever change, Darian. I bear his mark." She held up her right hand, and Victor's blood-red crescent seal was fully visible, unlike in the real world. "Maybe so, but you still bear mine, too," he said confidently. "No. Not anymore." Her traitorous, conflicted emotions seemed to have returned in the dream world. He took her left wrist and held it up. To her amazement, there it was—the royal blue wolf's head surrounded by a perfect circle was emblazoned on the back of her hand every bit as clearly as Victor's mark. It was the first time she had ever seen it in its true form. "How?" she whispered. "This is just a dream." "It's not just a dream," he said. "I saw it again before I left. It
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It took a moment for his words to sink in. Bella looked between Ulric and Victor, trying to make sense of it. “I think I heard you wrong,” she said slowly. “You didn't. No vampire will be killed for the ritual,” said Ulric. “Your mate has sufficiently convinced me that the risk of you dying is nonexistent, and you'd be far more of a risk to yourself if we brought in a substitute. I was adamantly opposed until he informed me that he'd done some considerable research of his own.” “You did that for me?” Bella asked in disbelief, turning to him. He smiled reluctantly. “I did say I was going to be on the phone all day, I just didn't say why. I've spoken to every wolf, psychic, and priest in a thousand-mile radius. Once I explained the incident in Atlanta and your hybrid nature, the general consensus was that you'll experience desiccation again and nothing more. Prentice's letter just corroborated it.” “I still can't believe you—” Bella broke off when tears started streaming
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 126
Bella let out an exasperated sigh. “I am not still in love with Darian. Victor is the one. The only one.” “I'm sorry to tell you, but the mark can't exist without love,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I don't make the rules, but if she can figure out who did, go ahead and take it up with them, by all means. Throw in a few cross words for me while you're at it.” “I'm glad you find this so funny.” “I don't find it funny at all,” he admitted. “This mess happens to involve three people I love more than anything and, by blood or by fate, they're all my children. I knew from the moment Darian brought you into my study that night that there was no way for this to turn out that wouldn't hurt all of you, no matter who she ends up choosing.” Bella said nothing, so he continued. “Their souls are intertwined and they always have been. Not just hers and theirs, but Darian's and Victor's as well. Some say twins are two halves of the same soul, so what do you think happens when one of those
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 127
The next day passed uneventfully and swiftly at the same time. As much as Bella wanted to get the ritual over with so everyone would finally be safe, part of her was still anxious. She was doing her best not to show it, but she knew Victor could tell. He caught up with her in the kitchen as she was making a midday meal of toast and eggs on a whim. “You're eating?” Victor's tone was full of surprise. Bella turned around and saw that his hair was still damp from the shower. “Another run?” she asked, matching his incredulity. The treadmill had seen more action than the Shibari crane in the dungeon ever since lockdown. “I have to burn off the excess energy somehow,” he said, grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “Are you hungry? I made plenty.” “No,” he said, eying the skillet. “Since when do you eat more than once a day? Not that I'm complaining.” “I don't know, I've just been hungry lately. Anyway, I'm hoping it'll put my stomach at ease
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 128
Bella and Victor walked downstairs hand-in-hand to find that the ritual stage had already been set. Hunter was holding the red book they'd taken from Arthur's room in one hand and using it as a reference for the chalk diagram he was drawing on the hardwood floor in front of the main entrance. It looked like the rudimentary figure of a man surrounded by some sort of star polygon. In the upper right corner, a sun with a weeping face shone down on the figure. Afraid to break his concentration, they stayed silent. Ulric wasn't there yet, and it didn't seem like anyone else had been invited. An intimate gathering, to be sure. He finally finished drawing and turned to face them. “Hey,” he said with a tired smile. The dark circles ringing his eyes were even heavier than they had been the night Bella had met him. “Glad you could make it.” He spoke in that tone that made it hard to tell if he was joking or not. “Your dad will be down in a second, he's just dealing with a little p
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 129
Once all five candles were lit, Hunter stood up and surveyed his work. The main entrance looked like a scene out of a cheesy horror movie, but it was impressive nonetheless. “What are the candles for?” Bella asked. “It's a pentacle,” he explained. “Simplest way to cast a circle. The north represents the dominance of Spirit which unites us all. The top two points represent air and water respectively and the bottom two represent earth and fire. The orientation is important because the hunters belong to the Kingdom of the Sun, which dominates the material world.” “So the Spirit is the Moon?” Bella asked, curious. “No, Spirit is the unification of Mother Moon and Father Sun,” he said, picking up an ornate black bowl with gold plating around the rim. A sheathed blade rested inside the bowl and Bella could guess what it was for. The handle was simple and black, but it had the initials HLM carved into the hilt. “At least, that's how the legend goes.” “These are beautifu
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 130
Her heart bottomed out when Bella realized who it was. That face was unmistakable. She had spent long enough looking into his eyes while he used and tormented her. It was the vampire she had pardoned in Austin and the one Darian had released. Apparently, Victor recognized him, too, because he was by Bella's side in an instant. “What the fuck are you doing?” “I thought you'd be happy, brother,” Darian growled. “We both know I never would have let this son of a bitch go if I'd known who he was at the time. Then again, you didn't exactly jump at the chance to tell me.” “I was respecting her wishes,” Victor said, ignoring the implication. “Yeah,” said Darian, glancing around the ritual stage. “You take that a little too far, if you ask me.” “Fortunately you're no longer her mate, so no, I won't ask you,” Victor said, taking an aggressive step forward. “We'll see.” They were toe-to-toe and clearly ready to go fist-to-fist. “Stop it,” Bella said, getting between them once again. “We d
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Bella hesitated. “There are only two possibilities, the way I see it. Either the ritual worked in some way, or this is a mark.”“A mark?” she frowned. “Like when Darian stamped you?”Neither one of them was ever going to live that down. “Yes, and Victor,” Bella admitted.Her eyes widened. “Victor marked you?”“Yes. On two separate occasions, his mark appeared carved in blood on my hand,” she explained. “It wasn't nearly as violent as this, but it's possible that the same thing is happening to Hunter.”“Hunter doesn't have a mate,” she said, cutting down the center of his tank top with a pair of scissors. “Whose seal would it be?”“Clarence's,” Bella whispered, turning away while she removed his blood-soaked clothes. “He thinks Hunter is his mate. Hunter seems to disagree. I wouldn't have said anything, but it might help.”She hesitated. “I'm glad you did. If that is what's happening, we can rule out a more serious cause. Go get Clarence, would you?”“Of course,” Bella said, op
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The Hybrid Mate Chapter 158
Bella froze when she realized what she was doing and tossed the pieces in the empty bread basket to hide the evidence. “Sorry,” she murmured, blushing. “You uh, get my blood boiling.”“I can tell,” he said, blinking. He looked down at his hands. “I'm sorry. I had no idea I was that intolerable.”“But you're not,” Bella said earnestly. “You make me angrier than anyone else, but you also make me laugh more than anyone else. You push me, sometimes to the brink of sanity, but she's a better person when she's with him. He's all of those annoying things, but he's also sweet and funny and protective and so compassionate toward the other members of the pack. He's a natural-born leader, and a good one. Whenever she sees the way he is with the other wolves, the way he cares for them and puts their needs above his own without even thinking, she falls a little more in love with him.” He stared at her in shock. “You love me? And you're admitting that freely?”Bella laughed, embarrassed. T
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 157
Bella reached across the table and rested her hand on his forearm. “You make it sound like I'm the one who's out of your league and not the other way around.” His eyebrows knit into a perplexed frown. He finally relaxed as if he'd given up trying to figure out whatever it was that was bothering him. “You are. Even aside from the fact that you're probably one of the mythological creatures our entire religion is based on, I don't deserve you. Neither does he, but I'm a big enough man to admit that Vic is a hell of a lot closer to being worthy of you than I am.” “Don't be so sure about that,” Bella said with a wry smile. “You both have your positive qualities.” “And negative ones, I'm sure.” Bella smiled wider.“Well, let's have it. Give me the side-by-side analysis,” he said, sitting back and folding his hands studiously on the table in front of him since he had already finished his meal.She laughed, but stopped abruptly when she realized he wasn't kidding. “You're
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 156
Bella reached across the table and rested her hand on his forearm. “You make it sound like I'm the one who's out of your league and not the other way around.” His eyebrows knit into a perplexed frown. He finally relaxed as if he'd given up trying to figure out whatever it was that was bothering him. “You are. Even aside from the fact that you're probably one of the mythological creatures our entire religion is based on, I don't deserve you. Neither does he, but I'm a big enough man to admit that Vic is a hell of a lot closer to being worthy of you than I am.” “Don't be so sure about that,” Bella said with a wry smile. “You both have your positive qualities.” “And negative ones, I'm sure.” Bella smiled wider.“Well, let's have it. Give me the side-by-side analysis,” he said, sitting back and folding his hands studiously on the table in front of him since he had already finished his meal.She laughed, but stopped abruptly when she realized he wasn't kidding. “You're
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 155
“Not sweet, innocent Clara,” Bella said doubtfully. “Oh, I've caught Jason coming out of her apartment once or twice.” “Jason and Clara?” Bella blanched. “But he's so... He chuckled at her reaction. “I know. Doubt he's her type, but the moon makes everyone go crazy, especially unmated fleurs. The rest of us try to stick to our subs, but what happens on a full moon stays on a full moon.”“Until now,” Bella reminded him. “You just told me.”“Hey, you didn't hear it from me.”Bella grinned mischievously. “Nope. I'm thinking now I own you.”“I don't go that way, kiddo. Not even for you,” he scoffed. “Now, if you ever decide you want a new master...”“My contract with Victor isn't exclusive. And don't try to change the subject.”“Sheesh. Okay, fine. It's probably already pretty obvious, but Brendan and Clarence don't just take care of Foster's emotional needs. They share him as a sub, but there's no relationship there otherwise. I'm pretty sure even that's tapered off since
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 154
"Are all the others out?" Bella asked, noting that the lot was almost empty. "Most of them," he said. "Clara and your dad are still around, as usual. Vic has been holed up in his office all day. Hunter and Clarence are still frolicking in the woods somewhere. Brendan was heading out with Maverick last I heard and uh, I think I saw Sarah with Jason." Anger started to boil inside Bella, but it couldn't take hold for some reason. "Oh, whatever," she muttered. "As long as she's leaving Dad alone." He glanced at her as he turned onto the road that led past campus. "That's a surprisingly zen attitude you got there." "I'm trying out a new approach to life," Bella said, admiring the heavily forested path. He shrugged. "Hey, I'm not complaining as long as you're okay.""I'm okay," Bella said. For the first time in a long time, she meant it.No one said a word for the rest of the ride. Darian took them into the city, or at least what passed for one in their little section o
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 153
A knock at the door jolted Bella awake from the most delightful nap. Despite the dull throbbing in her head, she woke feeling more refreshed and alive than she had in recent memory. “Be right there,” she called, yawning as she sat up. Her head spun a bit once she got to her feet, but it wasn't bad enough to make her stagger.On her way to the door, she noticed something strange about her room. All her stuff was there, but it looked like half of the room had been cleared out. Before the thought could trouble her too much, she remembered that Victor had probably just come for the remainder of his old things. She did have his old room, after all. Strange that he wouldn't have mentioned it, though.She shrugged it off and pulled the door open to find Darian waiting on the other side. At least, she thought it was Darian. The man before her had lightly slicked back hair, a stark contrast from his usual tousled brown locks. He wasn't wearing a suit or anything, but for Darian, a gray b
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 152
When Bella turned around, he was walking toward her calmly. She pressed herself against the door and struggled to slow her fluttering pulse as she looked around the room for escape. The window was too far to reach, and even if she did somehow manage to escape, she would only be prolonging the inevitable. Once Victor set his mind on something, no matter how horrible that something was, he got it. It briefly occurred to her that maybe that was why he was doing this. Maybe he thought his will had been strong enough to conquer her own and that removing all traces of it was the only way she would truly be free to choose. “I'm sorry, pup. I didn't want this to be a traumatic experience,” he murmured. “I was planning on waiting until tomorrow night, but it's just as well that I don't have time to talk myself out of this.” “Please don't do this,” she begged for what seemed like the hundredth time. “I don't want to forget you.” “You won't forget me,” he said softly. “J
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 151
“Of course,” Bella said, startled that he felt like he had to ask. “Well, I know you didn't like him so I just thought...” He trailed off, losing his enthusiasm for a moment. “Thank you. It would mean a lot to have you there. Victor is coming, and he said your dad would probably want to come, too.” He glanced toward the stairs. “I'll let you go; I have to find Brendan.” “He's probably still out with the others celebrating, but I know he was planning on seeing if you wanted to go out later,” Bella said carefully. “Oh, darn. I wanted to invite him, but I'll just have to wait until later. Bye, Bella!” he waved, already halfway down the hall. “Bye, Mav.” Bella waved back, mystified. Barely recovered from the macabre interaction, she knocked on Victor's office door and waited for permission before she entered. “Aren't you supposed to be with him?” was his immediate response. “Hi to you, too,” Bella muttered, walking over to his desk.He gave her an apologetic sm
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 150
“I'm fine,” Bella lied, brushing past her. She grabbed Bella's arm before she could head up the stairs. “You're a terrible liar,” she said, sounding a bit disappointed. “You get that from your father, obviously. Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help.” “I went out to watch the others shift,” Bella said, leaning on the railing. “Now there's an all-American pastime,” she said, casting a lustful glance in the direction of the forest. “Honey, trust me, if your boy toys are upset about you sneaking a little peek at the competition, they probably don't have the equipment for the job in the first place.” “That's not it!” Bella snapped. “And they both have plenty of equipment for the—they're both well equipped, okay?” Bella stammered. “That's not what this is about.” “No?” She blinked. “Then what?” “I left the Lodge by myself. Months ago, Victor put a mental block up that would keep me from leaving the Lodge without permission,” Bella said. “It was our trade
