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Chapter 83
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The Hybrid Mate Chapter 84
Bella moved away from Darian and pulled herself up on the edge of the stage. "I guess I should be glad he's not trying to kill me anymore," she said, freezing when she heard a soft growl from somewhere behind her. She turned and ran to the other side of the room, or at least limped as fast as she was capable of. The journey involved a lot of stumbling and staggering, but she finally made it. Victor was still in his wolf form, making the faintest of whimpering sounds as he clutched his head. "Hey," Bella murmured gently, climbing over the debris to get to him. She knelt beside him and put her hand over his. It was bigger than her entire head. "Let me see what's wrong." Watery gray eyes watched her with caution, but he allowed her to move his hand away from his face, revealing a small but rather deep gash in his forehead. It looked like a piece of cutlery had been turned into a projectile when he had been thrown along with Darian, but he had done far more damage b
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 85
"I guess she just had a feeling," Bella said. "Her emotions were making it impossible to do what she needed to do in order to save you, so she just shut them out. She could take the wall down again, but honestly, she didn't want to feel any of those things right now. Not with the way Darian is acting." "It doesn't work like that, Bella. You can't just take down a psychic block and put it back when you feel like it. Sarah removed them all, but now your mind has learned what it's like to be compartmentalized and will hold onto the blocks even harder from now on, even if you're the one who put them there," he explained. He was so earnest that Bella wanted to care, if only for his sake, but she couldn't. It was hard for her to bring herself to care about anything or anyone other than the twins. It was getting harder to care by the moment where Darian was concerned. "Let's worry about you first, okay?" Bella laid her head on Victor's massive shoulder. Victor might have
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 86
Bella shot him a sharp glare. "Care about me or don't, just pick one before she gets emotional whiplash."Darian clenched his jaw. He could tell just looking at her was a struggle for him now. "I don't have to like what you are to care if someone hurts you. You're still my mate." The words seemed to stick in his throat."It wasn't his fault," Bella said, choosing to ignore the last part of what he said. "Sarah got to him while he was still a human and put a killswitch in his mind that was set to trigger as soon as I attacked her. She forced him to shift."Darian's expression softened as he looked at his brother. "I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know?" "You could try not jumping to the worst possible conclusion about him every chance you get," Bella said, emboldened by her mind's mangled state. Darian didn't seem to know what to do with her newfound backbone, either. She decided that was probably a good thing."If she's gonna do this, then do it," he snapped. "We've gotta
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 87
That night, Bella and her companions stayed in one of those hotels that are always visible from the highway but never easy to get to. Darian went in to book the room since he was in the best condition out of the three of them. They still had Bella's rental after circling back to the hotel parking lot with a newly minted human Victor. The emergency response team had long since cleared out by the time they swung by, and only a few police cars were hanging around to offer protection for the cleanup crew by the time they left. Bella could only assume there was so much debris that they hadn’t yet realized just how many mangled bodies there were on that floor. There were two beds in their hotel room covered by comforters that looked like someone had taken a series of Hawaiian shirts, sewn them together, and starched the hell out of them. It was the kind of place that was technically clean but still felt like everything was covered in an invisible layer of grime. Bella made a
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 88
"But she seems to like it," Bella mused, dragging her nails down his thigh. He was already getting hard. The touch just helped him along.He growled suddenly, snatching her wrist to pull her to her feet. "This is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. You are—you were—my brother's mate, and no matter what he’s saying right now, I—” He froze, staring down at her for a long, tense moment before he pulled her to him and crushed his lips against hers.When he kissed her, Bella felt something other than anger or emptiness for the first time since she had become a murderer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss before he could change his mind and take that feeling away from her."We shouldn't be doing this," he groaned. In spite of his words, he was already pulling her shirt off, careful of her shredded side. It hurt anyway, but non-life-threatening pain had lost its bite. "Probably not," she agreed, letting him press her against the wall as he
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 89
"Please, can we just pretend like it didn't happen?" Bella asked hopefully. "I didn't mean to ruin the mood." He laughed huskily. "That's not possible. If biting me will heighten the experience for you, then do it," he murmured, reaching down to stroke her hair. "If I'm going to be a traitor, I want to be the one who fulfills your every desire."His words sent a shiver down her spine and she could only nod. He turned away to allow her access to his neck and she paused for a moment, wondering if she could really handle the temptation. The first time she had tasted his blood, it had sent her into a spiral of indulgence.She reminded herself that subduing her would hardly be a feat for the Wolf, even in his human form. Whether it was a valid justification or simply her giving in to her burgeoning vampire nature, she couldn't say, but it was the sight of his pulse beating invitingly in a vein just underneath his skin that made the decision for her. It was mesmerizing.
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 90
It turned out that Victor and Bella had no reason to be concerned about Darian catching them. Not the least of all because he probably didn’t even give a shit. After all, Bella was “something else” now. Something he could never love. Darian didn't come home in the next few minutes or even the next few hours. In fact, by the time he did stagger into the hotel room smelling of however much alcohol it took to get a giant werewolf drunk, it was already officially the next day. Bella had talked Victor out of going to look for his brother, partly out of selfish concern that he wouldn't come back to her at all and partly because something told her Darian was safe. There was still a cord weaving them together, however threadbare it had become. She knew as surely as she knew that the sun would rise that the cord hadn't been severed, which could only mean that Darian was still alive. Victor had immediately launched into older brother mode as soon as Darian collapsed on t
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 91
Bella really was planning on reading the same boring signs that sought to regale tourists about the unique history of the area at every rest stop across the country. It was a habit that had always deeply irritated Jeff whenever he dragged her along on his business trips. Now she was beginning to wonder if it was just a cover. What had her motive for getting rid of her guardians been? These days, deception came so readily that it was hard to tell if she was just lying for the hell of it."'Scuse me," said a man attempting to pass her on the right. He was an average-looking guy in a brown leather jacket with a popped-up collar that covered his neck. White earbuds stuck out behind shaggy brown hair and his palms were black with grease or some other kind of car-related substance. He smelled like oil and the road, which was probably still a lot better than the way the greasy clerk at the information desk smelled."Sorry," she said, stepping back to allow him through the door s
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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
