All Chapters of Jade: The Hybrid Mage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

The hand covering my mouth was impossibly strong. I kicked out wildly, my nails scraping against a muscular arm that held me firm. My heart thundered in my chest, panic rising like a hurricane. Even with the beast's persistent energy coursing through me, I couldn't break free. 'I can't die like this,' I thought, fear tightening its grip on me. 'Not at the mercy of another predator?' Before I could wrestle free, a calm, steady voice whispered against my ear."Relax, child," it said, smooth yet commanding. "The beast won't harm you now." My entire body froze. The deep voice—it was familiar, but in a way that made chills run through me. My mind raced as I strained to see his face through the dim moonlight, but all I could make out was a shadowy figure. And then it hit me.He was the one who had been giving orders earlier, leading the search party. 'Why is he helping me?' I wondered. 'Does he think I'm just another victim?' When his hand finally released me, I stumbled back, gasping

As I walked back home, I forced myself to think back, trying to recall the evening. Celene, my stepmother, had sent me on one of her ridiculous errands. She’d insisted I pick up a hemmed cloak from the seamstress on the far side of the village, even though we both knew it wouldn’t be ready. I suspected she only wanted to keep me from surprising my father with dinner at his forge.She’d watched me spend the entire afternoon preparing his favorite meal, her lips curling into that familiar, spiteful smile.‘Of course, the witch couldn’t let me have a moment of peace,’ I thought bitterly.The memory was blurry after that. I’d left the seamstress’s shop and walked through the village. Then, as I approached the quiet stretch of road near the fields, I felt it—her presence.The beast’s dark, suffocating aura descended on me, digging into my senses. Her voice came next, low and demanding, resonating in my mind like a drumbeat.“I'M HUNGRY, JADE. I NEED MEAT."I shivered at the memory. She alw

Marie’s room was quiet, her small figure settled on a stool as she waited for me to untangle her golden curls. Her innocent smile was a balm for my aching heart, and for a brief moment, the storm of emotions inside me calmed.I picked up the brush from her bedside table and ran it gently through her hair. The golden strands shimmered in the soft light of the candle on her nightstand.“You’re so nice, Jade,” Marie said softly, breaking the silence. “I wish everyone else was nice to you too.”Her words hit me harder than I expected. I paused mid-stroke, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. “That’s very sweet of you to say, Marie,” I said, my voice trembling just enough to betray the emotion behind my words. “But don’t worry about me, okay? You just focus on being the wonderful little girl you are.”“But I do worry,” she said, turning to face me, her blue eyes wide with concern. “I hear them talk about you, and it’s not fair. You’re not bad. You’re not a witch like they say.