Chapter 25 - Hazel
I woke up to the sound of an alarm. I could hear Asher turning it off. I opened my eyes and stared at him. He gave me a soft smile, and his hand reached out to stroke my cheek.
I smiled, feeling my heart skip a beat. I loved him so much.
I shifted, moving closer against him. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He leaned forward, brushing his nose against mine. “Good morning.”
I felt like we were sitting in a warm cocoon, and all of our issues could never touch us. But I knew we needed to get moving. We had all of last night to spend together, and we couldn’t drag our feet. Everyone else was likely getting ready like we were.
“We have to get up, don’t we?” I asked, feeling dread starting to settle in.
He nodded. “Yeah, we do. I’m sure everyone else is getting ready. We don’t want to be the reason we have to delay this.”
I nodded my head and rolled my tongue over my lips. “Don’t die. That is your one big job today.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t exactly want to die. That is always my one big job.”
“No, I know. I just…don’t die.” I swallowed, placing my hand on his chest. “I don’t want to spend my life without you.”
He smiled. “And the same goes to you.”
I watched him pull himself up and start to grab at his clothes. I slipped out of the bedroom to change and headed up the stairs. I pulled on some thick leggings and a sweater. I yanked on tight boots and headed back down the stairs. I headed into the kitchen and shoved the knife drawer open.
I grabbed the first one I could and shoved it into the pocket of my leggings.
“What’s that?” Asher appeared in the hallway and looked at me.
“A knife.”
He frowned. “Why?
“In case I need it.”
“Do you know how to use it for self-defense?” We never went over using anything during training. Now that I think about it, we should have. It would be smart for me to know how.
I shrugged. “Not really, but I can figure it out.”
He walked closer to her, pulling my hand up, and grabbed the knife. He wrapped my fingers around the handle, making sure I held onto it tightly. “Keep your wrist tight, and hold it firm. You don’t want them to get their hands on this.”
I looked down at the blade and then back at him. I swallowed, realizing this was our last moment alone together.
He kissed me softly. We stood there for a moment before he stepped back. I put the blade away, and we headed out to the car. We drove in silence. I held onto his hand, never wanting to let go.
As we pulled up, it looked like everyone was here. I knew we were taking a group out with us, and Chelsey was joining. Gabriella, Nora, and Jade all stood looking unhappy.
We got out of the car, and Gabriella came toward us. She pulled me into a tight hug. “You have to come back. Do you hear me? I can’t live without you.”
Gabriella started to cry, pulling me closer. I felt Asher let go and nod toward the guys, giving me a moment.
I looked back toward Gabriella and hugged her in return. “I’ll be coming back.”
“You have to. I don’t plan on living without you. I need you in my life.” She grabbed my face. “You are my sister. So, God, please don’t die.”
I hugged her tightly, feeling tears build up. But I didn’t let them fall. I wasn’t planning to leave her.
I broke free from her and headed over to hear the plan.
Brandon spoke. “We’re going to split up once we get there.
One team will be on diversion while the other infiltrates their base.
We want as many of them out of that area so you guys can get in and out quickly.
We’re going to move out together as a team.
But as soon as we get closer enough, one group is going to make noise and pull as many of them away as we can.
The second group is going to move in and get what needs to be done. ”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Alright, who are the teams?” Westley asked.
“Kaleb and I are going to be on diverting. The rest of the guys will be joining us. You, Westley, Chelsey, and Hazel will go into the camp. The fewer of you there are, the better.”
“I still think this is a fucking insane idea,” Kaleb added. “Splitting up turns our manpower in half.”
Asher shook his head. “No, if you guys are trying to get them to follow, you need as much manpower as you can get. We will work together and be quick. We aren’t the ones that are being followed.”
“And what if they figure out our plan and turn back? The four of you are fucked.”
“We will be fine,” Chelsey spoke up as she walked toward us. “Besides, I know how to put up a protective barrier for us if needed. It won’t last as long, but it could save us in a pinch.”
“And do not under any circumstances leave your location for the others.” Brandon looked at the others of us. “If you fail in your part of the mission, you fail us all.”
“Jade is in charge while I’m away.”
“Which will not be long because he is coming back.” Jade broke through the group, walking straight toward him. “I need a moment with my husband.”
“Jade…” Brandon frowned at her.
She grabbed his shirt roughly, yanking him toward her. She kissed him roughly, and we all turned away. I could hear just how caught off guard Brandon was and tried to look anywhere but at them.
I looked at Asher. He looked relaxed, but I could see how stiff his shoulders were. He was good at masking, but I could see behind it.
Kaleb cleared his throat, and Brandon pulled himself together. Jade smirked, clearly trying to make a point. “You remember what you’re fighting for out there.”
“Do you think it’s wise to give the man a hard-on before he goes into battle?” Kaleb asked, humor in his eyes.
Jade rolled her eyes before she turned and walked back toward the others. We waved as we turned and headed into the woods. Asher took my hand, his fingers interlacing with mine.
We continued to walk, all of us watching as we moved. The woods were quiet, not even critters in the distance. The snow had started to melt, and the trees swayed in the wind. The sun came up and shone down on us.
I don’t know how long we walked before Brandon froze in front. He pulled his hand up, and we all stopped in our tracks. I looked around, moving closer to Asher. “What is it?”
He didn’t answer, and then I heard it. It was a soft grunt, the sound of heavy footsteps in the distance. “We move as one.” Brandon signaled as we continued to walk. We found two guys a few yards ahead of us. They were lounging on a rock, talking.
“I think they are on scouting duty,” Kaleb said. “I don’t see any others.”
“Kaleb, Westley. Go around and see if there are others in the surrounding area.” Brandon pointed toward Asher. “You and I are moving in.”
I felt his hand slip free from mine as Asher moved with Brandon. I stood with the others and watched.
“I’m tired,” one of the guys grumbled in front of us. “When we switch out?”
“No idea. But pay attention, or Kevin will have our ass. We already lost the fucking gem. That’s making everyone on edge.”
I spotted Brandon, and he moved closer and grabbed the one closest to him. Asher emerged from his spot near the second guy.
I watched Asher grab him, throwing his arms around the man’s neck and squeezing. My eyes widened as the man crawled up Asher’s arm, blood falling from the marks.
He squeezed harder and twisted violently. You could hear the snap, and I jumped. I couldn’t breathe. I knew what the guys could do, but watching it was insane.
I looked over at Brandon, who had done the same thing. The guys both lay dead. Brandon waved at the group. “Let’s go.”
I moved with the others and hurried toward Asher. “You’re bleeding.”
“It will heal. We don’t have time to worry about these wounds.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me along. We needed to keep moving.
Kaleb and Westley came around a tree. “There were two more that we took out. The camp is up ahead. A large group of them is lounging around, but not enough to be concerned. I think a lot of them are away, which is going to work in our favor.”
We continued to walk until we could see the clearing ahead. The wide open space had a dark feeling as you got closer. Brandon pulled us all to a stop.
“Alright, we split here. You guys stay here until you know the coast is clear to move in. The rest of us are moving forward. We will get the others to follow.”
“Stay alive,” Kaleb added, looking at Westley and me.
“Same goes to you.”
We watched as they all moved forward. I could see Asher was bouncing on his heels. His eyes stared at the guys as they walked away.
I squeezed his hand. “They’re going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.”
We could hear footsteps and ducked low. And then we heard it.
The sound of screaming erupted in the distance.
I ground my teeth together and felt Asher’s hands tighten on mine.
I didn’t know if that was part of the distraction or if one of our guys had gotten hurt.
We wouldn’t know if that was part of the distraction or if someone was hurt.
“We’re good to go,” Westley said, pulling himself up.
We moved out of the treeline and into the open space. The air felt dense, and I hated how it felt like something was crawling on me.
“Where is the body buried?” Westley asked.
I scanned the area and pointed to a patch of rocks. It was a large space, big enough to have a house. And the more I stared, I realized that it was the rubble of where the house had sat.
We moved together, hurrying over toward the space. I looked around, trying to remember where exactly they had laid the body down. But a scream filled the air a lot closer to us.
I turned and froze. A hybrid stood just a few feet away from us.
“Shit.” Westley cursed.
The hybrid came charging at us. Asher moved in front of me as Westley bent down and shifted. He charged at the hybrid, slamming it into the ground. The sound of claws ripping against skin filled the air.
“Find the body, Hazel!” he yelled, knowing it was only a matter of time before others showed up.
“It’s here,” I said, pointing toward a spot. “Chelsey, help me.”
We all started to pull the rocks, shoving the large ones aside. I couldn’t breathe as we moved dirt. I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest.
I felt my hands shaking as I dug, not finding anything.
Had I been wrong? Was it not here? Had they moved it, worried we would come looking for it?
But I could feel the energy. I could feel the pure rage that was put into this place, which meant it was still here.
I kept seeing him over and over. I understood the anger.
I got why he wanted revenge. What happened to his wife was horrible.
“You’re making a mistake,” A voice spoke, a shiver rolling over me.
“Do you really think they deserve to live? They raped her! They killed her! They are the ones that deserve to suffer.”
I looked over at Chelsey. Was she hearing the voice?
Chelsey kept digging, which told me she wasn’t. I tried to shake it off as we got to a large wooden coffin. We yanked the lid off, and inside was the body.
It was bones at this point. Even the fabric of his clothes was disintegrating. The smell of magic filled the air, and I held my breath.
“Stop. Think about which side you’re on.”
Chelsey’s hand reached over. “It’s the curse,” she whispered. “He wanted to make sure no one stopped him.”
I nodded, remembering her warning. Curses like this grew and made it almost impossible to break.
I pulled the gem free and pulled it closer to the body. I placed it into the body and nodded at Chelsey. She grabbed my hand and took a deep breath.
We put our magic together and forced it down into the body. I watched as it wrapped around the bones, encircling the gem. And the magic turned into fire.
It started to burn, and the sound of screaming filled the air. The ground started to shake, and a large wave hit us. Both Chelsey and I were thrown, and I landed hard on my back.
I stared at the sky for a split second and could feel like my world was tilting. I slowly turned, my ears ringing violently. I spotted Asher and Westley. Westley was trying to help Chelsey up, and Asher was shaking me.
“Hazel?”
I blinked and looked over at the body. You could see the flames still burning. And then I felt it. The shift.
That feeling that was basking over the land was gone. I almost smiled. We did it.
“We need to go.” Asher tugged at me, pulling me to my feet. “Now.”