Chapter 4
Hazel
I wake with a start, panting like I’ve just run a marathon. My heart climbs into my throat when I blink, everything blurring together. My room spins until the royal blue couch in the corner anchors me.
Keeping the rich blue blur as my focus point, I force myself to breathe until my head stops spinning, counting familiar things around me. my warm bed, the sheer curtains whipping in the wind.
Did I leave my window open?
Slowly, the panic clawing at my nerves eases until I breathe without wheezing.
The nightmares have become more frequent lately… almost lucid. I first noticed the shift after we returned from the Griari empire, after celebrating August’s birthday. I thought facing the Witch Queen’s dark magic triggered it, but now I’m not so sure.
Before, I could tell I was stuck in a dream as soon as I saw him. Now my dreams bleed into reality, and it takes me a minute to figure out what’s real.
I lift a hand to wipe the beads of sweat rolling down the side of my face, but something rough scraped my skin. I look down, and my mind stops working at the colorful plastic stuck to my palms.
What the fuck… is that glitter?
When my vision clears, I realize it’s not just my hands. My entire room is covered in hot pink glitter. It’s everywhere—my bedsheets, my desk, my dagger collection.
Dean is a dead man walking.
I scramble off the bed and rush to the bathroom, but the moment I push the door open, a bucket of glitter dumps over my head. I don’t realize I’m screaming until I turn… and another bucket full of glitter falls on me.
Dean’s laughter outside my door is the last straw. I bolt for the door, ready to end him, but the bastard is already sprinting downstairs, and I can’t chase him looking like a pinata.
“I’m going to kill you, Reaper!”
“You can try!”
He’s going to regret this.
It takes me an hour to scrub the glitter out of my hair, and I’m a grumbling troll by the time I step out. Conquer Castle is holding court today, so I have to force myself to dress accordingly.
I adjust the cream camisole before slipping into a floral corset that cinches at my waist with delicate lace detail on the back. The matching wide-leg trousers keep the look effortless, and finish it off with a lightweight robe that falls to my hips.
The robe is long enough to conceal my daggers, so I strap two at my waist and tuck a few more wherever I can for good luck.
I’m walking down the hallway when I pull out a dagger to keep my fingers busy, but a growl rips out of me when glitter falls out of the sheath. Thank Lucifer, none of it sticks to my clothes, but I still check every sheath to make sure there aren’t more surprises waiting.
If Dean weren’t my mate, I would’ve sliced his balls off for messing with my daggers.
I stop in the kitchen doorway at the sight of Dean sitting at the dining table and happily munching on breakfast like he didn’t just declare war. Like it wasn’t bad enough that I lost to him yesterday.
“Good morning, my beautiful mate.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
He chokes on his next bite before chirping, “Oh no, don’t love me that much.”
I ignore him and move as far away as possible to make myself a sandwich. I take a steadying breath and remind myself that I have to be at the Conquer Castle soon. I don’t have time to hide his body.
Dean hums as he eats, acting like he didn’t break into my room while I was sleeping and covered every last thing I own in glitter. It’s going to take hours to clean it up.
My hand freezes after I place the sandwich into a mini griller when I feel his eyes on me. Why the fuck is he looking at me?
I swallow under the weight of his gaze, my skin heating everywhere it lingers. I know if I turn around now, I’ll find him staring at me with a dopey look on his face.
I give him a second to snap out of it, but when he doesn’t, I stop cutting my sandwich in half and slam the knife against the counter.
I turn and pin him with a look. “Stop it,” I hiss.
“Stop what?”
“You’re staring. Again.”
“Why? Does it make you nervous when I stare?” My glare sharpens, and like always, his smile widens. What a lunatic. “Come on, Hazel, you can’t be mad at me for looking at your pretty face?”
I drive the knife into the counter, breathing fire. The marble cracks on impact, but Dean doesn’t even flinch.
A knowing smirk curls at his lips. He knows he’s managed to fluster me. Again.
He props his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his palm, then gestures towards my abandoned breakfast. “Don’t stop on my account. I’m enjoying the view.”
I know my face is beet red because I can feel the burn on my cheeks.
He raises a brow, and before I can lunge across the counter and choke the life out of my mate, Anxo walks in with August.
“You were saying something, mate?”
A low growl is my only answer.
“Grandpa! Hazy!” August runs to Dean and into his lap without hesitation, snatching his fork and helping himself to Dean’s breakfast.
Anxo opens his mouth to say something, but Dean shakes his head, smiling fondly at the little guy.
“What brings you guys here so early?”
Anxo stuffs his hands in his pockets. “I was wondering if you could drop August off at school today.”
Dean is already shaking his head before he finishes. “Hell no. I’m not going to the human realm. Don’t ruin my day.”
Anxo laughs. “It’ll take less than fifteen minutes.”
“Even that’s too much,” Dean shudders like a drama queen.
Neveah and Anxo decided to send August to a werewolf academy in the human realm so he could connect with other werewolves and learn what it takes to build a pack.
After Nevaeh escaped the coven with him, we found out that August is Alpha Trevino’s son, one of the six royal Alphas, and how Visha and her coven destroyed his pack.
Even though Anxo and Nevaeh have adopted him, he’ll always be an alpha.
A part of him will always long for a pack, and that’s something none of us can give him.
One day, August will want to build his own pack and honor his biological parents’ legacy. He’s lucky Anxo and Nevaeh understand the need to build his foundation today so he’ll be a good Alpha tomorrow, even when all they want is to keep him close within the safety of their kingdom.
“I can drop him off.” I try to sound casual, but the excitement slips through.
Anxo gives me a look. “Absolutely not. Last time, you took him to Disney instead of school.”
“And it was very educational, right, August?”
“Uh-huh.” He gives me a thumbs up, his mouth stuffed with Dean’s food.
Everyone calls me the Ice Queen, and I wear it proudly, but when August looks at me with those big blue eyes, it thaws the ice around my heart.
Anxo turns to Dean. “Please? I have court today, and Nevaeh is meeting the King of the Griari Empire. She’s learning to fight dragons.”
“Why?” I pull a face that makes August burst into giggles.
“She’s bored and wants a new hobby. With Dean handling Death and Harvey running War, I don’t have enough workload left to keep her entertained.”
I know Dean is about to suggest she take over his duties as Grim Reaper so he never has to go to the human realm again, but Anxo shakes his head like he can read Dean’s mind.
“Don’t even think about it. She deserves this break. We all know she loves having nothing to do for once.”
He’s right. Nevaeh spent half her life in survival mode. If she wants to wander the realms doing absolutely nothing, she’s earned it.
Dean finally agrees, still acting like going to the human realm is a death sentence. I don’t know why he hates it so much. I spent a lot of years stumbling through their world, and it wasn’t all bad.
Anxo kisses August’s head and turns to leave. “Have a great day, guys.”
Dean leans in and whispers, “How about we ditch school and you can come reap souls with me?”
Anxo calls over his shoulder, “He’s five, Dean!”
August is still giggling when he waves me over. I grab my plate of uncut sandwiches and sit at the head of the table, so I’m not next to them but not too far either.
Dean steals a slice of tomato from my plate, dodging out of my reach before I can hit him, then turns August to face him.
“So, how’s school?”
“Why do you ask me that every day? " You never went to school?” August asks so earnestly that I can’t help but laugh. Dean chokes on his drinking, but starts laughing, too.
He bumps his head, lighting against August’s. “This is my own fault. I prayed for a herd of grandkids.”
“He’s adorable,” I pull a face at August, and he copies me before glancing back at Dean.
“I’m arodable,” he grins, butchering the word completely, but proving my point.
When I get up to leave, the sight of them together pinches my chest, stealing the breath from my lungs. This is what Dean wants… a family, a house filled with laughter.
I can’t give him any of that. I really am a curse for him.
When I step back, Dean’s head snaps up, his smile still in place. “Do you want to come with us to the human realm?”
I shake my head, smiling at August, because if I look at Dean right now, he’ll see everything I’m trying to hide. I ruffle August’s hair, and the boy melts into Dean’s lap. “Can’t. I have court, then a couple dozen hellions to train.”
Dean sighs like I just broke his heart, and it tightens something in my throat. I turn away, catching his whisper behind me. “One of these days, she’s going to say yes.”
August lets out a mocking cackle only a five-year-old could get away with.
“You don’t believe me? Write it down. When life closes a door, don’t go looking for a window like a loser. Break the damn door.”
August sighs. “I don’t know how to write, Grandpa.”
I’m laughing as I open the door, but before I can leave, Dean shouts, “Have a great day, honey!”
“Arrgghhh!” I growl, slamming the door behind me.