Chapter 22 - Hazel
I stared at the gem. It was a deep red with a layer of black underneath it. You could see swirling in it, and my heart beat faster as I stared at it. I could feel the pull. A part of me wanted to protect it.
“Hazel, what the hell is that?”
“I’ve heard about these. Chelsey said there is a way for a witch to put a spell, magic, or a barrier into an object.
I’ve never seen someone use a gem, though.
” I’d read how some witches did this to protect their homes.
Others put magic on jewelry to protect family members.
It was an easy spell, but I could feel that this gem wasn’t a simple one.
No, this had to be something more powerful.
“Hazel, we need to leave now.” His fingers tightened on my hand, tugging at it. But I couldn’t just leave this here. It could be the answer to everything. I reached for the gem.
“What are you doing?”
When an object was destroyed, it lost its powers. It was the main reason our mother didn’t do this. She had thought about us wearing lockets to lock our powers away, but she knew they could be removed.
They put this gem underneath all of these rocks to protect it. All we needed to do was destroy it, and I’m sure whatever hold it has around this land, whatever powers it was giving the hybrids would end.
I could hear footsteps coming back, and we didn’t have long before we would be found. My heart was racing as I reached down, my fingers wrapping around the gem. I could feel it pulse, like it was a beating heart.
In a way, it was. It was the beating heart of their survival.
“Hazel,” Asher’s voice dripped with rage now, and he yanked me up. I should smash it against another rock and watch it shatter. But something ached in my chest, telling me it was wrong.
So, I shoved it into my pocket and turned to him. Asher looked at me with wide eyes, and I could see he was questioning why I was hiding it. But the snapping was close, and we both turned just as the one from earlier stepped in front of us.
My heart stopped beating, and his eyes turned a dark red. His fangs poked out from his lips. He looked behind me where the gem had been, and his face shifted into rage. He knew it was no longer there.
“Give it back,” he growled low, stepping closer to us.
“Not happening,” I said breathlessly.
I watched as his shoulders rolled back and he started to shift. I could hear the snapping of bones, and Asher pulled at me, making me take a few more steps back.
I felt that tingle forming in my fingers, but then I felt Asher’s fingers leave mine. I turned my head toward him, watching as Asher shifted. His hair grew long, and he bent down, turning into his wolf form.
He was a pure black wolf that stood almost as tall as I was. He growled low, baring his teeth at the hybrid. The hybrid was bigger than both of us, his jaw snapping as he lunged at us. His roar echoes around us.
I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before more showed up, so we needed to move fast.
Asher charged at him. I took a deep breath and tried to pull my magic to my fingers. I could hardly breathe, let alone focus. Asher slammed into him, knocking him down hard into the ground. The ground shook violently, and I felt my legs shift under me.
I tried to focus, not wanting to accidentally hit Asher.
Aiming wasn’t my strong suit, and even less so when the object was moving around.
I knew I would only get maybe two shots out before I would become too weak.
I watched as they collided, slamming into a tree.
The sound was loud, and I looked around quickly, praying we didn’t have any more coming.
My heart was racing as Asher snapped his jaws around its neck. The sound he made was loud. It chilled my bones.
I was panting as I tried to focus. I knew I only had one shot at this. My hands shook as I watched them twirl, their bodies pressed together. The hybrid slammed Asher into the ground. He was pinned, his hind legs trying to shove himself free.
I relaxed my shoulders and forced my magic forward. I watched it shoot forward, slamming right into the back of the hybrid. He screamed out in pain, and Asher took the moment, shoving his back legs into him.
The hybrid was flipped onto his back, and I pulled my magic out again, shooting another ball of fire at him. The screaming was loud, and I could hear others in the distance.
Asher bit hard into his neck, and I heard the snapping. The hybrid suddenly went limp, and I felt the world freeze up.
Asher leaned back, his eyes snapped toward me.
I stared at him, the silence stretching for a second.
But then I heard footsteps behind us. Asher moved closer, nudging me.
I quickly grabbed hold of his fur and climbed onto his back.
I tightened my legs around him and pulled myself close.
I didn’t even have a moment before Asher went running forward, my stomach leaping at the quickness.
I hid my head in his fur, the air whistling around me as he took off. I could hear the snapping of branches. The voices grew louder and louder, and I wondered if they knew their gem was gone.
Faster, Asher. We need to get back home to the barrier.
Asher ran like his life depended on it, and it did. If we didn’t get back and they caught up to us, I knew we were fucked. There was no saving us.
I looked up, seeing the town in the distance. My heart leaped at the thought. I then looked over my shoulder, and my eyes widened. There were at least twenty of them following them. They were just a yard behind us. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it.
I pulled my hand up and shot some fire behind us. I watched as it smacked into one, but it didn’t stop them all.
I could feel my muscles tightening and my body shaking. It demanded rest, but I couldn’t. I forced my magic out again. Any of them that got too close, I made sure to hit. I could feel my vision blurring, but I clung on.
We broke through the trees into the pack barrier, and I watched as they stopped. It was like they slammed into a wall, and Asher finally fell to the ground out of breath.
I panted as I pulled myself off his back and fell flat onto the ground.
“Thank god,” I whispered as I closed my eyes, feeling relieved.
I felt like I just ran a marathon, but we were alive.
But the moment was short as I sat up, staring into the woods.
I watched as they stared back at us, lurking, trying to figure out a way to get into the space.
I swallowed, feeling that shiver roll down my spine. We were safe, but for how long?
I looked at Asher as he shifted back into his human form. He looked exhausted, and his legs shook as he tried to stand. I don’t know how fast or how far he had just traveled, but I knew he ran as if his life depended on it.
“We need to talk with Brandon.”
He nodded in agreement. “Yes, and soon.”
He called Brandon, and we were in a meeting within fifteen minutes. Asher sat next to me, sipping on coffee to stay awake. He had recovered, but I still felt like I’d been drained of power. Brandon and Kaleb sat across from us, and Westley was standing behind them.
My legs shook underneath the table, my fingers tapping on my leg.
“What the hell were you two doing in the woods?” Brandon asked, his lip curled up. I knew he was staring at Asher, waiting for him to explain. But he didn’t know what to say. I knew he wouldn’t tell Brandon the truth. He wouldn’t throw me under the bus like that.
“I was out there. He just followed me.”
Brandon’s eyes snapped toward me. “And why in god’s name would you think it’s a good idea to run off into the woods? Especially after yesterday? Are you asking to get your ass chewed out?”
“It’s not her fault. I should have kept a better eye on her.”
“You damn sure should have!” Westley snapped at him now. “If she had gotten hurt, it would have been your fault.”
“It’s not his fault I was out there,” I said, shoving myself up. “I went out there. I was the one who was trying to run away and failed. It’s not his fault.”
Asher swallowed as the space went quiet. I sighed. “I am trying to feel like I belong here, but it’s not easy.”
Brandon leaned back in his chair and pinched his eyes. “So much information….too much information.”
Westley waved his hand. “Hazel, why on earth would you do that? Do you have any idea how upset Gabriella would be? How upset would everyone be?”
I chewed on my cheek. “I was trying to protect everyone.” I rubbed my fingers together, hating how that feeling wrapped around me like a blanket.
Would I ever be good enough? I wanted to be. I wanted to be able to hold my own weight and prove that I deserved to be here just like everyone else.
“We’re going to come back to this,” Brandon said, and I could see in his eyes that he was going to stop me for a chat at one point. “But to the other reason you’re here.”
The gem.
I felt like it had a hold on me when we were in the woods. The moment that I touched it, I felt the urge to protect it, to make sure nothing happened to it. But the moment that we stepped into the pack barrier, that feeling became less. It was like a rope had been pulled free.
I pulled the gem from my bag and set it on the table. All of them stared at it, and I chewed on my cheek.
“There is a way to put magic into an object. But the energy in this gem is powerful. I thought maybe if you broke it, that would be the end, but I think there is more to this.”
Brandon tapped his finger on the table. “What happens if you break it?”
“Normally, the smell or the magic ends with it. But I’ve never seen one this powerful before. I don’t think it would be that simple.”
“Why don’t we just break it?” Kaleb said, pointing at the gem. “Rather than holding it here and having them try to get it back. Just break the damn thing.”