Chapter 22 - Hazel #2
I shook my head. “I think we need to know what its full potential is first. What is there more to it?” I chewed on my lip. “I want to do this. I want to find out what its magnitude is and figure out how we can use this to our advantage.”
Brandon stared at me, and Kaleb leaned onto the table. “Hazel, that’s a big job. And we don’t have much time for this. You were just trying to run. We should actually have you on house arrest right now.”
I understood that. I was a flight risk, and they wanted to keep me safe. But keeping me locked away wasn’t going to help.
“I can do this. I have been reading and researching with Chelsey since the moment I knew I had magic, before even. I was looking into this for them at the healing center. If anyone knows the books or where to look, it’s me.”
Brandon tapped his hand on the table, and Westley sighed. “She’s got a point. Even Nora and Jade haven’t done that much research.”
I tried to sit up straighter, wanting to appear more confident. I was, if anyone knew how to find the answer, I knew it was me. It was just a matter of finding the right book and looking in the right areas.
“What about the hybrids that are outside the barrier?” Kaleb asked.
“They have already headed back into the woods. But it’s only a matter of time before they start trying to figure out another way in. We are running out of options on how to protect us all.”
Brandon rubbed at his eyes, and I could see just how tired he was. He’d not been Alpha for long, but you could see the stress.
“What we mean is that this is our last chance to stop everything.” He looked at me with a solemn expression. “This is the last chance to save the pack, Hazel. If you can’t put this before everything else…”
“I can,” I said, stopping him mid-sentence. “This will be my life.”
“I’ll help her,” Asher added. “We will figure this out.”
We walked out ten minutes later, and I glanced at Asher. I stopped walking, and he paused just a few steps ahead of me. I chewed on my lower lip. “I’m sorry.”
He turned to me. “For what?”
I expected him to start yelling. Asking why the hell I would run off. But he looked calm.
“For all of this. For running off.”
He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m not happy about it, but I get it, Hazel. The pressure can be too much sometimes.”
He walked closer to me. “Let’s just go home. You need sleep. And tomorrow morning, we can start tackling this.”
We went home, and I went upstairs to my room. I crawled under the sheets and stared at the gem on my nightstand. I was trying to sleep, but my mind was focused on what it all was. Just how important was this to them?
I slept in the darkness. I didn’t even know how long I was out, but I woke up to Asher knocking at my door. He stepped inside as I peeled my eyes open.
“Hey.” He leaned against the door frame. “You okay?”
I nodded as I sat up and rubbed at my eyes. His eyes went to the gem, and I watched his jaw clench together a little.
“I was just checking to see if you were hungry. I was going to order something.”
“Yeah, that would be great.” I looked over at the gem and knew that I needed to get up.
“Do you care what I get for food? Any request?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll eat anything.”
Asher left to grab food, and I took the gem and every single magic book I had downstairs into the living room. I had everything spread out and started flipping through them. I wrote down notes in a notebook and felt like I was in a seat of never-ending knowledge.
I heard the door open, and Asher came home. He had a bag in his hands and paused when he spotted me.
“Wow.” His eyes went through all of the books and the mess that I had created.
“Sorry, I just need the space to spread everything out.” I had post-its on some books, and tossed aside others that didn’t have any information I needed. I had it laid out so I could see everything. Some were open on pages, others had little notes sticking out.
“How’s it going?”
I groaned as he walked further in, stepping over a pile of books. He sat down next to me, opening the bag. I could smell greasy food, and my stomach growled. “It’s a lot of information. I forgot how much there was.”
He handed me a burger and leaned back against the couch. He unwrapped his and took a bite. “Seems like a lot. But if anyone can find what we need, it’s you.”
I unwrapped my burger and leaned back against the couch next to him. I took a bite, feeling the flavor explode in my mouth. I chewed as I stared at it all.
“So, have you found anything?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I’ve been looking through everything, trying to figure out what’s in each book. I’ve found the ability to put a spell on an object, but nothing to this extent.”
“If anyone can figure it out, it’s going to be you.”
I tilted my head as I stared at him. “Why are you so confident that I will? Aren’t you afraid that I’m going to fail? That I’m going to go in circles and never find the answer?”
“Because you have overcome a lot of things. You and your sister moved here and had to start your lives over. You started learning magic with the healers because you wanted to know more. You have that will to find out more, and I know you will.”
I felt my heart flutter. I hadn’t expected him to still stand by me, even after I tried to run for it.
“Don’t you want to yell at me at all?” I whispered. “Not even a little?”
He shook his head. “Not for running. A little for not wanting to talk to me about what you were feeling. I get you wanted to protect us.” He took a sip of his drink.
“I understand wanting to leave. Feeling that you’ve always been fighting and that will never change.
” He set his drink down and took another bite of his burger.
“But just now, I’m not that easy to run away from.
I’ve got years of experience tracking people down. I’ll find you.”
I knew he was teasing me, but it made my heart skip a beat. And as I stared at him, I realized just how much I cared. That this wasn’t just flirting and us sleeping together every once in a while. I’d grown attached and even fallen in love.
I thought leaving was going to save them, but I’d been wrong. I didn’t want to leave anymore. I wanted to stay and set down roots. And if he was willing to fight this hard for me, maybe I could fight for him.
“I want that too.” A part of me wanted to belong, and I believed him when he said he was going to fight.
I hunkered down for days, flipping through pages and pages of books. I’d written out so many notes and worked late into the night. I called Chelsey, and we discussed different parts of the books I’d read. She’d explained it might have been more than just a spell, but a curse.
“Sometimes people place curses on objects.”
I adjusted the phone against my ear, a book propped up against my knee. Why hadn’t I thought about that?
“We are dealing with dark witches, so they likely did things for reasons we can’t understand. A curse would make a lot of sense.”
I chewed on my licorice as I groaned. “God, I’ve been reading for hours, and I hadn’t even thought about it that way.”
“That’s because you’re good, Hazel. You have to think like a dark person, think like someone hurting, someone who wants revenge.”
I ended the call and started to read through the books as she’d said. The more I thought, the more it made sense. They were using this gem, but why was the gem cursed in the first place? What started it all? If I could answer that, maybe I would find the answer to everything else.
“Hazel?”
I jumped, not even hearing Asher come into the house. He frowned as he stared at me. “When was the last time you went to bed?”
I blinked for a moment and glanced down at the time. I hadn’t even realized how early it was in the morning. I’d been searching so much that I forgot to check the time.
“I uhhmmm…”
“Did you even go to sleep?” he asked as he walked into the living room. “And who were you on the phone with? Who else is up at six in the morning?”
“Chelsey…I should really call her back and apologize for calling her so early.”
He shook his head. “No, you need to go to bed.”
I nodded, moving off the ground and curling onto the bed. He frowned. “In bed, Hazel.”
I shook my head, too tired to sleep in bed.
“No, I’m fine here.” I pulled one of the pillows under my head and snuggled under the blanket.
I could hear him sigh, and then the pillow was gone.
He lifted my head and sat down, resting my head on his lap.
“Fine, but only because I’m too tired to move you myself. ”
I smiled, closing my eyes. “Where are you up so early?”
“I worked the night shift. I told you before I left.”
I might not have heard him. I felt his fingers curled around my hair, his hand patting my head softly. I rotated and looked up at him. He looked down at me. His eyes looked at me with love, and I felt that pull deep in my chest.
I felt the words bubbling to the surface, but I didn’t say them. I didn’t want to confess anything when there was so much on the line.
I reached up, funning my finger along his lips. “You really do care about me, don’t you?”
He smirked. “Is it that obvious?”
I laughed as his head bent down. His nose brushed against mine. “I care a lot about you.”
His lips pressed against mine, and I sank into them. His lips pressed harder, and his tongue slid over mine. The kiss deepened, and I moaned at the amount of urgency there was underneath it.
I wanted to climb into his lap and just lay my emotions bare. I wanted his skin pressed against mine and to feel his heart race.
He groaned, his fingers cupping my face. “God damn…”
“What?”
His eyes softened. “You need sleep. I need sleep.”
I knew that. I was exhausted, and lying here admitting it to myself let me realize just how badly I wanted to rest.
“Your eyes are red-rimmed.” His fingers pressed against my cheek. “Sex can wait for another day.”
I smirked. “You promise?”
I could see what was stirring in his eyes. “Oh, absolutely.”
I tugged the blanket closer, rolling toward him. I closed my eyes as his fingers stroked my head once more. I finally gave in, letting myself drift off.