Hybrid

TWENTY-ONE

⫷ ARIA ⫸

My head aches like nothing else. Before I can truly grasp what the hell just happened, strong arms scoop me up and pull my against a hard chest. With my ear against James, I can hear how rapid his heart beats. His fingers run through my hair, and that alone soothes the pounding between my temples. I fall limp in his embrace, letting everything else fade into the background.

"Aria, you need to be careful," Payton's voice drifts in.

James growls. "Stay back."

I grip onto his shirt, realizing the wet stain if from my tears. "It's okay. I'm okay." His arms tighten around my body, but I still manage to lift my head and meet Payton's gaze. A rare thing, to see concern shine through the ice in her gaze. "What do I need to be careful about?"

"From what I understand, a magic user's power source is also their greatest weakness. Yours is your mind; you can tap into your magic through emotion. It makes sense; you tend to evade any heavy topics."

I sniffle. "Not true."

"Oh, yep, that's definitely true," Kasey comments from a few paces away.

"Because its emotion you need to tap into, you need to be careful," Payton continues. "If you let emotion control you, your magic may become unstable."

"So... really, it's a good thing I'm emotionally stunted, right?"

She shrugs. "I suppose. You'll need to learn balance. I've heard of magic users who's power source was their mind." Payton trails off and looks away from me.

This can't be good. "Go on."

She still doesn't look at me. "One of them killed herself young. The other lost balance and became mentally unstable. For the safety of everyone, he was killed by hunters in the area. Inevitably, if you use too much magic, your brain will shatter."

I grimace. "Okay. Can't I just... never use it?"

"It depends on why these rogues are after you. Clearly they are interested in your powers."

"They want to control her." Everyone turns their attention to Caleb. Kasey trots over to stand beside him and takes his hand, causing a slight blush to light up his cheeks. "With the wolf gene, you can be controlled by an alpha. The witch gene gives you power beyond the physical nature of a wolf. Centuries ago, there was a war between two packs. The winner had hybrids."

James rests his chin on the top of my head. "You think the rogues are planning a war? For what purpose?"

"A rebellion?" Caleb guesses.

Kasey frowns as she rests her head against his arm. "Maybe they're tired of being seen as less than because they aren't part of an official pack. I mean, technically I'm a rogue, and I've been spit on by some nasty pack wolves."

Caleb tenses. "In this pack?"

"Nope. Just some wolves I ran into along my travels. Mom insists I'm still part of our home pack whenever I visit, but it isn't the same. I've felt like a rogue ever since I left for university."

I frowned at my friend. Who, in their right mind, would treat this bubbly girl like anything less than the amazing girl she is. Before I can voice my thoughts, Caleb beats me to it. "You're part of this pack now," is all he says, but it's all Kasey needs to smile like she just won a million dollars.

"I'll need to inform my father on everything," Payton explains to all of us. "If there is a chance of a war, he needs to know. Everyone in the hunting community needs to know."