The Vampire’s Hybrid / Book Four ✔️
Chapter Six: In Ones Blood

The following days went by in a blur. Two days had passed and the news that the Alpha was killed by Lucas and his crew members spread around both packs. Her Alpha wasn’t pleased that he was the one who did it and now a debt was owed but Lucas didn’t care. He stated that he would do it again if it meant that her hands stayed clean and blood-free.

Ava stayed in bed as she stared out her small bedroom window, a slight breeze flowed and the clouds seemed to move slower than her mind. Lucas came every day to make sure she was okay, he would come to her door with flowers or a plate of cookies and use them as his excuse to see her which she found to be quite sweet but she was terrified. Not of him but of the repercussions of what she has done.

For two days she has been on edge waiting for someone to come barging into her home and end her life. Every bang, every creak she would jump. At dinner last night, Cole almost dropped the pot of freshly made stew because he had dropped a spoon and made her scream. He was so concerned for her that he had slept on her floor just to keep her company while Eugene pouted but understood and slept in the living room for her peace of mind.

She hated how they worried for her and sacrificed their comfort for her own. She wanted to get past it and ignore the stares and judgement but her fear kept her isolated and now she was curled up in her sheets with a hammering heart and wide, tired eyes.

Ava felt her stomach rumble for the fifth time that morning. Cole and Eugene were on border patrol and weren’t going to be back home until later that afternoon which meant that she was on her own to fend for herself. Her butter knife was under her pillow and every few minutes she would eye the front door from her bedroom and silently pray to the moon goddess that nobody came in.

Her stomach grumbled again and she cursed, throwing the blankets off of her before she stood. Her reflection was the first thing she saw and she couldn’t help but scowl in distaste. Ava hasn’t been looking after her hair as shown by the long tangles and random loose strands. It was going to take her hours to comb it all out to be able to braid it before her bath later tonight. She was grateful at least that her pack had running water and was the first out of all the kingdoms to have a surge system. There were pipelines set up and fossettes, even a running shower and she had openly questioned why nobody else had these luxuries but Gene only shrugged and said that he didn’t know.

Taking her tie out of her hair, she threw it onto her bedside table and grabbed her comb before she got to work. Walking into the kitchen she took a bowl of fruit and sat down on one of the dining chairs before she started to eat the strawberries. Ava despite her hidden abilities made sure that their home was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables as she did for Marley and Sawyer. Her power to conjure anything that she could think of was a blessing but sometimes a pain when she did it by accident. She could count past her fingers and toes the number of times she had almost cut off a limb or dropped a knife on Gene’s toes.

Ava cursed, the ache she felt on her scalp began to form before a sudden knock came at her door. Her senses picked up that it was Lucas before she stood and opened the door. He was holding a wrapped gift for her and as her eyes widened in surprise, so did his. “You’re going to give yourself split ends if you brush your hair like that.”

She pouted, letting go of the comb as if stuck to her hair like glue. “This is what I get for not looking after this mess. Gene was blessed with the straight hair in our family while I was cursed with curls! Curls!” She repeated the last word with an overdramatic yelp as she turned her back on him and sat back down.

His chuckle was her only indication that he had followed her back inside before he closed the door and approached. “Let me.”

“You know how to brush hair?”

He nodded as he took the comb and stood behind her. His fingers were so soft and gentle that her body instantly shivered and she had to resist a moan as the sparks of the mate bond tickled her skin. “Zack had a long hair faze when he was Eleven. He wanted to look like some Viking god and refused to cut it but he didn’t know how to look after it. Eventually, our nannies gave up trying to help him and let his hair become wild and untamable. Luckily for him, I was watching what they were doing and took over.”

He started from the bottom, the gentle moments lulled her into a grinning maniac before she responded. “Your parents hired nannies?”

“They had responsibilities and couldn’t be bothered to look after us. Only Zack had nannies, Raph and myself were left to look after ourselves but sometimes a nanny or two would come into our rooms and make sure that we behaved and were up to date with our studies.”

She nodded, her heart softly aching for him as she spoke. “Do you think Mackenzie would hire a nanny for her son?”

He paused, her eyes looking up at him to replace that he was staring down at her in utter shock. For a moment she didn’t understand the look until she realised that she wasn’t supposed to know who Mackenzie was or about the pregnancy. Heck, it surprised her that she knew the gender and the name. “How…”

“I’m a witch, remember.” She smiled before she turned back around and eyed the strawberries. “I smelt her scent on you and her child in return. Because it was only mild, I figured he was still in the womb.”

Lucas hadn’t continued to brush her hair for a moment before he started again and made a sound as if he released a shocked breath. “What else do you know?”

Ava thought about it for a moment. “I know that your nephew’s name is going to be Kendrix. Abigail and Raphael have secretly gotten married to piss off your parents and August is wishing for a child of his own but Nymeria is too busy training your warriors. I think she is purposely avoiding the topic out of her fears but I would never approach her about it in fear that I’ll have my throat slit. Figus and Pipèe are training the kittens in their footwork and there is a lesbian couple but they are mild on you so I haven’t picked up anything.”

“That is amazing.” He wheezed as he began to play with her hair. He had long finished combing out her knots but it seemed that he didn’t want to let her go just yet. “Does that mean that you understood the game I was-“

“I understood.” She said before she placed her hand on top of his closest one and smiled up at him. “I will never take what you called me to heart, I can feel your worry… hence the gift.”

His eyes softened with relief before he finally let go of her hair, his work displayed in a simple crowned braid around her head that she tried to wrap her mind around but couldn’t. He had done that without any pins and for that, she wanted him to teach her how to do it. “I know the gift is a pathetic apology but words will never make up for what I did. There is no excuse for my actions and what I did to save you, all I saw was red and how they made you feel. That volubility and weakness drove such a rage inside of me that I dove into the lessons that Raph had taught me as a child to make others feel that way but then he said what he wanted to do to you and I had to call in my crew. They were already waiting for my command so it didn’t take much for them to obey was silent order.”

She felt her heart thud and her face slightly turning a shade of pink before she reached forward and took the gift from the table where he had left it before he started on her hair. The small blue wrapping was tied by a delicate golden bow, the box felt light and she felt a little childish when she placed it by her ear and shook it which made him laugh beside her. Ava pulled the bow apart and then unwrapped the box. The black box held a lid as she opened it and smiled in awe. The delicate necklace held a dragonfly pendant. Small red and green gems were placed on its wings and body while the rest was silver. She had never loved something more in her life and when she suddenly felt a tear slide down her face, she realised that nobody had ever been this kind to her before.

“If you don’t like it, I can send it back.” He quickly said as he noticed her tears. “I knew it was a stupid idea.”

“No, no!” She said with a shake of her head before she looked up. “I love it. It’s beautiful.”

“I didn’t mean to make you cry… I-“

“Don’t be silly!” She giggled as her face began to hurt from how wide her smile had formed. “Can you put it on for me?”

“Of course.” He said with another relieved smile. His fingers took the time to place the necklace around her exposed neck and gently clamped it closed so that the chain would hang loosely around her neck. Her fingers held the dragonfly as she stared down at it and questioned. “Why a dragonfly?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night so I went to The Kindom of Thieves. A few stores were open and I went into one and found it. There were other pendants but that one called out to me.”

“My mother loved dragonflies.” She softly said as her smile turned into a happy but sad one. “Thank you.”

Her thank you spoke a million words and as he looked down at her, she could see something unfamiliar behind his eyes. She hated that her gifts were so limited. She could read one’s emotions only when one wanted you to and Lucas could keep his hidden unless he wanted her to see, this one emotion was no different. “Do you want to see my ship?”

Her eyebrows slightly frowned but her curiosity got the better of her. “Is it incrusted with gold and the blood of your enemies?”

His eyes sparkled at her words as he gave her a sideways grin. “Well, of course.”

“Then I would love to see it.” She replied before taking his hand and allowing him to lead her outside.