Ryan
I'm trudging through the forest alone. Leaving Amelia might have been the hardest thing I've ever done. I have to keep reminding myself that it's only temporary to not run back and find her.
Once Blue is with me, I will find my way back to Amelia, but there is one nagging thought that keeps coming back to me: "What if she won't love me when she finds out the ugly truth about me?"
With that thought clouding my mind, I walk through a clearing. Moonlight is coming in through the birch tree canopies, illuminating my otherwise dark path. I'm not afraid of the darkness, though—it's silly when I've become the monster lurking in the dark myself.
I'm my own worst nightmare—my heart squeezes painfully at that understanding. I hate myself, but Amelia's happy face makes it worth living.
Even if I'm a monster, I want to keep Amelia safe, make sure that Courtney doesn't get to murder her.
Not that Amelia is defenseless—she is a total badass wit
AmeliaI park my car and stare down at the wheel. Everything feels wrong. My hand slowly reaches up to the nape of my neck, touching the burning area where Ryan left his mark.Even though I didn't mark him, I still have this pulsating ache growing within me. Maybe only one mark is needed to complete the mate-bond when I'm a human? For the mark burns like a raging fire when Ryan isn't around. I miss him with my entire heart.When I jump out of the car, Giovani is already waiting for me by the door to our hideout. He is smoking while wearing that darn beige trenchcoat and his fedora."You're late," Giovani comments."Something came in the way, but I picked up the goods," I tell him as I open the trunk. He is behind me within minutes, eyeing the explosives with a shocked expression."How the hell did you get those into the car?" Giovani drops his cigar and laughs. "That's a ton shit of dynamite."I wink at him. "A lady never reveals her
Ryan It's pouring down water when I walk into the old mansion that used to belong to some rich bastard. There is a pool emptied of water, cluttered with graffiti and letters. Human bones have been thrown there by my fellow hybrids, reminding me of our disgusting dinners that Amelia surely wouldn't appreciate. I clench my jaw. Amelia, beautiful, innocent Amelia, would she leave me if she knew the truth about what it means to be a hybrid? Probably. "Number two!" Blinking, I lift my head and find Courtney waving at me from the porch. She has opened the glassed door and seems to be waiting for me. Her lips are cruel, and her eyes are no longer filled with emotion like they were back in her human days. Brown hair sticks to her rosy cheeks, framing her heart-shaped face. She looks like an evil queen that could belong in an old Disney movie. Because while she is beautiful, I know better than anyone that only hatred exists within those
Ryan I haven't been fed anything for three days, and I'm now starting to give up hope of being saved. Hallucinations have repeatedly shown themselves—it's a given in my state. A layer of sweat is constantly covering my skin. I'm warm, possibly running a fever from not having eaten anything. The guards love mistreating me, slapping my back with rope, and shooting me in different places. It feels like I've been hit a hundred times. "Wake up trash." With tired eyes, I lift my head from the cold floor when I hear jingling keys. The fat hybrid guard dressed in a Hawaiian shirt is back with his shaved head and sunglasses. "Get up." I try to listen to him, push myself up on my shaking arms, but I'm too exhausted to move. The guard laughs at my pathetic attempts and finally opens the door without asking me to get up again. "Gosh, it stinks inside this prison cell," The guard comments as he pops his bubblegum. He is a large man, almost
AmeliaSomething is wrong—I can feel it in my bones. The skin on my back is burning as if someone had slapped me with a rope repeatedly. I can barely move, not without the area stinging like a bitch. It makes me wonder if Ryan is okay. Maybe we are connected in the universe, and I can feel his pain like my own.It must be something like that because I don't remember even touching my back."You're not saying much."Billy's voice makes my eyes flicker down to the ground. "Sorry, what did you say?" I ask. "I wasn't listening.""We don't have much dynamite left after that hybrid attack," Billy comments while looking through our inventory box. He looks tired. "I don't even understand why they attacked us. They have left us alone in the past—why charge now?"A pregnant Zoya is sitting on the ground, cleaning a rifle while looking thoughtful. Billy's hand is on her thigh. The two of them never leave each other's side anymore. They fell
AmeliaMaking up your mind to locate your freaky, hybrid boyfriend is one thing, but finding him is a whole other story.For hours, I've been trudging in the moss, gazing up at the faraway canopies. I've tried to whisper Ryan's name to the wind, but there has never been an answer.Not that I believed there to be one.I'm in the location where I last saw Ryan, where we kissed and had sex in the lake. And while deep inside of my heart, I knew Ryan wouldn't be standing here, waiting for me with open arms and a sweet smile, my heart still hoped."Hope is what makes us human..." I whisper.Quietly, I keep walking, stopping short when there are tremors beneath my feet. What was that? A vehicle? My eyes stick to the ground like glue. Something heavy or insanely oversized is moving towards me.In my experience, you hide from things that cause this trembling—even the birds have stopped singing. Something dangerous is coming.My fl
Amelia"This is a terrible idea," I tell Blue, my excellent companion with the disastrous ideas before releasing an arrow—within moments, I hit my target in the head. One of the hybrids drops dead without a sound, and I lift my bow, about to shoot the other hybrid.But this time, Blue is one step ahead of me.The zombie dog rushes into battle, growling at the peeing, unsuspecting hybrid before jumping over him like a vicious beast. I hear a scream as I stare down at the unrealistic scene.The hybrid is trying to kick off the dog from his chest, struggle to get away from Blue's teeth, but in the end, Blue winds up the winner after biting the hybrids' neck.I blink in shock and shout at the dog. "Remind me never to challenge you to a fight!""BOFF BOFF!"A smile latches onto my face. "Aw, I would never fight you either! You're a good dog and a formidable foe."Like a drunk, I hike down the hill with my eyes kept on the sadd
Ryan My body feels like it's dying, when in reality, I know I'm in perfect shape, but under the influence of Marcus's headache ability. Groaning, I hit the back of my skull against the wall. It's an attempt to get rid of the swarm of insects that seems to be buzzing inside my head. I'm not too fond of this situation. Marcus's ability is plain torture. My mind is caving to his song, giving in to his mind-control until I force myself to open my eyes, to stay in control of my own body. Laughter comes from the other side of my prison cell when I manage to stay in control—Courtney is watching me with mild interest. She is wearing bellydancer clothes for the occasion, watching me through her thick eyelashes. "You're strong," Courtney says from where she stands, leaning against one of the pillars with a glittering smile. "Of course, I already knew you were strong from our human life, but you don't remember anything, do you?" I glare u
Amelia I'm scanning the entrance to a rundown building with a pair of binoculars I found in the saddlebag. Hybrids walk in and out of a mansion that looks like it belonged to someone rich—before the bomb dropped. Cuddles munches on my hair while I try to figure out how to get inside the building. The giant lizard wouldn't leave my side at night either. I think he has bonded with me. That, or he was only trying to steal my body heat by pressing himself to my back. The big fellow seems to think he is the size of a tiny dog. "I think they hunt during nighttime; it would be our biggest chance of infiltrating their home. Hopefully, they are keeping Ryan prisoner at this location," I look over at Blue, who tilts his head at me. "You're sure that he is here?" The zombie dog nods at me. He seems intelligent enough to understand that barking here isn't a good idea. I think it's funny that my team members are all mutated animals. My male lizard is named Cuddles