The Hybrid Mate

Chapter 14

“Angel! Are you f*cking joking?” Gabriel exclaimed from the front seat of the SUV.Joshua was driving through the back roads of the mountain, heading west before planning to go south toward the town. A route they usually took to avoid a direct encounter with the oncoming council member vehicles entering the blank zone.

“That’s why your demoness never came because you don’t have one,” Ezekiel muttered. And added, “Then why did we smell a demon on you, albeit so faint?” He glanced over at Izzy, who sat quietly between him and Sebastian.

Sebastian had his arm wrapped around Izzy’s waist, almost protecting her from the onslaught of questions that his team members threw at her and him. But he remained pensive, still trying to figure out and understand what Sabrina just revealed to him.

He had to share this information with his team. They were hellbent on getting Izadora’s demoness to come to the surface. But to no avail, as it turned out.

“I don’t understand either, Zeke.” Izzy wrung her fingers, anxiety brimming. “What will happen to me now?”

“Nothing.” Sebastian’s quick response was curt as ever. He then softened his tone as he looked at his mate, “Nothing, Izadora. Nothing will happen to you. No one can pick up the scent of an angel because there isn’t one.”

 Izzy returned his gaze with confusion in her eyes. Sebastian did not say another word, but Gabriel supplied the explanation.

 “Izzy, angels are very rare. They stay out of the picture pretty much. Real angels guide and support, they rarely interfere. The warrior angels only show up when there is a war. Well, at least, a war of life and death of the universe. You are the first one I’ve heard to be part angel, Izzy. Between your dragon and angel...” Gabriel trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck. 

 Gabriel could not even fathom the rarity of Izzy’s bloodlines. He sighed and said, “No one will know you are part angel unless they are a witch or warlock, and only if they try to lock into your bloodlines.”

 “What does that mean?” Izzy became even more anxious, making her wring her fingers until they hurt. 

 Sebastian reached out and covered her hands, calming her nerves. Her mate’s warmth always helped ease her worries.

“It means if a witch or warlock is seriously interested in knowing what your bloodlines are, they need to focus all their energies to find the angel in you. An angel always hides deep within, like your soul.” Sebastian tried to reassure her with his soft voice and caring eyes.

 Ezekiel added, “Yeah, Izzy. You’ll know if a witch or warlock is locking into you before they even find out about the angel in you. They’ll appear as if they’re staring intently and in a trance. To sniff out the bloodline of a demon, fae and other werecreatures is quick. It takes longer to sense the dragon or wolf, and even much longer to sense a witch or warlock. Angel is near impossible unless you’re another angel or like, Gabriel said, if you’re a witch or warlock locking into finding out what bloodlines you carry.”

 Gabriel suddenly whipped his body around to face the passengers in the rear. With a dire look, he said, “How is Izzy going to pass the bloodline scanners at the council if she has no demon in her?”

 Ezekiel was next to have the face of dread. “Oh, no! Seb, they gave me only until tomorrow afternoon to bring her in to get that picture for her ID. Blasted council!” Ezekiel scowled. 

This was the second time this half-demon lost his smile and showed contempt for the organization he worked for.

 Suddenly, each reaper’s phone chimed notifications. Ezekiel and Gabriel checked their phones and pressed their lips together.

 “What is it?” Sebastian asked. He did not look at his phone, preferring to wrap his arms around his mate.

 “Message to all reapers,” Gabriel started, “No one is to deliver any abominations to the blank zone until the council conducts their sweep of all inhabitants. They claim updating identification is the #1 priority, requiring all ID cards to have each individual’s picture and bloodlines clearly classified. They brought handheld bloodline scanners to check each person in the blank zone.” He ended, rubbing his temples.

 Joshua grunted in irritation to what he heard. Ezekiel breathed a deep sigh and shook his head in reaction to the news.

 Sebastian clenched his jaws and uttered in a low and threatening voice, “That is illegal. That is going against the Supreme Body’s law regarding the blank zone.”

 “Apparently, it’s happening in all blank zones in the continent.” Gabriel appended. “I’m not sure about other countries, though.”

 A long silence followed the news. Only the sound of the wheels crunching the snow-covered back road and the humming of the engine broke through the eerie silence, outside and inside the SUV cabin.

 Izzy glanced up at Sebastian, but she could only see the profile of his face, his jaw, still clenching, twitching. She did not want to disturb his deep thoughts. She was even surprised she could not get through their mind link. Sebastian had locked his mind from anyone to read or hear.

 Finally breaking the silence, Joshua cleared his throat and asked, “Boss?”

 “Hmm.” Sebastian still did not remove his gaze from the outdoor scenery.

 “Are we still going to the town?” Joshua had slowed down the speed of the SUV. It seemed like he was taking a slow Sunday drive through a zoo park.

 “No.” Sebastian finally returned his gaze towards his squad and landed on his mate in his embrace.

 “Where to then?” Joshua asked, now stopping the SUV in the middle of the forest in nowhere land.

 “How about the Pacific Coast?” Ezekiel suggested. “The Redwood forests there will be perfect.” His charming smile returned, full of hope.

 “No, Ezekiel,” Gabriel reproached. “The council is sweeping all blank zones in the continent. We’re lucky to be the Alpha Squad and not required to check in with the council every day, but still we need to check in at certain times to avoid suspicion. And besides, we’ll need a powerful witch to cloak our presence anywhere.”

 Just as Gabriel finished his sentence, a whoosh and a poof sounded on the third row of the large SUV, and Madame Freya appeared. She still sported her long curly dark brown hair. Her skin silky white with a sharp chin and nose, and ice-gray eyes. 

“You called?” Madame Freya’s musical voice rang inside the SUV cabin.

 Her sudden appearance jolted Izzy and all the reapers, except for Sebastian.

 “F*cking witch!” Gabriel cursed. “Don’t bloody do that!”

 “What? I thought you called for me?” Madame Freya’s eyes looked innocent as a lamb.

 Ezekiel started chuckling and said, “Hi, Freya. You just startled us, that’s all.”

 “Sebastian Stroud wasn’t startled.” Madame Freya glanced over at the man, seated beside his mate, quiet and pensive again.

 “Well, since you’re here. Can you help us?” Ezekiel asked and added, “I’m assuming you already know what’s happening, since you’re a witch and all.” He raised an eyebrow towards her.

 “Yes, of course.” Madame Freya’s response was simple but vague.

 Joshua frowned and asked, “Yes, you’ll help us or yes, you already know what’s happening?”

 “Both...” Madame Freya trailed off, then placed a gentle hand on Izzy’s shoulder.

 This made Izzy turn towards her from the second row where she sat. “Hi, Madame Freya.” She greeted with a soft voice.

 “Oh, my!” Madame Freya’s eyes turned the lightest gray, almost like a cat. Her voice trembled. Electricity tingled at her fingertips where she touched Izzy.

 Suddenly, Sebastian also turned around to face the witch and said in a deep voice with a hint of warning. “Freya...”

 “I’m sorry, King Sebastian.” Madame Freya quivered, her hand trembling as it hung in midair after she lifted her hand off Izzy’s shoulder.

“It is time. Queen Izadora is coming into her full potential. It’ll be hard for her to hide soon, unless she learns how to cloak herself. Even the hooded cloak she wears won’t help her. The talisman will help give her control of her powers. But... she cannot be here. It is too dangerous... for her.”

 Madame Freya’s eyes stayed in its lightest gray. She saw visions that were unspeakable if the couple remained in the area, under the council’s watchful eye. Madame Freya did not even care anymore that she addressed them as King and Queen in front of the reaper squad.

 “King Sebastian? Queen Izadora?” Gabriel echoed, and mumbled, “like in the history books?”

 Ezekiel furrowed his brows, recalling what the witch said, and tried to tie it in with what he witnessed when he first brought Izzy to Madame Freya’s novelty shop. She curtsied... could it be? Is it possible?

 He then glanced over to Sebastian and immediately felt the immense power radiating from his friend. Ezekiel also remembered when Izzy’s mother curtsied and bowed towards Sebastian. Oh, this is getting interesting... Ezekiel grinned, excitement brewing inside him.

 Joshua glanced at Izzy, then at Sebastian. He remembered Ezekiel calling Izzy “Queen” but his explanation at that time was Madame Freya’s version of being his boss’s mate & part dragon, and dragons are royalty.

Joshua recalled his boss blocking Sabrina’s magic when they went to talk to Izzy’s parents. Only another witch or warlock could do that, or at least in the manner he blocked it.

A breath hitched in his throat as he figured that his boss was a warlock, too. A human, dragon, demon, warlock... Joshua focused his senses to pick anymore scent from his boss, then suddenly... wolf.

 One thing remained in Joshua’s mind and that was the recent memory of Sabrina curtsying and bowing to his boss. And before that, he glimpsed she did the same to her daughter, Izzy. He knew only a witch could recognize bloodlines of royalty so easily and quickly. It was enough to realize the royalty of a dragon, but you add a wolf... an alpha wolf plus the power of a warlock.

 Joshua strained his focus next on Izzy, and it did not take as long to sense her bloodlines. Joshua was half-centaur. The demons always relegated them as wild and untamed, but what a centaur possessed was their wisdom and nobility and gifted at prophecy, stargazing, healing, and warfare. Some of these traits Joshua was still learning on his own. The witch was right. 

Izzy was emanating powers now that she had found her mate. Joshua wondered how much more powerful she would become once Sebastian marked her.

 Joshua abruptly got out of the SUV, causing Gabriel to crease his forehead in confusion, while Ezekiel guessed what to expect from the half-centaur next. 

 Joshua opened the rear door where Sebastian and Izzy sat, then knelt on the cold snow-covered road. On one knee, he proclaimed, “In your honor, My King and My Queen, I will serve.”

 In the middle of a snow-covered forest, only one sound broke the silence, disturbing a few winter birds nesting above.

 Gabriel blared, “F*CK!”

**********

TO BE CONTINUED...

THANK YOU FOR READING :)