The Hybrid Mate

Chapter 5

Izzy woke up staring at the view of the forest trees outside the window. She blinked a few times, confusion crossing her face. ‘Where am I?’ Then suddenly bolted, sitting straight up when memories of yesterday and the night before flooded her mind.

The recent memory of intimacy made Izzy cautiously reach out behind her toward the opposite side of the bed. Not feeling anything or rather anyone, she turned to confirm that no one was sleeping beside her in bed. Izzy let out a sigh of relief but reached up and grabbed her chest, noticing a pang of pain where her heart was.

‘Where is he? Why is he not beside me?’ She remembered the hybrid being and reaper who stirred within her unfamiliar desires and passion for a man deemed to be her bondmate.

Izzy admitted learning she had a mate took more precedence than the fact that she was a hybrid being. She knew better to worry about her current state, hiding from the council. But Sebastian’s kisses were occupying her thoughts more now than concerning herself about being caught and possibly—she refused to ponder over the obvious consequence.

Izzy got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She figured taking one day at a time in this new life of hers was the best thing to do, and taking a shower and putting on clean clothes was a good start.

Breakfast comprised a piece of toast and a cup of coffee. Izzy did not like eating alone, but that was the case this morning. None of the reapers was around, and the house was quiet. No sign of them, even in the backyard when she took a peek through the patio doors.

As she walked up to the front door to check the front driveway, Izzy saw a note stuck to the door just by the doorknob.

‘Izzy, use the cellphone I left for you in the bin by the door. Ezekiel,’

Izzy glanced over and saw the phone in the bin, exactly as Ezekiel had mentioned. After tapping the phone to wake it, she noticed 2 text messages already. Curious, Izzy tapped on the first one.

Ezekiel: ‘Use this phone. It is untraceable and more secure than your cellphone. Turn off or disable your old phone just to ensure no signals come off it while in the blank zone.’

Sebastian: ‘Make yourself comfortable in the house. We will return soon.’

Izzy sighed and bit her lower lip, and unconsciously grabbed her chest, sensing an ache there. She shook her head, not believing how much she was missing the man, her mate, who she just met the day before.

She checked the contact list on this new phone and had all four men’s numbers on there. Izzy smiled, impressed by how thorough Ezekiel was.

Now that she had no school, she realized how much it filled her day. She recalled her friends, Anika, Morris, and Jasper, and hoped she could call them. But she knew it was not advisable in her current fugitive state.

Izzy ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. She grabbed the book she was reading at the library and resolved to finish it since she had all the time to do so now.

The sun was low on the horizon when Izzy finished reading her book. She had not intended to forgo lunch, but the book was too fascinating to put down. Now, her stomach growled in hunger.

Still, no signs of the reapers return, so she got up and cooked dinner for all of them despite their absence. Based on Sebastian’s text, they were returning, so she assumed they would be all back.

While cooking lemon crusted chicken, Izzy recalled Sebastian telling her about training, which did not happen today as he promised. A sense of disappointment flashed through her as she was looking forward to learning the mind link communication.

After cooking the main and side dishes, Izzy sat quietly waiting for the reapers’ return. But as the clock ticked 8 PM and still no sign of them, she pressed her lips together and pouted. ‘I guess I’m eating alone again. I better get used to this new life.’

Izzy was not even sure why she expected either of the men to return. But a promise was a promise. And it was her mate who promised to return.

It was late at night when Izzy finally crawled into bed with none of the reapers returning from whatever mission they engaged in all day. She closed her eyes, loneliness surrounding her as she missed her parents and her friends, but missing Sebastian Stroud the most.

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Sebastian wiped the blood splatter off his face and glanced up to find Gabriel and Ezekiel also covered in blood splatter. The plan to arrest a human-demon-minotaur hybrid ended up being a bloody battle. They all knew the strength of a minotaur and the cunning of a demon, but they did not anticipate the human greed and defiance would seal this hybrid’s fate in death by their hands.

Sebastian breathed out a deep sigh, not from fatigue but an annoyance that he was far away from his mate, Izadora. He promised her they would be back soon, but it was now nearing midnight, and here they were still cleaning up a bloody mess.

“That makes three unsuccessful captures since they’re dead,” Gabriel said as he walked up to stand beside Sebastian.

“It was their human side that corrupted and sealed their fate,” Sebastian said in a low and grim tone.

“Hey, look on the bright side,” Ezekiel came up to them after washing his face with water from a hose nearby. “We have four captives that we can take to the council.”

They all watched Joshua carry the human-demon-minotaur hybrid’s body and chucked it into the back of a van along with the other two dead bodies. The four live hybrid captives were in a separate van parked behind it. All four guilty of smuggling and dealing with illegal drugs.

“Very well then, let’s get these guys to detention. The werecreatures there can take care of processing them.” Sebastian started towards the SUV, while Ezekiel and Gabriel walked towards the van with the live hybrid captives.

After a long day’s mission, all four reapers typically go their separate ways to their respective homes. However, since taking Izzy directly to the blank zone and bypassing the council’s detention center, they stuck together to protect her. And make Sebastian’s home within the blank zone their secret hideaway and home, separate from the prying eyes and ears of the council that ruled the city and suburbs.

As they walked into the dark house in the early morning hours, all four caught the faint aroma of the dinner that Izzy had cooked for them.

“Oh my! Lemon chicken!” Ezekiel smiled and followed his nose towards the kitchen, followed by Joshua, who grinned with his eyes closed.

“Poor Izzy cooked dinner for us, and we weren’t even here.” Gabriel grimaced.

Sebastian glanced up the stairs but followed Gabriel into the kitchen.

Joshua and Ezekiel busied themselves, heating the lemon crusted chicken, rice pilaf, and grilled asparagus. All four men dug in for some much-needed nutrients after a long day of physical and mental battles with hybrids. Sebastian ate a small portion only and got up to clear his dish in the sink.

“That’s all you’re going to eat? Don’t you like what Izzy cooked?” Ezekiel questioned.

“It’s so delicious!” Joshua mumbled with a mouth full of food.

“I agree she cooked a delicious meal, but I prefer sleeping with her now than eating with you guys,” Sebastian said straightforwardly.

All three men started chuckling and nodding.

“Go then, Mr. Loverboy!” Ezekiel called out as Sebastian sauntered up the stairs.

Sebastian quietly opened the bedroom door and peered around, finding his mate sleeping soundly on her side. He walked in, trying to step as lightly as he could, and went straight to the bathroom and took a shower.

Sebastian dressed into a pair of boxer shorts and was drying his hair with the towel as he walked back into the room. He noticed Izzy had rolled over to her other side, and the covers pulled down, exposing the pajama tank and shorts she wore. Sebastian noticed a twitch in his shorts as he raked his eyes over her bare legs and arms with porcelain skin, and her nice, round buttocks with the shorts riding up, revealing more bare skin.

He dropped the towel on the floor, and slowly got into bed right behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Sebastian ducked his head and brushed her neck with his lips and inhaled her sweet jasmine scent. His member grew hard as he nuzzled her, but he knew not to wake her and disturb her sleep.

Sebastian sensed her stirring and shifting to snuggle up against him more. As she did, her loose tank top, caught underneath Sebastian’s arm, now barely covered one breast. Seeing this caught Sebastian’s breath and intensified the heat and hardness between his legs. He groaned, trying to suppress his need to knead her mound and kiss the nub.

But as he closed his eyes to force sleep and quell his desire for his sleeping mate, he noticed a gentle caress on his cheek. Sebastian shot his eyes open and saw a pair of gorgeous amber ones staring right back at him.

“You’re home.” Izzy breathed, smiling.

“Did you miss me?” Sebastian said in his deep, warm, and silky voice.

Izzy nodded and turned to face him more. The movement caused her loose tank top to shift more and expose her breast. She gasped and went to reach and adjust her top, but Sebastian caught her hand, preventing her from doing so.

Then he leaned to kiss the nub of her breast, causing another gasp to come out of Izzy’s mouth. Upon hearing this, Sebastian sucked her breast in his mouth, earning a small moan from Izzy, which fueled his desire more, as he grasped her other breast and started kneading. He peeled away and pulled Izzy’s tank top off of her, giving him more access to her mounds. After hearing her moans of pleasure, Sebastian started working kisses up her neck to behind her ear, nibbled her earlobe, then captured her lips with his. He plunged his tongue inside her mouth as her tongue met his.

“Izadora... breathe slowly and think of ice even when you feel your heat rising,” Sebastian whispered in her ear in between his kisses. He added, “This will keep you from burning up too much and cause temporary blindness. Understand?”

“Yes,” Izzy whispered back in ecstasy as Sebastian reached his hand between her legs and touched her folds inside her shorts and underwear.

Sebastian could sense his breathing becoming more rapid, matching his mate’s. He took off Izzy’s shorts and underwear without breaking their kiss and Izzy running her fingers hungrily through his hair.

A low seductive growl came out of him as he slid his finger along her folds and slowly inserted one then two fingers causing Izzy to arch her back and her pelvis meeting his hand. He could tell she was ready for him once the moistness inside her increased. Sebastian smiled when he inserted a third finger and heard Izzy scream in pleasure and shivered.

Izzy focused on thinking of ice, snow, ice cubes, icebergs, or anything cold because the heat inside her was burning her. Sebastian’s suggestion to think of ice was working though, as the blaze inside her was not as unbearable as the first time. But thinking of ice was slipping a bit as she experienced the unbelievable pleasure Sebastian was giving her with his lips and his hands... especially his fingers inside her.

She let out another moan as Sebastian’s mouth engulfed her breast while his hand pinched the nub of the other. His weight pressing on her in bed felt like she had fused into his body. Izzy gripped his hair and guided his mouth to her lips. She could not believe that she had an inner wild side coming out as she sucked and bit his lip and reached to grip his buttocks with her fingers.

“OK, Izadora,” Sebastian’s voice was husky and deep. “Remember to think cold or ice. I’m going to be gentle, but it may hurt.”

“Hurt? What?” Izzy said in a worried tone right before realizing what he meant as she felt his member gain entrance inside her.

‘Even with his finger prepping, it still hurts,’ Izzy thought. Ice... icebergs... ice cream... but it feels so good...

“I’ll go gentle, but this will hurt more...” Sebastian said against her ear.

‘Hurt more? More pain? I don’t want more pain—’ A sharp searing pain interrupted her inner protest as Sebastian thrust his entire length, breaking her virgin barrier. Izzy screamed, but also reveled in the surging pleasure.

She noticed Sebastian pause while inside her and whispered, “The pain will go away soon... just relax.” His soothing voice helped Izzy relax. She was battling blazing pleasure and thinking ice to keep the heat from getting unbearable.

Then, Sebastian started to move, his undulating motions intensifying her heat once again, but she matched his grinding movements without even realizing she was. Suddenly, Izzy sensed she was coming and arched her back as she reached the height of ultimate euphoria. Her eyes rolled back and sensed her insides gushing while her rapturous scream muffled against a fervid kiss by her bondmate. And after several more thrusts, she heard Sebastian grunt and growl as he bucked and released inside her.

When Sebastian pulled away from her, she seemed cold and hollow until he lay beside her and pulled her into a tight embrace and covered them with the thin blanket.

Lying breathless in postcoital bliss, Izzy whispered, “I did it without going blind. Thank you.” She smiled at her first success at controlling the dragon side of her.

“You’re welcome, Izadora,” Sebastian replied and grinned, “Now that I have claimed you, no one else can. You are mine.”

After hearing this, Izzy propped up on an elbow as her hair draped off her shoulders and across her chest. “Claim? Because we mated?”

Izzy remembered all the stories her mother used to tell her to prepare for her 18th birthday. In particular, turning 18 years old made her an adult and was the age to find her bondmate or the mate would find her. The act of mating ensured that each mate claimed one another and marking sealed that bond.

Sebastian chuckled and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Yes, Izadora. I have claimed you as my mate... and you have accepted.” He then leaned forward, kissing her luscious lips.

After breaking the kiss, Izzy then asked, “What about marking?”

While gazing at her bright amber eyes, Sebastian smiled and whispered, “One type of pain at a time, OK, Izadora? Now sleep.” He closed his eyes whilst his arm still wrapped around her, keeping Izzy close.

“So, marking is painful? How is that?” Izzy’s questions continued to roll around in her mind.

“Sleep, My Love. You’ll soon find out.” Sebastian said after which sleep took over.