Page 40 of Hybrid Heroics

And Alric would die without ever realizing he could have had that too.

Tuesday, June 23rd

Night

What next, in-fucking-deed…

I hated and loved when Palmer and Novak were on the same page. Hated it because it was difficult as fuck to argue any point when they agreed. And loved it because they would logic the fuck out of any subject.

If they were backing each other up, then it was time for the rest of us to listen.

I preferred when they were betting against each other, but I wouldn’t tell them that. The stubborn assholes would never do it again, just to spite me.

Bickering between York and Stone tugged from my thoughts before I was ready. The weirdest thing of the day was currently happening right in front of me. They weren’t getting along, which was a first… Possibly a second. Though I couldn’t think of another time where I had seen them argue.

“I’ve loved her—”

“Longer?” Stone scoffed at York. “Don’t throw that in our faces. It’s one thing to know her better because of the time you spent with her. We can understand that. But longer doesn’t mean harder.”

The demon glared at Novak and Palmer. “Don’t make a dick joke out of that.”

I rubbed my hand over my mouth, trying to hide my amusement. “Are you saying we’re ‘growers’ and York is a ‘shower’?”

“Dammit, Briggs,” Stone growled.

“Look. If you’d calm the fuck down, and think about this logically…” York waved his hand around, motioning at all of us. “You’re one of the few in this group who didn’t have family problems.”

“Logic?” The demon snorted, dramatically throwing his hands at Sloane. “How could you let anyone live who wants to kill your mate? Are you waiting for it to happen before you jump into action?”

The druid narrowed his eyes, frustration pulling his mouth into a severe frown. “I have jumped into action to save her from worse fates than this.”

“You’re right,” Stone acknowledged. “You spent two years in a dungeon being tortured to keep your mate safe. Then your aunt tried to kill her, and suddenly that’s where you draw the line?”

Palmer sighed obnoxiously, fueling the fire. “You know, I died to keep her from meeting Alric sooner.”

“Yeah.” Novak patted his shoulder, a sarcastic smirk tilting his lips. “We know.”

The bickering cut out immediately as massive amounts of power approached Talia and Latharian’s house. Unannounced guests were not something we needed right now, though the threat took nano-seconds to bring us together. We turned as one, forming a wall of adrenaline-riddled, overprotective mates to block the view of Sloane.

The front door swung open with too much force, footsteps stomping through the foyer. And I tensed, waiting for the attack, until the scent hit me. I relaxed my shoulders, but none of us moved.

“This house is officially over-crowded,” I grumbled.

A regal couple stopped before us with Sloane’s parents. There was no mistaking who they were. York was a spitting image of his dad with his mom’s cheekbones and smile.

“What are you doing here?” our druid whispered, surprise widening his eyes.

His dad raised a thick brow, and York grinned.

“Mom, Dad, these are the guys,” he introduced, pointing his finger over his shoulder at us. “Guys, this is Delilah and Hiram Briar, Queen and King of the druids’ realm.”

“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, guys,” Hiram greeted, like collectively our names were all Guys. “Latharian called.”

They walked closer, but York held his hand out. “Stop right there. We need to know if you’re cursed, too.”

“Cursed?” Delilah repeated, tilting her head as she waited for an explanation.

“Yes, cursed,” Novak clarified. “Talia and Latharian were infected, but we’ve rinsed Alric’s darkness from their minds already.”