Page 15 of Captive Hybrid

Jana is asleep with her mouth half-open, blonde-pink hair in a frizzy messy bun. It’s the first time she’s been quiet since I’ve known her. Divina seems to find her more tolerable this way.

Vale actually smiles at the witch. I don’t know if I like Jana yet, but my Second deserves a good partner, and if she’s friends with Zenna, she can’t be too bad. Annoying, perhaps. Jaken offers a tired smile as the three of us guys open our doors and climb out.

As I shut my door, I hear Jana wake with a start. I slide the van door open in time to hear her shriek and my heart stutters. Divina has spelled the witch’s hair a deep, ebony black to replace the blonde-pink.

‘Get it off!’ Jana shouts.

Vale steps between them, yanking Jana out of the van before she can haul herself at the Dark Witch, who only smirks.

I sigh. ‘Is that necessary?’

Divina gives a delicate shrug. We all look like trash after the last two days without sleeping or changing, but somehow Divina looks as though she just stepped out of the bathroom, hair perfectly neat and brushed, her outfit without a speck of mud or blood.

‘She needs to lighten up, or I’m going to strangle her,’ the Dark Witch says matter of factly.

Jana steps on Vale’s foot in an attempt to be free of him to get to Divina.

‘I don’t think she’s lightening up.’ I stalk off, too tired to deal with witchy drama. The girls can sort themselves out. I march up to the reception, ringing the bell at the empty desk.

‘Mordecai!’ A man shuffles around from the back office. Sarren Wendford is an old werewolf with a scruffy grey beard, his long hair tied at the nape of his neck. ‘M’boy! I haven’t seen you since—well, it’s been a few years.’ He comes around from the desk to give me a hug. ‘My! Look how big you are! Where’s your father? You should have told me you were coming, I would have kept the suite free for you.’

Before I can speak, Jana—her hair slowly fading from black to her usual blonde-pink—storms into the reception. ‘I’m here to make sure you don’t stick me in a room with that devil woman.’ She raises a finger to me. ‘Got it?’

Sarren gives her a shy, amused look. ‘Well, welcome,’ he offers.

I sigh. ‘Sarren, this is Jana. And I’m sorry for the short notice.’

Sarren, ever the host, just shakes his head and goes back around the counter, flipping through a book. ‘Not at all, not at all. How many do you have, Mordecai?’

I do a quick head count. ‘Eighteen. If you can spread us out and give Jana and Divina their own rooms, please.’

Sarren chances a smile at Jana, who nods vigorously. ‘I’ll see what I can do. Should be fine, should be fine. Do you all need some supper? It’s after dinner, but I can send—’

‘Yes please,’ Jana whines.

Sarren gives a chuckle, as though somehow warming to the woman. ‘As the lady says. Right, yep, I can hold you all. Here, miss, room three is yours. Room four for—’

‘No, uh, they should be far apart. Not next door to each other.’

Jana glares.

‘Go to your room,’ I say with great satisfaction. ‘I’ll sort this all out. I’ll have Sarah bring you new clothes soon.’

She pouts. ‘Fine.’ At least she offers Sarren a small smile of thanks.

I leave reception with a bunch of keys, and hand them out accordingly. Over the next hour, everyone finds their rooms, most of us sharing with at least one or two other people—which is fine, as that’s what most of them are used to—and I, thankfully, have my own space, too.

I heave a sigh as I shut my door. Sarren gave me the Azure Room, a mini suite. I wonder if he remembers that this was the last room I stayed in, five years ago. I didn’t want to have that conversation with Jana right there. The last time I had been here.

I also didn’t have the heart to tell him on the spot about my father, but I know Mum told him as she sorted out the rest of our supplies and organised the rooms. I don’t usually need my mother to take care of things for me, but when she does, I don’t know how to voice my thanks.

I wish I could collapse on the bed, but that would do a disservice to the soft, clean linen. I chuck a bag on the floor with my meagre supplies—a change of clothes and the small toiletry items—and peel my grimy, awful clothes off, dumping them in a laundry hamper.

I hope Zenna has clean clothes. I hope that, even if she’s a prisoner, she’s treated okay. I truly wish I could go and kick Past Me in the nuts for forcing her to come to Wolf Grove. I kept her prisoner.

I grab a few things from the pack and head into the bathroom. Again, I push on the bond as Divina instructed me, trying to talk to Zenna. Zen, are you there? Are you okay?

The wall remains.

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