Hybrid Aria by Jessica Hall

Chapter 7

Aria’s POV

The next morning, I woke up, and Lily was already dressed for school, quietly waiting, leaning against

my side. Sitting up slowly, my body ached. I reached for my watch glancing down at the small screen

that said 9:30 AM. “Shit, we are already late,” I told Lily.

“I tried to wake you; we missed our bus,” she replied, putting her shoes on and trying to tie the laces

herself.

“Come here,” I said. She walked over, and I quickly tied her laces. “Pass me my uniform please, Lil.”

She quickly did as I asked, passing me my clothes. Putting my bra and panties on, I reached for my

blouse Lily was holding. As I moved, I could feel my wound reopening. I slowly placed my hand over it,

trying to hold it together. Lily helped me put my black slacks on and my shoes. I quickly tied the laces,

before putting my blouse on. I peeled one side of my dressing back, it was starting to heal very slowly.

Pulling the dressing off completely, I quickly reached into my duffle bag, pulling out a new waterproof

dressing and covering it again. I then put my blouse on, grabbed our bags, and walked down the hall to

the kitchen with Lily following closely behind me. Elizabeth was standing in the kitchen at the sink,

washing the dishes from breakfast when we walked in.

“The Alpha isn’t here if that’s what you are wondering.”

“No, I need a lift to Lily’s school. Is Michael still here?”

“No, he is with the Alpha, but I will go grab my keys and run you myself. Meet me in the car,,” she said,

walking out of the kitchen towards her room. Lily and I grabbed our bags and walked out to the garage

where a heap of cars were lined up. Finding Elizabeth’s green hatchback, we waited beside it until she

came out and unlocked the doors. I pulled the front seat forward so Lily could climb into the backseat

before getting in the passenger seat.

“Here, take these pain killers when you need to. They won’t make you drowsy but will relieve the pain,

and this is my make-up bag. Your bruises are already fading but are still quite visible,” she told me,

dumping the makeup bag on my lap. I put the pills in my pants pocket before using the visor mirror to

try and conceal my black eye and a bruised jaw. It helped a little, but anyone looking too closely would

easily see them. Elizabeth also handed an apple to Lily in the back seat and told her to eat it for

breakfast and a lunch box.

“Here Lil, some sandwiches and chips for lunch.” Lily thanked her before eating her apple.

The drive to the school was fast. Elizabeth wasn’t the best driver; she is very heavy-footed; I’m not

even sure she knows what a brake is. It was usually a ten or fifteen-minute trip, and she got us to Lily’s

school in half the time, which I was glad for. Her driving was starting to make me nauseous. Once we

pulled up out front of the school, Lily and I quickly walked to the main office where I signed her in as

late before I walked her to her classroom. After saying my goodbyes, I started to walk to work which

was surprisingly more exhausting than I thought it would be. My ribs were throbbing, and I knew the

dressing was saturated with blood already. Putting pressure on it with my hand while I was walking

stopped it from tearing open completely.

As I got closer, I was walking past a group of teenagers when I felt my gums start to tingle. I moved to

the side of the footpath, pressing up against the brick building as they walked past. Just as they did, my

fangs came out, overwhelming my senses completely. I listened to the sounds of their beating hearts

until they were out of view, too afraid to move from my position. All I wanted to do was chase them

down and rip into their carotid arteries and feed until I drained them.

Once they were out of view, I took off running to work. When I opened the diner door, I held my breath

and ran straight past everyone and to the back, dropping my bag on the ground. I grabbed the

wolfsbane bottle and took two huge gulps of it before placing the lid back on the bottle. Zoe was bound

to come out soon to check what was wrong with me. Since I didn’t have time to change my dressing

again before she came into the back, I placed another straight over the top of it before fixing my blouse,

just as she walked back a worried expression on her face.

“You okay, dear?” she asked, rushing over to me.

“Yes, sorry, I’m late. We missed the only bus, and I had to wait for a lift into town,” I told her before

picking up my bag to put away.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re sweating, and you look a bit pale,,” she said, staring at me. I knew

she must be able to see my bruises because she was directly looking at them, making me nervous.

Plastering a fake smile on my face, I nodded quickly before answering.

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s because I ran here from the school,” I told her before walking out and putting my

apron on. Grabbing the coffee jug, I walked around to all the tables and quietly refilled everyone’s cups.

When I reached the last booth, I noticed Alpha Reid sitting dressed in a black suit with a silver tie that

matched his eye colour. He was talking to someone who had their back to me. Hearing me approach

from behind, the man turned around and glared at me, it was Alpha David and Beta Michael. I dropped

my head and filled their mugs quickly. My hands were shaking, making me nearly spill the coffee on the

table. Beta Michael looked at me before looking away.

“I can smell wolfsbane all over you and blood,” he told me through the mind link.

“I know I’m sorry, Beta.”

“Just stay away. Alpha Reid won’t hesitate to kill you if he notices you are a Hybrid,” he stated.

“Why the meeting?” I ask.

“We no longer need his help. This is just a casual meeting, thanking the Alpha for his help, that is all.

So don’t worry but don’t come back over, we will be leaving soon anyway,” he replied.

Moving out the back to the kitchen, I asked Marcus if he needed any help and started cutting up fruit

and vegetables for him.

After about twenty minutes, Zoe came out to the kitchen and asked me to clean up some tables on my

way out. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water before reaching into my pocket. I popped two of the

painkillers in my mouth before quickly swallowing them down with a mouthful of water. When I turned

around, I walked straight into Alpha Reid.

“You can’t be back here, sir,” I stuttered nervously. He stared down at me, making me feel tiny next to

his tall, muscular frame, before pulling me to his chest. He wrapped his arm around my waist, causing

me to wince in pain from the pressure on my ribs. Using his other hand, he reached into my back

pocket and pulled out the small sheet of pain pills which only had two left in them. He then let me go

before reading the little Packet.

“Codeine. What are you taking these for?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

Snatching them out of his hand, I quickly placed them back in my pocket before talking.

“That’s none of your business. Now please, you can’t be back here,” I said now annoyed. He turned

and walked back out and sat back in one of the booths. Watching him walk away, my pounding heart Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

started to slow down. Zoe walked out with a glass of water in her hand, and she placed it in front of me

on the counter.

“Here, drink this. Are you sure you’re okay? If you need the day off, it’s ok, Ari. I can manage on my

own with Marcus,,” she said, placing her hand on my neck. She rubbed her thumb over the bruise on

my jaw worriedly, and I saw she had tears in her eyes.

“Really I’m fine, Zoe. I’m just tired,” I told her. I drank the glass of water down, soothing my dry throat

before walking out with a tray to clear the tables.

Alpha Reid stayed all day watching me. Doesn’t he have work to do? Why is he hanging around the

diner? Does he know what I am? Is he waiting for me to leave so he can slaughter me? My brain was

working overtime, trying to figure out what his sudden interest in me was. When it came time to get Lily,

I quickly took off my apron before walking out the door, towards the school.

When I was out of sight of the diner, a pair of hands clamped down on my arms. I knew instantly it was

Alpha Reid by the sparks that ran all over my body. He pushed me against the brick wall of the building,

pressing his chest against mine. He leaned in, breathing in my scent. My heart was pounding so hard I

could hear it. I froze, waiting for him to kill me. Only he did not; instead, his hand moved underneath my

blouse where my dressing was. He ran his nose along the top of my shoulder before lifting my blouse,

revealing the bloodied dressing. He ran his fingers over it, letting out a menacing growl that paralysed

me on the spot. “Who did this?” His voice was deep and menacing.

“No one,” I stuttered, my voice so low it was nearly a whisper. I tried to move to escape, but he growled

warning me not to, so I stood there not daring to move an inch. Running his nose to the crook of my

neck, he inhaled deeply. I could feel his canines protruding, pressing against my skin. They were sharp.

I inhaled deeply, not realising I had been holding my breath.

“Why do you smell of wolfsbane? Is that why you’re not healing?” His voice was dangerously low.

Frightened, I tried to push him back, but he did not budge.

“Please, I have to get Lily,” I cry out. Stepping back, he let me pass. I quickly took off in the direction of

the school.

After I picked up Lily, we went back to the diner where Reid was waiting next to the door. Reid stepped

right into my path, blocking us from moving further into the diner.

“Hello Lily,” he says, passing her a giant choc chip cookie. Lily took the cookie, smiling up at the Alpha.

“You can help with my homework if you want, Mr. Reid,” Lily told him excitedly, but before he could

answer, Zoe saved me from telling her no and stepped forward, wrapping Lily in a hug and forcing the

Alpha to move out of the way. Lily walked off to her usual booth, and I pushed past the Alpha before

into the kitchen and put my apron on. Reid never left. When my shift was about to end, I walked out the

back to retrieve my bag and grab Lily, who was sleeping in the back part of the store where Zoe’s little

studio was.

When I was bending down, grabbing our clothes out of the dryer and placing them in the duffle bag, I

felt familiar hands brush my sides. I knew it was Reid, his tantalizing scent hit my nose just as he

touched me. Sparks stretching throughout my body. Why does he have this effect on me? Thinking to

myself, I spun around only for him to push me back so my ass was pressed against the washer and

dryer. I watched him lean in, breathing in my scent. His other hand reached up into my hair pulling my

head back, forcing me to look up and meet his gaze. Just as I was about to tell him he couldn’t be back

in this part of the diner.

He smashed his lips hungrily into mine, catching me completely off guard, but the most surprising part

was my own body’s reaction to him. An involuntary moan escaped my lips, and I felt my core tighten.

His tongue traced my bottom lip, wanting access which I granted before he deepened the kiss,

pressing his body into mine. Just as fast as he kissed me, he pulled away, I heard him chuckle to

himself, “Now that’s the reaction I have been wanting.”

Confused, I was about to ask him what he meant when Zoe walked in. I felt my face flush with

embarrassment as I stepped out of the laundry. Grabbing Lily, I quickly collected our things and ran out

the door, not even bothering to say goodbye. I walked home as quickly as possible, and after an hour

of walking, I finally reached the driveway.