Hybrid

TWENTY-SIX

⫷ ARIA ⫸

"Come on, come on. Pick up!" Growling, I slam the phone down on the bed surface. This is about the twentieth time I've tried calling my parents. No such luck.

"Not too happy, are we?" A voice comes from the doorway. I lift my head to see Carlos saunter over and sit beside me on the bed. "Didn't I tell you they're safe?"

"He knows where they are, Carlos. How are they safe?"

Carlos laughs as he gently pats my knee. "Your mother is the daughter of an Alpha, and your father is a wizard. I think they can handle themselves."

"Then why aren't they calling me?"

His hand lightly squeezes before pulling away. "I don't have an answer for that one."

I wanted to believe Carlos. Although that is true, I can't help but get a bad feeling about the whole ordeal. I need to see them in the flesh in order to believe that they're truly safe.

I'm momentarily distracted from the sudden look of loss in Carlos' eyes. His lips part open as he hesitates before speaking. "There's something I should probably tell you," he finally says.

"What is it?"

He let out a sigh. "It's about James. He lied."

I narrow my eyes at him. "How so?"

Carlos pauses again, causing concern to fill me up. "He went to go see his father. Alone."

"Why would he lie about that?"

"I don't know. Gerard told him not to bring anyone. That doesn't seem right to me."

Instead of replying, I dive for my phone and dial his number. After a few moments of buzzing passes, my eyes meet Carlos'. "No answer," I breathe out.

"It might be nothing. Don't get too caught up on it, chica." Carlos rises. The ringing of my phone stops him from leaving the room.

I answer it immediately. "Hello?"

"Aria." That voice. I've never heard it before, although it feels as though it could be the creator of nightmares. Like it is the voice of death.

"W-who's this?"

"You ran away from me, ruining my plans. I think you need to be punished."

My heartbeat thuds in my ears, making my palms sweaty.

"I was going to use your parents against you, but I think I've come up with a better idea." I hear shuffling on the other side and then someone's screams.

My eyes widen at that familiar voice, yelling out in pain. It's James. They have James.

"You have two options. Come back to me and he lives or stay where you are and he dies. You have 24 hours."

The phone clicks off. I look over at Carlos, knowing by his expression that he heard the whole thing.

"We're getting him back," he insists.

"We have to," I add in a whisper.

⫷⫸

This tension is the last thing I need. It's the last thing anyone needs. My gums are sore, the tips of my fingers aching, and all I can do is focus on the fact that this is not the time to become a wolf and wreck havoc. Oh, but I want to.

I blink several times at my best friend and her father; both stare stoically at the lineup of werewolves in human form several paces away.

Phillip, rolling his eyes, adjusts the crossbow on his shoulder. Caleb shifts in his spot. "I've dealt with feral beasts before," he says, breaking the silence. "Their weakness is that they're easily distracted. Two on one is a sure loss for them."