Page 29 of Hazel’s Choice (A Monstrous World: Next Gen)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hazel

V ery rarely do I consider immortality and heightened healing to be a curse, but at the moment, it kinda feels like one. If I could cleave my uterus out and not have to fear my body would immediately try to heal the lost organ, I would do it.

I’m cranky.

My pelvis and lower back are both on fire.

And I’m weirdly bloated.

The universe sucks.

It’s also bad at planning.

If these cramps don’t settle down soon, I might go on a rampage and devour anyone with a dick who looks at me wrong.

Not to mention its twisted sense of humor.

I was two seconds away from spilling the truth to Zephyr in the shower, but I also bled all over him while I slept, and I feel weirdly vulnerable. I need to be at full strength when we have that conversation so I don’t burst into tears if he doesn’t take it well.

We’re in a nightmare of my making, and I know I have to be the one to fix it. I just haven’t figured out how to do that yet.

In my current condition, siphoning would be preferable, but again…nightmare of my own making, so I leave the bedroom the old-fashioned way. It takes me until I’m at the top of the stairs and pondering what snacks Annex could have gotten me that I frown.

First of all, he knows I don’t need human food to function. I did determine that I can eat small amounts of it without becoming sick, but it’s very sweet that he got me treats, especially knowing I really don’t need them like a human would.

Second of all, he said, “Sorry the universe hates women, but I love you, so I got you goodies.”

Did he mean that in the literal sense? Or was it just a cheeky phrase that he used?

I’m lost in thought about that as I make my way down the stairs. A violent shiver runs down my spine, and goose bumps pebble on my arms. I stop dead in my tracks halfway down the stairwell, and my head tilts.

My demonic sides have been scarce for days, but the reaper fights to surface.

My eyes transform to the void. I’m always able to sense Zephyr’s angelic energy, but it doesn’t set me on edge anymore.

This is different.

Something is wrong.

And it’s bad.

Maybe even catastrophic.

Changing my eyes back, I take off down the stairs as the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I hit the bottom step and launch myself across the entryway and down the hallway.

The opening that leads to the kitchen and living room comes into view. Arguing and the sounds of a struggle fill the air.

My monster is not in the mood to be fucked with today, especially not when our uterus is pretty much trying to kill us. No one else gets to try when my own body is attacking itself with zero mercy.

I slide around the corner in my socks, and my eyes bulge. There’s so much to take in that I’m not sure where to look first.

Zephyr is on his knees a few feet in front of the couch. His long hair falls around his face as he glares at the angel that towers over him. His arms fall at his sides, but it’s the silver glowing chains wrapped around his wrists that make me gasp.

An unfamiliar angel holds the ends in his grasp with several coils of chain wrapped around his own wrists.

Fury pulses through my system, and it takes everything in me not to pounce without a plan. If I severed both his hands, it would solve one problem.

Fifteen or more feet of distance separates us, but I can hear Zephyr’s skin sizzle as the chains dig into his flesh.

“I told you that I would go with you peacefully if you agreed not to harm the incubus,” Zephyr growls, pulling his shoulders back despite the extreme amount of pain he must be experiencing. “Release him and honor your word.”

My eyes dart to the side, taking in Annex. He’s held to the chest of another angel with a gilded angelic blade pointing directly at his heart. His palms are up, and he looks genuinely afraid, which only infuriates my monster even more fully.

“Did we agree to that? Or did you simply delude yourself into thinking we would accept your offer?” the angel holding the chains asks, his tone dismissive.

“It might be a good time to do the thing,” Annex says, smiling tightly.

Fuck.

There’s no way that I’ll be able to stop time with three angels in the room. Even if I left Zeph out of the bubble, I don’t know if I could freeze two archangels. Probably not with how hungry I’ve been lately.

“Just so you know, my mate is about to destroy your asses,” Annex says.

Well, super fuck.

My monster fights for control.

I’ve always been the one in control of my body, even when my demonic sides are present.

On a very rare occasion, my reaper will snap, but I’m always gone completely when that happens.

Almost like a mini-blackout. This isn’t like that at all as my reaper takes full control of my body.

Our body? Whatever. She takes matters out of my hands completely.

I blink and time freezes, but it’s a tenuous hold at best. The next thing I know, I’m siphoning across the room.

I land in front of Annex, and my monster guides my body, tilting my head.

“No, please!” Zephyr chokes out. “Don’t get involved, Hazel. They will kill you without a second thought.”

My reaper directs me to glance at Zephyr over my shoulder and grabs the arm of the angel restraining Annex.

“They can try, but what they won’t do is harm either of you.

” She focuses back on the adversary to avoid seeing Zephyr’s disgust, and she prepares to take every bit of her frustration out on the unfamiliar angel’s arm.

“Once I devour them, they’ll be gone for good. ”

“Wait!” Zephyr hisses.

I freeze, but I can’t bring myself to look at him.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

Just in case these angels do manage to kill me, I need him to know that.

“I planned to tell you. I never meant for it to go on this long. Except you bit me, and I couldn’t bring myself to decline the bond. I understand if you hate?—”

“I could never,” Zephyr says firmly. “None of that matters. Not now. You won’t be able to hold time indefinitely. I need you to look at me.”

The reaper is still in control as she slowly turns to face the angel.

“I should have figured it out, but I didn’t.

” His head shakes. “Gods, so much of what we were taught was inaccurate. Listen to me, sweet girl.” Seeing him on his knees, bound by angel chains, tears me in two.

I need to ensure that angel can’t stab Annex, but I also ache to free Zephyr.

“I know you could devour them, but that wouldn’t be the end.

Heaven has an army of angels who all believe the same things that I was taught.

If you kill them, more will come. A never-ending line until one of them gets lucky and wipes the three of us out. ”

“I’m very good at what I do,” my monster says in her raspy tone.

“You really are,” Annex says. “But I think you should listen to the expert on angelkind.”

“I won’t allow them to punish you and kill Annex,” I say, and that’s very much me in control.

“Angels can harvest other angels, similarly to how a reaper reaps other demons, but do you know what we don’t have?

Anything similar to a devourer.” Zephyr’s light-gray eyes stare straight into mine.

My face is still the monster, but he doesn’t glance away or seem disgusted.

“The universe gave that ace in the hole to demonkind alone, and it scares my people to their very core. Angels have feared devourers more than anything else across the ages. Angelkind celebrated when they realized the last devourer had gone extinct. Fear is far more dangerous than hate. Do you understand what I’m saying, Hazel? ”

My head tilts.

I’m not sure I agree.

Fear breeds hate, but both are treacherous.

Zephyr is much older than I am. He also has more experience with how his kind treats my kind.

My parents have always beaten it into my head that my species should be guarded at all costs.

I’ve honored their request to the best of my ability, but I’ve always assumed they were overreacting.

All parents are like that, I would guess.

They’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to their offspring.

I’ve just never been too concerned. My monster has always been more than capable of protecting us.

I’ve never gone up against a legion from Heaven before, though. And I already know how that would go down.

My family would immediately come to my aid. Wraith and Knight would likely be okay, but Echo and Ridge would have no chance against angels.

Putting myself in harm’s way is one thing. Dragging my family into my mess is another entirely, and I know them well enough to understand that they would join the fight even knowing it would lead to their demise.

I won’t allow that to come to pass.

I just can’t understand why the universe created me to be feared and hated by everyone.

When the powers that be need something done, they don’t care about the reality of what befalls the being called to do their dirty work.

Fate is truly a cruel mistress.

“They can’t know that you exist,” Zephyr says firmly. “You have to step back over to where you were when you froze time and let things play out without interfering. I’ve always known it would come to this, and I have a plan. I just need you to trust me.”

My heart feels torn in two.

I have no guarantee that I would be able to save Annex and Zephyr, but my pride tells me that my monster is our best chance at getting out of this alive.

What kind of life would that be, though? Always being hunted…

“You’ve gotta put a little trust in your mate some time. Right, baby doll?” Annex says from behind me.

I should punch him in the testicle for that comment. It basically guarantees that I have to let Zephyr handle this.