The Traitor and her Hybrid Husband

Chapter 21~Dummy~

Gabriel

I tossed and turned all night. I tried to focus on the mission but all I could think about was Octavia. She was right, I couldn’t betray myself, but I wasn’t a fool either. There was no place for Atlas or me with Isabelle. I didn’t want to put myself at risk again. If I wanted Octavia to stay in my life then I had to do the rejection. This was the first time I couldn’t think up a solution.

My alarm finally went off. I got dressed quickly then made my way to eat breakfast with the family. Octavia set the children in between us, they were as animated as ever. Raven had somehow managed to get Dove to laugh recently and the sound of them giggling together made me feel warm.

Our meal felt shorter than usual as we wrapped up to leave. As usual, Octavia and the children waited to bid us farewell at the door. I gave each kid a hug and a kiss. Raven frowned, “What about Mama?” Dove looked up at me expectantly.

“Just the cheek.” Octavia said with a sigh. I leaned and kissed her cheek, wishing I could do more. I turned to leave. “Wait.” she said, grabbing my hand. I raised a curious eyebrow. Octavia took a hesitant step into my arms, snuggling her head into my chest. It felt like I could breathe again.

“You better come back.” she mumbled then pulled away. Screw it. I pulled her in and kissed her. She passionately returned it back, leaving me breathless.

“Even when he’s in the dog house he still gets a hell of a goodbye.” Daunte snickered, making Kain laugh.

“Get going.” I hissed. Daunte rolled his eyes, leaving with everyone else.

I searched Octavia’s stormy eyes, “I-I want to fix this, us. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t know how but-”

“We’ll figure this out.”

“As soon as this is over.”

“As soon as this is over.” She agreed. I gave her one last kiss then headed out.

It was bizarre coming back onto Green Ridge territory. A place that once brought me peace was nothing but a horrible memory. I helped unload the supplies then set everything up. Daunte elbowed me, watching a young woman and a man approach us. The woman had white hair and whiskey brown eyes, the man with the same eyes but had a small streak of white in his hair. She grinned with familiarity.

“So, you must be Nalina’s mate.” She addressed Kain who nodded awkwardly. I liked him a whole lot more now that he had a woman in his life that wasn’t my wife.

“And you,” she pointed at me, “Must be Ocatvia’s stupid husband and his crony, Daunte.” I choked, taken aback by her bluntness.

“And you are?” Daunte laughed.

“Estella. This is my brother Orion. We’re Nalina’s cousins.”

“A pleasure.” I said sarcastically.

Orion snorted, “Well, I like him.”

His sister rolled his eyes, “Of course you do, dummies gotta stick together so that they don’t get lost.” Our group busted up with laughter. “Now, with introductions out of the way, let’s get to business. Orion is the main caster on the surface. He’ll be leading the three groups for the spirit round up.”

“I’ve scanned the area already and detected many spirits.” Orion said, casting a spell that made a 3-D layout of the territory. “There’s two levels of magical auras, but none of them should be a problem.”

Estella didn’t give me time to wrap my mind over the wickedly advanced spell I just witnessed. “I’ll be the mage leading your team through the rift. It’s heavily protected so I can’t survey our route yet. However, Orion and I were able to pick up human auras near the rift, proving that pack members have gone to the other side.”

“Wait, you’re the mage helping us?!” Daunte blurted out. I elbowed him. “What? Everyone else was thinking it! You have to be, what, fifteen or sixteen years old!”

Estella laughed, “I’m seventeen, actually.”

“See!”

“I’m sure she’s the real thing. Their mother was the first mage to reappear.” Kain advised.

“I knew I liked you. Us smarties gotta keep the dummies in check.” she giggled.

“Wait, you’re Nova Frost’s daughter?!” Daunte started to fangirl. “Holy sht! That means you’re the first to carry on the original line of mages! This is huge!”

Orion rolled his eyes, “Yeah, she never lets anyone forget it.”

Estella punched her big brother, “Whatever, you’re important too. Can we get back to the briefing?” We refocused on the mission. Since we confirmed members were in the other realm, we will need to act quickly. Estella calculated that it would take approximately twenty minutes to round up the surface spirits.

“Wait, time flows differently there. One hour there to a minute here. How long do you think it will take for us to find the pack?”

Orion and Estella shared a look. “We can only keep the rift open on our side for those twenty minutes. Our original plan was to use three casters to close it, but due to the actual size and spiritual energy surrounding it, we will need six. Between the time that is needed to set up and the incantation for the spell to fully cast is eighteen minutes. The portal will close within those two minutes.

“We could send your team into the rift first, but there have been anomalies that are making the portal bigger by the minute. We would need more personnel to close it, which we don’t have at this time. No one here is strong enough to keep something from coming out. I have the power to keep the portal open longer, but I’m the only one strong enough to fight off a corrupted monster.

“I also have a feeling, based on the description Gabriel provided, that this beast isn’t just some random spirit. It sounds like a corrupted guardian, one of the most powerful beasts in creation. We’ll have twenty hours to make it back before the rift is closed forever.” Estella explained.

“So how will you cross over if you have that much spiritual energy?” I asked.

Estella lifted up an opal necklace. “This will seal my powers so I won’t be detected when I cross over. I’ll unseal them when we get inside and seal them again when we come back.”

“Alright, let’s finish up.” Daunte ordered.

I followed them towards the pack house, Estella beside me. “I have a message to give you.”

I frowned, “A message from whom?”

“From the Collector.” My blood ran cold. “Goddess look at you! You’re so pale!” Of course I was pale, she was practically telling me I was a dead man. She nudged my shoulder, “Calm down Mr. Dramatic. It’s nothing bad, it’s not like she’s coming for your soul or anything.” I couldn’t calm down, that’s literally what the Collector collects.

“What’s her message?” My lips were stiff.

“She wants to make a deal with you. She needs you to grab something for her when we’re in the spirit realm.”

“What does she want? Why can't you do it?”

Estella shrugged, “I don’t know. She said you’ll know it when you see it.”

“What do I get in return?”

“Something that you’ll desperately need in the future.” She skipped away, leaving me lost for words. I’d rather spend an eternity fighting this corrupted spirit than back out of a deal with the Collector. I was trying to work out my thoughts when I heard Isabelle’s voice.

“You actually came.” her voice soft. Atlas purred with pleasure.

“I don’t see that little bitch.” Jacob glared. I moved to hit him but Estella blocked my path.

“She had better things to do than to babysit you. She did, however, bring you a gift, so that you’ll always remember your time together.” She held up a miniature golf club that had a tiny bow. The phrase ‘sweet spot’ was engraved on it. She placed it in his hands. “She said her stroke is getting better everyday. I suggest you behave.” Jacob's face was pale and clammy.

“Did you round up the pack?” I asked, ignoring Isabelle’s lustful stare.

“I did.” he answered meekly.

“Good. Keep everyone inside for the next twenty minutes.” Estella instructed. Jacob ushered the rest of the pack. Isabelle grinned before closing the door behind them. Estella cast a protection barrier over the pack house as an extra precaution. “Twenty minutes.” she held out her fist.

“You got this.” Orion grinned, returning the gesture. He went the opposite direction while I led my team of six to the rift.

“Alright. Everyone set your watches. We got twenty hours to save as many survivors as we can. Time is of the essence. This portal will close regardless of us being on the other side or not. Check your supplies.” Estella ordered. We double checked our food and blood supplies, stating that we were ready to go. Estella sealed her magic then gestured to me, “Lead the way, dummy.”