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  Hyblood

  First Book of the Wolva Trilogy

  April Wolf and Stephanie Budd

  Hyblood 2008 © Copyright all rights reserved by April Wolf and Stephanie Budd.Any use without permission of this work will result in prosecution.

  Cover design and all artwork by April Wolf and Stephanie Budd.

  Dedications

  For Stephanie: My best friend forever and co-author. For without her, Hyblood would have never come to be.

  For Amber: My little sister (Dizzy) for being our test readers, believing in us, and always our #1 fan.

  To my best friend, April: Without you this book would not have been half as good!

  To all the good times, secret laughs and sparrow talk!

  To my loving mother, Sheri, who supported and always had faith in us and Hyblood.

  Thank you for always being there for me. Without you I don't know where I'd be.

  Chapters

  Prologue

  1. Help Wanted

  2. Roux Mansion

  3. Visitor

  4. Mission

  5. Last Breath

  6. Eternal

  7. Modification

  8. Risen

  9. Advent

  10. Mistake

  11. Aversion

  12. Blood Test

  13. Confrontation

  14. Mistrust

  15. Courage 16. Metamorphosis

  17. Commence

  18. Remorse

  19. Consequence

  20. Impertinent

  21. Pursuit

  22. Intention

  23. Failure

  24. Wolva

  25. Reunion

  26. Punishment

  27. Betrayal

  28. Terminate

  29. Manipulate 30. Demise

  Prologue

  He half felt his body shaking, while hearing familiar whispers on the

  verge of his conscience. Nothing was making sense to him and he couldn't figure out why. Again, he felt a rougher shake that finally had awoken his body and mind to life.

  “Gaspard, my darling, wake up." Coming out of a peaceful sleep, he opened his eyes and saw his mother leaning over him. Her face looked grave and frightened, which instantly alerted him because his beautiful mother always smiled and lit the room with just her presence-but not tonight. He knew something was wrong. "Shhh." Hushing him with a finger to her lips just as he was about to speak. "Hurry, we must leave now," she whispered.

  Gaspard heard loud bangs at the door and then a crash. His father quickly led the way to a window on the left side of their small house. Gaspard peaked out from his mother's grasp and saw flashes of movement go by outside in the dark, cold night. He tucked his head back in, and his mother soothed him with the sound of her soft, reassuring voice. His father easily opened the window and helped his wife outside. He shut the window after handing Gaspard to her. Gaspard wrapped his arms tightly around his mother and felt her scream his father's name with all her lung power.

  They ran into a barn and hid. Sounds of movement surrounding them outside. It grew warmer and smoke filled the air inside of the barn before bursting into flames. The ceiling braces started to collapse. Gaspard's mother fell to the ground. Her legs were firmly caught underneath burning lumber.

  "Mamma!" Gaspard screamed. He could only see her upper body through the flames. A dark figure appeared from behind them, covered in blood and blisters. He bent down next to Gaspard's mother and spoke with her, but Gaspard couldn't hear their short conversation over the roaring fire.

  "No, Gaspard!" She told him as he started towards her. Gaspard reluctantly stopped a few feet from her, crying. She reached out with her unharmed hand and gave him something she had gripped tightly before and said, "Take this and never forget us. I love you."

  The man grabbed Gaspard and took him out through a hole in the back of the barn. The barn completely collapsed as they rushed to the forest. He looked back but his vision was clouded by tears and couldn't see anything but red and yellow flames.

  They ran as fast as they could through the woods. The mysterious man suddenly stopped and looked back. He bent down, grimacing as he lightly touched Gaspard's shoulders. "You have to go on without me. Keep north to Paris, and whatever you do-don't turn back. Go!"

  Gaspard went north until his feet could bear his weight no more. He saw a dirt road and lights up ahead before he hit the ground.

  Chapter 1 Help Wanted

  "Gaspard! Gaspard, wake up we have to go soon." The voice

  came to him clearly, awaking him from his dream. Trying to ignore his best friend, he shut his eyes tighter, desperately trying to remember his ever re-occurring dream. He had the same dream just about every night, but never had it gotten so far as it had now. How he wished he could remember what really happened to his parents, where he came from, but each time he tried he only got a blur of unknown memory causing him unbelievable heartache.

  A pillow was thrown forcefully at him, knocking him out of his trance. Lifting his head, Gaspard glared, trying to hide a smirk. No matter what kind of mood he was in, Elijh always cheered him up without even realizing it.

  "Okay, I'm up, now stop pelting me with pillows," he teased, throwing his legs over the bed so he was sitting up, he ran a hand through his messy black hair, yawning largely just for the show of it.

  "Once your done acting, get dressed, we have to go," Elijh spoke again, already dressed himself, as he packed his small amount of belongings.

  Gaspard knew all too well that they had to go. Today was their last day living in the Paris orphanage. All orphans had to move out when they turned eighteen, and be as it may, both Gaspard and Elijh turned eighteen the same day. To become an adult and homeless all in one day, and on your birthday, it's not a very pleasant day.

  Gaspard grabbed his clothes from under his small cot; a leather vest, black pants, white shirt and boots. Throwing on his clothes, he followed Elijh in packing his own belongings, little things he had obtained, nothing really important except for a small trinket from his childhood. It was a silver necklace with a small silver pendant of a half moon, the other half of the moon being the sun. The trinket was the only thing he had left from his family, the only thing that helped him hold onto his slim memories. He clutched the necklace in his hand, pressing it to his chest as he tried to remember, but nothing came to him. He latched the necklace around his neck, slipping it under his shirt so it wouldn't be visible to wandering, thieving eyes.

  Grabbing his small side-bag, he slung the strap over his head, and waited for Elijh to finish up. "So, today's the day," he said simply, stating the fact out loud mainly for himself.

  Elijh nodded, grabbed his own bag and motioned for Gaspard to follow. Gaspard sat on his cot for a moment, staring at the back of his friend before looking around the large room, crowded with cots similar to his own. Standing up slowly, he let out a faint sigh and walked out of the orphanage after his friend into the bright Paris morning.

  "First things first, we've got to find a job," Gaspard said slowly, letting the dark feeling of reality start to sink in. Finding a job would be hard to do, but it had to be done.

  Elijh nodded, looking up and down the street. "Where should we start?" he asked, glancing at store windows for a sign.

  There were a few shops already open, but none had any notice of 'Help Wanted.' Giving each store a try anyway, they went door to door asking shop owners if they needed two new workers. Each time ended with rejection. For hours they walked around the city, jumping at every opportunity whenever they seen an open shop. Around noon they found themselves sitting on a small bench in front of their latest store rejection.

  Sweat beads had formed on Gaspard's brow. Whipping the sweat off his face, he squinted down the n
ow bright and busy street. "Now what?" Elijh asked him.

  "I'm not sure...we’re running out of options."

  "Well, we've got to think of something. We've gone to just about every shop in Paris!"

  "I guess it's time to look in a different direction." "What do you mean?"

  "Well, we could try stables," Gaspard replied, seeing a large mansion down the road.

  Elijh wrinkled his nose a bit at the thought, then shrugged, giving in, "It's not like we have much of a choice. To the stables then."

  Elijh looked odd compared to Gaspard, Gaspard being so tall, lean, and naturally handsome, and Elijh just looking average and a head shorter than him.

  Both of them had been admitted into the orphanage around the same time, Gaspard coming in only a few days after Elijh. They became friends quickly, but neither ever mentioning about their families for the longest time. Gaspard had very little memory of his own family, so what he ended up sharing wasn't too much. Elijh's memories were more plentiful, but remembrance isn't always a good thing.

  It only took them a few moments to reach the mansion's gates. Gaspard walked directly up to the bars, looking around the yard for someone to speak with. Leaning a bit heavily on the gate, it swung open beneath his pressure. Stumbling a bit from the sudden movement, Gaspard pushed the gate a little further, hearing a faint squeak from the rusty hinges. He started slipping through the gap until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

  "We can’t just barge in!" Elijh hissed at him, trying to pull him back out.

  "Of course we can, it's not our fault they didn't lock the gate," he replied calmly, shaking of his friends grasp as he stepped past the gates. "Stay there if you like, but I'd actually like to get a job today," he stated, looking back at his friend for a moment before taking a few slow steps away.

  Elijh stood on the other side of the gate for a moment, fighting with himself on what to do. He wasn't as brave or carefree as his friend, but he did hate to be left behind.

  Pushing the gate another inch so he could slip through, he caught up to Gaspard, tripping on a rock causing him to stumble for a moment before he regained his balance.

  "Took you long enough," Gaspard chuckled as he continued to walk, not bothering to see if he was ok, Elijh was always tripping over something.

  They walked through the long entry yard, still no sight of anyone. "Not even a grounds keeper..." Gaspard muttered, mostly to himself as he continued to scan the vicinity for some sign of life. He spotted the stable area and changed direction towards them, not pausing to see if Elijh was still following.

  "Shouldn't we go to the main house?" Elijh called a few steps behind him, "We can’t just start poking around, this is private property." He began to sound nervous.

  "Calm down already," Gaspard hissed back at him, his curiosity of this place overwhelming his own sensibility of the matter.

  "This place gives me the creeps," murmured Elijh as he looked around nervously.

  "There you go again," Gaspard rolled his eyes, "If it wasn't for me, you'd still be back in the orphanage."

  Elijh couldn't think of a good comeback response so he just folded his arms and glared at him.

  Gaspard tried to hide a smirk, knowing all too well he'd won the argument without it even starting.

  After a few more steps in silence, they heard something rustle in the bushes to their right. "Did you hear that?" Elijh took a hold of Gaspard's arm to bring him to a stop.

  "Shhh," Gaspard whispered. He searched with his eyes intently through the thick brush of overgrown bushes. After a few moments without a single movement, he gave up. "It must be a bird or something."

  "Yeah, or something."

  "Come on, I would like to reach the stables that are only ten feet away by tomorrow."

  Shaking off Elijh's grasp, Gaspard continued his steady pace to the stables, glancing back at his friend briefly just to make sure he wasn't going into shock. Elijh never use to be so nervous until recently. Gaspard had just thought it was from the thought of leaving the orphanage, but there was something else there, he could feel it. But, he didn't want to flat out ask his best friend, he wouldn't do that. Not only would it be a bit awkward for the both of them, but Gaspard wasn't fully prepared for whatever Elijh's answer was, if he even had an answer. For now, he would just put it off and keep an eye on him, just to make sure he wasn't jumping to any conclusion himself. It didn't take them too long to reach the stables. They would have reached it sooner, but of course, Elijh was a little fidgety and was tripping over everything, including his own boots.

  "Please, calm down. I don't want to look like a psycho in front of these people, we need this job, remember?" Gaspard spoke to Elijh softly, gripping his friend’s shoulders to keep eye contact. This always seemed to calm his friend down, luckily, it still worked.

  Elijh let out a sigh and nodded his head after a moment. "Okay, I'm ready."

  "Good, now I'll do all the talking, God forbid if you start to squeak from nervousness."

  "I won’t squeak!"

  "You just did."

  Gaspard grinned and turned away from Elijh, opening the stable door, a faint groan emitting from the door. Gaspard stepped in calmly, Elijh hesitating for a moment before Gaspard grabbed his arm and pulled him in, shaking his head. Elijh wrinkled his nose at the smell of the stable.

  "This... is so gross."

  Gaspard stifled a laugh as he heard a small gag come from Elijh. "Oh get over it. You may be working here soon."

  "Please, don't remind me."

  Gaspard didn't want to delay any longer, the daylight was wasting, and if this didn't become their job, they would be in deep trouble. He walked down the path of the stable, stopping once to pet a large Black Mares nose as she poked her head out to see the visitors. Turning the corner that lead to even more horses, Gaspard ran into something-no somebody. Letting out a grunt he leaned against the stable wall to catch his balance, looking down to see who he had run into.

  Now sitting on the floor having been knocked down from the fall, was a very eye-catching girl. She looked up, trying to appear angry, at whomever had hit her. Eyeing Gaspard, she felt her cheeks flush a bit, her anger disappearing quickly.

  "I-I’m so sorry." Gaspard spoke in a faintly husky voice, offering her his hand.

  Elijh grinned from behind. He knew his friend was nervous whenever he used that voice. The girl took his hand gratefully, standing up to dust off her long light-blue dress. She looked to be seventeen, just one year younger then Gaspard and Elijh. The hat she wore was slightly tilted on her wavy red hair from the run-in with Gaspard.

  "Thank you," she said softly, her cheeks still a bit flushed, "May I ask what you two are doing here in my father’s stable?"

  Gaspard looked away with his eyes, unable to look at her for any longer than a few seconds. If this were anyone else, he would've answered readily, but in front of her, he could barely find his voice.

  Elijh, although enjoying his courageous friends discomfort in front of her, decided to end his discomfort for now. Stepping beside Gaspard, he offered his hand in greeting.

  "Hello, sorry to intrude and all, but my friend and I are looking for a job" he said, his voice squeaking every few words.

  "I see."

  "Would your father happen to be in need of two stable hands?"

  "Actually, yes. But, I'm afraid he doesn't like to hire younger people."

  "We’re eighteen." Gaspard managed to find his voice long enough to add this.

  "Hmm... Well, he may make an exception if I talk with him." "Thank you so much!" Elijh squeaked.

  "I'm Jocelyn by the way, who are you two?"

  "I’m Elijh and this is Gaspard." As he said Gaspard’s name, he nudged him in the ribs, making Gaspard grunt a bit.

  "Uh, H-hello," Gaspard said in the same husky voice as before. "Hello," she replied softly, catching his eyes for a brief moment before he looked away again. His eyes are beautiful, she thought to herself before returning back to reality.
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br />   "If you two will follow me, I'll take you to my father."

  Jocelyn stepped between Gaspard and Elijh, making sure to brush Gaspard’s shoulder with hers as she passed. She couldn't believe what she was doing, why was she acting so silly in front of him? She barely knew him and yet she felt like she's known him forever. As she adjusted her hat, she peeked behind her to see if they were following, smiling to herself as she glanced as Gaspard and seen his face was also flushed.

  Elijh nudged Gaspard again as soon as Jocelyn started to walk, giving him a curious look. Elijh had never seen Gaspard so dumbfounded before. Looking from Jocelyn to Gaspard a few times, he finally followed her, dragging Gaspard by his sleeve until he realized he could actually walk.

  Gaspard shook himself as he started to walk, unable to take his eyes off of her. Taking a deep breath, he pushed past Elijh as if his friend weren't even there and went to walk level with Jocelyn, but with enough space between the both of them.

  Jocelyn led them up a winding path towards he mansion doors. The trio was silent for a few moments, until she broke the awkward feeling, unable to bear it any longer.

  "You might have noticed that there aren't many workers about," she said quietly, stealing a glance at Gaspard, only to see him looking at her. They locked eyes with each other for just seconds until they turned away at the same time, both their cheeks flushed.

  "Yes, we had noticed," Elijh chimed after stifling his laughter of amusement at the two. "Why is that?"

  "A lot of our workers have… well they've disappeared."

  "What exactly do you mean?" Elijh asked a slight squeak in his voice.

  "I'm not too sure myself, but lately, we've had workers vanishing every few weeks. At first we thought they had just quit and didn't tell us. But, then we found out that no-one knew where they went..."

  "Do you think they were killed?" Gaspard spoke up, his voice still slightly husky.

  "I'm not sure...but it's quite vexing for my father and me."

  A few moments passed as they walked in silence once more, Elijh fidgeting behind them. Gaspard noticed his friend, his old worry coming back to him again.

  "Are you telling us as a warning?" He asked her, hoping she would say something to comfort Elijh.