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Hybrid's first — and most natural reaction — was to recoil and snarl. It was easy for others to get a rise out of him, though, he never would have acknowledge it if he had realized it. He understood that anger guided his every movement and had embraced it. He knew what made him fight and he understood why it worked for him. He had so long since acknowledged this as an integral part of who he was that he forgot about it sometimes, such as this. He felt annoyed, but perhaps not as annoyed as his body language would show. He didn't know what to think or say in response; he had never been good at witty comebacks. He did know that he did not like the boy's tone or what he thought of Hybrid. Hybrid did not like being looked down upon despite his age, loyalty, or rank. It never seemed to fucking mean anything to anyone. Hybrid knew who he was and what he needed to do, but no one else had his sureness.
Until now. Hybrid watched and listened as the boy spoke and elaborated. He tasted bile in his mouth. He didn't know if this boy was being straight with him or if he was just another idiot shit. Hybrid wanted to find out, but he'd been betrayed enough to know that the only ones he could really trust were himself and Gabriel. Possibly Kaena. But he still didn't like it. Of course Hybrid had reacted the way he did: he had needed to decide if he was fighting to kill when he didn't fucking know who was attacking him. He'd made a split decision. He hadn't seen the boy in years. What the fuck did he expect?
Ezekiel questioned his family's sanity. Hybrid laughed. He didn't fucking know. He knew he had tried to murder Faolin after she had murdered Venomous. He knew he had made it abundantly clear to Faolin when she had her puppies that if they came anywhere near him, he would be less-than-pleasant, in the days before he had known Gabriel. He knew his family was a group of liars and degenerates and he knew Ezekiel would one day be just as bad as the rest of them.
"I hadn't seen you in years. I fucking thought you were — I don't fucking know," he snarled. "I wanted to kill you, but I didn't fucking do it. Something holding me back, boy," he added. He forcefully punctuated his last word his last word as he took a step forward. "Don't worry, kitten. I'm not mad, but my family certainly is." He sneered. Maybe that would bring some consolation. "If you want to fucking fight me again, fucking tell me next time. If you're not a little shit, maybe I will. Don't just expect anything or fucking think you can ambush me after being absent from Inferni for years and expect something in return." He sneered again. He didn't know what the fuck he was trying to say.