Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Abandoning my coffee, I follow Theo, his arousal becoming too much for either of us to ignore. Watching as Theo presses himself against her on the wall, only for Imogen to shudder slightly, a pained gasp leaving her lips.
“What’s wrong?” Theo asks, alarmed, wondering if he hurt her.
Imogen leans forward against him before pulling a splintered off piece of wood out her shoulder, that had broken off and stabbed into her shoulder.
She plucked it out with her fingers, blood trickling down her shoulder blade before kissing Theo hungrily.
Only he had gone completely rigid, his grip on her thighs getting stronger, and his nails dug into her thighs as she hisses, making her pull back and look at him.
The feelings of arousal through the bond are long forgotten, as I am suddenly flooded with Theo’s desire to feed. It isn’t the sort of hunger that can be suppressed. This was the sort of hunger that consumes, devouring irrational thinking as it takes over.
Theo’s face distorts to the monster he usually keeps well hidden, his fangs protruding and the veins under his eyes rippling under his skin.
Imogen pushes his shoulders, trying to get him to put her down or to lessen his grip, only it tightens as the terrifying look of a predator takes over.
Imogen’s stuck between him and the wall.
I move toward them and Imogen stares at me in panic.
I can feel the adrenaline pumping through her and into me.
Only Theo seems frozen, the addiction of her blood he craves, and the urge to take it overriding the love he feels for her.
We know he is struggling with the darkness he consumes from her. Theo is the strongest out of us, always the one who seems to have it together when it comes to fighting his urges yet looking at him now, Theo is gone. The only thing left is the monster he always fought to keep at bay.
He slams her back against the wall, her blood trickling down her shoulder more. He moves his hand to her face, like he is in some trance. His fingers move down her neck, stopping at the vein that is pulsating under her skin.
“Theo, Theo,” she calls, trying to distract him when she realizes he won’t be letting her go.
“Hun,” she speaks softly, moving her hands to his face and tugging his face so he is looking at her. He cocks his head to the side observing her like it is the first time he has seen her.
“She kisses him, and he doesn’t react, just a blank expression taking over his face.
Her proximity becomes too much as I hear him growl.
The sort of growl that makes goosebumps rise and sends a shiver up your spine.
He is gone, too far gone to come back from.
He slams her back. Her scream resonates through the house and bouncing off the walls as he sinks his teeth into her shoulder.
She fights against him, and I move to her.
Before I even have time to grab him, he pivots, throwing his arm out and sends me flying into the kitchen door frame.
He growls loudly, possessive, and I feel Imogen’s magic sizzling through the bond as he sinks his teeth into arm.
Rabid, he doesn’t even care where he bites her.
He just wants blood, her blood and the darkness coating it.
Thaddeus screaming sends the lights flickering and I jump to my feet, trying to get to her, only before I have a chance, Imogen smacks him in the face to get him to let go of her arm, her blood runs down and dripping on the floor before she slaps both hands on the side of his face.
Pain radiates through the bond from both of them, as I see white fiery light illuminate her hands so brightly, I can see her veins glowing beneath her skin.
A current runs from her chest and up her arms and into her hands before zapping him.
He lets her go, clutching his head. She drops to the floor, and I race to her, grabbing her and pulling her to her feet and away from him.
Theo shakes himself off, and his hands clench into fists as he spins on his heel and lunges toward us. I shove Imogen away, taking the full brunt of his impact, sending us both flying toward the fireplace. The floor shakes underneath us as we hit the floor.
“Theo, snap out of it,” I growl as he lunges for my throat.
I punch him, snapping his head backward.
His nails digging into my shoulders, digging into my flesh, razor sharp.
I hear Imogen scream as we fight each other.
I try to pin him down, but he can’t be subdued long enough for us to make him see sense.
Tobias tries to restrain him, but in this primal and Rabid state Theo is stronger and uncontrollable.
Theo’s aura shifts, no color as it is consumed by nothing but darkness.
I never realized how badly my magic affected him.
He was always so good at masking what has been eating him from the inside out.
Theo shoves him off and Tobias smacks against the stone of the fireplace.
The stone cracking up the wall from the force.
I watch horrified as Theo advances on Tobias like he doesn’t recognize the man he has loved his entire life.
This was my doing, my magic did this to him.
Theo stalking toward Tobias, Tobias tries to get to his feet, but Theo is quicker, and I waste no time lunging forward as I wrap my legs around Theo’s waist and my arm locking around his in a bear hug.
My fangs sink into his neck and I taste the darkness as it bleeds out of him and into me, Theo struggles against me and I remain focused trying to hold the magic at bay as it seeps back into me.
I can feel my aura shifting, becoming darker, tainted with the madness as it leaves him.
That’s when I realize I can burn off the energy through my magic .
Theo can’t. It just lays there dormant waiting to bust through his barriers and take over.
When I can’t handle the darkness and its bitter taste running down my throat. I let his arms go and clamp my hands onto the sides of his face.
Remembering what Astral said about my magic being able to heal others, but not myself.
I can never harness it. Probably. Most of the plants we’ve tried, they wilted and died by my fingertips.
But seeing Theo like this, tugs at something deep within me, as I feel nothing but heartache and my love bleed into him from me.
I feel its energy spreading through me, warm and pure.
Focusing on that energy and the love I have for both men.
I push it through me and into him. Letting it run through him purifying the darkness that has swallowed him, removing the tainted parts of me from him.
I feel him falter as his legs go weak, dropping him on his knees.
He gasps loudly and I can feel through the bond, his mood shift, the hunger dissipating as he rolls underneath me and I watch as his eyes go back to their familiar hypnotic green I fell in love with, and he returns to the man, I know he is and not the monster that took him over.
The veins under his eyes disappear before I feel my magic fizzle.
Exhaustion washes over me in waves, and I let the magic go, extinguishing the light and leaving me.
I am left panting and out of breath. I close my eyes, the darkness from him and the darkness that comes with using my magic running rampant through me.
“I’m sorry,” Theo breathes, raising his hand and rubbing my face. I lean into his familiar cool touch as it cools my now flushed skin.
Closing my eyes, I push against the darkness, refusing to let it take over, refusing to give into it.
“Are you okay?” Tobias speaks from behind me. I nod. I just need to get rid of the icy feeling running through my veins. Thaddeus screaming upstairs is enough for me to pull myself together, remembering my son needs me, remembering my grounding place.
Tobias helps me up and I lean against him for a second before looking to the stairs.
“I will get him,” Tobias says, running up the stairs as Theo pulls me toward him, embracing me. I breathe in his scent and feel the darkness moving to the edges before I peer up. Theo is watching me, and I can feel his guilt coming through to me from the bond.
“It’s not your fault, I am fine, no harm done,” I tell him before standing on my tippy toes and pecking him on the lips.
“You’re sure you’re okay, though?” he asks. I know they can feel the darkness running through me. But I don’t fear it anymore, fearing it only amplifies it, and when I don’t give it, that fear I know I can fight it off.
“I’m fine but bloody starving and can really use that coffee now.” I chuckle before letting him go and walking toward the kitchen in search of the blood bags in the fridge.