Chapter 12 #3
“Turned? What about your parents?” None of this made sense. Here I am having a casual conversation with a werewolf and vampire who want to kidnap me like I was Rapunzel.
“That’s a conversation for later. For now, eat, please, you haven’t touched your food.
” Theo taps my plate with his fork. They are always so secretive, and Theo wants the topic changed, but why?
I pick up a piece of tomato and popped it in my mouth.
Not realizing how hungry I actually am, until I taste its juicy goodness.
My stomach growls. I devour my food in a very unladylike manner, barely even tasting it.
I finish mine before either of them finished half of theirs.
“Did you even chew or did you just inhale your food?” asks Theo with a snort and a shake of his head.
Taking my empty plate, I stride to the sink and wash my dishes. My stomach is comfortably full after the mixed vegetable salad. I sit back in my seat at the table, yawning and stretching. I am truly overtired now. I rest my head on the cool countertop and close my eyes.
I’m just drifting off when their chairs squeak in protest from being pushed back.
They grabbed their dishes before cleaning up after themselves and the kitchen itself.
They are so in sync with each other, never crossing paths.
They are even able to pass things to each other without a glance.
Theo glances over at me. My cheeks warm and I looked away.
What am I doing gawking at them like that?
“Come on, let’s find you some clothes,” Theo says, leaving the kitchen to head upstairs.
I follow after him going back into the bedroom.
Theo rummages through his drawers and pulls out some shorts with a drawstring, tossing them to me.
I slip them on before tying them as tight as they will go.
They are still threatening to fall down, but hey, a lot better than what I was reduced to before.
"You know," I muse. I toy with the drawstring of the shorts slipping the hard part of the lace in and out of my fingertips. "I'm going to need to at least go back and get my things. My clothes for one. I can't just keep wearing yours, I might as well walk around naked at that point.”
Theo's eyes are glued to my fingers and the way I work the lace back and forth. His erection tents against his own clothes and he bites his lip.
“I wouldn’t mind." Tobias interrupts us, coming from behind. "One of us will go grab some stuff from your apartment on Wednesday for you,” Tobias says. He saunters to the closet and grabs a shirt off a hanger.
"Or," I suggest, turning my attention to him. "I could just go with you. That way I won't be out of your sight, we can get my things, and we could all come home together." I resist the urge to bat my lashes at him. There's no way he will buy that.
Tobias sighs before turning back to me, giving me his full attention. “No, Imogen, my word is final."
“No, Imogen, my word is final,” I mock back with my best impersonation of Tobias’s deep voice. I was so not in the mood today. Theo snorts beside me and I catch him shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. Traitor, he should be on my side.
“Stop encouraging her, Theo. She is in enough trouble when we get back,” Tobias dryly comments. The lace trick isn't working on him. But everyone has to have a weak spot, and I'd find his, in time.
“Yeah, and what is the big bad wolf gonna do? Lock me in a tower and throw away the key? Oh, that’s right I’m already in a prisoner.” Tobias's growl comes from the back of his throat, vibrating through his chest. One thing I’m good at, pissing the wolf off.
“That’s the third time now, Imogen. That attitude of yours is going to get you in trouble.” Tobias’s eyes are getting dark again.
I rolled my eyes, so over hearing about being punished. Is he really going to flip on me for speaking? “And I ‘m starting to think your bark is worse than your bite,” I retort.
Theo’s lips twitched slightly repressing a smile.
"Excuse me," he coughs. He creeps past me and down the stairs.
He really is a traitor! Scowling, I whirl to follow him.
Tobias grabs me from behind, and walks me to the railing.
He lifts me over the railing, a deep chuckle erupting from him as he dangles me over the second floor railing.
He isn't even breaking a sweat, holding me with one hand like I weigh nothing! I glance down at the ground and gulp.
“Not so cheeky now, huh?” Tobias demands, smirking down at me.
I peer down and watch my feet dangle in the air. The simple one-story fall magnified like I was staring at falling from a high rise. I try to stop it, but I whimper. "I swear to god, Tobias, if you drop me," I snarl at him but my body trembles.
“You’ll what?”. He lets my arm go and I scream and for a quarter second I plummet before he grabs onto my hand. Tears glisten in my eyes and spilling down my cheeks. Tobias watches them fall before his face softens. "Fine, fine."
He lifts me back to the railing and I stretch my foot out to the second floor level to get solid ground back. Tobias pulls me flush to his chest. I breathe out a sigh of relief, arms wrapped around him.
He kisses me hard, lips and teeth punishing.
I wince, pulling away from him and stare into his black eyes.
Peeling my arms from around him, Tobias shoves me back and over the railing.
It was a short fall but I screamed the entire way down, waiting for the pain to flood my body.
Instead an icy pair of arms embraced me.
I lean against Theo's chest, gripping his black shirt like it will save me. I can't stop shaking.
Theo pet the top of my head, touch gentle. "I warned you not to test him," he whispers into my ear. The bastard is laughing about this, I can hear it in his voice.
“You bloody asshole, you could have killed me,” I scream at Tobias who proudly stands next to the railing he's shoved me off. A smug smile curls his lips, like he finds all this amusing.
“I knew Theo would catch you. Stop being a baby, you were never in any danger.” He scoffs at me. I’m determined to find what his fear is and use it against him. This is just too much.
“Fuck you, Tobias,” I snarl, shoving my way out of Theo's arms. I turn my back on them and stomp to the front door before throwing it open and marching outside.
Going outside, I sit on a wooden chair next to the stairs.
I’m not surprised when, after a few minutes, Theo and Tobias come out.
They can't even give me a moment to recover. Theo has a bag on his back. He takes a seat on the steps and puts on a pair of hiking boots. Tobias mirrors his actions. That special outdoor thing they mentioned. I’m still pissed at them but somewhere with them was better than being stuck in the house with Tobias alone.
“So where are we going?” I ask. I really hope not to go hiking.
Me and hiking don’t mix, and I don’t even have shoes, only heels, which I’m not stupid enough to wear for another outdoor adventure.
“You will see when we get there. Come here,” Tobias replies. He holds his hand out to me.
“No, you just dropped me off the second floor. I’m not going near you.” Is this guy crazy? I turn halfway in the chair just to turn my back to him.
“I can take her,” Theo offers with an easy-going smile. Theo the peacemaker. No wonder they work together. I'm sure he has to apologize for that asshole all the time and I just never noticed.
“No, she can come with me,” Tobias repeats. Theo shrugs and Tobias holds out his hand expectantly. Stupid Theo giving up so easily. I want to kick him. “Now Imogen.” I hate when he says my name like that, it sounds like he is scolding a child.
I glare at his hand over my shoulder before turning even more away from him. I don't care if it is childish. He went over the line with his stunt.
Tobias grabs me around the waist, physically hauling me from the chair and forcing my legs around him much like I'd held onto Theo the night before.
"You'll want to hang on," he warns me a second before he takes off in a sprint.
Tobias's skin is warm and stops the chill from the wind. At least he is good for that. I close my eyes, so I won’t get dizzy.
It helps with the dizziness but does nothing for my nausea as my stomach slops around, making me wish he had a stop button. I can't take much more of this.
After a few minutes, we stop, but Tobias doesn't put me down.
I tilt my head. We are by a river's edge and the pounding of the water threatens to make me lose my mind.
Is he going to throw me off a waterfall or something?
I don't put anything past him anymore. Tobias walks along the riverside before stopping.
He brings us to the edge of the small cliff and I swallow hard.
Is he going to throw me again? I peek from his shoulder and stare at the roaring waterfall and the lagoon-like area below.
From this perspective, I can see there is nothing around here but endless forest for miles in every direction.
"Ready?" Tobias questions, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Ready for what?” Panic clutches my heart. He wouldn't… Who am I kidding? Of course he would!