Chapter 21 #2
“You still lied,” I say, spinning around and pulling my hand out of his grip. I turn to leave, only to run into Theo who is standing silently behind me. He leans closer, his lips so close to mine, I lose my train of thought for a second.
“You can still be mad and still want us,” he says before kissing me, his tongue playing with mine. His hand slides under my shirt at my back before sliding into my panties and grabbing my ass.
This fucker!
I slap him. He stares at me, hand going to his cheek. "What the fuck?" he demands.
I glare at him, shoving him away from me. "You asshole! You know I'm pissed at you, and you think you can use this fucking mate bond against me? No, Theo, I'm not going to let you!" I whirl on Tobias but he holds his hands up. He hasn't tried anything, this time. "Thank you, Tobias," I grunt.
He dips his head, for once in his life acknowledging my own feelings and emotions. "You have put me through way too much for me to just sit and spread my legs for you. Just because I want to fuck you, doesn't mean I'm going to give in." I toss my hair and turn away from him.
Tobias tenses and Theo looks away from me, glancing outside. Now what is the problem? I watch as they both look at each other, hearing something only they can hear. After a few seconds I, too, also hear the sound of tires on the dirt road coming toward the house at great speed.
“Go get dressed, my parents are here,” Theo says before pulling me closer and kissing my forehead. "We'll talk about all this after. I promise I'll fight for you." He steps back and motions for the stairs. I make my way back upstairs and into our room.
Why have they shown up? It makes me nervous.
Tobias comes into the room as I rummage through the closet, trying to find something decent to wear.
Settling on some tights and a blouse. Tobias reaches in and pulls a shirt from the hanger and he grabbed a pair of jeans quickly slipping them on before coming over and wrapping his strong arms around me and kissing my head, I pull back and out of his reach.
I dashed to the bathroom. I use the nervous energy humming through me to scrub my face red and brush my hair until it practically shone.
I don't look like I've just woken up anymore.
I look functional, maybe like someone who doesn't need to be offed because some other woman has been a bitch to my mates.
I get dressed and creep out of the bathroom, ears alert. Soft whispers came from downstairs, answered by very angry whispers from. His voice booms toward the end. I wince.
Arriving downstairs, I’m greeted by Caroline. She is in black suit pants and a blouse looking very formal, like she just stepped out of an important meeting. Was this a good sign or a bad one?
“Imogen, lovely to see you again.”
I nod and Caroline quickly comes over to me and hugs me, which I think is slightly strange. She has never been this welcoming before. I freeze as her arms wrap around me tightly before placing my hand on her back and hugging her back.
When she lets go, she holds me at arm’s length.
“Come, we have much to discuss.” She motions for me to sit on the couch.
When I turn toward it, I nearly freeze. Josiah is sitting there staring off into space like he is deep in thought, an intense look on his face.
I sit as far away from him as the couch allows.
When he looks toward me, he softly smiles, his lips tugging up slightly.
His eyes sparkle under the lighting emitting from the fireplace.
“So, what’s this about?” I asked nervously.
I almost prefer the overbearing intimidating version of Josiah I’m accustomed to, not this man who is looking back at me as if he is exhausted and mentally drained.
I notice Theo sitting on the armchair next to the fireplace with a strange look on his face. He looks like he is in a trance.
Tobias strides back into the room with four cups of coffee on a tray. I’m grateful, the silence is eating away at me.
“What’s wrong with Theo?” I ask, staring at him, but he doesn’t even glance in my direction at the mention of his name. He hasn’t moved at all. He is just staring oddly at the space in front of him, like he can see something I can’t.
Tobias sits the tray down and Caroline takes her coffee cup and passes me mine. "Thanks."
“Theo is stuck in his own mind,” Tobias explains, glancing at him. I remember Theo telling me about how they don’t sleep, yet they can go into the depths of their own minds and become stuck. I can’t feel anything but worry through the bond as he stares off vacantly.
“Why did he go like that?” I asked Caroline.
“We have some news, and it must have shocked him into this state; don’t worry, dear, Tobias will eventually pull him out of it.” she says. Tobias creeps over to him and waves a hand in front of his face, but it is as if he doesn’t see.
“So, what was the news?” I ask Caroline.
Unease prickles down my spine, stroking my scalp.
What the fuck am I going to have to deal with this time?
It’s like a never-ending nightmare in this god-forsaking place.
Maybe I'd died of cold exposure and this is just my endless hell for not taking better care of mum.
“The council wants to meet you, sooner rather than later. That’s not why we are here, though.
The council needs your birth documents. As you know, humans aren’t usually mated to werewolves or vampires.
The council wants to look up your lineage.
They aren’t convinced you are a hundred percent human.
If you are, you would be the first human ever mated to someone like us,” Josiah said motioning toward Theo and Tobias.
“Okay, so that’s what shocked Theo?” I ask, staring toward his frozen posture sitting in the armchair. That doesn't really sound like enough.
Tobias growls. Josiah stands placing his hand on Tobias's arm and squeezes it before letting him go. “That’s enough, son, we can’t change the past, but your mother and I have sorted it, the documents will come soon in the mail.
They said they would mail them to this address.
” Tobias stares at me intently for a few seconds; I can feel worry and something else coming through the bond.
I don’t have a chance to ask what documents they were talking about when Josiah turns to me.
But the fact he is worried? It pisses me off.
What the fuck is he hiding now? I'll put his feet to the fire before this day is done.
“Imogen, do you still have your original birth certificate? I will also need a vial of your blood for the council.” Josiah mentions both in one breath as if it is perfectly normal to handle over your blood.
I nod knowing it is amongst the boxes that are in the office in the shed along with the rest of my belongings Theo had stored here.
“I think it is in a box in the shed, but I don't have any random blood vials.” I tell him. I’m bite my nail.
What are they expecting to find? I have no so-called lineage.
My mother’s name is the only one on the birth certificate.
I never knew my father, don’t really care to either after he abandoned her to raise a child on her own.
“We will have to find it, but first finish your coffee, I need to speak to Tobias in private.” Tobias gets up and heads toward the kitchen, Josiah following behind him silently. Something has Tobias on edge, and I glance back at Theo who still looks off, his eyes burning bright red and hollow.
“Well hopefully we find something that will help your case,” Caroline says. I glance at her.
How would it help my case? “And if we don’t find anything?” I ask but I have a feeling I already know the answer.
“If there is nothing to be found, the council will probably give Tobias and Theo a time limit on when to change you, Imogen, I know you don’t want this.
Tobias has made that very clear. Unfortunately, Tobias taking that choice from you was very selfish and wrong of him to do so.
He shouldn’t have marked you, but I also know my sons would never willingly put you in danger, the mate bond is so strong it would have happened eventually, he just should have spoken to the council first.” She told me glancing at Theo. She stands and strides over to him.
What the fuck is going on here?
She brushes his hair back like a mother would a child, and in that moment, I can tell she truly does love her sons.
For a while there I hadn't been sure. It looks innocent, something a doting mother would do.
I miss Mom. What would she do if she was still here?
I'd never get that gentle smile from her.
But no matter what she does, Theo doesn't bat an eyelid.
She sighs. “This is one of the things I hate about being a vampire. The rest is okay but once we become stuck like this," she gestures with her hand to Theo, "It’s always hard to come out of it. Consumed by one’s thoughts can sometimes be the worst sort of torture.” Her thumb brushes his cheek soothingly.
“May I ask how you became…" I pause. I don't want to say vampire but I want to make sure she understands, besides I’m dying of curiosity.” It is something I have wondered about because Theo doesn’t like talking about it.
“Did Theo tell you he was a twin?” she asks, cutting off my question. I shake my head.
She nods understandingly. “I had two sons Theodore and Benjamin,” she said looking back at Theo. Was she seeing Theo's twin when she looks at him?