Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Two weeks pass by quickly, and Christopher still demands the blood test to prove I actually am Bianca’s sister and Cedric’s daughter.
The blood results came back as expected, showing that we are indeed sisters.
I also had to sit for a few cognitive tests and study up on community relations and ethics before undergoing the fitness of duty exam, which I passed with flying colors thanks to Josiah and his never-ending knowledge with council.
It makes me wonder how the hell Bianca passed, but I doubt she will have had to do them anyway with the fact the council is willing to let a murderer stand on the panel.
Josiah even questions them about it and believes it is Christopher’s way of making things difficult for me.
Theo and Tobias have been teaching me combat training, not that it is going to help much against Bianca and me becoming weaker as time passes.
I have asked and begged for them to let me use my magic, but Theo and Tobias keep saying to give it time and to let them keep doing research before I make any rash decisions.
It worries them that I won’t be able to control it like last time.
Caroline and Josiah have all but moved in with us.
They are here daily, and I enjoy having their company and never-ending help, especially when it comes to Thaddeus.
So, for the last two weeks things have been running smoothly and both Theo and Tobias have been alternating days at work and home.
Poor Merida rang me to let me know they have made her their secretary until I can come back to work.
She does not sound impressed, but not much can be done about it.
She says it’s better than being on the main floor as a receptionist, though.
She only dislikes Theo demanding coffee every two seconds.
I then find out he is deliberately annoying her because he knows she fears him.
After a firm word from Tobias, he hasn’t been hounding her constantly, and she seems a little more relaxed when he isn’t constantly in her presence, she says.
I have just finished training with Tobias, who knocked the wind out of me more times than I can count.
My entire body aches, and I want to go shower to get all the sweat off.
Walking out of the shed which has been turned into a makeshift training area.
I head to the house; Tobias is cleaning up and turning all the lights off as I make my way up the veranda stairs.
Once to the top though, I pull my ponytail out, letting my hair fall down my back.
Only when I pull my hand back I notice a handful of hair falls out with it.
Quickly brushing my fingers through it, more keeps falling out.
I stare at the handful of hair in my hand, shocked.
Running inside and up the stairs, I hear Caroline sing out from downstairs. “You okay, Imogen?”
“Fine, I am.” I don’t get to finish when I’m seized by a coughing fit. I can’t catch my breath, and I feel like I’m choking. Hunched over, I cover my mouth, trying to get control of myself. My coughing is so bad I continuously gag.
“Imogen,” Caroline asks, panicked. Standing from her position on the couch, I catch my breath, but when I look at my hand, it is drenched in blood from my coughing.
My heart is pounding so hard in my chest I can hear it thumping loudly in my ears to the point everything around me is slowly being drowned out by the noise.
Clutching the banister as vertigo sweeps through me, my surroundings moving around me making my stomach turn.
I faintly hear Caroline scream for Josiah and Tobias, but I am too delirious, as I stumble toward the bedroom.
When I see the ground rapidly moving toward my face, I know something is majorly wrong.
I don’t even feel it when I hit the ground.
I have no feeling in my limbs at all, just a feeling of dizziness washing over me and weightlessness.
The hallway becomes darker as I feel my body give up and I’m plunged into oblivion.
Opening my eyes, I see the ceiling. My entire body feels like it has been hit by a truck.
Cool hands brush my hair out of my face.
Before I feel warmer hands unclasping my bracelet.
Peeking over to see who is fiddling with it.
I gaze into the pale eyes of Astral. She smiles softly before placing my hand on my lap.
“We meet again, Imogen,” she says before lifting my bracelet in her hands and to her lips.
Her eyes glaze over, turning white as she whispers against my bracelet.
The pendant glowing brightly, a mix of colors before burning bright gold.
When she suddenly places it in the center of my stomach, making me look down to realize, I only have a bra and boxer shorts on.
The pendant glows brighter, becoming hot and burning my skin.
“What did you do?” I ask as it burns, searing my skin.
“Unlocking your Magic k, Imogen. Without it, you will die,” she says before suddenly my entire body jolts and a cold rush runs over my skin leaving goosebumps in their wake.
I watch amazed as the pendant bursts and glows against my skin before snaking over my skin to the center of my chest where I feel it bleed into me, making my back arch off the bed.
It isn’t painful but a little unnerving as I feel the rush of magic spread like wildfire through my veins, making everything tingle before I feel myself becoming stronger, making me gasp.
But with it, I also feel the unsteady dark magic cold moving throughout me, like ice in my veins.
I look to Astral who nods to Theo before he bites into my neck.
The darkness recedes, and the coldness leaves me.
The endorphins in his blood make me feel a little high, but that’s not all I feel when I suddenly become aroused, making me moan at his fangs deep in my neck.
Theo pulls back and I feel my face heat, embarrassed that Astral just witnessed that.
“Don’t be embarrassed, dear, I know how mate bonds work,” she reassures me.
“Now make sure you let Theo feed off you daily. It will help. It can’t be helped.”
“But it affects him, too,” I tell her, worried about what will happen if he consumes too much.
“Don’t worry about Theo, he is strong enough, and it leaves his system, eventually. I promise, Imogen. There are other ways to control your magic or get rid of it entirely.”
“How do you do it?” I ask. She seems quite sane, but then again, she could just be good at hiding it.
“First of all, I’m a pure witch, so it doesn’t take so much from me as I am living.
I have found ways to prolong my life. When it gets a bit much, I usually cleanse myself.
For you though, Imogen, you aren’t quite living or dead.
You’re in a state of in between. That’s why your magic has turned dark, tainted by your father’s DNA running through you.
Letting Theo feed off you will help ease it, but eventually it could become too much. ”
“You said she could get rid of it?” Theo asks, his hand rubbing circles on the back of my hand. His eyes are completely black, but he looks like he has excellent control over himself.
“Yes, she can, but once it is done, it’s done. There is no turning back. She would never be able to feel her connection to her magic again.”
The thought saddens me a little. “How?”
“By becoming a full vampire, you would need to let Theo or Josiah change you completely, even Tobias, though I don’t think you would want to become a Lycan. It is quite painful, I’ve heard.”
The options don’t look great. The thought of going bat shit crazy though isn’t very appealing, either.
“We can decide when we have to, Imogen, you don’t need to decide right now,” Theo reassures me. Is it worth the risk, though? I didn’t want to be a burden on them or a terrible mother. I also didn’t want to lose my magic completely, but it doesn’t look like I will have a choice.
I say nothing. Instead, I just think over my choices and what is best for my son. When a thought pops into my head.
“What about Thaddeus? Will he turn dark like me?” I ask her.
“I don’t have all the answers. Your son is one of a kind. I have never met a Tribrid before. I didn’t even know two mates could get a female pregnant. Your son is truly one of a kind. I expect great things to come of him, or…” she hesitates.
“Or what?” I ask her, concerned by the look on her face.
“Or terrible things, Imogen. There is a chance he could become the ultimate predator. If his magic k is dark, there is no telling what he will become capable of.”
Tobias comes in a second later holding Thaddeus, and I instantly sit up and hold my arms out. Tobias hesitates for a second and looks to Theo. Astral answered his question, though.
“She is fine, Tobias, she won’t harm, her aura is white, no darkness present,” she tells him, and he comes over placing him in my arms.
Thaddeus gazes up at me and tangles his fingers around my hair. How could anything so pure and innocent become a monster? Staring down on him, I can’t picture him all grown. I know one day he will become a man. I just hope we can save him from himself and pray his magic is good.
“He is a cutie,” Astral says, rubbing his little cheek.
“Well, I better be off. You know where to find me, if you need me,” she says before standing and leaving out the door.
“How long was I out?” I ask, staring up at Tobias.
“Only a day, but you will be fine now,” he says looking toward Theo, who nods verifying his words.