His words make my heart skip a beat. They know even if I say no that me leaving could destroy them, yet they marked me anyway. Did they just assume I would bow down to their needs? The thought scares me; I don’t want to be the reason for their destruction. I also never asked for any of this. Yet, if I chose wrong either way I’ll die or be killed, the options aren’t all that appealing. I also worry that eventually, aging I’ll look beyond their immortal age. I will be older than them if I do stay human. Will they still want me when I’m old and wrinkly like a worn-out leather handbag?
I look toward them, Theo and Tobias are watching me. “You knew marking me could destroy you, yet you still did it?”
“You will understand once the mate bond kicks in, Imogen. Don’t think too much of it right now, please. Ignore my father, he is just rambling,” Theo says. The mate bond, everything comes down to this invisible bond we are supposed to have. I find myself more needy of them, but do I feel the same way as they do about me, I’m not so sure.
“Something to think about, Imogen,” Josiah says. I nod but don’t answer, too busy stuck in my own head, which is trying to grasp what the hell Tobias was thinking when he marked me.
“We will head off; I will give you as much time as I can boys, but either convince her or…” He glances in my direction, he doesn’t finish the sentence, instead stands up, his wife following after him. I follow them to the door and his mother kisses my cheek softly before getting in their red convertible.
I turn and walk inside, with Tobias and Theo chasing after me.
“I’m sorry, Imogen. I didn’t know they would show up before the month ended,” Tobias says when I shut the door.
“How long do I have?” I whisper.
“Pardon?” Tobias asks.
I can hear the fear in his voice, like he thinks I have already chosen death. To be honest, I was planning on remaining human, but after what his father said, can I really go ahead with my decision, knowing how badly it will affect Tobias and Theo?
“How long do I have before I have to decide?” I ask louder.
“Till the end of the month,” Theo speaks up, moving next to me. So, we have nine days, that is it.
“What are you thinking?” Asks Tobias, his gaze softening from his usual penetrating gaze.
“I don’t know what to think, but it’s clear I never had choice in anything, you took that choice, and one thing I can’t fucking stand Tobias is not being able to control my own life. You made sure of that when you marked me, knowing full well what the repercussions were going to be.” I say, pointing at him.
I’m so mad at him right now. Not only is he forcing my hand in this, but he has also put Theo at risk. What he did is selfish, if he hadn’t marked me, our lives would never have changed and none of this would have happened, I would still be clueless about what they are.
“It’s not that simple, Imogen. You don’t know what it’s like when you find your mate because you are human. We would have marked you eventually anyway, we wouldn’t have been able to help it. The bond doesn’t give us a choice.”
I giggle, they probably think I’ve lost the plot because I’m laughing about this entire situation. I’m so over, hearing about this stupid mate bond.
“Fuck you, Tobias, and you can shove this whole mate bond up your ass. I’m done.” I turn to walk toward the stairs, only to spin around and smack into Theo who is glaring at me. I roll my eyes and push past him, only for him to grab my arm. I turn to look at him, but the look on his face makes me take a step back. I glance at Tobias, his face also holds the same deadly stare.
“Let go of me, Theo,” I demand, trying to shake my arm from his grip.
“Why do you do that? As soon as you don’t like the topic of conversation you want to run off. You have every right to be mad at Tobias, but this would have eventually happened anyway. No matter what you think, you were always ours, this was always going to happen.”
“So, what now? Do you expect me to be okay with turning into a blood sucking monster or a furry monster that howls at the moon?” I raise my voice. I hear Tobias huff behind me. “Now, let go of me, Theo.”
“Not until you listen, if you don’t choose willingly, I will choose for you, Imogen. I won’t risk your life. We won’t let you go.” His grip on my arm tightens.
“So, what then, I either become like one of you or I never leave the property? Newsflash, asshole, I have been stuck here already for weeks.” I spit at him.
“Watch your mouth, Imogen. I won’t have you disrespect Theo.” Tobias growls.
“Or what, Tobias, seriously? Things can’t get any more fucked up than they already are. What exactly are you going to do about it?” He growls but doesn’t say anything. “Like I thought, now fucking move out of my way!” Theo crosses his arms over his chest, refusing to move.
“You are really testing my patience Imogen, just hear us out, fucking listen for once.” Theo snaps at me.
“I have done nothing but listen to your mate bond bullshit! I feel exactly the same as when I first got here. Nothing is going to change that, not even some stupid imaginary bond.”
“Really, you feel exactly the same?” He asks, incredulous, his eyebrows raising.
He moves so fast I don’t have time to react, I find myself suddenly shoved up against the door. His lips at my neck, I can feel his fangs brushing the skin of my throat. I shiver and my stomach tightens. I swallow, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. All I can focus on is the feeling of his body pressed against mine, his legs pressing between mine, separating my legs. He sucks on my mark and sparks move across my skin, a moan escapes my lips as they parted. I can feel him sucking and nibbling on my skin, arousal flooding me. Then, I feel the fog and I try to shake it off. I know I feel more for them, oddly connected to them, but knowing he is doing his mind control mumbo jumbo pisses me off, overriding the feeling that’s making me want to give in to anything he wants.