I watch how she brushes his hair back like a mother would a child and at that moment, I can tell she truly does love her sons. It looks innocent like a doting mother would do. It suddenly makes me wish my mother would still be here. I feel saddened by the fact my mother would never again look at me the way Caroline gazes at Theo. But it does no good, he doesn’t even bat an eyelid.
I hear her sigh. “This is one of the things I hate about being a vampire, the rest is okay but once we become stuck like this, it’s always hard to come out of it. Consumed by one’s thoughts can sometimes be the worst sort of torture.” I hear her murmur, as her thumb brushes his cheek soothingly.
“May I ask how you became like this?” It’s something that I have wondered about because Theo doesn’t like talking about it.
“Did Theo tell you he is a twin?” She asks. I shake my head. This is the first time I have heard any mention of it. She nods, understandingly. “I had two sons Theodore and Benjamin,” she says, looking down at Theo. “They were identical twins, when the plague hit Benjamin didn’t survive. I couldn’t risk losing Theo or Tobias, so I spoke to who I thought was a doctor who reckoned he had a miracle cure for illness. I was scared for my other sons; I would have done anything for them. We weren’t aware that Tobias could change us back then, we didn’t realize because, him being a werewolf, was shocking enough and we were still learning about what it is he was.” She stares off absentmindedly like she has been thrown back to the time she is talking about.
“So, I met this man. He claimed to be some form of witch doctor. He was strikingly handsome and a little mad, very eccentric. But he said he could help. If I had known back then what he would do, I never would have agreed. So, I brought Theo and Josiah to him, he gave us some wine and we gave him a hefty sum of cash, literally everything we had. Tobias didn’t agree, he said something smelt off about him. It all happened so fast, Tobias was in shock and didn’t have time to react. Vampires are a lot quicker than werewolves, which I am sure you know already.”
Her gaze settles on me and I nod. I’ve witnessed it myself, Theo always gets to me faster.
“So, we accepted the wine, which at the time we didn’t know was actually laced with his blood. The next thing we saw was darkness. Tobias said he snapped our necks and started laughing like a madman. We woke up, not even realizing what it was we were. Well, that is until the hunger took over. Tobias dragged some drunk man in, and we couldn’t help ourselves – we killed him, draining him of his blood. We became monsters and for a long time Tobias had to cover up for us. Until we found the watchers, that is, and they introduced us to the council. We made an agreement with the watcher after saving one of their family members’ lives. He is one of Tom’s ancestors. In exchange for helping us, they get to live long lives, free of illness. In exchange they help cover our tracks when needed, which is rare with the council nowadays.”
“So, Tom’s family helped you back then, and because you saved a family member made the treaty that you still have today?”
“Yes, exactly. Tom’s family are called watchers. They originally worked under the council, but after Tom’s ancestor became ill and we found our blood had healing properties, we saved her and Richard. Tom’s ancestor asked to be permanently assigned our family, which was granted and in return, if someone falls ill, we help ensure they only die from old age and not before their time. With medical technology advancing over the years, we aren’t being required much, but the treaty still stands.”
“So, what happened to the vampire that changed you?” I ask.
“We never saw him again. Tobias tried to catch him, but he thought the madman killed us and panicked. When we woke up, Tobias was beside himself and we didn’t understand until Tobias explained what he did. It wasn’t long after we killed the drunk man and Theo was no longer human, that Tobias felt suddenly drawn to Theo like a moth to flame. Theo was the same. Back then, it was frowned upon for a man to love another man. They fought their own desires for years, until Tobias accidently lost control and marked Theo, making their bond stronger till they no longer cared what others thought.”
I look at Theo before getting up and walking over to him. “So, Tobias didn’t feel the bond until after Theo had been changed?” I ask.
“Correct, that’s why the council is wondering if there is more to you than meets the eye. No werewolf has ever had a bond with a human, they have fooled around with humans, even got a few pregnant, but never established a bond. It is unheard of. Did you know your father, Imogen?”
I shake my head. I know nothing of the man, don’t even know what he looks like, and from what I gathered, he isn’t worth knowing. I know my grandfather hated him because, I assume, of abandoning my mother. Mom never really spoke of him and if she did it was when she was extremely drunk. I know they knew each other for a while before she fell pregnant but that is it.
“Not to worry, I am sure we will find the answers somehow,” she says, I believe more to herself than to me.
“So, werewolves that mate with humans. They can fall pregnant, so it creates a half human half werewolf, correct?”
“Sort of, they won’t be able to shift, but they do get some of the benefits, like longer life span, most will have short temper and are stronger. For a werewolf child to be born only two werewolves can bring a full werewolf into the world. Same with vampires they can create a hybrid with a werewolf but with a human the child comes out more or less human. We aren’t sure why that is. I think it’s a safety mechanism human bodies have to stop the world becoming overrun with supernatural creatures. Though, their DNA is slightly different, and what humans consider rare blood types. Whereas a vampire and werewolf or hybrid child will crave blood and be able to shift. It is all very confusing, I will try and explain more later but for now, we really need to see what we can find amongst your things.” She says, standing up. Tobias and Josiah walk back out, heading towards the front door.