Theo touching my back makes me jump before looking up at him. I don’t know what he sees in me, but he takes a step back. I almost laugh, feeling crazed as I feel my gums splitting. My anger at everything snaps me back.
“She took him, she took him,” I yell. I feel the words leave my lips, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue.
“Who took him?” Tobias asks, holding his hands out like he is trying to catch a wild animal.
My eyes flick to his, I watch as he too takes a step back from me. My anger takes over as they stare at me like they don’t know what I’m talking about. Are they hard of fucking hearing? It angers me that they can look so clueless. Do they not know what she took from us? I can feel their fear coming through the bond before I can smell it running in their veins. Sweet and inviting, intoxicating, promising to extinguish the burn that is searing throughout me.
“My sister.” I tell them. Theo steps forward, making my eyes dart to him. I can hear their thoughts running rampant as they try to piece everything together. They are wasting my time. I need to find her, not willing to wait for them to catch up, I scream her name at them. “Bianca.” I spit the word out. Feeling nothing but the desire to rip her apart, piece by fucking piece, and watch her die. I will take great pleasure in watching her beg for her life like I begged for my child. And she will beg.
“I’m going to fucking kill her!” I laugh at my newfound clarity. I’m going to kill her and enjoy every part of her death.
Tobias tries to reach out to me, holding his hand out. I don’t want his hand; I wanted them to get here on time. Where were they when I fucking needed them? Where were they when our fucking son needed them?
I know my anger isn’t for them, that they aren’t to be blamed. Yet, I can’t help it, as it is the only thing keeping me going. I growl lowly, smacking his hand away. I hear his heart rate pick up, then, that’s all I can hear, the soft thumping of his heart as it pushes blood through his body. My mouth waters at the intoxicating scent emanating from him and before I can even register what I’m doing, I lunge at him.
Hunger takes over every thought as I wrap my legs around his waist, my arms holding his shoulders, my nails digging in as I sink my fangs into him. His blood rushes into my mouth and makes me moan loudly, I have never tasted anything so sweet. I feel blood spurt on my face as I sink my teeth down into his warm, inviting flesh again. He groans before trying to shove me off. I growl, bloodlust takes over before I feel muscular arms wrap around my waist, yanking me off him.
As I spin around and try to throw the hands off, I realize it’s Theo. I watch him as he places his hands out in front of him.
I laugh and it sounds foreign, making me laugh harder before I see him take a step forward. I move quicker, side stepping before jumping on his back and sinking my fangs into his neck. He stops and I can feel his shock running through the bond. But my hunger is insatiable as I drink greedily until I can’t drink any more. I slide off him, falling to the ground. He spins around, clutching his neck as I wipe my mouth with my thumb before sucking the blood off.
“Looks like you’re not the only predators around here,” I chuckle before jumping to my feet, making them step back. I sniff the air and can smell something familiar, something that reminds me of them, yet different.
“Can you smell that?” I ask, my head snapping towards them. They both shake their heads.
“Imogen, I know everything feels different, heightened, but you need to fight it. You’re not thinking, you need to take back control.” I nearly burst out laughing at Theo pleading with me. My head has never been clearer; they are the ones not seeing clearly.
I know what I am, and it isn’t the weak, pathetic girl they knew. No, I have never been clearer, never felt stronger, and most of all never felt the sort of power surging and charging throughout every piece of me.
Yes, things have changed, I like the darkness. The slickness of it rolling over my skin, igniting every cell in my body. Not wasting any more time, I take off running. I can hear them chasing me and figure they will catch up as I go to find her. She couldn’t have gone far.
I don’t know how long I have been out for, yet I can feel a pull in the direction I’m running. Feel something tugging me in this direction, feel the power running through me, showing me the way. Showing me images flickering in front of my eyes. I can sense him, sense he is still alive with every fiber in me. Which only fuels me more, making me run through the trees at blinding speed. Everything around me slows as I feel the air whip around me. Pushing myself faster, I finally catch a whiff of her scent and the scent of him. He reminds me of Tobias and Theo. They smell the same, yet my son smells purer, innocent.
She is running further into the storm, moving towards the safety it offers as it washes her scent away. Only I don’t need her scent with the urge that is pushing me towards them.
I can feel I’m getting closer, I don’t know how. It is like a sense ringing loudly through my body, like a tether pulling me in her direction. Breaking out of the dense forest, I come to the edge of a town; the thunderstorm is raging, all I can hear is thunder and the crack of lightning as it rolls over the town.
I sniff the air before catching a glimpse of blonde hair disappearing around the corner at the end of the street. I follow the feeling tugging me toward my son. Getting to the corner, I look down the street that is lined with houses, not a streetlight in sight and no lights come from the houses.
I close my eyes, trying to listen to my instincts, listening to the magic that flows around me, thick and strong like a band protecting me from the storm, showing me the way.
Shadows form and creep along the ground, licking at my bare feet, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. I know I should fear the shadows, trying to entice me, whispering to the darkest parts of me. But instead, I embrace them, letting them show me the way. I don’t care what the cost is on my soul. I can live with them, but I can’t live without my son.
I know the price I will pay, yet I don’t let it scare me. I know Tobias and Theo will save me from myself when the darkness comes for me. At least, I hope they can. My sanity won’t last long with the shadows attaching themselves to me. I read about it in the Grimoires, how with death comes the shadows. Witches stay dead until reborn. I came back unnaturally, and I’m sure it is because of my father’s DNA running through my veins.
I know I have never consumed blood, I would have realized with the cravings I had. So, it is the only thing that makes sense. The shadows are the only thing urging me here; without them I would have never found them, so I know I need to let them have what they want. Even if it costs my soul. My son is worth every piece of my soul.