I feel Tobias’ worry fleetingly through the bond before he suddenly smashes his lips into mine. The distraction makes me growl before arousal floods me through the bond, making me forget the need to feed.
I kiss him back harder and grind my hips against him, my lips moving to his chest as I taste his salty skin under my tongue. I can feel his hands in my hair as I move lower, pull his pants down and wrap my hand around his hardened length. Lust consumes every part of me. Before I go to take him in my mouth, I’m suddenly ripped back upwards.
“As much as I would love for you to continue,” he kisses me softly before pulling away. “I would rather keep my manhood attached to me.” He tells me, making me confused.
He chuckles lightly, and I furrow my eyebrows as he moves his hand to my face, his thumb pressing against my fangs, which I realize are still protruding. I sit up, startled at the realization.
“You let him attack me?” I ask him, suddenly remembering the reason I hit him in the first place.
I hear him sigh and sit, draping my legs on either side of his waist. He rubs my bare thighs with his hands, making me shiver. “We didn’t have a choice Imogen, you wouldn’t sleep.” He tells me, observing my face carefully. I try to argue back, but my hunger is out of control. My words slur as I try to speak around my fangs. I eventually give up, knowing he can’t understand me, I sound drunk.
“How do you feel, do you feel better?” He asks.
I think for a second. I felt better actually, lighter, like it has lifted a weight off of me. My usual depressing mood isn’t weighing me down.
Suddenly, I hear Theo walk in, making my head snap to the door as I wait for him to walk up the stairs. When he steps into the room, he looks different, and I can feel a strange energy rolling off of him. His eyes are darker, and he smells different.
“What happened to you?” I ask.
Tobias is also observing him as he moves closer. He almost seems angry, which I find is true when he walks over, gripping my chin harshly making me look up at him. “Why the fuck didn’t you say anything?”
“Theo?” Asks Tobias angrily at Theo’s tone.
Theo’s eyes turn dark, like raging storm clouds behind their hypnotic green color. “No, Tobias. Shut up. She should have told us how bad it was before it got this out of hand.”
I’m confused at what he means and pull my face away from him. He growls, and the sound sends goosebumps over my skin. Standing up, I walk across the bed, heading toward the bathroom.
Stepping off the bed, Theo is suddenly standing in front of me, his eyes blazing with anger. “Why? Fucking answer me, Imogen. Stop trying to walk away.”
I shove him backwards and I hear him growl before lunging at me. I get knocked backwards on the bed, Theo towering over the top of me. I feel Tobias jump and try to push him off of me.
“Theo, get off her now,” Tobias growls out, grabbing his shoulder trying to pull him off.
“Not until she fucking answers,” he bellows, making me flinch at the anger in his words.
“I have no idea what the fuck you’re even talking about, Theo.” I argue back. He shoves my wrists into the bed so hard if I was human still, I’m sure they would have broken.
“The darkness, you were letting it take over.” He screams. Then I realize what he is talking about and I realize why he has had a complete personality change.
“My magic is none of your business, Theo. Now get off me,” I yell.
“None of my business? I drained you last night, and now the dark magic that was consuming you is now in me. Tell me how that is not my fucking business?”
“I never told you to drain me. Now get off, it’s not my fault you can’t handle a bit of magic.”
He sits up, and I try to move off the bed when he grabs my wrist. “You should have told us; you shouldn’t have been taking this in on your own,” he says, making me look at him. He lets go before placing his head in his hands. “It’s so cold, it won’t let go of me,” he whispers, and I see him shake his head.
“You shouldn’t have drank from me, what is wrong with you?” I can sense his anger through the bond at my words.
I see his fists clench tightly before he speaks. “You tell me next time as soon as you feel it,” he tells me.
I shake my head. “Not if this is how you are going to react, I won’t” I tell him getting up.
“It’s only this bad because you have let it bottle up, I can feel it getting weaker. It will slowly leave, but make sure you tell me, Imogen. I can help take it away.”
“No! I won’t let you do that.” I tell him.
What I don’t say is how comfortably familiar I have become with the feeling. I feel fine now, but the addictive power it offers makes me crave the icy cold sensation running through me.
Suddenly I hear tires on the road outside. Tobias’ head snaps to the window, he then turns to Theo.
“Did you ask mom to bring some?” Theo nods his head. I turn to walk downstairs when Tobias’ arm snakes around my waist. “Stay here, I will be back in a second.”
“I want to see Thaddeus,” I tell him.
“You will, but right now you need to feed, so you can’t go near him. Mom brought blood bags, just wait till after you have fed,” he says, rubbing my cheeks with his thumbs.
“I can feed off Theo,” I tell him.
He doesn’t answer, but Theo jumps up angrily. “Stay here, Imogen, you’re not feeding off me when I have your blood in my system,” he says, pulling me against him before sitting on the edge of the bed forcing me to sit on his lap. His arms are strong around my waist; Tobias ducks downstairs. I hear car doors opening and shutting before I hear footsteps on the veranda.
“I didn’t mean to get angry at you. I was just scared, knowing you have been letting this consume you for weeks, saying nothing,” Theo mumbles against my back.
“I’m fine Theo, I have been fine,” I tell him trying to get up, but his grip tightens.
“No, you think you’re fine, Imogen. I have had so much time to learn control, so much time to learn how to control the bloodlust. But this, I struggled with. You are to tell me when it gets too much, Imogen, don’t let it consume you like you have been letting it. Not when I can help take it away.”
“What if I don’t want you to take it away?” I tell him and he shifts, pulling me back and looking at me.
I can see the concern on his face. He goes to say something when Tobias walks in, a cooler in his hand. He opens it and my mouth instantly starts watering at the sight of the blood bags. Tobias tosses me one and I bite into it. Tobias hands one to Theo, and he does the same, watching me as his teeth tear through the plastic sleeve. I drain the first bag hungrily before Tobias chucks me another. He holds one out for Theo, but he shakes his head.
Tobias then closes the lid, carrying it back downstairs while I punch a small hole in the bag with my nail this time before drinking it down. Cold blood isn’t the same as warm, straight from the vein blood, but does the job. When I finish the blood bag, Theo taps my leg, wanting me to hop up. I stand, shifting out of his way. He takes the empty blood bag from my hand before grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the door.
“Mom has some news about Bianca, but please remain calm when you find out. We don’t need any more drama right now.”
I growl at the mention of her name but nod my head. I feel a flicker of my magic stir in my veins, Theo must have felt it in the bond as he stops and looks back at me.