That night I suggest that Caroline and Josiah go home so they can have some time to themselves. They have been so busy helping us, I sometimes forget they have their own lives.
Caroline and Josiah bid farewell after dinner, promising to be back bright and early in the morning. One thing I’m most thankful for, is that Caroline has helped get Thaddeus into a more regular sleep routine. He only gets up once or twice during the night now instead of every hour, making night time easier and everyone is getting decent sleep.
Carrying Thaddeus into the kitchen, I make him a bottle. Theo and Tobias keep offering to take him, which is becoming a little annoying. They refuse to leave me alone with him and it is getting on my nerves.
“Here, I can take him, you make the bottle,” Theo says, holding out his arms expectantly.
“I’m fine, Theo. I can make a bottle with one hand,” I tell him, ignoring him and grabbing the baby formula off the counter. Thaddeus keeps pulling my hair while I make his bottle and I have to keep untangling his little fingers. When I’m done, I settle on the couch and flick on the TV, finding something to watch.
Feeding Thaddeus with his bottle, I can hear Tobias and Theo talking in hushed voices before they turn up in the living room. Tobias sits next to me, rubbing Thaddeus’ feet, when he finishes his bottle I stand up to burp him while walking up the stairs to change his bum.
“Did you leave mommy a present?” I ask him, laying him down on our bed. He coos softly while I take him out of his onesie.
“I can change him,” Tobias says, stepping into the room.
I reach for the diaper and wipes, ignoring him. Thaddeus sucks on his thumb, slobbering all over it. I pull it from his mouth only for him to pop it straight back in there. Sighing, I quickly change him before tossing the diaper to Tobias to chuck it in the trash. He disappears downstairs, returning before I even have a chance to pick Thaddeus back up.
“Want me to put him down to bed?”
“No, Tobias, I know what I am doing,” I tell him, becoming frustrated. Theo steps into the room, watching from the doorway.
“What?” I ask, annoyed that they keep hovering.
“You need to feed, Imogen.” Theo says, making me roll my eyes at his tone and his answer. I feel fine, I’m hungry, but I’m not ravenous, and I have control.
“I’m fine, I will after I put Thaddeus to sleep,” I tell them, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Rocking back and forth, I watch as Thaddeus’ eyes get heavier before they blink back open from the light, beaming down on him. “Can you turn off the light and get out?” I tell them.
Theo flicks off the light, but neither of them leave. I continue to rock Thaddeus and once I think he is asleep, I move and transfer him to his bassinet only for Tobias to wake him as he tries taking him from me.
“What are you doing? You’re waking him,” I tell him, smacking his hands away.
He holds his hands up in surrender, and I place him in his bed, wrapping him up and tucking him in. Walking to the door, I leave it slightly ajar before walking downstairs. Grabbing his bottle from where it lays on the couch, I walk to the kitchen to sterilize it. Theo and Tobias follow me like a shadow.
“What the hell is your problem?” I ask, turning to them.
“You need to feed, Imogen. It has been hours since Astral brought you back. I know you’re hungry, we can feel it,” Tobias says.
“I’m fine, Tobias, you don’t need to keep trying to take him from me. I won’t hurt my son,” I growl, pissed off.
“We don’t want to risk you hurting him, see how fast you flip,” Theo says.
“I’m angry because you are hovering, I’m capable of looking after him.”
“We didn’t say you weren’t, just not while you’re like this.”
“You made me like this from trying to take over Theo. I was fine until right now,” I say, placing the bottle in the sterilizer and turning it on.
Moving to the kettle, I turn it on. Grabbing the mugs, I make coffee as Tobias’ arms wrap around my waist. “Don’t be upset, we just don’t want you to accidentally hurt him.”
“The only people who will get hurt around here is you two, if you don’t back the fuck off.” I tell him, shrugging him off.
I hear him growl before Theo tugs him away. I feel more in control this time, maybe because I can’t feel the darkness tainting my magic and I have had my emotions pretty in check considering how annoyed I am. I feel cold hands brush my hair over my shoulder before feeling cold lips on my neck, kissing and sucking on my skin, making my core pulse with arousal. I try to pour the scalding water in the mugs, but his lips are very distracting.
“We are sorry, Imogen. We just don’t want a repeat of last time,” he says against the crook of my neck. I feel his hands move to my skirt, pushing it up my legs.
“Theo, don’t, I’m trying to make coffee, I have things to do.”
“Like what?” He mumbles against my skin, before sucking my earlobe into his mouth and biting down. His lips move to my chin as he nips at it. I turn around to shove him away when he grabs my hips, lifting me, forcing my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck to stop from falling and hitting the counter.
Theo walks to the island counter, my ass hitting the cold marble as he fists my panties before ripping them off.
“Theo, seriously I have things to do, I need to put the clothes in the dryer.” I tell him, only to see Tobias sit on the stool, watching with hungry eyes.
“It will still be there when I’m done,” he says, ignoring me.