“So exactly what is Thaddeus?”
“It’s complicated. He is a vampire and Lycan, but his mother is a witch hybrid, so it’s too hard to explain. Just be careful, Evelyn. I don’t mean to scare you, but Thaddeus is the first tribrid, and not even he understands it completely. He’s…” Orion thinks, trying to find the right word when Thaddeus answers for him.
“A monster,” Thaddeus says, making Orion look up. I didn’t even hear him sneak up on us or notice him walk down the stairs. Knowing he heard us makes me a little uneasy.
“I wasn’t going to say that. Don’t put words in my mouth, Thaddeus,” Orion tells him.
“Not like you weren’t thinking it,” Thaddeus replies.
Orion shakes his head, disagreeing, but Thaddeus doesn’t even glance in his direction; his eyes don’t leave mine.
“What about your sister?” I ask, wondering if she is the same as Thaddeus.
“Amara is the same, but the darkness doesn’t affect her. Her magic is purer; mine is old magic, tainted and dark and not of this realm,” Thaddeus answers, making me more confused. “Enough with the questions. Now get up and come to bed,” Thaddeus says, stepping closer to the couch.
“I’m not tired, and I am not sleeping in any room you are in,” I tell him. Thaddeus growls, and his eyes darken. It is like a switch just goes off in his head, or an alter ego takes over. Walking over, he rips me off the couch. “Ow! Thaddeus, you’re hurting me,” I tell him, trying to pry his fingers from my wrist.
“That’s nothing compared to what I will do if you don’t get upstairs now,” he growls, causing goosebumps to spread over me and a shiver to run up my spine.
“What the fuck is your problem? You don’t just force people to do what you want,” I tell him, trying to pull my hand away.
“And who is going to stop me, little one? Not Orion, not Ryland. No one can do anything; no one can save you from me. You are weak and human, no match for me.”
“Thaddeus, please let her sleep down here until she is ready,” Orion insists.
Yeah, that will most likely never happen. The first chance I get, I am out of here and will happily live my life on the run if it means never seeing Thaddeus again.
Thaddeus glares at Orion. “Clearly, you’re forgetting the deal we made, Evelyn. For your friend’s life,” Thaddeus says, his eyes darting to mine.
I watch as veins run down his face and his fangs protrude. Orion stands up, moving to my side, and I feel his hand on my lower back. My breath becomes stuck in my throat, and I begin to panic.
“You know you can’t, especially when you are like this, Thaddeus. You could kill her.”
“I don’t care,” Thaddeus says, shoving him away from me.
“That’s exactly my point. I won’t let you mark her while you’re surrounded by darkness. Ryland!” Orion yells, and I hear footsteps. Soon, I see him coming up behind Thaddeus as he runs down the stairs. Ryland grips his arm, but Thaddeus backhands him, not letting my arm go. Thaddeus pulls me towards himself, pressing me against his chest.
Orion reaches for me when I hear a menacing growl escape Thaddeus, and the lights suddenly flicker, the air around us becomes dense. I can hear the sound of static.
“Thaddeus!” Orion yells when I feel my arms burning.
My skin burns so hot that I think it is melting off. I scream, his grip sears into my flesh, and Orion tackles him, forcing him to let go, while I am thrown violently onto the floor. My head smacks the floor with so much force, I see black, and my vision turns blurry.
Sitting up, I clutch my head, feeling blood trickle down the side of my face. As I pull my hand back, I see it’s coated in blood, and I feel my eyes roll into the back of my head.
Orion’s voice reaches my ears, but I have no idea what he is saying. All I can think about is the throbbing in my head as the darkness descends. I feel weightless and cold, and then nothing.
Orion
I knew I shouldn’t have tackled him the moment I did. His grip on her was too tight, and the force threw her like a rag doll; her head smacked into the edge of the fireplace.
She sits up, swaying slightly, and then clutches her head. As she pulls her hand back, I see blood running down her face, bleeding everywhere onto the floor.
“Evelyn!” I gasp, making Thaddeus’s eyes snap to her.
I feel panic run through him. He moves so quickly I think he will attack her at first; I know he needs to feed, and she is bleeding everywhere. I could feel his bloodlust through the bond when he burnt her.
Thaddeus grabs her, pulling her onto his lap. He is quick to bite his wrist, but Evelyn is floppy and limp as her eyes roll into her head, and she slumps against him. Ryland rushes to his side, and all I can do is watch, completely paralyzed by fear at seeing her in that state.
Thaddeus bites into his wrist again, and Ryland opens her mouth, letting his blood run down her throat. Her skin is turning so pale she looks like she is dead, her skin turning blue.
Thaddeus rocks her in his arms, her head falls backward, and I can hear her heart rate getting slower. It didn’t work; she is going to die. He killed our mate.
I knew we should never have pursued her. I knew she would never survive him, and all I can feel now is anger. Her breathing becomes shallow, her heart rate slows down.
Ryland rips her from him and blows air into her lungs as his hands perform CPR.
“There’s no point. She is gone,” I tell him.
Ryland growls, his eyes snapping to mine. “She isn’t, I can feel her. We just need to keep her alive long enough for his blood to work,” Ryland snaps at me.
Thaddeus has his head in his hands, and I can feel darkness wrapping around him, consuming him like never before. I know if she dies, he will kill us all when he releases it.
When Ryland notices the darkness in him, he looks panicked, and I finally move, going to her side and trying to help. Biting into my wrist, I hold it over her mouth while Ryland keeps pumping her chest.