Evelyn
Waking up, I am pressed against Thaddeus, his hand in the center of my back. I feel wide awake, like I had the best sleep and am completely rested. Sitting up, I find Thaddeus is the only person left in the room. He is watching me, and he looks like he has been awake for a while.
His arm tightens around me as I try to get away from him. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he says, and I notice a book beside him, proving he has been trapped under me for a while.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“Little after lunchtime,” Thaddeus answers.
“I should let you get up,” I tell him, trying to shift off him.
“I would rather you stay,” he says, and my eyes dart back to his.
He taps his chest with his other hand, wanting me to lay back down. Looking around, I notice Ryland and Orion aren’t in the room. Being around Thaddeus usually makes me nervous. He can be so intense sometimes. His aura makes me feel uncomfortable, yet he looks pretty relaxed right now, so I lay back down. Thaddeus absentmindedly plays with my hair while I listen to the sound of his heartbeat thumping softly in his chest.
A few minutes pass, and I don’t mind his company.
“Can I ask you something?” Thaddeus speaks softly, and I turn my head to look at him. I prop my head on my hand on his chest, facing him. I feel a fog slip over me, and I instantly relax, my breathing evens out.
“What did you do?” I ask, knowing he is doing something that is calming. His eyes glow hypnotically, while my mind is becoming foggy.
“It’s a form of mental compulsion or glamor. I can control your emotions and what I want you to do or say with it.”
“Are you going to make me answer your questions?” I ask. I know I should be worried, but I feel light and foggy.
“Not if you don’t want to. Do you want me to stop?” he asks, watching me. Thaddeus is always watching, and yet I have trouble reading him. He is so cold and calm, despite his anger. That is the only emotion I can ever feel coming off him, mainly because the entire atmosphere shifts. Now, he seems calm, but the monster lurking behind his eyes doesn’t go unnoticed by me. “Who is Lana?”
My mind reels: I am sure I have never mentioned her name. Sitting up, I feel the fog get stronger as it slips over me. “You said you wouldn’t.” I panic.
He brushes my hair from my face. “I’m not; stop running. You don’t need to run from us; you don’t need to hide,” he says, pulling me back down. I relax against him, giving in. I don’t want to answer his questions, but I don’t want to risk him forcing me to answer.
“So, who is Lana?” he asks again, making my heart race just at the mention of her name.
“Where did you hear it?” I ask, trying to wrack my brain, wondering if I ever mentioned her.
“You said her name in your sleep.”
“She was one of the foster children I lived with,” I answer, turning away from him so I don’t have to see his face. Hearing her name makes me sick to my stomach. It reminds me of what I did, what he did.
“Did she do something to you?” Thaddeus asks, and I can hear the curiosity behind his words.
“No, Lana was ten; we lived with the same family for a year.” I feel Thaddeus nod before I feel his hand in my hair again. I shiver when his skin comes in contact with the back of my neck.
“Was she there when you got that burn on your back?”
“No,” I tell him. As soon as the answer leaves my lips, I hop up. I don’t like where this conversation is going.
Walking into the bathroom, I shut the door, hearing him sigh loudly in frustration. I turn the shower on and quickly strip off. The door opens just as I open the shower. Thaddeus walks in and I just roll my eyes at him as I step into the shower.
“Well, I am fine talking to you in the bedroom, but if you want to chat in here, I am all for that too,” he says.
I feel the shower open, and he steps in. I turn my back to him so he can only see my ass and back. I hear him move behind me, and then I feel his chest against my back, making my heartbeat erratically. The fog slips over me again, but I try to shake it off this time.
“You’re safe with me, Evelyn. Well, not safe from me, but I won’t let anyone do anything to you,” he says right behind me.
“If that was supposed to make me feel better, it didn’t,” I tell him, grabbing the soap, trying to ignore his presence behind me, which only lasts a second before I feel his hand run down my shoulder to my side. I freeze, wondering what he is doing, and he seems to freeze as well. A moment after, he removes his hand.
“Sorry. Your scent is a little overwhelming here, and I haven’t fed since we left the city,” he says, I feel him move away from me. Looking over my shoulder, I see he has moved closer to the shower door.
“It’s fine,” I tell him until I see his face and notice the veins spread across his face, his fangs piercing out through his top and bottom lip.
I step back, frightened, but there is nowhere to go. Thaddeus notices my movement, and something flips inside him, and I am pinned against the wall with his arms on either side of my head, his body impossibly close, his fangs mere inches from my face. Fight or flight kicks in, but I have nowhere to go and no way to fight him off. His fingertips trail down my neck, and his inhuman eyes watch my face.
Ryland comes busting through the door, and Thaddeus growls, warning him.
“Thaddeus,” Ryland says, and I can hear the alarm in his voice, making me more scared.
“Get out,” he growls, his head whips in Ryland’s direction.
Orion walks in behind him. “Let him try,” Orion says, grabbing his arm. My heart races as they walk out, leaving me with Thaddeus.
“You have no idea how intoxicating your scent is when you’re scared, Evelyn,” Thaddeus whispers.
My heart is thumping loudly in my chest at his words as he leans in, inhaling my scent. I feel his fangs brush against my skin, making me shiver.
“Thaddeus, please stop,” I stutter out of fear.
Thaddeus moves closer, pressing his entire body against me, and I feel him lick my neck, his fangs grazing my skin. I put my hand on his chest, trying to push him back.
“Just give me a minute. Don’t shove me away,” he whispers, and I can hear the desperation in his voice. The hunger makes me feel guilty, knowing he has been trapped in the house because of me.