A cruel smile spreads across his lips, and I feel a sadistic feeling come through the bond. Thaddeus rummages through my back pocket, pulls out his mother’s car keys, and unlocks the car. His grip on my arm tightens as he drags me to the car, opening the back door and shoving me in. Orion remains silent, and I can feel he is seething through the bond between Ryland and me; he says nothing the entire drive back to Thaddeus’ parents’ house.
I don’t dare say a word, not wanting to get in any more trouble, and I am still trying to wrap my head around what happened and the fact I am still alive.
Shock hits me now that I have time to think. My mind is racing, and I see Thaddeus glance at me through the mirror a few times. His burning anger toward me makes my stomach drop. Ryland slides across the seat, moving closer to me.
“Don’t fucking touch her,” Thaddeus growls, and he instantly moves back onto his seat away from me.
Imogen is waiting out front when we pull in, and she rushes over, opening the door, crushing me in a hug. “Thank God you’re okay; I was so worried when Thaddeus called,” she says, pulling away and giving me a once-over. When she sees I am drenched in blood, her face falls. “Well, thank God for the healing properties of blood. I better tell your fathers to come home; they have been searching for her for hours,” Imogen says, walking inside.
“I’m not staying, mom. I am taking my mates home where I can watch them,” Thaddeus tells her.
Imogen looks back at him and nods. “Can you at least say goodbye to your fathers?”
Thaddeus nods, grabs my hand, and tugs me inside. I am shivering, and I don’t know if it is cold or shock. Imogen races upstairs and returns with some clothes. She points to the bathroom, and I nod just as her mates answer the phone and she starts talking.
Walking in, I place the clothes on the sink. My clothes stick to my skin from the dried blood, and my hair is all matted. Peeling my clothes off, I turn the shower on when Thaddeus walks in with Orion. Thaddeus and Orion strip their clothes off and step into the shower behind me.
“Where is Ryland?” I ask; the only answer I get is a growl.
My hair is coated in blood. I wash it once before Orion takes over. I am exhausted mentally and honestly can’t care less about what I look like. All I can think about is April and how I didn’t notice what she had planned. Then my thoughts drift to Lana. What will come of her now? Thaddeus said April is alive still, but that means little. I know there are worse ways than death, so what did he do that he could walk away, leaving her alive? I can feel how much he wants to kill her. He wants to inflict the same thing I endured on her, yet he gives nothing away. I try asking a few times, but all he will tell me is she is alive.
Orion washes my hair, getting all the blood out. I barely even register their hands on my body. I am numb, completely numb. Yet, I welcome that feeling; it is better than feeling anything. Thaddeus washes my body while Orion is brushing my hair with his fingers. He is a little rough, but I don’t care; the pain is my least worry.
My thoughts are eating away at me. I am pulled out of my head by the water being turned off. I feel like I am on autopilot; I can see everything going on around me, yet I feel nothing. The night goes by in a blur, and the next thing I remember is Thaddeus, stopping the car.
I look around, confused. I don’t even remember leaving the house or saying goodbye to his parents. Don’t remember anything about the trip. I do remember fog, though, yet I can’t remember when it started, only realizing its absence when it suddenly lifts as Thaddeus opens my car door. The cool breeze of the night sweeps over my skin. We are home. Everything comes back to me startlingly clear.
“I should call Lana,” I tell Thaddeus.
He shakes his head. “Not tonight,” he says.
“I don’t even know if she got home.”
“She is home with April, Evelyn. She is fine, I promise,” Thaddeus tells me. Yet, how does he know that? Confusion hits me; I don’t remember him calling her; maybe he did because I don’t remember anything since getting out of the shower. I feel disorientated.
“Come, Evelyn, I won’t ask again,” Thaddeus growls, making my eyes snap to him. I must have been staring off into space. I reluctantly follow him inside, Ryland tries to grab my hand, but Thaddeus pulls me away and growls at him.
Ryland
All I want to do is touch her; we nearly lost her because I said she could go. However, I’m not entirely at fault, but still, I said she could go without us, disobeying Orion and Thaddeus.
Evelyn is to remain with someone until we change her, or until she agrees to be changed. Thaddeus is holding back, which I am grateful for; he wants to beat me senseless but doesn’t because he doesn’t want to scare her.
I would have preferred the beating; at least I would be able to touch her, hold her. This is worse because she is right in front of me yet so far out of reach.
Evelyn keeps stealing glances at me, her guilt hits me hard. She is in shock, that much I can tell; she doesn’t utter a word the entire trip. Thaddeus drags her into the kitchen, plops her down in the chair, and rummages through the fridge. No one says anything, and the tension is so thick I can almost taste it. Orion and Thaddeus are angry at both of us.
I am almost tempted to say something, just to end the silence. Orion and Thaddeus make grilled cheese and put it in front of her. Evelyn just stares at the plate. She isn’t hungry. Thaddeus, I know, won’t let her leave until she eats so I nod toward the plate, and she seems to understand as she bites a corner off, chewing slowly. Orion hands me a plate and offers Thaddeus one.
Thaddeus shakes his head. “I’m not hungry for food,” he says, his eyes not leaving Evelyn.
Evelyn’s fear hits me, and I can tell she doesn’t want him feeding on her while he is angry; not after he hurt her last time. She has grown to fear his bloodlust, and that is wise. I also fear it; the number of times he has drained me is ridiculous. Draining a Lycan is worse than when he drained Orion. Orion snaps back faster. I, on the other hand, would be out for days, and Evelyn would be dead.