He seems to think, and I try to sit up and get off the bed when his hand grabs my wrist. “Lay back down,” he says, his voice leaving no room for argument, and I do as I am told. “Why do I scare you?” he asks, letting go of my wrist. How can he ask that? How does he not see anything wrong with his actions?
“Because I am your puppet, your little breakable toy you can do what you want with.”
“You don’t trust the decisions I make for you?” he asks, still looking up at the roof.
“No, why would I? You made me wet myself,” I tell him, my cheeks burn just at its thought.
“But did it work? Will you run again?” he asks.
“You mean did you succeed in humiliating me? Yes, you succeeded. Nothing more degrading than being deprived of something so basic,” I tell him, and his head snaps to the side, looking at me.
“But will you run?” he asks again, putting his demand behind it, but I don’t even fight against it.
“First chance I fucking get,” I spit at him.
Thaddeus growls and jumps on me, pinning me beneath him. I try to kick him off, but he just presses between my legs, his face barely an inch off mine. “You will never leave my side, Evelyn, and even if you somehow manage it, you will come back. The mate bond will see to that,” he tells me.
I shake my head. His hands grip my wrists tighter, pushing them into the mattress. “I hate you,” I tell him, and he smiles sadistically. I can feel the darkness within him, consuming him.
“And I love you,” he says, his eyes glowing hypnotically back at me.
“You have a funny way of showing it. Do you treat everyone you love like this, or is that part of you reserved for me only?” I ask him.
Thaddeus growls; his nose runs along my jaw to my neck. “They know their place is beside me, they know I would never do anything to harm them intentionally, yet you disobey me. I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to go alone after that woman threatened you and put yourself in unnecessary danger.”
I know I shouldn’t play with fire but fuck it; I have already been burned before. “The only time I find myself in danger is when I am around you,” I tell him.
His grip tightens and he pushes off his arms, sitting up. His hands shake as he clenches them at his side, and for a second, I think he is going to punch me. The darkness inside him eats away the good parts and turns them dark.
All this talk about me being his puppet, makes me realize that he is also a puppet to the darkness, a puppet to his own mind. Cruel and unforgiving, just as he is to me.
It doesn’t change anything, though; he still did what he did. Thaddeus’ breathing becomes heavy, the lights flicker as he fights against himself. He wants to hurt me, and I know he will enjoy it when he does because a part of him enjoys other people’s pain and fear.
When was the last time he fed? I mentally question myself. The darkness is always worse when he hasn’t fed for a while, but he fed off me the other day; surely his bloodlust isn’t that bad? His entire body is trembling, and I gulp, my mouth suddenly feeling like I am trying to swallow down the sand. His eyes turn to pitch-black orbs as they snap toward me. The lights flicker and the entire house starts shaking like an earthquake.
“Run,” he says, and I stare, stunned. Then, he screams, “Fucking run!” He bellows, and I jump off the bed but not quick enough before he lunges at me. His hands are gripping my ankle, ripping me to the ground.
“Orion! Ryland” I scream, petrified. Where are they? Did they leave?
Turning on my side, I use my other leg to kick him as hard as I can in the face. He lets go, and I scramble to my feet before being tackled and thrown violently through the railing, plummeting to the ground below.
Everything is moving in slow motion, and I think I will die when I feel him grab me, ripping me toward him as he turns so he is underneath me as we hit the floor below. Landing on his chest knocks the wind out of me. For a second, his grip is gentle, his eyes their vibrant hypnotic green until something inside him flips, going to the monster; his grip tightens around my waist, and I feel the air leave my lungs.
“Thaddeus,” I choke out.
His head turns to the side, this isn’t him. This is something demonic, like looking into the eyes of the devil, his bottomless eyes pits of darkness that threaten to suck me into their void.
“Thaddeus,” I gasp, and I can feel my ribs cracking as the last bits of air leave my lungs.
I scratch his face, needing air as it is being squeezed out of me. My hand drops as I become weaker and weaker. I feel my eyes rolling into the back of my head. And suddenly, he lets go, his arms are unraveling around me, and I gasp for air. My eyes flutter open to see Ryland and Orion, gripping his arms and prying them off me.
“Run, Evelyn!” Orion yells to me, and I force myself to move, running for the front door.
I swing it open and freeze. I can’t take another step, physically can’t do it. I try everything, but all I do is give myself a worse headache and coat myself in sweat. I can hear things crashing around until I hear Ryland’s voice which makes my eyes dart to him.
“Shit,” he says when he realizes I can’t leave the house.
“You’re going to have to run with her,” Orion grunts to Ryland. My eyes watch him being flung into the fireplace as they try and hold him back.
“It could kill her,” Ryland yells to him, just as Thaddeus grips Ryland’s throat, making me scream.
Thaddeus’ eyes snap toward me near the door. His eyes flash like he is trying to remember who I am, fighting with himself. His head snaps towards Ryland, and his grip lets go as he gains control slightly before I feel the darkness consume him again. That split-second distraction is enough to get Orion back on his feet as he tackles Thaddeus to the ground.
What the fuck is going on? I just don’t get it; I don’t understand how he can get this bad. How he can just switch personalities like this, one second calm, the next like a hurricane.