Chapter Four
Theodora inhaled deeply.
Coffee. Not the cheap instant stuff either, but expensive roasted beans that had been recently ground. It was odd she could tell the difference but it was a beautiful aroma to wake up to.
She took another deep breath.
There was something else there in the air too. Something rich, alluring, slightly piquant.
Sam must have made breakfast.
“What smells so good?” She murmured, placing her hand on a firm, bare chest.
“That would be me,” came a deep voice. A voice that was most definitely not Sam’s.
Her eyes snapped open just as a hand clamped down on her wrist and around her waist, and she looked up into Lyzander’s sapphire eyes.
“Don’t move away from me,” he warned.
It was then that she realized they were lying together on a large Victorian, L-shaped brown leather, chesterfield sofa. She was wrapped around his body, with her arm and leg thrown over him. Dressed in only a thin vest top and shorts, it felt far too intimate being wrapped around a stranger who was only dressed in lounge pants.
He must have seen the panic in her eyes as he warned her again. “Do. Not. Move.” His expression was dark and his grip firm, though he wasn’t hurting her.
“Tell me this is a dream.”
“This is a dream.”
“Really?”
“No,” He replied haughty.
She wanted to curse at him but instead stayed quiet, taking in her surroundings.
They were in a living room, high up from what she could see of the city view through the wall to wall windows, which made up two of the larger walls.
“How did I get here?”
“Joshua, one of my men, brought you both back to me after you passed out.”
“Where are we?”
“We’re in one of the apartment buildings I own not too far from the club.”
She glanced around.
It was a cosy room, with the lighting coming from several dim lamps dotted around. It was decorated in various shades of black, brown, grey, and white. There were a few paintings on the wall, one of which stood out the most.
It was a portrait of a man with long white hair and blue eyes. For a moment, she had thought it was Lyzander but the plaque underneath it said ‘Orsen’.
A large wooden unit in the room caught her eye next. It had quite a few books on it and what looked to be an entertainment center inside. The apartment was obviously a bachelor’s pad but it still felt warm and welcoming.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Fourteen, nearly fifteen hours.”
“What? Where’s my husband?” Theodora tried to hide her fear, but something must have happened to Sam for him to stay away while she was unwell.
“Relax. He’s resting in one of my guest rooms.”
“What did you do to him? He wouldn’t just leave me with you like this.”
“He had no choice.”
“What does that mean?”
“You were dying, and you needed me. I told him he could stay and watch you die or, leave and you would survive. I explained that if you died because he was too thick headed to listen to what was best, I would kill him. I gave him graphic details of all the ways in which I could slowly take his life.”
Theodora’s eyes widened in horror, but he continued before she could respond.
“I also promised you would come to no harm and would be feeling better by the time he saw you again. He’s lucky I let him stay in the building. He really needs to learn his place,” Lyzander muttered.
“His place is by my side. He’s my husband. I want to see Sam.” Quietly cursing, she went to move but Lyzander held her in place.
“I will only tell you one more time. Do not move! You almost waited too long to come to me. I won't let that happen again,” he admonished as he rearranged her so that her body was still wrapped around his but they were now face to face.
When his hand accidentally brushed the side of her breast, she inhaled sharply, an involuntary reddening creeping up her neck and face at the intimate contact.
“Get off me, you freak. You can’t just manhandle me like this,” Annoyed at her body’s reaction to a stranger, she wriggled, trying to get him to let go.
“Be still and keep quiet. If you listen to me, this will all go much faster. You need to hear what I have to say, woman. Then you may go and find your precious Sam,” Lyzander practically spat the name out.
He hadn’t meant to shout at her but he was hanging on by a thread. The damn woman was wriggling her body against him, and in no way did he want her to know the effect she had on him. She stopped struggling, and in return, he relaxed his hold but didn’t let go completely. Despite his words, he failed to say anything for some time and simply stared at her.
Theodora’s eyes locked onto his when she noticed him openly studying her.
Her hair, her eyes, her ears and nose before finally lingering on her mouth.
Lyzander had been holding her for a little over fourteen hours straight now, and in that time, he had memorised every soft line, beautiful curve and adorable freckle that made up this woman, who was meant to be his mate. She was perfect, and Lyzander could already feel the tug-of-war going on inside him. She was a queen, and in another life, he would treat her as such, but he couldn’t afford to let her get too close to him. As much as he could, he would have to keep her at bay.
Annoyed by his unabashed gawking, Theodora decided to take her fill of him too.
The first thing she noticed was his mark.
From what she had seen of hers and what she could see of his mark now, they matched perfectly down to the intricate vine-like patterns disappearing into his lounge pants. Looking at it up close, she realised just how beautiful it was but it scared her too. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and knowing that his mark now branded her skin was terrifying.
Some of his almost white blonde hair had been pulled back, leaving the rest to fall over his shoulders. It was thick and luscious, not a split end in sight. It looked like silk and almost seemed fake. His pale skin showed the odd line here and there, and she considered him to be in his thirties. Then she remembered that this man was in fact a vampire and could be much older.
He didn’t seem as alabaster as he did when she first saw him, though he was still whiter than anyone she had ever come across. He had a long straight nose and a wide mouth with plump lips for a man. His symmetrical face was handsomely beautiful and her stomach gave an involuntary flip at the thought of being in the arms of this man like she was.
Lyzander had been watching her appraisal of him and his lips slowly parted. He let his fangs drop and waited for her reaction.
Theodora’s heartbeat quickened and she gasped, her eyes snapping back to meet his.
“Do I scare you?”
“What do you think?” She replied defiantly.
The look on her face said that if she had the chance, she would stab him with the nearest pointy object she could get her hands on. But he knew better.
“I can smell your fear.”
“And I can smell your breath.”
Lyzander burst out laughing, shocking himself. It had been a long time since he’d laughed like that. This woman had backbone.
“That’s right, I smell good to you,” he replied cockily, taking in the slight blush that coloured her cheeks. “Don’t be embarrassed. It is natural for us recognize each other in different ways, and scent is one of them. Do you want to know what you smell like to me, little keeper?”
“Not particularly, no, and it was the coffee I was referring to actually. The coffee smells good.”
“Right.” He drew the word out.
Lyzander retracted his fangs, unable to stop his half smile. He knew there was no way in hell he would let the bond be completed, but he couldn’t help but like this fierce little keeper.
“Yes you scare me. I’m not stupid enough to not be scared of someone who could kill me. Doesn’t mean I’m a pushover.”
Lyzander was humbled, knowing such a strong human had been chosen as his intended.
“I don’t think I’d like it if you were. I’m not your enemy, Theodora. I only want to help.”
Her brows pulled together and her voice was almost a whisper when she spoke next. “What’s happening to me?”
Lyzander grew somber. “You almost died tonight. The pain you felt was a result of us being separated. I felt it too, although I think I fared much better since my immortal body can take the pain. Your human one caused you to pass out. How do you feel now?”
“Better than I did before,” Theodora grudgingly admitted.
“That’s because we’re together like this. With your skin touching mine, we are healing each other. That is why I told you not to move. We started the bond when we first touched and my...” Lyzander took a moment as he struggled to say the words. “My soul. It wants to return to me. Until the bond is completed, we have to stay close to one another.”
“This close?”
“At times, but not always. Being in the same room will be sufficient, most of the time.”
“But this close when we are healing?”
“Correct.”
Her mind and body were at war. She didn’t know this man. It was unnerving how safe, how comfortable and right she felt in his arms.
She shook her head. “I can’t be with you like this. I’m married. I don’t want this bond.”
“That’s good, because neither do I. I’m going to be honest, Theodora, I have no intention of completing the bond with you. This is something that simply cannot happen. My world is violent and dangerous, and I need to be ruthless. I follow our laws. I am our lawmaker. I need to be feared. Getting my soul will only make me vulnerable and weak in a time when I need to be strong. We cannot complete this bond. But I cannot break it either. If we fulfill some of the steps, it should give us more time figure out a long term solution. We will still need to stay close but we won't be tripping over each other.”
“Is this really happening?”
“Yes, and you need to understand everything that is happening and get on board with it, or we both die.”
“Why?”
“Right now, we need each other to survive. If one dies, so does the other. We are irrevocably connected.”
“Hold on a sec. Not that I knew vampires really existed before, but how can you die? I thought vampires were already dead, undead or whatever.”
Lyzander rested her hand on his bare chest.
“Do I feel dead to you?”
She inhaled sharply. For a moment, she forgot herself as her hand lingered on his cool smooth skin, appreciating the form of his solid well defined pectoral, below which came the strong rhythm of a beating heart.
“No.” She flushed, quickly taking her hand back.
“That is something all those stories about our kind keep getting wrong. I am very much alive. I was born this way not turned.”
“So you’re a natural born vampire? That’s what Roman called it, right?” She continued at his nod. “Okay, so you were born a vam– Wait, vampires aren’t immortal?”
Theodora’s mind spun with all the questions she wanted to ask him.
“I can live forever. I will never age and my body will never decay. I am immortal, but death comes to us all, Theodora. I am well over one thousand years old. One of the oldest of my kind. There are only a few ways to kill me, and I am very, very difficult to kill. If the bond were completed, you would live as long as I. You would be as hard to kill as I am.”
The idea of her being able to live forever was too much to deal with in that moment. She decided to push that thought to the back of her brain until she was finished freaking out over what she had learned so far.
“But this incomplete bond between us puts us in a dangerous position.”
“Why?”
“I am old, Theodora. I have not lived this long without making enemies, and you have come into my life at a precarious time. We’ll need to work out how to get through this, together. ”
“Alright.” Theodora sighed with relief.
The last thing she had expected was for this man, this vampire, to consider her side in this.
“As you have subtly mentioned many times, you are married.” He raised an eyebrow and gave her a teasing look. “I’m not used to having contact with others, other than those donating blood to me. But you and I will need to be intimate, and often.”
Theodora went to speak but he cut her off.
“Being intimate physically does not mean sex. I am suggesting…”
She noticed how uncomfortable Lyzander looked as he trailed off.
He swallowed hard before continuing. “I’m suggesting touch, holding hands.”
Had the situation not been so messed up, Theodora would have laughed at the uncomfortable look on his face. Instead of a powerful intimidating vampire, Lyzander was coming across like an awkward teenage boy talking to a girl.
“This is strange for me as it will be for those around me. My people are not accustomed to seeing things like this. It’s very rare that I allow anyone the privilege of touching me, especially in public.” He scoffed. “But we will need the physical contact to feel complete. If we are unwell or nervous, just a simple touch will do.”
He knew that was something he would need to remind himself of constantly. He hardly ever touched others.
“I think I can handle that.”
“Good. This thing, it’s happening to you and me, Theodora. No one else can feel it. They can't grasp the full extent of what’s happening and I have limited knowledge on the Keeper bond. I know it’s been sometime since the last keeper was found and I certainly didn’t think I would hear of another at this point.”
“This is too important to mess up. I don’t trust easily but I need to be able to trust you and you, in turn, have to trust me. We may not know each other but our souls do, and I can at least trust in that. I will never hurt you, Theodora. Believe me, I will always protect you with my life.”
Theodora saw the sincerity of his words mirrored in the intense way he regarded her.
“Thank you, but I’m going to be optimistic. I choose to believe there will be no reason for you to put your life on the line for me. Neither of us want this bond so let's work together and figure a way out. We find someone who can break this bad boy, and then you can go find yourself a nice lady vampire and have some vampire babies. Sam and I will move far, far away and get on with our lives, and you’ll live happily and literally forever after.”
“That will never happen,” Lyzander replied solemnly.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. We are fated mates, you carry my soul within you. We can try to work around the bond, but it is not possible for it to be broken, only completed. If we are not together, then we will never be whole, which is fine by me as I do not want my soul. But you need to understand that there will never be anyone else for either of us.”
“You forget that I’m already married.”
Lyzander gave her a sad smile. She got the feeling he was pitying her.
“I will never have a vampire child, and you must resign yourself to the fact that you will not have children either. Neither of us will ever be able to have children with anyone else.”
“What?”
“Vampires have only one chance at having children. Regaining our souls is what makes it possible for us to procreate. And the only person able to carry a natural born vampire child is our keeper. A vampire child is the only child your body will be able to carry. Should you ever try, no others would survive.”
A tear escaped her right eye as she thought about her brief pregnancy.
If what Lyzander said was true, then her body was the reason their child hadn’t survived. More tears came as she lay there, quietly thinking.
Lyzander used his thumb to wipe them away. “I’m sorry, Theodora.”
“Why did you tell me that?” She whispered.
“Because you have a right to know.”
“I’ll trust you, Lyzander. For now.”
“Thank you. We need to know each other to trust each other fully. So feel free to ask your questions, and I will ask mine.”
“What else do we have to do to avoid pain and death and all things unpleasant?”
“Blood. We will need to exchange blood soon.”
That sobered her up.
“I don’t think I can do that.”
“I’m sorry but you must if we’re going to function properly, especially while the bond is incomplete. Blood is what we need to keep each other alive.”
“I need to talk to Sam about this.”
“No.” Lyzander stated firmly. “This is not for Sam, Roman or anyone else to decide. Blood is our fuel, our food. It gives us energy and heals us. I need to feed from you if I don’t want to starve, and you need my blood in your system. Otherwise those pains will just continue, getting worse until you die of hunger too. The decisions we need to make from here on out are ours alone to make. I felt the pain too, Theodora. It was agony for me, so I know it must have been so much worse for you. We need to feed each other.”
Theodora bit her lip. “Can't you just take blood from someone else?”
“I tried, and believe me, it did not go well.”
“What do you mean? Did you hurt someone?”
“No, not exactly.”
Theodora stared at him expectantly.
Lyzander sighed heavily before sitting up and twisting around towards her, moving her towards him while making sure their bodies were still touching at several points.
“I tried to feed after you left the club. I hadn’t felt the need to in days. I should have been starved but I couldn't feed. Then I saw you and I was ravenous. So when Gemma, one of my donors, offered her blood, I forced myself to drink.”
Theodora was surprised at the jealousy that flashed through her. It made no sense. Why would she be jealous? It’s not like she wanted him to have her blood.
“Did you hurt her?” She asked with a little more grit in her tone.
“I already told you no. Though I may have hurt her feelings. I took her wrist and drank deeply, but on the second pull, I... the blood came back.” He gestured with his hand in front of her then went quiet for a long time.
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s never happened to me before, and I have never heard of it happening to my kind, ever. Vampires do not bring blood back up, but my body rejected it.”
“You got sick?” Theodora stared. “You drank her blood then threw up on her?”
“Yes,” Lyzander stated blandly.
“Gross,” she muttered. “She must have been pissed.”
“She wasn’t pleased. I don’t think she will be offering to donate again. Not to me anyway.”
“Good.”
Theodora’s hand flew to her mouth. The word was past her lips before she had even realised it. Lyzander smirked but she carried on before he could comment.
“So you think you can only feed from me because of this bond thing?”
“I don’t think it. I know it.”
“How?”
“I’ve fed from Gemma many times. Her blood normally smells pleasant, but this time, it didn’t smell right.” He scrunched his nose slightly. “It was...off. Old, dirty, like those trucks that collect rubbish.”
“No wonder you threw up.”
“But you, you smell delicious,” Lyzander rumbled.
It was said with such frankness that she didn’t want to reply.
Thankfully the ringing of his phone interrupted them.
Without taking his eyes off her, he reached across to the coffee table for it. He glanced down at the screen and seeing that it was Roman calling, he answered and put it on speaker.
“What is it?”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you’d want to know Solomon Haywood just came into the club.”
“Did he now?” Lyzander’s eyes darkened.
“I take it he hasn’t asked for permission to be in the area?”
Theodora’s eyes widened.
“No, he didn’t. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s here either.
“Cleo and Chester are with him.”
He hummed. “Really? Well, that is interesting company for him to keep.”
“Yes. Oh, wait...Gemma is with them too. She just sat down at their table.”
“So much for never donating again.” Lyzander sighed. “We’ll be there soon. Keep an eye on them until we get there. Make sure those fools don’t try to feed out in public.”
“Will do.” Roman said before Lyzander ended the call.
Theodora barely waited until the call ended to continue questioning him. “Why does this guy need to ask permission? Are you the leader of all the vampires or something?”
“Yes.”
“So…the other two with this guy, are they vampires? Did they forget to ask too?”
“Yes.”
“Do all vampires need to ask permission to come into your area?”
“They do if they want to live.”
She swallowed loudly at his earnest explanation.
“I must know which vampires are in my vicinity at all times. Not all humans are good and trustworthy, are they? Well, it is the same for vampires. If, for example, there is a vampire known to cause trouble, I need to know why he is here. Has he come to cause me trouble? It’s my job to make sure he doesn't go on a killing spree, exposing us all. We have laws which must be followed too. It is imperative that I know who is in my area, especially now. The timing of them showing up in my club is off.”
“Why?”
Lyzander sighed. He hadn’t wanted to get into all this yet but she deserved to know.
“Someone tried to kill my brothers. They came after me too, but whoever ordered the attack didn’t know I was here.”
“Someone is trying to kill you? Are you telling me I’m bonded to someone on a hit list? Oh god, you are going to get me killed.” Theodora said, aghast and incredulous.
“No. My brothers and I make sure the rules are followed and laws are not broken in our world. I have power and control, which someone is obviously now after.”
“Well, that’s just great.”
Lyzander recognized the generous dose of sarcasm in her tone and thought it best to put her at ease.
“You don’t need to worry, Theodora. Whoever did this obviously has no idea who they are dealing with. But they will find out soon. I will see the terror in their dying eyes, and they will beg for a swift death as their blood spills in my hands when I tear their throats out. But enough of this talk. Come now, Theodora, it is time to feed.” He cooed sweetly.
“Wow, you really need to work on how you reassure someone. That little bit at the end there in no way eased my fears about you.” She rolled her eyes.
“It should. You now know you are linked to someone who is powerful, merciless, and vengeful.”
She groused, obviously agitated by the vampire.
“And it is how I must stay if I’m to keep us all safe. Now, let’s feed. We can drink from each other’s wrists. It won’t be too much intimacy to begin with for either of us this way.”
“I’m sorry but I don’t think I can go through with it.”
“You can and you will,” he stated unflinchingly.
Theodora did not like his tone at all. No one bossed her around like that.
Obviously Lyzander was stronger than her, but she wouldn’t let this vampire think she would simply do what he wanted. It wasn’t in her nature. She always stood up for herself and what she believed to be right. She had to put up some sort of a fight even it ended up getting her killed.
“What if I won’t?”
“Then I will make you.”
Her eyes narrowed as she understood his meaning. “You wouldn't.”
Lyzander leaned in close so their faces were almost touching. “I will pin you to the ground and force you to drink my blood.”
Theodora gasped and, as much as she could, shifted away. “You just said you’d protect me.”
“And I will. Even from yourself. You are the one hurting the both of us if you refuse to drink my blood. So you will take from me, one way or another.”
So much for considering her side in this.
“You ask me to trust you, then you threaten me. You're a monster.”
“I am. But I’m a monster you must trust.”
In a silent standoff, they stared daggers at each other.
“Take me back to Sam. Now,” she demanded.
“After.” He stated firmly.
A few more dirty looks were thrown before Theodora relented.
“Fine.” She shouted, exasperated with the obnoxious vampire.
Lyzander gave her a cheesy self-satisfied smile that made her want to punch him in his smug face.
“Let’s just get this over with. What do I need to do?”
“First, I will pierce my flesh for you since your teeth are dull. Then you will drink from me. I will then bite you and we’ll drink from each other at the same time.”
After a moment of repositioning their bodies in a way that made it easier to drink from each other, Lyzander let his fangs drop down and bit into his wrist. As sharp as they were, they pierced his skin as easily as hot knife gliding through butter.
Theodora watched as thick crimson blood erupted from two small puncture wounds in his pale flesh. The contrast was stark and unnerving, yet she couldn’t pull her eyes away. As repulsed as she was at the idea of drinking blood, something inside her wanted this. She could feel it, willing her to drink. It was as if his blood was calling to her, for her.
Drink!
She took hold of his outstretched arm, lowered her mouth over Lyzander’s free flowing blood and drank.
At the first taste of him, so many sensations hit her at once, setting off an explosion of flavors in her mouth and awareness throughout her body. She groaned her approval. It tasted metallic, but it was also sweet and warm. It was thicker than she had expected, but not like syrup.
Theodora gripped him tighter as she sucked harder on his wrist, groaning again. Her mind wanted to shut down at the thought of what she was doing. She was drinking blood, a vampire’s blood. Lyzander’s warm, delicious blood which she couldn’t seem to get enough of now.
With every pull, she felt healthier, stronger, more aware of...everything. His blood made her feel full, though she hadn’t known she was hungry, and whole though she hadn’t felt incomplete. Drinking from him felt like coming home.
Lyzander didn’t think she realized the noises she was making.
At her first pull, he had shuddered from the pleasure of it and sank back into the cushions behind him. The feeling was so good he had to take a moment to watch her.
He knew there was no way she would have hated his blood, after all they were intended mates. He was made for her. But it still pleased him to his core seeing how much she liked the taste of him. When a little of his blood escaped the corner of her mouth and she chased the drop with her tongue, licking his wrist before covering the holes again, a warmth rushed over him.
He couldn’t wait any longer.
Taking one of her hands from around his own wrist, he raised it to his mouth and licked her wrist in return. Not because it would do anything but because after watching her chase his blood, he wanted a taste of her first before he got lost in the flavor of her blood. Then he bit down, his body jerking at the sensations that hit him as he drank her essence.
Her blood was pure. It was as though he was feeding on light, heat and energy all at once. It was powerful too, filling him up, giving strength to every cell in his body and making him whole. Suddenly, it was as though he could feel her within him and him within her. Desire overwhelmed him. Not only did his body now crave her, he also felt her yearning in return.
He lost track of time and everything around them. The more they drank, the stronger they became. It felt right and he knew she felt the same. The feeling was staggering, and his desire for her was becoming too much.
He was on the cusp of throwing her down on the sofa, pinning her down with his body and claiming her with a very primitive part of himself. But something within him pulled back. No, not something, it was her. As much at Theodora wanted him, she was confused.
She didn’t want this.
She wanted Sam. She needed her husband.
That thought gave him the strength to pull away from her, unintentionally pushing her away from him in the process. Faster than the eye could see, Lyzander was across the room in front of the windows. Theodora had tumbled off the sofa, landing hard on her knees. Breathing hard and loud, she sat back and stared up at him.
He watched her, thinking about how close he’d come to losing control.
He had almost let that go too far.
No shit.
Lyzander heard the two words loud and clear in his head, as if they had been spoken aloud. But that wasn’t possible. Was it?
Can you hear my thoughts, Theodora?
Theodora’s eyes bugged out before she closed them. Standing, she turned away from him.
You can hear me, can’t you?
He could feel the fear rolling off her. It wasn’t from the bite. No, he had felt how much she had enjoyed it. He wasn’t mistaken. She could hear him.
Can’t you? Answer me!
She moved over to the sofa and sat down, facing away from him.
After a minute, when she still hadn’t turned or said anything, he roared in his mind.
Answer me damn it!
She flinched then whispered, “Yes.”
When she turned and looked up at him, her eyes were watery.
In that moment, Lyzander wanted nothing more than to hold her and give her comfort. The feeling was beyond alien to him. But it was the shock in her eyes that worried him.
“What?”
“You look…” She pointed at his hands.
Lyzander looked down and noticed his skin. The change was subtle but it was there. He looked across the room to see his reflection. To his surprise, he was no longer the near alabaster white he had been moments before. His skin now had colour to it. It was a slight difference but he looked more human.
“Shit.” He looked at his hands again. If this happened after one feeding, other vampires would soon notice. This is not good!
“Why can I hear you in my head?”
Lyzander was shaken by these new revelations. This wasn’t supposed to happen, not yet anyway. He’d never intended for them to get close enough for any changes to happen at all.
“Sharing blood, it’s brought us closer. Too close.”
Only fully bonded mates were able to hear each other this way. He couldn’t understand how this was possible after the first blood exchange. He knew he had to get away from her. He had to regroup, figure a way to keep her out of his head. He turned and walked away but stopped at the door.
“I’ll send Sam up. I’ll be back for you both later.” Turning, he looked her dead in the eye. His face was less than friendly. “Do not touch him in front of me. If you do, I will kill him.”
Overwhelmed with guilt and confusion, Theodora curled up into a ball on the sofa and let the tears fall freely when the door shut behind him.
◆◆◆
Theodora blinked sleepily. She must have cried herself to sleep.
Sitting up, she took another look at her surroundings and spotted her small travel case on the floor by the sofa. Suddenly feeling exposed in her pajamas, she hurried over to her case. Not sure how long she had before Lyzander came back, she put on the first thing she found, a pair of black jeans and a dark blue vest top. It was hard not to notice his mark down her right side so she dug around for her hooded sweat top, zipping it up just as the door opened and closed behind her.
“Teddy?”
Turning slowly, she saw Sam approaching slowly as though she were a wounded animal.
“Sam.”
She threw her arms around him and he squeezed her tightly in return.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I had to leave you with him. He didn’t give me a choice. Did he hurt you? Are you ok? How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.” She sniffled.
Then she really thought about it.
She didn’t feel fine at all. Her head was a mess but fine didn’t describe how her body felt.
“Actually, I feel amazing. Incredible, invincible.” She snort laughed. Then she found she couldn't stop laughing.
“What did he do to you?”
The worried look on Sam's face sobered her up and she stopped abruptly.
“He healed me.”
“How?”
“He fed me his blood.”
“What the fuck.” Sam let go of her and ran his hands down his face.
“And he drank mine.”
Sam started pacing the room.
“Oh my god, is he trying to turn you into one of them?” He exclaimed loudly as he came back to her, holding her again and inspecting her for obvious changes.
She shook her head. “No! No, it was his blood that healed me. The exchange of blood.”
“Is this what he told you? Shit, has he brainwashed you already?” He sat them down on the sofa.
“Really, Sam? Do you really think anyone could brainwash me?” She asked the rhetorical question in a condescending tone, while at the same time giving him a look to let him know how stupid that idea was. Reaching down she pulled her converse trainers on. “He is not trying to turn me. He doesn't even want this bond, but we are both stuck, joined together. He’s a dick but he is trying to keep me alive.”
“How do you know he’s not feeding you a line?”
Theodora took a deep breath as her eyes roamed the room, seemingly searching for an answer. But it wasn’t the room she was searching, she was looking within herself.
“Because I can feel it, literally. The truth of what he said is in me. It’s hard to explain, but having his blood did something to me. I know he’s telling the truth but I also know there's something else. It’s like I need to know something or I’m missing something so I have to trust my instincts. One thing I know without a doubt is that he will never physically harm me.”
“Then why were you crying?” He wiped at her dry tear lines.
“When he took my blood...it felt... I’m so sorry. I couldn't help it.” She reached for a cushion, holding it for comfort.
“Help what?”
“I was…” She dropped her head into the cushion and mumbled.
“What?”
Raising her head, she let out a big sigh and looked at the ceiling. “I said I was attracted to him...in that way. I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop it. I love you, Sam, and I don’t want him that way. Really, I don’t. It’s this stupid bond, and I know he doesn't want to want me that way either. I feel it, I felt it.” Her eyes widened at how her last words came out. “Felt the way he was feeling that is, not anything else. Nothing else happened. I didn’t mean–”
“Shhhhh, you’re rambling. I get what you meant. Don’t worry,” he reassured her. Taking the cushion out of her hands, he pulled her into him for a hug. “You’re going through a lot, Teddy, and I’m not gonna lie. I don’t understand it or most of what’s happening, but I’m here for you. You drank blood today. That’s fucked up. No wonder you’re a mess. But you’re my wife, Teddy. You love me and that’s all I need to know. I love you and, as I vowed on our wedding day, I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Always Sam.”
“Thank you for telling me everything. We’ve gotta stick together, keep each other strong. We’ll find a way out of this mess together.”
“Okay.”
Theodora heard him even before he reached the door. So when it opened and Lyzander stepped in, she quickly moved away from Sam.
“I forgot to tell you one more thing. You can’t touch me in front of him. Only when we’re alone.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am deadly serious. Don’t touch her in front of me, in public or in front of anyone else for that matter. If you do, I will kill you. Test me at your peril.”
Lyzander believed Sam was smart enough grasp that this was not something he should be tested on.
“Now, time to go. I have people to question.” He motioned for them.
As Theodora went past and ahead of Sam, Lyzander warned,
Don’t walk too close to him either. I won’t hold back if he brushes against you.
She didn’t look at him as she passed but he heard her thoughts loud and clear.
Dick!
He had to fight back his smile as he closed the door.
It was the first time she’d voluntarily spoken into his mind.