"Who decides who moves where?"
"Why Hades of course, I know you took a course in mythology, use it" the bossy tone of her voice prompted him to look up, she had her hands on her hips and was looking down her nose at him, just like a mother.
"Hades is the god of the underworld, which means for those who move on, he decides where they get to go."
She looked at him proudly "so clever, anyway that’s not why I brought you here, I want to show you how important you are to me, I will do everything to stop you suffering more than you already have."
Theo stood straighter and looked around at his life, because there it was, framed pictures all over the walls, each containing him and various other people important to him, different stage of his life, she even had one of him, Celia and Imogen.
"How did you get this one?" They were sat outside during some sort of celebration, he was sat on a log, Celia on the floor next to him, with her head resting on his knee, Imogen sat next to him, his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder, the picture was lovely.
"It was after Morgan’s fight, you were all celebrating, and the three of you looked so lovely I couldn’t help myself."
"There is someone missing."
She looked completely confused, "I think just there should be one of the two of us" she jumped up and down excitedly and clapped her hands.
"Yes that would be marvellous, get ready" and then she was stood next to him, a camera and tripod materialised, but she was uncomfortable, clearly she preferred taking the pictures.
"Don’t worry when we are ready it will happen" Theo was used to being taller than those around him but she towered over him, he stood on his tiptoes and kissed her cheek again and heard the snap. He looked around to see the picture already framed and hanging, it was the biggest picture of them all framed above the fire place, and War was beaming.
Then she started pacing, the floor was possibly a cloud, "Um Theo I have decided not to send you on my little crusade" he could hear the reluctance in her voice.
"Why?"
"I love seeing you happy and laughing; I don’t want to risk taking that from you. It is not a major problem" she sighed and plonked herself on the sofa.
"No, we agreed, I want to go" he tried to make his voice seem stern but he couldn’t "it will help me and I want to help you, let me do this."
She was up again pacing the large room and for the first time he really looked down at his feet, it was concerning that he was stood on essentially a white mist "are we really in the heavens?"
She nodded "you haven’t asked me what happened to your mother after she left."
He felt a lump in his chest, his heart pounded just at the thought of her, "what happened to her?"
"When she left you, I wanted to kill her, I actually planned to kill her, for a while she drifted, there were many attempts on her life, somehow she managed to escape them, I was told to leave her and stop hounding her. I didn’t of course, I was just more discreet, she went to a placed called Ireland, and there was a famine. Then she fled to Europe, where there were wars. Do you know she thinks you’re dead? I had managed to prevent her from having any more children, about 50 years ago she settled, in a little place in Brazil. She kept a low profile but when the other species came out, she started drumming support from other races. As her standing increased she started reverting to form, she now rules a small town, and she also has a variety of other’s working with her. But she is going more and more insane. About 10 years ago she was behaving herself to an extent; unfortunately I had some more serious duties to attend to so I stepped away. You were doing so well, I now regret that decision."
Theo had sat on the sofa, he was leaning forward with his chin in his hands, he knew he was not going to like what came next "go on."
"About a week ago, Destiny approached me and insinuated that I should check on her. She’d moved to Spain, about 15 miles to the east of where she is now, is a small village of Romani gypsies. They took something which was hers and she intends to retrieve it. This had been their home for centuries but she is now making a play for their lands, she is sending her people in to move them on and take back what was hers. The Romani are strong people and are planning on fighting back. I watched as she informed her men that when they arrive they will launch nightly attacks until she cripples them.
She must have seen the look of horror and anger on his face, "don’t worry there is time, she spends time at every village she passes through, wreaking havoc on the inhabitants."
He was shaking his head, "she is mad" he watched her agree with him "what aren’t you telling me?" As she went to walk to the window he could see her trying to think something through, Theo could see she didn’t want to tell him "please tell me the truth, I need to know." With a sigh, she stomped her foot.
"God’s be damned I don’t want to do this, okay here goes, 9 years ago your mother birthed twins, a boy and a girl. Her parenting has not changed; she is not as bad to them as she was with you. Their father is a vampire, who walked out on her, I am sure you know that births from vampires are incredibly rare, and in fact I believe this has only occurred a handful of time throughout history. Anyway she fears their powers so she doesn’t unleash the full extent of her anger on them, yet."
Theo stood "take me there now, if I take her out I can protect them" nothing could stop him now, hell he had a brother and sister, he wouldn’t leave them alone. He couldn’t believe he had a brother and sister; he sat back down in shock.
"No, she has at least fifty other’s with her and more on the way, it would be suicide."
"Take me there now, I can't wait, what if she hurts them?"
"A Romani with second sight saw the twins in a dream, she travelled to where your mother was and during one of your mother's rampages she snuck into the house and took the twins. They are who she plans to reclaim."
"I don’t fucking think so." With that they were both stood in Nicky’s house again, it took him a second to orientate himself before he turned to Ben.
"I need to take some time off Ben, Danny’s doing really well and can take over the training routine, Sebastian can take over the security while I am gone." With that he turned around and headed to the door, as he opened the door he heard her plead.
"Please Theo, don’t go alone, let your pack support you" he could hear the worry in her voice, shit, he slammed the door and turned around.
"That is unfair and you know it, in the space of 30 minutes I find out that you have been protecting me all my life and yes it makes me feel like I have a mother, but it is not fair to use that tone on me" he could feel everyone looking at him in amazement.
"Did it work?"
"Well clearly I am still here" although his tone made it clear how annoyed he was.
It was Ben who stepped forward "Theo what’s going on, where are you going?"
He flopped onto Nicky’s sofa, the baby was there in Morgan’s lap asleep, she passed the baby over to him, as he held Charlie and looked at those tiny little hands and toes, he knew what he had to do.
"Ben I need at least 10 pack members, none who are mated. I am going to kill my mother once and for all."
Theo watched Ben take a mouthful of his drink and then choke "what the hell? Where is she? I am coming with you, that bitch deserves to suffer, we go together."
This time War stepped forward "Theo is correct, no mated males should go, this will be a difficult battle and there should not be any distractions."
"I only want people who volunteer for this Ben, I don’t like the idea of people putting themselves on the line for me this is my battle."
"But it has been okay for you to put yourself on the line for the pack time and time again" he knew Ben would be like this.
"That was different."
"Not from where I am sitting. Theo you know you don’t have to go, don’t you? I mean we can send some men in but it doesn’t have to be you" Ben was agitated and no doubt angry, when his mother had set fire to him, Ben d
id indeed sit with him day after day, he knew how much she had put him through.
"I need to go, I want to take her down, I need to take her down but more importantly than that, she has twins, a boy and girl they are so young, I plan on bringing them back here with me. I take it you are in agreement with that."
"Of course I am, that shouldn’t have been a question, right, let’s work out who’s going and who’s staying."
They had only just started the discussions, Ben had sent a telepathic link to all of the warriors in the pack, they had been asked to attend only if they wanted to go with Theo. The pack had 45 warriors, he had trained nearly all of them and he was a hard task master so he wasn’t expecting much. But slowly he saw wolf after wolf turn up and sit outside where they had been asked to wait until it was decided who would join him.
He was however incredibly stunned when Ben’s parent’s Leyland and Sylvia arrived. Leyland crooked his finger at him while walking past him into the house.
"Here’s how it is Theo, Sylvia and I have discussed this and like it or not we are both coming with you. Now before you say anything you need to get this, my biggest regret in my life was not finding out what she was like before she hurt you, but I can’t do anything about that, from that day you became one of our children. We agree that unmated pack members shouldn’t come but we are coming."
He was chocked, he saw from the window there must be at least 30 wolves out there. He knew everyone in here would fight by his side "Ley could we please consider leaving…" he dipped his head towards Sylvia.
"Don’t you dare young man, who do you think is going to look after you all, make sure you eat and don’t make stupid decisions" Sylvia looked at War.
"Well I haven’t seen you since, well since Theo was a teenager. At least he had someone else looking out for him." Sylvia and other more vulnerable pack member’s had vacated the land during the last battle that War attended, so she hadn’t seen her before today.
War moved forward "you could see me? All those times, why didn’t you say anything?" He had always known Sylvia was a wise woman but today she was an amazing wise woman.
"The first time I saw you, you were holding your arms out towards him, he had been thrashing around in a nightmare, but you stopped it, I saw the love you had for him on your face and stepped away, I didn’t want to intrude."
"Thank you for taking care of him Sylvia, you have raised a fine and honourable family, your pack is so strong because of your wise knowledge and understanding."
Leyland stepped forward "I would like to point out I had some involvement in progressing this strong and honourable family and pack."
Sylvia laughed and War joined her before adding "yes you did, you allowed yourself to be guided by this kind and wise woman."
Leyland was going to reply before Nicky stopped him "it’s not worth it dad, she’s a feminist."
He watched Sylvia look at him and then back to War "we don’t need thanks, we love him, always have and always will, and if I see his bitch of a mother you had better watch the wolf in me, I will rip her throat out, beat the shit out of her and enjoy doing it."
Sylvia was almost foaming at the mouth, clearly War agreed "I agree, you should go, I will feel better knowing that you are there."
Theo rolled his eyes, "I spend my whole life wanting a mother and in the space an hour I have two. Ben I need you to get an agreement from everyone that Imogen is not informed of where we are going. I have been shown the error of my ways, many of them. She does need space to work out who she is and I need to deal with my own baggage, and Sylvia, thank you" he moved to kiss her on the cheek "for everything."
He could see Ben didn’t like the idea of staying behind but he agreed reluctantly. They spent the rest of the evening working out who would and would not go. Ben, Nicky and his friend’s wanted to come, but he remained adamant no one with mates would be joining them; he didn’t want that on his conscience.
By the early hours everyone went home to sleep and say goodbye to their loved ones. War was coming to meet them when they had all had some sleep. Theo didn’t go home, he went to Imogen’s, and she was waiting for him.
Chapter 10
He could see her sat in the rocking chair at her window, as he came into the lounge she walked towards him "I am sorry Theo, I don’t want to hurt you but I …" he stopped her with a kiss.
"You need to stop doing that Theo; it makes me forget what’s in my head."
"Good, I just want you to listen. I am sorry for not understanding your needs, I love you with everything in me, and I don’t want to lose you. But you are right sometimes the pain is needed and you do need to understand who you are, I won’t stand in your way" there he had said it, he didn’t really mean it, well not completely anyway.
They were stood so close they were almost touching, as she looked at him he wanted to capture this moment for ever "thank you" she stroked his face "I do love you Theo, but this is something I need to do. Can you really step back and let me do this?"
He leaned closer and kissed her forehead "no, that is why I am going to go away for a while" she looked startled and not happy.
"You’re running away then."
He laughed at her, "no, I am just going to take some time to deal with my baggage while you sort out who you are."
"How long will you be gone for?" She didn’t realise it but she was digging her fingers into his arm and it was actually turning him on. He could see the confusion and frustration in her eyes.
"I'm not sure right now, but long enough to give you space" as she stepped back she hit him on his chest, she hit him again, then she was pounding her fists.
"Why can’t things be simple, why can’t life be normal, why can’t I be normal. Why do we need to be separate" damn she was strong, every blow hit the mark, but he stood still and waited. When she fell against him, he held her close.
As he held her, the fog in his mind cleared, ‘tonight I have be given a new understanding of life, every experience is a lesson to be learned, everything really does happen for a reason and the learning comes from understanding the path we take and its consequences. I know this is the right thing to do Imogen for both of us."
He leaned down to kiss her; she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed herself against his erection, hard. He lifted her up and her legs straddled his, he walked up the stairs still kissing her, she was wearing only a dressing gown, which slid down when he put her onto the bed. He had always liked her bedroom, with its cream walls and mahogany furniture, it always made him feel at peace. She removed the rest of the dressing gown as he stripped off his clothes, there was a sense of urgency between them, and both of them understanding tonight might be their last night together.
He leaned over her, she lay on the bed, completely naked and open to him, he took a moment to glance over her body and memorise it in his head, before dropping to his knees. He pulled her down the bed placing her legs over his shoulder, he dipped his head and immediately inhaled her sweet scent, kissing her stomach, leading to her thatch of hair, he dipped lower and dropped a kiss right onto her clitoris, he felt her body tense as he licked her, she tasted like honey all sweet and completely delectable. The need to be in her was riding him, but he wanted to make this last, he felt her legs wrap around his neck urging him closer, his tongue pushed on her, in her, around her until she was quivering, he added his finger and felt her body explode, he tasted her and knew he would remember her taste forever.
She was panting as he lifted himself over her, "you are mine Imogen, don't ever forget that, I love you and Celia with everything I have in me"
with that he plunged into her sweet wetness, she enveloped him like a glove. As he moved inside her gently at first then harder her legs wrapped around him, he tilted her slightly upwards so he could get deeper and deeper, he bent his head to take her nipple in his mouth, he bit down before moving to kiss her, she leaned her head back, crying out as he continued to pound her harder, she lifted her head and gently n
ipped his neck.
The Kiss of a Vampire, the Heart of a Wolf (The Silver Series) Page 9