  Evelyn s POV
  Thaddeus stands before walking to the stairs. His lips never leave my skin until I suddenly feel the mattress under my back and realise we are back in the bedroom. Thaddeus growls. His kisses becoming fiercer, and he devours my skin. 
  &quot;Not so hard,&quot; I scold him when he bites into my shoulder, breaking my skin. Feeling the bed dip, I look up and see Orion watching with a worried look on his face. Ryland, I notice, moves behind Thaddeus and I can feel his worry coming through the bond.
  &quot;Ow Thaddeus,&quot; I tell him, pushing his face away as his teeth sink into the top of my breast, feeling blood run down the side of my boob and my eyes water from the sting. Gripping his face, I pull his face up, my hands on the side of his face. Thaddeus eyes are pitch black orbs making my heart skip a beat by the demonic look on his face. Veins run under his eyes, ripp

  Evelyn s POV
  &quot;I m fine, Orion,&quot; I tell him, looking up at him. Orion stares down at me for second before nodding, and I look back at Thaddeus who has devious smirk on his face, making me smile back at him. He kisses me softly before pushing my legs open and resting between them. 
  &quot;No biting,&quot; I warn him, and he chuckles against my lips, deepening the kiss. His tongue plays with mine, fighting for dominance, and I let him take control knowing I won t win anyway. Thaddeus grips my hips, and I can feel his nails digging into my skin. I push his hand away making him growl softly before he moves lower kissing my breast before sucking my nipple in his mouth making me moan. Orion leans down, seizing my lips and swallowing my moans as Thaddeus moves lower nipping at my hip before settling between my legs. I feel his teeth graze the inside of my thigh before I feel his b

  Evelyn s POV
  My heart was pounding hard in my chest before I hear a loud growl making me jump. Then I hear a woman s voice.
  &quot;You want to explain why my son is currently destroying the city north of here, Ryland?&quot; The woman sounds young but the authority behind her voice intimidated me. This woman wasn t to be messed around with.
  &quot;Evelyn, you may come down,&quot; Ryland yells out to me. I hesitantly get up from my hiding spot. I heard another voice, another woman, her voice softer but easily heard.
  &quot;Evelyn, who is Evelyn?&quot; the person asks just as I get to the top step. I see two women standing at the bottom of the stairs. Both look to be in their mid-twenties and strikingly similar. Both had long blonde hair to their waist, the youngest looking one had hers tied in a braid and she had green eyes like Thaddeus. The older woman had blue eyes, and her hair was hanging loose down her back. I walk down the stairs watching them as they stare up at me shocked.
  &quot;This is Evelyn, our mate,&quot; Ryland says putting his hand out for me to grab. I grip it tightly, letting him pull me to him. The older woman who I would guess was around twenty-five steps forward, a shocked look on her face before she looks at Ryland, confused.
  &quot;Evelyn, this Imogen, Thaddeus s mother, and that one over there is Amara, Thaddeus s sister&quot;
  &quot;Hi,&quot; I tell them, giving them a brief wave. It shocked me that the woman standing in front of me was his mother. She looked younger than Thaddeus, and the girl who I reckon looked around my age just stared at me. Her green hypnotic eyes watching me.
  &quot;She is human?&quot; Amara whispers, not even hiding her shock.
  &quot;I m more shocked she is female,&quot; Imogen says, looking me up and down. &quot;Nice to meet you, Hun. I wish it was under better circumstances and that my son told me. Which, by the way, has been twelve years since I laid eyes on him, beside seeing him on a goddamn TV screen Ryland,&quot; she says, turning to glare him. Ryland shrinks back under her gaze, and I chuckle softly. This woman was small, but man she was fierce.
  &quot;Ring your brother, he answers your calls. Get him back here now,&quot; she says to her daughter. Amara pulls a phone from her pocket before dialling a number. She places the phone to her ear, but no answer. Ryland pulls his phone from his pocket before handing it over to her.
  Thaddeus answers after a couple rings, but I can only hear one side of the conversation.
  &quot;Hey brother bout time you answered.&quot; She goes quiet for a few seconds before speaking again.
  &quot;You have thirty minutes to get home, or I am taking your mate&quot; she says before hanging up on him. I step back away from her; Amara puts her hands up.
  &quot;I won t, just said it to get him moving faster, come let s make coffee,&quot; she says wandering off to the kitchen.
  Walking into the kitchen, Imogen and Amara sit down while Ryland makes coffee. I sit across from them not really knowing what to do or say.
  &quot;Orion called a week ago, said you were all home. Thought I would stop in and see him. Try to talk some sense into him,&quot; Imogen tells us. Ryland nods before handing her a coffee. Amara watches me, her head turning from side to side occasionally like she was examining some sort of science experiment. Her green eyes pierce into mine as I stared back, a little uneasy. She then blinks, shaking her head before looking away.
  &quot;She was trying to get a reading on you,&quot; Imogen tells me. I nod, wondering if she saw anything.
  &quot;So, I see two of them have marked you already, Orion hasn t?&quot; Imogen asks as she sniffs the air and I pull my hair over my shoulder, covering my mark.
  &quot;Don t worry, Hun, nothing to be worried about. I have two mates myself. Just wasn t expecting you to be female, honestly. Been decades since these two dragged Orion into this mess. Didn t think they would drag a human girl into it.&quot;
  &quot;She is fated mum, not like we had a choice,&quot; Ryland says, shaking his head.
  &quot;So, you gave her a choice? She came willingly?&quot; Imogen asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Ryland looked away.
  &quot;Like I thought,&quot; she says, turning back to me.
  &quot;So, you re Thaddeus s mother?&quot;
  &quot;Yes, I know must be a bit of a shock considering technically in human years I am younger than him.&quot; 
  I nod. &quot;So why are you shocked I am their mate?&quot; I ask curiously.
  &quot;Because I thought he was gay. He never shows much interest in woman beside killing them.&quot;
  &quot;You know how mate bonds work, mum,&quot; Amara says, and Imogen shrugs.
  &quot;Still bit of a shock.&quot; She goes to say something else when the front door bursts open and Thaddeus runs in, grabbing me and pulling me from the chair I was sitting on.
  &quot;Don t fucking threaten to take my mate again, Amara. Sister or not, I will kick your bloody ass,&quot; he says, glaring at her.
  &quot;Is that anyway to greet your mother?&quot; Imogen growls at him, and he suddenly realises she is there.
  &quot;Mum?&quot; he says, stepping back.
  &quot;Don t you dare run boy; you aren t too old for me to smack,&quot; she says rising from her chair. His shoulders slump before he walks over, letting me go and hugs her.
  Orion leaning on the doorframe, watching a grin on his face. Ryland shoots him a look and Orion shrugs before walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist. Imogen sits back down, letting her son go. 
  &quot;Mum&quot; Orion nods to her. Poor woman was the universal mother, apparently. It surprised me she wasn t grey having to put up with their antics.
  Thaddeus walks over, pulling me from Orion before sitting and placing me on his lap. Orion frowns but walks over to the kettle.
  &quot;Don t think I don t know it was you who rang them, Orion,&quot; Thaddeus says.
  Orion says nothing, and it made me wonder why Thaddeus hasn t spoken or seen his mother in years. She seemed nice. Amara was watching me again, and Thaddeus.
  &quot;So, is there a reason you destroyed that city?&quot; Imogen asks, but before he could answer Amara did. 
  &quot;Because he stole the darkness from his mate,&quot; she says, watching me again. She didn t seem mad, but the feeling coming from the bond I could tell Thaddeus was. Looking up at him he kisses the side of my face. 
  &quot;That s enough, Amara, stop snooping. Okay, well it was great seeing you now time to leave,&quot; Thaddeus announces and his mum glares at him. 
  &quot;You re going to kick me out?&quot; she asks. I can see the hurt behind her eyes. Amara stands up abruptly. Her eyes go to me before she glares at Thaddeus. &quot;You know your mark isn t completed until Orion marks you, did you know?&quot; 
  Thaddeus jumps to his feet before grabbing her. Imogen screams as Amara is ripped over the table towards him. Ryland rips me out of the way. Thaddeus growls low at her. 
  &quot;Don t fucking tempt me, Amara,&quot; he says, his voice deadly calm as the lights started flickering. Amara smiles at him before her eyes glow brighter, and suddenly the lights were burning so bright, I had to squint to stop the light from hurting my eyes. 
  &quot;Oh, for god s sake you two stop fighting,&quot; Imogen calls out as they glare at each. The power is flickering on and off and my heart was racing in my chest before suddenly the lights burst, the house going dark, before I hear things being slammed around. 
  &quot;That s it,&quot; Imogen yells and claps her hands. The bang so loud my ears ring, and I feel a force that makes me stumble back into Ryland. The only light coming from the fireplace in the lounge room, just enough to see but not clearly. I find both Amara and Thaddeus frozen in place. Thaddeus growls loudly before breaking whatever spell she put on him and shoves his sister away. Thaddeus rips me toward him and away from Ryland.
  &quot;Leave now,&quot; Thaddeus bellows. I feel goosebumps rise on my skin. Imogen throws up her hands before walking over to me. Amara smiles deviously. 
  &quot;Fine, we will leave, but I will be back, Thaddeus. Don t try to run. Now that I know what she looks like and have met her, I will always be able to find her,&quot; Amara says before looking at her mother. Imogen sighs accepting that they were being made to leave. I just didn t understand why. Imogen gets up before walking over and hugging me. 
  'Please make him visit, he may listen to you,&quot; she tells me. I look up at Thaddeus. He was looking away, not meeting her gaze. Imogen touches his cheek gently before he turns away from her. She had tears brimming in her eyes and I felt terrible for her. 
  &quot;You need to come back to us, son,&quot; she says softly. 
  &quot;Your son died a long time ago, mother. Now leave, I won t have you putting nonsense in my mate s head.&quot; 
  Amara shakes her head at him. Imogen rushes out the door, but Amara lingers for a few more moments.  
  &quot;Mum has only ever wanted what was best for you. We all want you to come home. Dad has forgiven you; we all have, but you keep pushing us away. Soon it will be too late, and you will destroy the only chance at happiness,&quot; she says, her eyes darting towards me. She then goes to leave when Thaddeus grabs her arm tugging her back. 
  &quot;What did you see?&quot; 
  &quot;Come home and I will tell you,&quot; she taunts before shaking his arm off and following after her mother. Orion comes back into the kitchen with another lightbulb before removing the old one and replacing it. 
  &quot;You can never sit civil and just chat, Thaddeus. Always take things to far,&quot; he says before the kitchen light suddenly flicks on.
  &quot;You shouldn t have interfered, Orion, so keep quiet.&quot; Orion sighs loudly. 
  &quot;What did your sister mean about my mark?&quot; I ask. 
  &quot;It was nothing. It won t matter anyway once Orion marks you,&quot; Thaddeus says.
  &quot;But I want to know.&quot; 
  &quot;And I will tell you once Orion marks you,&quot; Thaddeus growls angrily. I cross my arms over my chest, annoyed before storming off into the lounge room. Thaddeus fast on my heels. 
  &quot;Just leave me Thaddeus, I am angry enough with you right now,&quot; I tell him, but I can feel his rage building at me walking away from him. Ryland suddenly appears at the bottom of the steps before slumping on the couch. I go and sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around me. Thaddeus stops in front of me, looking down, and I shrink back against Ryland. 
  &quot;You think he will save you from me, little one?&quot; he asks, raising an eyebrow. I don t answer, knowing no one can save me from him. 
  Thaddeus sits next to us, running his fingers through his hair. 
  &quot;How many?&quot; I ask, glaring at him. Thaddeus sits back, putting his head on the back of the couch. 
  &quot;None, Evelyn. I didn t kill anybody, okay?&quot; He sighs, but I don t believe him. &quot;Don t believe me, I don t care,&quot; he says replying to my thoughts. Thaddeus turns slightly. &quot;You can be mad at me but please come here,&quot; he says tapping his chest. Ryland nudges me. 
  &quot;You won t be able to stay mad at him long. Believe me, we have tried. The mate pull won t allow it,&quot; Ryland tells me. I turn my face away from them, ignoring them when Ryland grips my hips dumping me on Thaddeus lap. Thaddeus chuckles before wrapping his arms around me, his face going to the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. I melt against him, loving the feel of his warmth. Thaddeus grips my chin, turning my face to him before kissing me. His tongue brushes my bottom lip, wanting me to kiss him back, and I cave. 
  My lips part and he plunges his tongue into my mouth, making me moan. I hear Ryland laugh beside me before turning on Thaddeus s lap, so my legs straddle him. Thaddeus hands go to my ass and he squeezes, his lips going to my neck as he nips at my skin before sucking on my mark, making me moan. My moans are swallowed when Ryland grips my face before kissing me. His tongue plays with mine before I feel cold hands on my sides, making me pull away as a shiver runs up my spine. I look over my shoulder and see Orion. He grips my shirt tugging it off over my head, and Thaddeus attacks my chest, his lips biting my breast. I whimper slightly before he runs his tongue over it. He growls softly before pulling back. 
  &quot;Sorry,&quot; he whispers, kissing my chin. 
  &quot;Just not so hard it hurts. Your teeth are sharp,&quot; I tell him, and he chuckles, nipping the skin of my neck. Orion moves behind me stepping closer making me look up at him. He bends down kissing me, Thaddeus attacking my breasts again. I feel Ryland squeezing my other breast that Thaddeus isn t attacking with his teeth.

Evelyn s POV
  Thaddeus stands before walking to the stairs. His lips never leave my skin until I suddenly feel the mattress under my back and realise we are back in the bedroom. Thaddeus growls. His kisses becoming fiercer, and he devours my skin. 
  &quot;Not so hard,&quot; I scold him when he bites into my shoulder, breaking my skin. Feeling the bed dip, I look up and see Orion watching with a worried look on his face. Ryland, I notice, moves behind Thaddeus and I can feel his worry coming through the bond.
  &quot;Ow Thaddeus,&quot; I tell him, pushing his face away as his teeth sink into the top of my breast, feeling blood run down the side of my boob and my eyes water from the sting. Gripping his face, I pull his face up, my hands on the side of his face. Thaddeus eyes are pitch black orbs making my heart skip a beat by the demonic look on his face. Veins run under his eyes, rippling under his skin. Thaddeus growls before sinking his teeth into my neck, making me scream. I see

Chapter 20