"You can't keep doing things for me like this, I am an independent person, you know." I teased Theo as he reached up into the cupboards for a glass.
He gave me a look, then continued what he was doing.
Due to recent injuries, I'd had to take at least two weeks off from work, and it was only day two. The stitches in my side reminded me that Theo actually did have to keep helping me stretch for things for a little while. Pulling them was just asking for pain, and possibly to bust one.
The wyvern had gotten me really good, as the wound stretched from my abdomen, curved slightly over my hip bone and into my back. Doctor Deaton had closed it up with one hundred and five stitches exactly. If he hadn't been there, who would have known if I'd have made it to the hospital?
The bandage over my stitches crinkled as I reached for the glass Theo had set on the bar, and poured cold water from the fridge into it. "Want anything besides water?" I asked Theo as he pushed a second glass toward me. He shook his head, and I filled the glass for him as well.
Sucking in a breath, I eased myself onto a stool in front of the bar, and my side burned. I reached for my pain pills and opened the cap. Theo watched as I swallowed them, and I smiled at him.
"Alright, so I'm a baby, don't judge." I teased again, smiling. "Taking pain pills doesn't make you a baby. I wish you could heal like me." "Hell, me too. Certainly make it easier to get around."
Theo walked around with his glass and sat beside me, careful not to accidently bump me. Another burning sensation seared through my side, and I lifted my shirt to check the bandage, and much to my dismay, there was a line of blood in the shape of my gash.
"Damn," I muttered.
"Need help?" Theo asked, standing again. "No, you just sat down, it can wait. Plus, I don't want you to have to see it, I know it's ugly." "I've had so much worse, and I'm honestly insulted that you think I'd be such a wuss." He said, then offered me his hand.
I took it, then stood with his steady help, wincing as the skin pulled. We both headed to my bathroom, where I gathered fresh bandages, medical tape and peroxide. "I hate this part," I groaned, peeling back a corner of the tape and slowly removing it from my sore skin.
"It will be easier if you just take your shirt off," Theo said matter-of-factly. "You sure that isn't just for your pleasure?" I asked, snickering. He shook his head, then bent down, continuing the process so I could hold up my shirt and not have to stretch to get it off my back.
At last, I felt the last of the tape come off, and I sighed, turning to take a look at the damage in the big vanity mirror.
Blood was smeared all around it, and the wound was red and angry looking. The little black threads perfectly held together my raw skin. Well, at least it would be a scar that I wouldn't forget.
"Upset?" Theo asked, coming to stand behind me, glaring at the gash in the mirror as well. "No, but even if I was, there would be nothing I could do anyway, so it would be pointless."
I met Theo's eyes in the mirror, and felt a small smile come to my lips. "If I had just gotten there quicker…" He said, "This might not have happened."
"You can't blame yourself. You saved me, Theo. That's twice now."
I saw his eyes turn gold for a second before he turned away, his jaw taut with tension. "Hey," I said, and waited for his eyes to join mine once more, "you don't think you're a good guy, and maybe you're right, but we all do bad things. Regardless of the things that haunt you, you're still the man that saved a girl who should mean nothing to you."
"They only haunt me because of you. Before it mattered what you thought, I didn't care. Now comes the consequence part. And don't say you don't matter."
"There's only one person in this world that I could never forgive, and that man is not you, Theo. You've annoyed, scared, angered and threatened me when you thought I was danger. This man orphaned me, stole my ability to find security, and made living life hell. You're not even close in the race."
Theo shook his head, and gently placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me to look at him, and I could see what looked like regret in his eyes. I didn't want him to wallow in this, because truly it wasn't his fault. A sharp pain reminded me that air wasn't really good for my wound right now, and I sucked in a breath.
"Can you help me please, and then we'll talk if you want, okay?" I said, turning to get the spray bottle of peroxide. Theo bent back down on the floor, and took the bottle I handed him.
"You have to hold your shirt," He reminded me, and I bit my lip. "I…gripping the sink helps with the burn, as odd as that is…" Theo nodded, and I closed my eyes for a second before I began slowly pulling the shirt over my head.
Cold air rushed over my bare back and shoulders, giving me goosebumps, and I placed the shirt on the closed toilet lid. "Not a word," I said to him, smiling as I blushed. Of course today of all days, I had chosen to wear my black and red plaid bra.
"I actually quite like it," He said seriously, and had I been able, I would have kicked him in the stomach. I scoffed, then held my breath and squeezed the top around the sink as he sprayed the peroxide over the cut. Even the normally ticklish bubbles hurt like hell.
After a few minutes, Theo took a clean rag and gently dabbed the wound, cleaning away the excess blood and bubbles. He placed a fresh bandage over it, and I held it in place while he taped it down.
"Thank you," I said gratefully. "No problem," he said.
He turned me gently as I reached for my shirt. I felt awkward, as I hadn't been able to replace my shirt yet, and he was kneeling still. "What're you…?" I asked, and he answered by pressing a whisper of a kiss just above the bandage.
Once he pulled back from that one, he pressed another to the left of the bandage, just below my navel. He did the same to the opposite side on my back, then a last soft kiss below the bandage.
"Better?" He asked softly, looking up at me.
Moved and enchanted by the touch of his lips, I nodded and smiled at him.
He gave me a rueful smile and reached for my shirt. He stood and closed the distance between us almost completely, enough to where I could feel the cloth of his shirt on my bare stomach, and helped bring the shirt over my head.
Once I was clothed again, he offered me his arm to grip, which I took, and he walked me to the couch.
"So," he said as he sat on the floor in front of me, "are all of your bras so exotic?" "Theo, if I could hit you right now without hurting myself, it would be with this lamp," I said, laughing. He smiled finally, and leaned forward, resting his chin on my knees, and I pushed my fingers through his hair.
"No, not all of them," I said to him, watching the mischief light up his eyes.
"Theo, how did you cross the mountain ash?" I asked out of the blue, and I could see that I had taken him off guard.
He seemed to close off a little, but answered anyway. "I'm supernatural because I was an experiment. I wasn't created or born like others."
"So, that means you can bend the rules a little?" I asked, smiling, "Why am I not surprised?"
He grimaced. "I did terrible things to become what I am. Things that still cause me grief." "If you killed someone, honestly, that doesn't surprise me. According to things you and Liam have both told me, you were good at what you did."
"I did kill someone…all for DNA. I needed a second set to become a genetic chimera."
I felt my chest tighten a little with worry, but pushed it away. This was the past, what had been done was done, and he was not that exact same Theo. If there was a future for us, I couldn't be scared of him every time I learned of another person he'd killed.
"How old were you? Fifteen, sixteen?" I asked, continuing to brush his hair with my fingers. I felt his throat move with a gulp against my knees. His eyes met mine, and I stroked his left eyebrow with my thumb.
"…I became a monster pretty early in life." He replied. "So…before teen years?" I asked, keeping my touch steady and tender. "Yeah." He said.
"It's okay," I said, "I'm curious though…how many people total have you killed?"
"Three, though one I killed twice." Confused, I asked, "How is that possible?"
"His name was Josh. When he first became a chimera, he attacked one of my allies, before he was an ally, and I killed him. Later, I brought him back from dead, and he became one of my betas. Then I killed him to take his power."
I nodded, trying to not feel sick. The thought of death had made me feel ill since my parents, but I wanted to try and show Theo that I could see him past that.
"The things you must think of me." He mused aloud, giving another remorseful smile. "Ever since my parents, I've had a hard time dealing with killers and death. It's not you, and if I'm honest, I expected a higher number. My stalker has killed at least 15, undoubtedly more."
"Mine will be four if he comes here. Hope you can live with that." "If I thought I could do it, I would myself."
Theo's phone went off suddenly, making me jump, and he plucked it from his jeans pocket. "Liam?" I asked.
"Yeah. Still nothing on the wyvern. It can't be made to change back, no matter what they do." "We'll figure it out," I said.
"At least it's trapped." "Yep, and Doc Deaton is quickly trying to find a way to stop it. He said that the older druid he met with had some interesting things to say, including that he didn't know of a way to save it."
"Honestly, I could care less about saving it. It's killed twelve people since being here, so it has no intention of stopping what it's doing."
I chuckled, and ruffled his hair, "Down boy." He growled at me, but I hinted the playfulness of it.
Just as I was thinking of pulling him forward to kiss those perfect lips, my phone went off loudly on the table beside me. "Guess everyone wants to talk today." I chuckled, and Theo laid back on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
I picked up my phone, and confusion struck me, which made Theo look at me questioningly. "It's Melissa," I said, and he sat back up, "She's asked me to come in tomorrow. She knows I'm hurt, but I think I can manage, and if she thinks I can, then I should be there." "No," Theo said, "you're in no condition to stand on your feet, bend over and all that. You need to rest."
"I really have this feeling like I should go. Maybe she just wants to chat with me about something."
**I hope you guys are still enjoying this story! I am still having a blast writing it and knowing you guys take time out of your busy schedules to read my updates means so much! Thank you guys!**