Fighting with Fire #2 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨

By the time we pulled up at Coloma, darkness was falling quickly and we were cutting it close; I was already feeling the pull of the bright full moon, along with Ryder and Thea.

With Thea, I could tell her pull was different to mine and Ryder's. Thea's pull led her directly to bloodlust, whereas the pull I felt was one that led to a lack of control, often leading to that bloodlust that Thea was already feeling.

It's no wonder she chooses to be locked up, I thought... and somehow managed to keep that thought to myself.

The GMC Sierra was parked up nearby and I could hear the pack's (plus Maia's) heartbeats from within a half-burnt down hut.

I tried not to think about how much it hurt being back here again, and seeing what was my home for a long while burnt to ashes... This wasn't the first time my home had been diminished to ashes and dust — the wind swirling up mini-cyclones of the grey, charred matter.

Gently, I roused Ember, "We're here."

I don't think she was actually asleep, merely resting after the eventful evening we'd had.

Her gorgeous dark blue eyes blinked open and damn if I didn't want to kiss her on those perfect lips of hers. But her sleepy face suddenly frowned.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," she admitted to me, "Maybe we shouldn't have come here."

Forcing myself to act, I grabbed her hand and led her towards the pack, "We didn't have much of a choice, and we probably won't end up staying for long anyway."

"Theo!" Jade ran up to me, flinging her arms around my neck, causing Ember to drop my hand and Thea to send me a look. "I'm so happy you're okay."

Awkwardly, I patted Jade on the back, before moving away from her and heading over to Jason.

"It won't be much longer until we can't resist the moon's pull," I told Jason quickly, and his face blatantly showed his instant agreement with me.

"I know; I can feel it too," he responded through gritted teeth and threw a dirty scowl up at the moon. "I know you've just been reunited with your family, and probably want to spend time with them, but I don't know whether we'll make it out of Coloma tonight."

"What about Ember, Abi, Storm, and Zack? And are we planning on letting Maia shift?"

Jason merely placed a hand on my shoulder and led me over to the others, before announcing authoritatively, "Alright, here's the plan: Theo, Ryder, Jade, Maia and I will stay here for the night — the moon's too powerful by now for us to drive anywhere — and, Mr Oakenbank, if you don't mind, you'll take Storm, Abi, Zack, Ember, and of course, Thea, to a motel somewhere and spend the night there."

<Ooh, I do like a man who takes control.> My twin sister's thoughts drifted into my head, temporarily shocking me.

<Keep your thoughts to yourself on this occasion, Thea.> I rolled my eyes at her.

"That sounds like a good plan." My dad nodded. "I need to get Thea locked up soon anyway."

"How can you stand to be locked up?" Jade asked Thea incredulously, frowning seriously.

"I actually like the cage." Thea crossed her arms and frowned right back at Jade, before shrugging. "Better than killing anybody, at least."

<Oh yeah, she's my sister alright.>

Thea heard that time, and she looked over and winked at me — almost in exactly the same way Mom would've done...

"Are you alright?" Ember came up to me, snapping me out of my semi-trance.