Drowning with Fire #3 ✔

Chapter 8 - Theo

I woke up to see the bloody scraps of rabbit shredded amongst the three of us. We must've collapsed from fatigue in the early hours of the morning, as we were nowhere near where we'd left our clothes.

My body was weary and ached as I sat up. A few dry bloodstains marked my bare skin, and I cursed, realising that I was still stark naked.

Desperately wishing that no early morning hikers would come along and see a strange, naked guy in the middle of the moors, I ran over to where we'd left our clothes. I gathered them up quickly and ran back – stopping a few metres away from Ryder and Thea to throw on my shorts.

Both Ryder and Thea had gone to sleep curled up, so I just threw their clothes into a heaped-up pile on top of their bodies.

I shuddered when I remembered the metal image Thea had transmitted to me; the two of them together, naked and touching. Ryder could be like my brother, but it would tear me apart if the two of them ended up together.

I wasn't sure quite what it was. Probably the innate brotherly sense to protect my sister from anyone that could end up hurting her; particularly potential lovers.

But what if they're each other's mate? The thought lodged itself in my brain, persisting until I remembered that Hayden was Ryder's mate.

I'd thought that Jade could've been my mate...but was it possible to have more than one mate in your lifetime? More than one soul you were destined to be with?

My mind flitted to Ember; my heart finding agony in her distance – both physical and emotional.

As Thea awoke and quickly pulled her clothes on, I snapped back to the present.

"You okay?" I checked, helping her up to her feet.

Turning away from the torn-up rabbit shreds, she paled; "I almost lost control last night, didn't I?"

"Almost, but you didn't entirely." I pulled her into a hug, before feeling the urge to offer, "You know...if there's anything on your mind that's bothering you, you can always tell me."

I'd never been the best at lending a listening ear, but when it came to Thea, I knew I'd have to help her however I could.

Thea pulled away from me; her thoughts became a blank wall of silence that I couldn't penetrate.

"There's nothing."

"Well, if there's anything in the future..."

"Yeah, I get it." Thea's response was a hair's breadth away from a snap, but before we could descend into a full-on sibling argument, Ryder woke up.

"Would you two please stop bickering? It's too early for that shit..."

A frown implanted itself on my face as I caught a scent of smouldering wood.

Ember?

I turned and walked towards the scent, drawing close to the thicket once again. Only as opposed to last night, the trees and undergrowth were scorched black.

With no Ember in sight, I turned to Thea – "Did you...?"

"No, I didn't..." She squinted at it and stepped close, bending down to examine the branches.

Surrounding the thicket, I noticed that strange lines of heather had also been burnt to ashes.

"Did either of you see what happened?" I asked, knowing that I had no recollection of it.

Thea shook her head, as Ryder responded, "When I went to sleep last night, those trees were all still fine..."

"But...?" I sensed it in his tone, he must've seen something.