Okay, now he was seriously confused. "How could you have done that?"
"Some kind of...strange light came out of my body like it was burning its way through my skin...I started levitating you off of the bed and telling you to come to me." Terror lined the ridges of Faith's eyes and her voice shook. To his horror, he realized she thought she'd caused something to happen to him.
"I think I need to explain. I have no memory of any of that. I think, well, I think you saved both of our lives."
She shook her head. "What?"
"I wasn't here. I was...elsewhere." He needed to figure out the best way to explain to her about the demon living inside of him. Hell, he needed to figure out the best way to explain it to himself. "And you called me back."
She narrowed her eyes. "This other place you go. That's why you don't think you're safe to be around other people?"
"When I'm there, or when my mind is there, I have no control over what my body does here. The first time it happened, I was only out of it for mere moments but when I came back, I had torn up my bedroom. The next time, I destroyed a boat. What if there had been someone around who I could have hurt?"
She gave him a small smile that melted his heart. "You wolves and your protective instincts."
Raising an eyebrow, he grinned. "We take care of our pack and don't pretend for one second that you're not the same exact way as you are, in fact, a wolf yourself."
Her eyes got sad and he immediately remembered the way he'd heard her crying in the shower. Faith was not, he realized, without her own secrets. Maybe she'd understand his keeping his private for a little while longer.
"So maybe I should have said you Alpha wolves and your protective instincts. Those of us who are not Alphas don't spend as much time obsessing about every minute detail of every day and how it could possibly affect the pack."
He shrugged. "I don't know how much of an Alpha I still am."
The woman had the audacity to laugh. "Oh you're still Alpha, even if you don't acknowledge it anymore. Anyway," Faith made a dismissive gesture with her hand as if she didn't wish to discuss it anymore. "Your explanation, your trip to wherever you go where you can't control your body, that might explain a little bit what happened to me."
He'd just been told with nothing more than a hand gesture to drop the subject. His mate had given him a direct order. Not sure how he felt about that, he decided to go with the flow for the moment. Truth was he wanted to know what had happened with her but he wasn't sure he could stomach being ordered around. He'd been out of the pack too long for that now. It was going to take a little getting used to.
"Maybe I'm not the one who's Alpha here."
"Theo, I'm a woman."
"Anything is possible, Faith."
She sighed, a smile creeping in on the edges of her mouth as if she found something amusing but didn't want to show it. "Okay, I'm sorry I dismissed you. Would you like to continue discussing the Alpha status or move on to how the blinding white light shot out of my hands?"
He stood up off the floor. "Are you humoring me now?"
"There is nothing about this that you are going to make easy, are you?"
Theo sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to being around people."
She poked him in the chest. "You only get to use that excuse one more time. After that you better just get used to it again."
He really wanted to grin but thought he'd better maintain his composure since she was already pissed off. Faith was so impressive, no wonder they had made her security chief in his absence. She obviously didn't take any nonsense from anyone or maybe it was just him but, in any case, he was quickly becoming enthralled.
"Please tell me about your new ability."
She nodded. "So I woke up and I just knew there was something wrong with you." Reaching out, she stroked his wrist. His wolf wagged his tale in appreciation. The memory must bother Faith and whether she was conscious of it or not she had just shown her animal side--the part of Faith that would always need touch, no matter where it was, to be part of her life. The wolf needed it and so now she did too.
"Was I doing something that alerted you or was it some kind of sixth sense thing?"
"Sixth Sense? No. I don't have mystical powers like the other women."
Theo scoffed. "I highly doubt that. If white light streamed from your hands, I'd say that's pretty powerful stuff."
Faith ran a hand through her long dark hair. "If that's true then it's just shown up and all I can do is attribute it to your presence."
In the past, before the Westervelt downfall, the women had come into their powers all on their own with no help from their mates. His understanding was that Ashlee and Summer had each developed their 'other-worldly' abilities in ways that had nothing to do with their mates. It was probably only a matter of time until Faith would have too. Not that he didn't like her thinking it had something to do with him. Considering the explanation he was about to have to give her, he could use all the good will he could get.
He sighed. "Go on."
"I just knew that I could help you. My body started to heat up and white light flooded the room from my hands, my voice got kind of spooky sounding, and I started calling you back from wherever you were. I couldn't seem to stop it. You fell on the floor." Faith started to pace. "I thought I was killing you."
"Sit down." He took her by the shoulders and gently pushed her into a chair. "Where I was, where I go when that happens--it's very bad and when I tell you about it you'll be tremendously glad to be rid of me and consider yourself fortunate we didn't complete the mating ceremony."
Faith raised an eyebrow. "I highly doubt that. Just in the brief hours I have known you, I've gotten kind of used to having you around."
"In the past, it's all been sort of vague, but this time was stronger and I'm completely convinced it was real."
"Theo, just tell me already." Her tone told him she rapidly lost patience with him. Note to self: Faith has less ability to wait than even you do. "I have a demon inside of me, it's as much a part of me as the wolf, and I have to get away from here."
He expected stunned silence, so when he got laughter he was shocked. "This is funny?"
"No, this is ridiculous."
"It is?" He felt so confused he wasn't sure what to do with himself.
"Theo, I'm sure our wolves could smell the demon." She paused. "Can't they?"
That was a good question. He searched his brain to see if he could recall a scent.
I don't remember a scent. It was all such a haze.
If his wolf couldn't remember one, then it was likely there wasn't one to remember. But how was that possible? Rocks had scents; blades of grass, even the smallest specks of dust could be scented. His head pounded. It was just too bizarre. He never let himself think about that day.
"Where are you going?"
He shook his head. "Nowhere, I'm standing right here."
"I can feel you leaving here. It's like you're travelling somewhere else."
He had no idea what she talked about. She reached over and grabbed his shoulder. "I'm going with you."
"Faith, I'm telling you, I'm not going anywhere."
Except in the next second, he was. He looked around for a moment before he started coughing. Next to him, Faith covered her mouth with her hands. He grabbed her and pulled her up against him. Where the hell were they?
Smoke filled the room around them. He turned left and right, trying to take shallow breaths as he deciphered what the hell was going on.
We've been here before. Remember.
Did you do this to us? Faith's wolf asked.
His wolf shook his head. Not me. The other one.
Great, so the demon had dragged them somewhere and this time Faith was stuck in it with him. But his wolf said they'd been here before. He sniffed the air but all he could scent was the smoke. Pulling Faith with him, he moved forward and stopped short. He did know this place.