45. Thea

Chapter 45

Thea

ONE WEEK LATER

T hea frowned at the text from Lucifer, honestly not needing the added picture attached.

Devil-Man:

He's just pissed on my bed!

Devil-Man:

I think he did it on purpose. {wolf emoji} {water gun emoji}

"Oh, hey Thea. You been here a while?"

Thea looked up, finding Lisa, the nurse, entering the bedroom. "A few hours."

Luckily, the cut on her lip had healed enough that it didn't split open like it had the last time she'd spoken to the nurse. Which was awkward, considering she'd had to make up an excuse on the spot. So now Lisa believed Thea was clumsy, and had tripped over her own feet. Which was arguably better than explaining the truth.

It had been just over a week, and the deep cuts from the whip had healed except for some nasty-looking bruises. But nothing an extortionately priced complexion charm couldn't disguise. Plus makeup. Lots and lots of makeup.

The only cuts that remained were the smaller ones, like her lip, and a few on her hands. Barely scratches. Yet she should be covered, her healing abilities only slightly better than a human.

If she thought being tortured wasn't traumatic enough, finding out that accidentally stealing a lifeforce permanently added it to her own had certainly been. Her magic was slow, but the Skull was barely holding onto life by a thread. Thea had taken the last of his spark, and in doing so, absorbed his remaining life. It was his death that had healed her, apparently.

Her bones had repaired, and the worst of the injuries had mended. Kyra, Xander's mate, believed if the Skull had been more powerful, Thea would have healed everything entirely. Which was a horrifying thought, and something she didn't want to explore further.

Kyra had reassured her it was unlikely to happen again as it was unusual circumstances, and Thea believed her. She was a soul witch, after all.

"That pink suits you."

Thea blinked up at the nurse. "Huh?"

"The pink." Lisa gestured to Thea's hair. "It's a beautiful shade. It suits you, although I did love the silver, too."

Thea forced a smile. "So, how is he?" She stood, moving to hover at the foot of her dad's bed, and out of the nurse's way. He was asleep, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to leave his side. She'd managed to speak to him a little earlier, but even that had been exhausting for him.

"As expected," Lisa replied with a soft smile. "He's a fighter, your father."

Thea wanted to laugh, but found nothing more than a puff of air escaped. Lisa adjusted something on the IV tube, and knowing she'd want to check him over, Thea left the room.

She'd visited every day, even if it was to just sit by his side. They'd made sure he was never alone, even in his sleep. He'd relented in not letting them stay with him, and they all knew it was coming to an end.

"The nurse still there?" her mum asked when Thea entered the kitchen, finding three separate pots on the stove bubbling away. If she wasn't with her dad, her mum was cooking. It was what she did when she was stressed, and Thea was sure both the fridge and freezer had to be full by now.

"Yeah." Thea peeked into the largest pot, not sure what the dark green mixture was. "Are you feeding the whole road, mum?"

She added chopped onions to the green stuff. "It's called meal prep, you'd know that if you actually ever cooked for yourself."

Molly, who was sitting on the counter beside the sink, sniggered, laughing harder when Thea flipped her the finger.

"What? I cook!"

"Reheating takeout boxes doesn't count, Thea baby." Mum turned, wagging the wooden spoon at her. "You can't live off of hot chocolate, either."

"I eat marshmallows too." Despite what her mother believed, she could cook. She just preferred not to. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the counter beside her middle sister.

"Speaking of your lack of cooking, I made this…" Placing the wooden spoon down, mum opened the fridge and pulled out a Tupperware box. "This is for your Jax."

Thea eyed the creamy brown liquid inside, and if she went by Molly's amused expression, she was clearly not wearing her poker face. "What is it?" she asked, trying harder to hide her disgust.

"Chicken soup. It's good for when you're sick."

Ah, Thea thought, searching for that thread of warmth that connected her to Jax. It was subtle, a tether that she'd accepted out of sheer panic. She'd always hated the idea of being tied to someone so permanently, especially with her ability to accidentally absorb people's life force. And in all honesty, it still worried her. But not as much as she'd expected. When she thought of him, she didn't feel the need to run. At least, not in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, Thea. How is he?" Molly asked, eyes narrowed. Her sister always saw too much. Thea blamed it on her being the middle child.

"He's getting better." Sort of, anyway. It wasn't like she could ask Thunder.

"Good, you should bring him over." Mum shot her a look, the same one she'd received all throughout her childhood. Even now it made her stand a little straighter. "A boy that big needs to be well fed."

Her phone pinged. Lucifer, again.

Devil-Man:

When are you back?

Devil-Man:

I think he's eaten my boots. Should I take him to a vet?

"You do realise I'm a fully-fledged adult, right?" Thea shook her head, deciding to let him handle it for a little while longer. "I have my own flat and everything."

Devil-Man:

Never mind, I found them chewed. {skull emoji}

Devil-Man:

He may have eaten Ruhne, though…

"You can bring him to dinner on Sunday," Mum continued, undeterred. "I'll make beef. He enjoyed that last time, and it's your father's fav…" She paused, the words caught on the end of her tongue.

Thea shared a look with Molly. The waiting was one of the hardest parts. Yet it was also a gift, because it meant they could prepare. That they could spend as much time as they could with him until the very end.

Thea knew that despite everything, her father was going to pass surrounded by those he loved.

"Beef would be perfect," Thea said, feeling her eyes prickle. "I'll let Jax know."

She heard the crash seconds before Thunder shot across the driveway, Lucifer chasing after him with a raised fist. Ruhne followed, leaving a trail of glitter.

"Thank fuck!" Lucy sighed, bending over at the waist as if he were exhausted. "It's like looking after a furry toddler on steroids. I'm never having kids."

Thunder nudged at her hand, one of his tails wrapping around her waist to pull her toward the large house. He turned to snap his teeth at Lucifer as they passed, followed by a growl.

"Yeah, fuck you, too!" Lucifer stormed off towards the treeline, mumbling under his breath.

"Thunder can't even play fetch, by the way." Ruhne said, landing on her shoulder. His wings squeaked, the cold affecting his ability to fly. "He's useless."

Thea laughed, allowing Thunder to escort her inside. "He's not a dog."

"You can say that again," Ruhne muttered, taking to the air once he was inside the warmth. "I better go find Sam. He's supposed to be taking me to the bar tonight." He was gone before Thea could reply.

"Bye then," she muttered, Thunder sniffing at her impatiently.

He'd developed some separation anxiety, and after two nights at her flat, where he'd broken the bed and somehow the shower, she'd resigned to moving into the house all the Guardians shared.

At least until Jax came back, and she could hold an actual conversation.

"Have you seen Reaper anywhere?" she asked, Thunder flattening his ears in response. Which was essentially his shrug.

She'd brought her cat, not wanting to leave him alone when she was spending the majority of her time there, or with her dad. He didn't seem pleased to be moved, and wasn't yet friends with Poe, Alice's cat. But Poe was determined.

Finally releasing his tails, Thunder pulled the sheets back from Jax's bed with his teeth, gesturing for her to climb on. With a sigh, she crawled across, Thunder cuddling up beside her seconds later.

"Dad was awake for a while today," she began, updating him like she did after every visit. "He asked about you. Well, he asked about Jax."

She stroked her fingers through his fur, the strands thick yet as soft as silk. She was still amazed that the wounds he'd suffered had healed, leaving no evidence behind. Unlike her, he hadn't had to murder someone to heal.

"Mum made soup, you know, because she thinks Jax is sick. I guess you can eat it."

Thunder wiggled his bum, which was off the bed because he was too big.

There was a strange contentment lying beside him, as if the world outside the room didn't exist. If only it was that simple. Making herself more comfortable, her fingers began playing with the bands around her wrists. She still hadn't figured out how to open them, and as a self-proclaimed expert at locks, it was really starting to piss her off.

"Your brothers are worried," she whispered, giving up when yet again she hadn't found a single seam. It had to have something. It couldn't be a solid piece of metal.

She'd asked a few of his brothers, but they either didn't know, or wasn't willing to tell her. She thought maybe Titus knew something, because he and Rae found the entire situation suspiciously amusing. She'd even searched in his workshop, hoping to find some instructions or even a drawing. But other than finding some awesome looking weapons, and a few chains, there'd been nothing.

"They can't feel Jax, but I know he's still there, because I can feel him." She wasn't sure how to explain it, she just knew. "But I think he's had enough rest now, I need him back."

Thea hadn't even realised she'd started to cry, not until Thunder licked the tears from her cheeks.

"So, you tell him, because I can't," she said when he pressed his cold nose against her, throat vibrating with a whine. "You tell him I need him, so he has to come back. For me."