Void of Life [Steo]

Chapter 4: Let The Darkness In

Stiles and Lydia's faces stared out at Theo from the posters on the wall. They were plastered all over Beacon Hills. If he had some shreds of humanity left in him, he would feel guilty. Theo doubted he had any humanity left.

Theo had continued to feed Lydia and Stiles, even taking them to the bathroom. It seemed that in the last week since his kidnapping, Stiles was no closer to snapping and changing back into a nogitsune.

It struck Theo as strange that no member of the pack had yet confronted him. In fact, they seemed to be avoiding him altogether. It was for this reason that Theo was almost pleased when Scott and Liam approached him at his locker. "Where are they, Theo?" Scott's voice was stern; he wasn't playing around.

"I've been waiting for this, Scott. I am genuinely surprised that it has taken you this long."

"Answer the question." It was Liam this time. He looked supremely agitated. Probably because he had forbidden Hayden from interacting with him on any level.

"I don't have them! Listen to my heartbeat. I don't have them and I have no idea where they are. Am I lying?"

Scott's jaw clenched. "I don't care about your heartbeat, I still don't believe you. Come to the lacrosse pitch tomorrow night with Lydia and Stiles or there will be trouble."

"Fine. I'll be there." Scott and Liam turned away and walked back to the rest of the pack. Theo watched them go with a smile. If they wanted a fight, they were going to get one.

Later that day, after Theo had left food for Lydia, he went to see Stiles. At some point, feeding time had become a routine set of actions. Theo would go in, place the food on the table and then untied Stiles' hands. He had given up on gagging him, because he no longer saw the point. Stiles didn't shout, scream or even talk much for that matter.

The routine having been carried out, Theo turned to leave. "Theo..." Stiles' voice was raspy and it made Theo shiver without him knowing why. "What's happening? You look tense; something is going on, isn't it?"

Theo turned back around. Stiles was looking at him with those watery brown eyes of his. The spark that usually inhabited them seemed to be slowly fading away. A few pushes and the nogitsune could make an appearance again.

"It's nothing that concerns you, Stilinski, so butt out of my business." Stiles lowered his eyes to the ground, his lips pursed in a thin line.

"Sorry..." he whispered. Theo's heart fluttered. This took him by surprise and shocked him thoroughly. His heart hadn't fluttered for a long time, maybe not ever. Theo hastened to leave, going out of the asylum and climbing into his car. It was time fro the next phase of the plan to begin; Theo was starting to get impatient.

The Beacon Hills High School library was empty, except for Theo. He was sat on one of the desks, his cellphone pressed against his ear. The phone dialed three times before the person on the other end picked up.

"What do you want?" Malia's voice was frosty and full of venom.

"School library. Now." Theo hung up the phone, needing no confirmation that she would come. He was absolutely certain that she would. She liked him way too much not to.

It took her a quarter of an hour to arrive. She burst through the doors and started to bound towards him angrily. Her entrance did not surprise him; he had picked up her scent five minutes before.

Before Theo could even utter a greeting, Malia had reached him and grabbed him by the throat. "Malia, calm down..." he choked out.

Somewhat reluctantly she released him. "God! You're practically frothing at the mouth!" he mocked.

Malia growled deep in her throat. "Don't you dare test me Theo Raeken. Where are Stiles and Lydia?!"

Theo put his hands up in the air in fake surrender. "I don't know where they are, I swear! The Dread Doctors have gone quiet on me. I am actually kind of hurt that you would even suspect me." Malia's expression changed from one of pure rage to one of confusion.

"If you don't know where they are, then why the hell did you ask me to come here?" Theo climbed down from his perch on the desk and stepped towards Malia. She didn't back away, to Theo's surprise.

"I asked you to come here, because I wanted to see you. You might not believe, but I've hated you ignoring me." Malia's face softened and Theo took this as a sign for him to step closer. Again, she didn't back away.

"Theo..." For some odd reason she sounded as if she was short of breath.

"Malia, we both know you can't resist me." Theo slowly moved his soft lips towards her hungry ones. Seeing this movement, Malia gave into her desires and quickly closed the distance between them.

She kissed him hungrily and he kissed her back just as so. The only description that could do it justice would be animalistic passion. Her hands were in his hair, grasping, almost clawing. He pushed her away and she looked hurt. But Theo just whipped off his jacket and shirt, then dove back in to the kissing. This time Malia's hands roamed his torso, feeling and relishing in every tight and toned muscle. Theo could tell that she had wanted this for a while. Theo slipped a hand under the hem of her shirt and her breath hitched in her throat.

This time he pulled away for good. Malia tried to engage with him again, but he held out his hand to stop her. "Sorry, I've got to go. We should do this again some time." Theo put his shirt and jacket back on and then crossed the room to retrieve his phone. The phone that was at on a bookshelf. The phone that had recorded the whole thing. Without another word, Theo left the library, leaving a confused and stunned Malia behind him.

Stiles was asleep when Theo came into the room. Theo watched him for a few moments and noted how peaceful he seemed, slumped against the desk.

Theo slapped him roughly on the face and Stiles jerked awake. His eyes quickly scanned the room, searching for danger. They locked on to Theo.

"I have something for you, Stilinski. Something that you need to watch." Before he showed Stiles the video, Theo tied his hands behind the back of the chair again. There was no knowing how angry Stiles would get; he might do something reckless.

Having done this, Theo removed the phone from his jacket pocket and got up the video. He held the screen in front of Stiles' face and pressed play. The first minute or so of the video was just Theo watching the library doors, sitting on a desk.

Stiles turned away from the screen and looked up at Theo. "Why are you making me watch this?" Theo used his free hand to force Stile's head to move, so that he was watching the screen.

"Wait and you'll find out. Just watch it." This time Stiles did as he was told and watched the video. His face began to look concerned when Malia came in to view. Every time Theo got closer to her, he got more and more agitated, his breathing heavier. By the time Theo had taken his shirt of on screen, a tear was trailing down his now paled cheek.

When the video ended, Theo put the phone back into his pocket and leaned in close to Stiles' face. To his surprise Stiles didn't jerk away; he looked straight ahead, glassy-eyed. "It doesn't have to be this way, Stiles. You could just let the darkness in. Let it consume. Then it would be a whole lot easier, it would all be over." Still Stiles made no movement, so Theo turned and left.