Chapter 30: Heartstrings and Hairy Things

*Kyle*
After a couple of minutes of scouting the area, I decide to return home. No one is supposed to be able to break through my barriers, unless someone granted them permission to enter.
I stroll home, and as I near the gate, I am glad to see Mathias didn’t forget to leave me a satchel with a spare change of clothes bag near the tree house by the gate.
It takes a few minutes to change back into my human form before I walk into the grounds of my home. Looking up upon entering, I see Thelma standing on the balcony of the third-floor lounge, her eyes fixated on me. Even from afar, there is no mistaking her blazing jade glare. I think I see a quick frown pass across her face before she turns around and retreats into the house through the sliding wood panel glass doors.
I hasten my steps, determined to intercept her before she goes to her room. I can either procrastinate making a move, or I can put my wooing game into action right now. Better to get on with it, I reason, like ripping off a bandage…right?
Once inside the house, I proceed to take two stairs at a time in haste. By the time I reach the second floor, I am panting. Just as I make a turn toward the next flight of stairs, I see her seemingly glide down the stairs….
Wait, she is gliding down!
Her feet aren’t touching the ground, and when she sees me, she gently descends and lands on her toes, and then plants her feet firmly onto the hardwood floor.
“Wow. You were flying?” I say, sounding like an idiot even to myself.
“No. I was jogging,” she replies with a mix of sarcasm and annoyance.
Okay. I guess she is still mad at me.
“I see you are mastering your powers,” I say. I hope my voice sounds as proud as I mean it to.
I catch a sneer on her beautiful face, but it fades quickly, and she composes herself, becoming serious once again.
“May I help you, Alpha Kyle?” she asks, laced with attitude.
Alright! When had we gone from Kyle to Alpha Kyle?
“I just wanted to know if you got the perfume I bought for you?” I ask.
I had sent a box of the most expensive perfume I could order on short notice to her room this morning; a gift to atone for my bad behavior, so to speak.
However, her scorn is back and she regards me with irritation.
“Oh, I flushed that thing down the toilet. It smelled like stale pee from a public urinal and I thought it belonged in the sewer. I am not a fan of such displeasing scents….They kind of remind me of someone’s rotten attitude that stinks similarly putrid.”
“I suppose that someone is me? I am sorry for how I behaved, but I think you should still watch your tone with me. I am still the Alpha around here,” I say, raising my voice a slight notch.
She throws her head back and her look is full of amusement.
“Pardon me, but I don’t see any Alpha of mine around here. With all due respect, you are the Alpha of the Kwaad pack. The last time I checked, I don’t belong to this pack. I am just a mere surrogate, or have you quickly forgotten?” Thelma responds with a hint of challenge shimmering in the depths of her eyes.
I step closer to her. I am not sure if I want to shake her or kiss her. I have never known a woman to be this sexy while showing me first-grade disrespect.
But suddenly, a familiar smell overwhelms me. I turn sharply and before a fly can even zoom past, my hand is wrapped around someone’s neck and I have them pinned to the wall.
“Woah there, brother. It’s just me. I see your vampiric speed is still top-notch,” a familiar voice says accompanied by a stressed chuckle.
I look at the face of the handsome, strapping young man in front of me and frown.
“Tobias…how did you get in?”
Tobias struggles and continues glaring at me.
“Maybe… if you let go of my...erm, throat, I could talk better?”
I release his neck and he makes moves to rub it. I can’t help but notice him shrug as a pained look crosses his face. Had I really hurt him that badly with a simple choke hold?
“Sheesh. Still with the ill temper, brother….I stayed here before, remember? I know how to bypass the barriers,” Tobias adds.
I can’t help but notice how his eyes quickly dismiss me and focus on Thelma. I know that look…he is dazed by her beauty. In turn, she sends him a warm smile, punctuated by a flip of her shiny charcoal long hair. 
Tobias sidesteps me to stand in front of Thelma.
“I can’t believe that God allowed an angel to fly from heaven and live with my demonic brother here. I am Tobias, the nicest of the two demon brothers. You are?”
“Thelma,” she says as Tobias takes her hand and kisses it.
I can’t help but feel the demon within me scratch at my chest, begging to be released. My anger is percolating as I move to stand between my young brother and MY little witch. I can’t help but feel protective towards Thelma.  She isn’t mine…I made that perfectly clear to anyone who would listen, including her. Why is the sight of her touching another man infront of me making jealousy rage inside me?