Along the corridors were filled with more intricate white and blue Chinese vases on antique wooden tables. I debated in my head which would be more expensive, the table or the vase?
Hanging on the walls were large elaborate oil paintings of people dressed in Victorian clothes, whose faces I didn't recognise.
Theo's house looked like a museum or an art gallery but minus the dark and musty smell, or the constant cold blast of air-con. It had a more stately home feel to it, maybe because of the fact that Lottie was ruling the roost?!
He carried the sleeping Lottie using only one arm. He looked so confident and at ease; I had the feeling he must've done this hundreds of times already.
Lottie was sleeping soundly like a little angel. With her small head nested on his shoulder, she looked so comfortable, I could hear her gentle snores.
I looked at the cute little bunny tail on her onesie and resisted the urge to touch it. It looked so soft and fluffy, it was like a ball of cotton wool roll. I wondered what material they used to make it?
"Are these people your ancestors or something?" I diverted my attention, randomly pointed at the paintings on the wall.
One of the largest paintings hanging on the center of the wall was bigger than a real life-sized version of a short chubby man with a ginger beard. I somehow had the feeling that he must've been bald even with a feathered beret covering his head.
He also had a red superman-like cape wrapped around his shoulders and he was wearing a skirt and white leggings.
Theo raised one of his eyebrows at me as if asking, "are you actually being serious?".
"That's Henry the VIII." He said.
I nodded. Ok, Henry the VIII. That name rings a bell, where have I heard of it before? Walking over to the painting for a closer look.
"He was the King of England?" Theo prompted me.
That's right, Henry the VIII and his many wives. That's why his name sounded familiar. "So, guess you guys aren't related then?" I asked, even though I kind of knew the answer already.
"We came from a long line of descendants of Henry the VIII," Theo stated.
Of course, he would be related to royalty, how silly of me? I thought sarcastically. I mean, he lived in a freaking castle for crying out loud. But something else didn't quite add up.
"Was he a werewolf?" I suddenly blurted out.
Theo rolled his eyes at me, seeing that I had missed the point completely. "Of course, he wasn't a werewolf."
Lottie must've overheard my sudden outburst because she stirred a little in her sleep. Wrinkling her button-like nose, she looked like she was about to open her eyes.
I immediately apologised in a hushed voice, "sorry, I didn't mean to shout." I whispered, covering my mouth with my bandaged up hand whilst reaching out to pat her back with my good hand. .
Something warm landed on the top of my hand, covering its entirety like a warm blanket. I immediately pulled my hand back before even realising Theo's hand had been on top of mine.
Theo was caught a little off guard by it too for he also retracted his hand. I looked down on the ground feeling very awkward.
Theo on the hand other, looked indifferent as if nothing had just happened. His hand patted Lottie's back gently to comfort her and it seemed to have worked because she rubbed her little nose against his hoodie before slipping into a deep state of sleep once more.
We carried on walking to her room.
"How did your family become werewolves?" I asked. It was a question I had always wanted to ask these Pure-bloods but never had the chance. I mean, they must've been biten at one point or another.
He shrugged, "I don't know, my grandparents were werewolves, so were my parents, and so were everyone around me..."
"That's it?" I asked, rather disappointed with his answer. You couldn't exactly just be born into a werewolf. It was the same as the whole chicken and egg scenario. Which came first? The chicken or the egg? It had to have started off from somewhere.
"How about you? I take it it was your father that got bitten by a werewolf?" He asked.
I nodded, surprised by his observational skills, "how did you guess?"
Theo grinned, "it's not exactly hard to figure it out. Usually, it's males that enjoy outdoor activities such as camping and hiking and that's where the werewolves tend to lurk around. In moors and hills. You camp out under a full moon then you get bitten. These activities really should be carrying warning signs."
That did make sense. All the people that were in our pack were young and fit and enjoyed outdoor activities. But I then thought of Selena and Julien, and the circumstances under which they were attacked.
"That's not always the case though," I said. Werewolves were everywhere, they weren't just in the forests, they roamed around the streets and hanged around in bars and nightclubs disguised as rugged-looking handsome men when really they were just out hunting for fresh prey.
"True, there will always the exceptions." Theo agreed.
It was weird, the two of us just walking and talking like normal civilised people, without the urge or the need to kill each other or to jump down each other's throats. Then I asked the question I had been pondering over all night.
"Are your family friends with Mr and Mrs Callaghan? I mean, was that the reason why they were invited?" I tried to keep my voice as casual as possible like I wasn't really that interested in the answer, but inside I was dying to know. My heart was beating like a drum. I wonder if Theo had heard it?
His footsteps halted and his jaw muscles twitched a little as if he was grinding his back teeth, "No, if it was up to me, they wouldn't even be allowed a step inside this house. No Callaghans would be allowed." he snorted through his nose, "Christian invited them."