Long AN, sorry!: Not too sure about this one. Redid it a few times. It was harder than I expected to get inside Jacs' mind. If it comes off as neurotic/adhd/insane then good! That was my aim! And I received a virtually universal agreement that a physical relationship is accepted/expected. For any who would prefer not to read that, I'll put warnings in future chapters. Please don't expect it too soon, I'm fond of slow burns.
Please let me know how this chapter is received! Thank you all so much for continuing on this journey with me! Happy reading.
The softest of noises wakes him from the deep darkness. A quiet sound. Gentle. Gentle, like her. Warm, too, but strained.
A worried rumble rattles through his chest and echoes against the thick concrete surrounding him. Is it her? The girl? She's so soft. So gentle. So warm. So tiny. Where is she? She needs him, she's so small, she needs him to protect her, she needs him. Where is she? Where is she where is she where is she where is…
The clear wall suddenly fills with light and Jacs leaps back and into the shadows as swiftly and silently as a striking snake. The light gnaws and chews on his eyes so he looks instead at his bare arms, where stitched cuts decorate the flesh there. He loses himself in the pattern of the thread, inspects the fraying edges of the fibers with pondering interest. Each time he awakes, new patterns adorn his skin. Sometimes his arms, sometimes his legs, sometimes his chest.
Another sound, louder this time. Steel sliding against steel. He knows that sound. Has heard it before. Last time, she had appeared alongside it. Jacs perks up, his entire body tensing as he forces himself to look at the brightness. Is she there? Is she is she is she is she?... She'd been so scared before. So tiny, so frantic. There'd been other males around her. Touching her. Leaving their scent on her and depleting his own, replacing her sweet scent with their foul one.
Jacs' snarl echoes against the walls. They'd made her afraid, and he'd been unable to make her unafraid.
Beyond the clear wall, the wall parts amidst creaking hinges.
A male figure appears, grunting and dragging something inside. Jacs tilts his head. The door slams shut behind the male.
"Stay lucid, will you?" The male leans down and slaps the bundle of cloth. Jacs rumbles interestedly. What is that? What is that what is that what is…
The softest of noises. A quiet sound. Warm. But strained. A whimper. Her. The girl. The girl. His girl. His his his his…
She whimpers again and this time he can hear her clearly. Is that… pain? Is she in pain? Pain? What hurt her? Who hurt her? But she's so tiny. She can't be hurt.
"Please…" she whispers. Jacs eyes lid immediately as her sweet voice fills his ears. But it's filled with pain. What? What?
The male leans down over the girl, his girl, his, and grabs her chin. "Shut up," the male hisses. "Just let me have this. You'll be dead soon anyway, so let me enjoy this. C'mon, you said you liked it." The male turns and squints feverishly into Jacs' cell, peering with his weak vision. "Where is the freak?" The girl begins to make another noise but is immediately silenced by a backhand from the male, sending her skull ricocheting against the ground.
Jacs' muscles stiffen painfully. The male attacked her?! Her?! His? She's in pain, pain, pain…
And the male smells of lust, of musk, heady and thick as he moves to straddle her, as his disgusting hands touch her, caress her, claim her. The male intends to mate her? She's so scared, so fragile and small in the face of this male's violent advances. Does the male not know? Does he not know? She's claimed! Claimed! His! Does he not know? She's so small, so tiny. One must be gentle with the girl, or else she'll break! Break! Does he not know?!
The male bends down and roughly grinds his clothed waist against the girl's own while greedily palming her chest.
From what must be the deepest part of Jacs' soul, a haunting moan issues from his throat. It gradually rises into a series of soul-rending, nightmarish screams that shake the very walls.
The male immediately stops his advances but it is too late. Too late. The male's touch was unwelcome. Attempted to claim her, to hurt her… had hurt her. She's hurt because of this male, this male who'd completely ignored his claim, his scent. This male. Death is the only punishment.
Jacs bares his teeth and continues to shout, the sounds pouring from his throat with wretched rage. His feet dig into the thick concrete flooring and then he's leaping forward, slamming into the clear wall. His claws leave deep gouges in the wall as he slides down it, producing terrible noises from his chest. So close, he can see her more clearly.
Red. There's red. Red in her soft hair. Red sliding down her soft skin. Her red. Everywhere, everywhere… red. All he sees is red. He frantically watches her through the clear wall then raises his gaze to find the male. The weak, small male jumps violently when his golden gaze meets his own. "Please..." the male whimpers as he moves away from her. Jacs stares at him then back at the girl.
Red. Red. She's so small, slumped against the ground like that, leaking red. Jacs' chest rises and falls rapidly as his vision bleeds red red red red. He roars and hurls his shoulder against the clear wall. The male squeals, alarmed, further encouraging Jacs' bloodlust. Over and over and over he slams into the clear wall. He roars and with one final shove the wall shatters beneath his weight.
The male screams, loud and high, and huddles into the corner away from her, throwing his arms up in a submissive gesture. But it is too late for that. Too late. Only death. For spilling her. For touching her. For hurting her…he hurt her, hurt her… Jacs prowls into the small room and pauses beside the girl. She whimpers softly when he dips his head against her neck, rubs his face against her to replace the male's foul scent.
"Oh god... oh god... I don't want to die. I don't want to die!" Jacs raises his head to steadily watch with predatory, evil eyes as the small male continues to drivel. The girl sighs softly and he instinctively purrs for her. He returns his attention to her for only a moment and stiffens when the scent of the male wafts from her body. He growls, his chest heaving with the force, and bares his teeth in a truly demonic facade. The male squeals and cries and tries to get away, but there's no escaping Jacs' rage.
He pounces, throwing all of his weight into his leap. The male's fragile body shatters beneath Jacs' force, his belly opens like paper below his claws, his throat crunches easily between his jaws, his eyes bleed red as Jacs' fist enters his ribcage and pulls the slippery bones out. The male lays limp below him as thick red gushes down Jacs' throat. He takes deep, greedy pulls from the new corpse, relishing in it.
A sound, soft and gentle and sweet. So soft. So so so soft. Another one, a whimper. Her. The girl, the girl.
Jacs immediately turns from the male and hurries to her, hovers over her body. She's broken. Limp, weak, quiet. Her heart beats so fragilely. Jacs begins to purr for her, worried and strained. He lowers himself until his nose brushes her own, leaving a small smear of red against her skin. She's so small below him. Don't hurt her, don't hurt her. So fragile. Remember, so fragile.
"Jacs…" she breathes softly. His chest rumbles louder in response. She turns her head and presses the side of her cheek against his own. "Help me…" she croaks. How? How? His confusion manifests in a plaintive whine as his teeth stained red bare helplessly.
The girl groans and weakly maneuvers her arms. Slowly, ever so slowly, she raises them. Eager to aid her, he ducks under them, allowing them to loop around his neck. He purrs louder and tilts his head so that she might see his neck. Was this truly the time for her to exert dominance? But he wouldn't deny her a thing right now. Not when her heart flutters so weakly. "Pull me up…"
Wouldn't that hurt her? He can't hurt her. She's so fragile. Be gentle, remember, be gentle. His arms come around her, slowly, ever so slowly, cradling her weight and pulling her upward until she rests against his chest. She moans and settles into her new position and he purrs for her as she does. She rests her brow against his neck and he raises his chin to better accommodate her. Anything for her. Anything.
"Please," she whimpers against his skin, her lips brushing against him. "Please be able to understand me, Jacs." She takes a moment to catch her breath. Her sweet scent is made all the more enticing by the red that covers her. He drops his head and nuzzles her shoulder, basking in her warmth and scent. It's been so long. So long in the darkness. So long without her. He trails up alongside her neck and begins to lave up the red from her skin in rasping, languid swipes. "Jacs," she growls and he stiffens to attention. "Stand. Up." Up? Up? Jacs rumbles softly and bares his throat again. Why is she so aggressive? He's here now. The male is gone. She sounds so tired. Exhausted. "Please, understand me. I know you're in there… somewhere. Please help me." Her breath hitches then steadies.
Pain. She's in pain.
Stupid! So stupid! Jacs shakes his head as if waking from a dream. She's hurting! Sometimes he forgets… he can't remember… he forgets… how much does he forget? How much has he forgotten?
The red against her skin is beautiful.
"Jacs…"
She goes limp in his hold. For a moment, he panics. But the sound of her steady heartbeat soothes him. She's still here. But she's near. Near to the long dark.
Death.
Death? Oh, yes. That's what it's called. And she's in pain. What had she said? Up? He pulls her even closer, ever aware of the wounds decorating her body. A fresh flow of blood seeps from the back of her head despite his efforts and he whines plaintively. The male…
He hisses loudly and begins to snarl, turning his head to regard the newly made corpse. He wishes to hear it scream.
Don't forget. Remember.
Jacs shakes his head. She's hurt. The girl is hurt. Help her.
Stand up.
Jacs gathers his feet and slowly stands, taking a moment to find his bearings in this awkward position. He holds her small body close, stems the flow of her blood by cupping the back of her skull with his hand. So warm. He drops his head to her stomach, rubs his bloody face against her soft shirt.
Don't forget. Help her. Remember.
He raises his head and shakes it like a dog then slowly, hesitantly takes a step. Help her.
He doesn't know where he is. Every hall looks the same. He growls worriedly, looking every which way as he cradles her closer. Where is the sky? She'd be better under the sky. He hurries down every hall, scenting the air for any sign of a fresh breeze. Nothing but harsh scents that sting his nose. Nothing.
Nothing nothing nothing nothing but the old woman at the end of the hall. She is watching him with creased eyes that are slowly widening. "Young man!" she cries and begins to rush forward. "What happened?! Is that Josie? Why is she so bloodied?!"
Jacs begins to growl softly. Foolish creature, rushing him. She's not his. She shouldn't be near. The girl is too weak to be in the presence of others. His teeth begin to bare.
Be gentle.
Why? Why?
Be quiet.
Jacs reluctantly swallows his growl and heeds the sedate voice in his mind. "And where's your shirt, young man?" The old woman peers up at him with a baffled expression. He shifts his feet nervously under her gaze as he pulls the girl closer to himself. "Never mind. Come, bring her. Quickly!" The woman turns around and rushes into a room.
Jacs whines plaintively and looks over his shoulder, gazing across the hall. What should he do? The girl whimpers softly, her voice filled with agony. He immediately turns back to her, holds her closer and soothes her with a purr, presses his mouth against her neck.
Follow the woman. Go. Remember, be gentle. Remember, be quiet.
Jacs allows himself one last glance behind him, then reluctantly carries the girl into the room, heeding the stern voice that speaks strange commands inside his mind.