It was silent at the helm where Jade stood, taking her shift steering the boat. She spun the wheel one way, feeling it tilt into a turn. The motions were soothing and kept her occupied. She heard the foot falls before she saw who was coming in. It was Sikowitz, strolling in without a care. After spending so long with him, he got over having a vampire on his boat. He was pretty laid back about everything now. Jade thought him to be slightly crazy but also entertaining at times too. He stopped and gestured to the wheel which Jade stepped away from so that he could take over for his shift.
"The sun is almost on its way up," he told her. She nodded but stayed where she was.
"Keep heading south but stay close to land in case we need to dock for whatever reason," she informed him.
"Where are we headed?" he asked.
"Brazil. More specifically, the Amazon," she answered.
"Ooh, interesting. Since it's on the way, can we stop at the Bahamas? I bet it's lovely without everyone crowding the place. It's probably deserted. Do you think there would be any coconuts? I remember this one time I went there-" he rambled, his hand plucking at his beard. Jade rolled her eyes.
"We aren't on a pleasure cruise. We need to get to The Dome as quickly as possible," she responded, cutting him off before he could continue.
"Ok, fine, then how about Florida? Can we stop there at least?" he proposed with a slight whine. Jade got the feeling she was arguing with a kid instead of a grown man. She sighed but nodded. He cheered and did a strange dance that Jade questioned with a raised brow. She turned away and left to find Tori. She saw her sparring with both Andre and Beck. Jade leaned against the wall and watched with a smirk as Tori single-handedly took down both of them. To be fair, they lasted longer than she expected. She walked over just as Tori helped them off the ground.
"Damn, girl, you're strong," Andre said with a laugh, clapping Tori on the back.
"How else would I be able to keep you guys out of trouble?" she replied with an accomplished smile.
"Glad you're on our side," Beck added jokingly.
"That's fine and dandy, but I'm barrowing Vega," Jade interrupted, grabbing Tori by the wrist and towing her away. The guys stood there confused but shrugged it off. Jade took Tori to their shared room and pushed her to sit on the bed after shutting the door.
"What's up? Can't sleep without me?" Tori jested. Jade laughed, short and mocking then turned away with her arms crossed.
"Please, that isn't what I brought you in here for," she replied.
"Then why did you?" Tori questioned, curious now, her smile fading with a tilt of her head. Jade sat down next to Tori, making sure that there was space between them.
"I wanted to ask you about that dream of yours," she began. Tori jumped a little in shock and then averted her eyes.
"You already know what that's about," she mumbled. Jade rolled her eyes.
"Yes, but I was wondering why," she specified.
"You know that too," Tori told her. Jade shook her head.
"No, I mean, why now? You haven't felt that way before, have you? Like at that level of…intensity?" Jade elaborated. Tori glanced at her shyly and shrugged.
"I feel a lot for you, but yeah, never at that level," Tori confirmed. Jade hummed in thought.
"It does seem sudden though. Do you think it could have something to do with what I am?" she continued. It was Jade's turn to shrug now.
"Who can say? We don't know much about you, but judging by the way you've acted before, I think it could have to do with your instincts. You're a hybrid of a human and a wolf. Humans have their own set of instincts and so do wolves. You probably work off a combination of the two," Jade theorized. Tori remained quiet, just listening to what she had to say.
"So if we take into account a wolf's behavior, I'd say I've seen you a variation of territorial, possessive, dominating, and protective, of both our team; or pack, and of me, your possible mate. In that regard, I've noticed your submission to me too," Jade observed, eyes settled on Tori who didn't meet them. She stared at the floor with furrowed brows, wanting to scoff at the points Jade brought up, but couldn't. She noticed the same thing. From fighting to playful banter with the team, she was always a mix of human and wolf, neither one stronger than the other but both just as prominent. She looked up at Jade when she mentioned being submissive.
"Submissive?" she questioned skeptically. Jade chuckled, a smirk curving her lips.
"Definitely," she confirmed, reaching out to push Tori down on the bed. She allowed Jade to guide her on her back and the vampire's smirk grew. She slid her hand under Tori's shirt to stroke her stomach, rubbing back and forth. Tori groaned quietly, her eyes already falling shut. Jade leaned in and kissed up Tori's jaw until she got to her ear.
"If I had to make a guess, I'd say you're going into heat," she whispered, pressing into Tori's firm muscled torso as she suddenly stroked down, her hand a little lower than Tori's navel. A low rumbling growl fell from her lips and her hips lifted slightly. She grabbed Jade's shirt in a tight grip with one hand while the other stopped her from going any farther. She was breathing a little heavily and her burning yellow gaze found Jade's sly black and white one.
"You think so? You really think I…I have that need?" she breathed, sighing with relief when Jade removed her hands from her body. She sat next to the hybrid, a satisfied quirk to her lips.
"Yes. Just as I have a natural inclination to want blood. I don't have to listen to it, but it's still there. We might want to look at the vampires differently than whatever you are, but the fact is, we're the same in many ways. We were both created, and in doing so we are affected by what we've become. You feel this way because of the wolf in you. It makes sense that it's most prominent during mating season. If you see me as your mate, then your dream makes complete sense," Jade clarified, to Tori's mortification. She blushed and looked way, hands resting on her stomach. She felt a little embarrassed by her body's need for Jade, but at the same time, she was glad there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. That didn't mean it was any easier to accept.
"You make it sound so clinical," she mumbled, turning to look at Jade now that she wasn't blushing as much. Jade let out an amused sound.
"Would you like me to make it sound more informal? I can do that too. I can tell you what your most base instinct wants you to do…" she responded, voice low as she leaned over the hybrid. Just with her close proximity, Tori's body reacted. She took a moment to feel the changes Jade created in her. It was like a chain reaction. She inhaled Jade's scent, her eyes focused on her, and without her permission her hands pulled her closer. Jade allowed her to but stopped mere inches from her. She could see and feel the desire coming off the hybrid.
"Or, I could show you," Jade finished, her hand back to rubbing at Tori's stomach tauntingly. The hybrid tensed under her, panting now, her grip tight.
"Jade," she begged, voice gruff. When Jade didn't comply, wanting to see what Tori would do, the hybrid took matters into her own hands. She lifted a leg to hook onto Jade, pulling her down so that their bodies were flush together. As soon as they were her lips met Jade's in a fast and hard kiss. She was almost desperate in her need. Her tongue soon found its way into her mouth and she put up no fight, letting Tori explore with only teasing brushes of her own tongue, but the hybrid wanted more. She rolled them over and pinned Jade to the bed. She buried her face in the crook of Jade's neck to kiss and nip at her pale skin while her body pressed into her, hips meeting. The vampire gasped, teeth clenched.
"As much as I want this, I don't think now is the best time. Just as we discussed, my body has needs of its own, and right now, I need to rest," she forced out. The heat between them was scorching, and it was all Tori. She pulled back from Jade to look down at her. She kissed her one more time before physically removing herself. She got off the bed to pace the room, trying to cool herself down.
"I'm sorry. I practically attacked you," she panted, glancing at Jade worriedly. She smiled and sat up, shaking her head.
"You don't need to apologize. It's natural," she replied.
"So is needing blood," Tori told her, wanting her to fully accept her own needs. Jade's small smile turned into a frown.
"That's different," she mumbled, looking down. Tori shook her head and crossed her arms.
"Why?" she questioned.
"I hurt people. I might even kill them," Jade replied quietly.
"So because I'm not hurting anyone it's not as bad? What if I get too carried away and hurt you? You matter just as much as anyone else. So isn't that the same thing?" Tori inquired. Jade rolled her eyes.
"You couldn't hurt me even if you wanted to," she scoffed, moving to get off the bed. However, Tori shoved her back on it roughly, too quick for her to react. She held her down by the shoulders with a growl, straddling her waist firmly so that she couldn't escape. A rolling growl from Jade met her own as they squared off, staring the other down. Both were tense, waiting for the other to make a move. To anyone else it might have looked like they were seconds from tearing each other apart, but the level of pent up frustration and energy told a different story. Really, they were seconds from tearing each other's clothes off.
"Vega," Jade warned, voice strained. She pushed at Tori's unyielding form to further her message of caution. Tori seemed to relax, but relented completely when Jade went back to rubbing soothingly at her stomach. She could feel the hybrid unwind, muscles loosening. Her sharp, bared, teeth lessened into an expression of calm.
"Relax, mutt. Control yourself. There's a time and place for everything, and I promise it'll happen, but not now," Jade soothed her. Tori nodded, her breathing evening out. Now that she was more in tune with how she felt, she realized that she had been seconds from trying to control the situation, to dominate Jade. But now she had a clear head and a heavy heart. She sat up, taking Jade's cool hands in her own, saying nothing while she took a moment to further gain control of herself.
"Maybe you could be a danger," Jade remarked thoughtfully. She had seen the rage Tori exhibited when Jade was in trouble. She had seen how agitated she could get when Beck crossed the line with her no matter how much Tori tried to hide it. And now she was close to forceful with her desire. It sure wasn't killing people for their blood, but it was still a danger in its own way. Tori exhaled heavily with an absent nod then climbed off Jade as well as the bed.
"I'll leave you alone to sleep," she murmured, walking to the door. Jade got up to stop her before she could leave.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Jade reminded her. Tori nodded half-heartedly but Jade wasn't taking that for an answer. She gripped Tori by the chin and made their eyes meet.
"Ok?" she made sure. Tori tried to nod again but Jade tightened her grip.
"Ok," she finally responded. Jade pulled her into a kiss, one that was slow and calming. Tori let Jade take the lead, unwilling to let her urges take over again. Jade pulled away with a small smile.
"You should be fine for now. Go take a dunk in the ocean. That should really cool you off," she teased, walking back to the bed. She heard Tori grumble behind her and smirked.
"I'll be here when you wake up," the hybrid informed her before striding out the door. She fell into bed and curled up on her side. It was well past her usual time to sleep so her body quickly pulled her under. The first thing Jade took notice of was the lack of warmth next to her which meant that Tori wasn't with her like she said she would be. She also noticed that the waves must have gotten choppier and unmanageable because the boat was tossing and turning like a toy in a child's bathtub. A huge shuddering jolt rattled the whole boat and tossed Jade out of bed. Her quick reflexes kicked in and she caught herself, crouched on the floor. She stayed there until she could gain some sense of balance, then ran for the control room. She burst in the see Sikowitz struggling with the wheel, a huge storm raging outside. It blotted out the tail end of the sun's rays, making it even darker under the overcast. Rain fell in a continuous sheet while the ocean waves looked sharp and black, hitting the boat over and over like its only goal was to sink them.
"Where are the others?" she yelled over the winds and crack of thunder. Lightning flashed in the sky. He looked over to her.
"They're securing our supplies below deck in the cargo hold so that we don't lose anything overboard!" he answered.
"Give me the wheel and make sure they get back here!" she ordered. They switched and he ran off while Jade gripped the quickly spinning wheel. The power behind the waves yanked at her grasp for only a second before her supernatural strength turned it back in their favor. Her eyesight helped her see through the storm and unruly waves just in time to steer them clear of any obstacles but she couldn't see where they were except for an occasional jut of land or small island formation. A strong wave collapsed on deck, almost capsizing them. Jade swore under her breath. A warm hand on her arm made her tense but she relaxed a little when it was just Tori. Everyone else crowded behind her.
"Everything good?" Jade questioned. Tori gave her a thumbs up and a smile even though she was soaked from the rain as was the rest of them. Jade managed a smile in return but it dropped when a powerful wave almost tossed her off the wheel. Tori jumped in to offer her strength but it didn't do any good when they were faced with the wall of water carrying them higher.
"Hold on to something!" Tori screamed. The team scrambled to find shelter just as the wave smashed into them, sending the boat underwater for a split second. It came back up and precariously remained upright until another wave slammed into it. Water forced its way into the cabin, tossing Jade and Tori from the wheel. They linked hands but the water quickly separated them. Jade was thrown out onto the deck while Tori was ejected into the hall. Jade tried to get on her feet, but even with her agile and nimble abilities it was beyond her. The boat lifted once more and then came down hard, hitting rock with a massive crack. Boards splintered under her and then the whole left side of the ship took damage as it began to meld into the rocks they had crashed into. Jade was thrown once again with the force of the blow, tumbling over the deck only to come to a stop when a piece of the metal railing speared her shoulder, inches from potentially staking her through the heart.
She cried out and gripped at the metal but couldn't do anything except hang there while the boat finally settled at a tilt. She waited for anymore movement, listening as the storm began to wane in the distance. Only then did she try to move. She pulled herself off the metal impaling her and tried to stand but stumbled, hitting the deck and rolling down the incline. She was dumped in wet sand after taking a dive off the side of the boat. She pushed herself to get up but the pain crippled her, sending her back into the sand. She laid there, hoping Tori and the others weren't nearly as injured as she was. She tried one more time to get up and failed all the same. She was losing too much blood, and with its loss, her energy. She lost consciousness before she realized it. The sounds of a foreign dialect met her ears when she began to wake back up again. She opened her eyes to see that she was lying on a cot in a dimly lit room. The design of said room was nothing like she had seen before.
She sat up, trying to keep the confusion at bay along with her rising hunger. There were humans around. She could smell them, but by going through her steps she managed to rein it in. She carefully got up, a hand going to her shoulder where blood had dried on her clothes. She had healed for the most part but her body was going through a conservation phase as a last ditch attempt to save on energy. She could feel a slight tug of torn flesh every time she moved and pressed her hand to the bandages wrapped around her. She shuffled out of the room to walk into a narrow hall. She began to take the stairs when she froze, listening to something she thought she would never hear. It was Tori, but she wasn't speaking English. She pushed herself down the stairs and rounded the corner into a kitchen where Tori and another woman were standing around cooking meager scraps. Jade paused in the doorway to take in the tanned stranger Tori spoke to. It was then that she comprehended they were speaking Spanish.
"You know how to speak Spanish and you didn't even bother to tell me?" Jade rasped, unable to form any other words. She was still blown away by this new piece of knowledge that was normal in an everyday setting yet so far from their own. Tori smiled at her lost expression and walked over to place a gentle hand on her injured shoulder.
"I never found the right moment to share. How are you feeling?" Tori responded. Jade looked to the woman who was eyeing her with slight distrust. She returned her eyes to Tori who was awaiting her answer.
"I'm fine. What about you? And don't lie, I know you're hurt," Jade answered, pointing a finger at Tori who smiled sheepishly. Her hand went to her side.
"When the boat crashed into a rock face it totaled one side of it. We had all run for a room but I fell into the cargo hold when the floor split. I was cut on my side but I should be fine. It's a minor injury. The others are ok except for bumps and bruises. We were dazed from being tossed around so much but we were found by a passing group of survivors who helped us. Lucky, right? They wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them. I convinced them that you weren't a threat, bandaged you myself, and now here we are in their shelter," she explained, gesturing to the dimly lit house they stood in.
"And the others?" Jade wondered, looking around. Tori pointed across the room to the other side of the stairs where the team was huddled around a table trying to communicate with a man using gestures more than words he wouldn't even understand.
"At least we're all here and accounted for," Jade said with a sigh. Tori nodded.
"They salvaged most of our supplies too. I even spoke with them about getting a new boat. There's one docked down the coast. They don't know if anyone is using it or if it's even sea worthy but it was fairly recent when they saw it," she shared. Jade couldn't help but smile at the hybrid.
"You can do it all, can't you?" she teased, hands on her hips. Tori only stood tall with a triumphant grin. She turned to the woman to say something in Spanish, received a nod, and then she took Jade by the hand.
"What's up?" Jade questioned.
"I was asking if the food was ready yet. She said yes and asked me to get the others so we can eat," Tori explained. The thought of food made Jade's stomach twist uncomfortably when she realized she probably wouldn't be eating any time soon. Tori seemed to catch on to her train of thought and smoothed her thumb across her palm in an effort to comfort her.
"I told them that we would have to let you out to hunt while we eat. Hopefully you find something. They aren't as accommodating towards you as the last group we ran into. You might as well head out now before we travel to the new boat," Tori told her. Jade nodded and Tori asked the man how to find the exit. They were well hidden under another collapsed building and its resulting rubble. It was the perfect place to stay out of sight with the addition of defensive walls which meant there was only one exit. He explained how to find it, Tori thanked him, and then led Jade away just as the food was being placed on the table. Jade heard Tori's stomach rumble.
"Tell me how to get out and then go eat," she commanded, knowing that the hybrid had a hard time going without food for too long. Tori gripped her hand tighter, refusing to leave her just yet.
"I'll be fine. I can wait a little longer," she insisted. Jade sighed in exasperation but didn't argue. There was no point. They reached some stairs that turned into a mess of debris halfway up. They climbed it and came out a boarded up hole in the side of the building. Another building stood leaning against it precariously. Now they stood on the roof of a smaller building that had also began crumbling against the one they came out of. Jade crouched at the edge to see how high they were. It wasn't too far to the next ledge and then from there to the ground. She then took in her surroundings to make sure there wasn't immediate danger. All was quiet. She would have to pay attention in order to get back so she also made note of everything she saw.
"You'll be ok?" Tori questioned, a little hesitant to let her wander an unknown place alone. She knew that Jade was more than capable but couldn't help thinking of all the possible things that could happen. Truthfully, she had spent so long with the vampire that she wasn't used to not having her near for too long. Jade laughed, guessing this because she too didn't want to be far from Tori, and stood up to walk back over to her.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, ok? Go eat," Jade urged, pushing her back towards the way they came. Tori hung onto her arm to pull her into a brief kiss.
"Hurry back," she told the vampire, worry still in her eyes. Jade nodded. Tori reluctantly let her go to turn away. Before she could look back one last time, Jade had already jumped down and was gone. Her brows creased but she trusted Jade to return on time so she went back inside to eat and wait out her return.