Chapter 28: Pain is temporary.
Jacob's POV
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."
~ Lance Armstrong
Warnings: Crude language use
The smell of the studio wafted in through my nostrils as we entered it. Sarah had been safely returned to Mrs. Gladys. I stumbled in as James pushed me around. The blindfold had been placed back on me and I had no idea where I was headed. I had no other option but to trust my enemy.
His smell burned my nose and my throat; though I was slowly getting used to it. He spun me around so fast that I had no chance to catch myself. My movements caused a stir in the air around me as I was pushed into the glass of the studio.
The deafening shattering of the glass echoed through the room as the shards dug into my skin painfully. I yelled in pain and James chuckled. The bastard.
" You didn't think it was all fun and games at James's casa, did you?" His voice was mocking and I seethed at the lack of helplessness.
"Fuck you," I spat as I tried to get up from my place on the floor.
"Shut up," he yelled as he pulled me up by my shirt and flung me across the room again. I groaned as my body hit a pillar and I sunk to the floor unceremoniously. I heard a crack somewhere, but I couldn't tell which bone of mine had cracked.
" You should have known better, Jacob Black," he spat as he crouched down next to me again. His cold breath pressed on my skin as he leaned into my ear, " You should have known better, you filthy piece of shit," and with that came a blow to my face. The crack resonated in my ear, just like James's gleeful chuckle.
Hoisting me by my shirt again, he lifted and pushed me against the pillar. My eyes were still bound and I couldn't see his face. But, I felt the rush of air as he darted across the room and back. Something clanked, like chains. Heavy chains.
The bottom of my stomach dropped. This couldn't be good.
"Stand on the tip of your toes and put your hands up," he ordered coldly.
A well-packed punch in my stomach was the consequence of my hesitation. " Now, Jacob," he roared in my ear and I had no choice but to obey. Inside, my wolf whimpered; weak from the lack of contact with his imprint.
Obeying him, I pushed myself on the tip of my toes, knowing that I will be regretting this in a few hours. And allowed him to tie my hands above my head to something that supported my weight as I dangled between the ceiling and the floorboards. Like a piece of meat at the butcher's.
" You know, I had ordered these chains a couple of decades ago. I had wanted to join Marcus when he eradicated the world with vermin. Children of the Moon. But, he never gave me the opportunity. Kept saying I had to prove myself. Everytime I did, he would turn around and give me a new challenge," he said, loathing in his voice as he talked about his companion.
"Maybe you weren't good enough," I couldn't help but taunt. A fist connected with the bridge of my nose, effectively shattering the cartilage and releasing the torrent of blood down my face. I winced in pain.
Not noticing the blood or my pain, the sick bastard continued like nothing ever happened, " But, now... Now I get to use them. With you." " You must be really special, aren't you, Jake? To deserve brand new chains?"
Spluttering through the blood that was running down my lips, I spat, " Don't call me that."
Ignoring me once again, James darted across the room. Again. Before I felt his presence, I felt something rip my skin. I screamed out in pain. As he moved across my shirt, slashing it into tatters, I realized he was using the shattered glass and cutting into my skin. And removing my shirt.
"My. My. My. What do we have here?" he whispered; his cold breath ghosting over my collarbone. " Is that what I think it is?" " Did Eddy mark you?"
My heart sank. I fervently prayed he didn't soil Edward's mark with his fingers. I didn't want anyone touching me there. There was only person who reserved that right. And he was miles away.
" I wonder..." mumbled James as his fingers caressed the area surrounding the wound.
Cold fingers pushed against the wound and I whimpered. Partly in pain and partly in disgust. My wolf was revolted. He snarled. I felt my body tremble with tremors but the specially designed chains prevented my wolf from exploding out. We were both trapped in a cage by this monster.
" Don't," I whimpered. There was a burning in my veins. Like his fingers were igniting fire as they touched and contoured Edward's bitemarks.
James bursted out laughing, " That's right. Whimper like the good puppy you are." " Does it hurt? When I touch you here?" " Would Edward like that? That I'm touching you in the same way he did?"
" Fuck you, you son of a bitch," I spluttered out in anger as I lifted my leg up and kicked his side.
Caught off guard, he fell down.
From his seat on the floor, he laughed. Laughed like a maniac. " Feisty, aren't you?" " Not so bad looking either," he growled as he stood up and took my chin in between his fingers.
" I can certainly understand the appeal you must have for Edward," he whispered as his breath got closer to mine; almost intermingling.
" Your smell is revolting," he said as he leaned in closer to my chin. A cold tongue darted out and licked the blood off my chin and sickening both my wolf and I. " Your taste is worse," he added.
" You know, Jacob?" he said, " It's really a pity. Pity that Edward won't get to see you in your last moments. It could be traumatizing to be away from one's mate for so long. And to miss out on their lives." "Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh as to make him miss your life. I am not that heartless."
" Do you think he'd enjoy watching me break you?" he asked, " Hm?" as he flicked my earlobe with his finger. "Personally, I think he would," he continued when I wouldn't answer him, " maybe I should videotape this all for him. And mail it to him. Wouldn't he love that? Homemade videos of his mutt?"
" Can you imagine? How much he will enjoy watching his little mate die infront of him? Watch the blood ooze from you? Hear every crack of every bone? Watch as I break you?"
" He'll fucking kill you," I spat. My heart tore at the thought of Edward watching this torture.
James laughed again, infuriating me. " Really? You think so? I think he might thank me. Thank me for getting rid of the flea invested mangy little mutt that had wormed its way into his bed."
"But, Jake," he whispered huskily as he lowered his head down to my ear, " even I have to admit that you're kind of, sort of beautiful," as frigid fingers traced the side of my jaw, over the shell of my ear before reaching the back of my head.
As the blindfold slipped away, I blinked against the light. I waited for my eyes to get adjusted again as James continued tracing my features with his fingers. Goosebumps erupted all over my body as I shivered from repulsion. The idea of someone else touching me was revolting.
" I wonder how you'd feel..." mumbled James before crimson eyes looked up to meet my wide shocked ones.
Edward's POV:
It had been three days since Jacob had left Chicago. Three fucking days and we still had no idea as to where James might have taken him. Jasper, Carlisle and I had scoured Chicago from top to bottom without any luck.
They were not in Chicago anymore.
I huffed impatiently as I waited for Jasper to claim our tickets from the lady at the counter. We were going back to Washington, although I didn't know why. There was no point in returning to Forks, if Jake wasn't going to be there.
For all I knew they could be flying to the moon right now... Flying. I paused in my actions and my body stiffened.
They could have flown somewhere. Darting forward, I leaned against the counter, ignoring the puzzled look from Jasper.
"Excuse me," I said to the woman, with the most dazzling smile I could manage under the circumstance, " Could you please look up someone from your records please?"
"Sir, I'm afraid I'm not allow..." she started awkwardly. I heard the erratic beats of her heart and I knew it wouldn't be all that hard for me to make eat out of my palms.
"Look, please. I really need you to look up my stepbrother," I said, clenching my teeth at the word 'stepbrother,' " He ran away from home. And, we've been looking for days. The police are looking as well, but maybe this could help. Please," I begged, opening my eyes a fraction wider and imitating Jacob's puppy look.
Glancing around her, she whispered, " Alright, but let's be quick."
I beamed at her, " Thank you. Thank you so much."
" What's his name?"
" Jacob. Jacob Black."
As she typed in his name, I prayed for a match. I wanted... I needed to know where he was. It's been three days. We've never been apart for this long. I had no idea how much time his wolf could go without being close to me. I had no idea how much time I could spend away from him. The bond was empty and yet, it hurt. It was like a pang in my chest constantly. An openness that hurt. A hole that throbbed.
" No, I'm sorry. There's no march for a Jacob Black," interrupted the lady.
My heart sank, " How about Ephraim Black?" I asked.
Fuck, Jake. Where are you? I could hear Carlisle and Jasper's worried thoughts as they exchanged a glance with each other.
" No, sir. No Ephraim Black."
" Did you spell it right? It's E for Edward. P for Paul. H for hotel. R for Robert. A for apple. I for ice cream and M for mother. And Black is just like the colour," I begged desperately.
"That's exactly what I have here. I'm sorry but it seems like your brother did not fly out of Chicago."
" How about Jacob Cullen? Or Jacob Masen?" asked Jasper as he leaned in as well, interrupting me.
The lady glanced between Jasper and I before nodding. Jasper's hand clasped my shoulder tightly. Showing his support.
"Or Ephraim. With any of these last names," I added desperately.
"Yes. It seems we had a flier under that name three days ago. Ephraim Cullen," she said and I felt myself breathe a sigh of relief. I wanted to sink to the floor-my legs had turned to jello. I wasn't sure if it was because we now had a lead on Jacob or the fact that he had no problems in using my last name; even if he had made so damn hard for me to trace him.
"Where to?" asked Jasper and I nodded.
" Seattle Tacoma Airport in Seattle."
"Fuck," I breathed out. He was in Forks. Jacob was in Forks. So close. He was home.
And now I was going home to find my mate.
My foot pressed down on the gas, without any conscious thought. I was...twitchy with the need to get home. My mind was quiet; the thoughts of Carlisle and Jasper had been muted since they walked through my apartment because of the numbness in my head.
All I could think of was Jacob. I wondered where he was; if he was okay. I knew this was the first time we had been apart for this long since he imprinted on me. Even in the beginning, we had atleast spent time in the same room...but this was felt like an infinity.
" Night grows long, many lives long, when we part,
or goes so fast, a split second, many times split,
when we are together..."
I frowned as the lines from an Indian poem that I had read many years ago ran through my head. How true they were. My life was a misery without Jacob. With him, the time had flown fast. Way to fast. And without him, I suffered from bereavement. My life knew no meaning as I waited for him to come back to me.
The Cullen mansion appeared against the sky line of Forks, and I could nearly feel both Carlisle and Jasper's sigh of relief as we got a little bit closer to their mates.
It seemed like everyone had gotten back to Forks already. The house was lit up and I waited for the rush of happiness that I usually felt to be home to come, but it never did.
As soon as we stepped out of the Jeep, my siblings and Esme came rushing out. And I found myself wrapped in arms-I couldn't tell which belonged to whom. Various forms of "I'm so sorry, Edward," ran through my head and echoed in my ears. I didn't respond to any of them.
I sighed and once they had suffocated me enough, I pushed past them and walked into the house.
Days apart: Three
Author's Note:
Here's another chapter. I'm sorry the sneak peeks took so long. I've been busy with school. But, here we are, Edward is back in Forks, where he thinks Jacob is. But, Jacob is in Seattle, by the campus of the University of Washington. How do you think he's going to react when he finds out?
Like I've said before, no matter the length of the chapters, there's always something important in each of them. So, don't despair at the length. Also, you'll note there's no time jumps since the last chapter. It's basically a continuation of Day 3. But, there's one in the next chapter. :)
Also, a reminder to log in if/when you are reviewing so I can send you the sneak peeks. Or make sure your PM is abled on your FF account.
Until the next time,
Lisa
p.s Who absolutely loathes James?
