She was being held, no, constricted by someone. She thought he was a friend but he was a monster, built up on false pretenses. She fell into his trap, carried away by his charm. He had the ability to understand her when she was lost and on her own. She was flailing in her despair, alone after those creatures killed her family. But he was there for her like no one else was. How could she not see that he was just like them? She didn't want to see. She just wanted someone to trust. Now that he had her wrapped in his arms, cold words brushing her ear, threatening to end her, she would never trust wholeheartedly again. He laughed and moved her head to the side, a perfect angle to strike. He told her of the joy he had tricking her into trusting him. He claimed it was just too easy, but she had already been trampled, her heart shredded, so of course it was easy. She tried to tell him but he didn't care. In the end, he got what he wanted. That was when his fangs pierced her flesh, tearing open her throat so that he could have his fill.
She choked and gagged on her own blood while he fed. She begged for death to come soon so that the pain would stop. The cruel being that he was, he let her be crushed under the agony even after he stopped. He then forced his own blood in her mouth and taunted her while she writhed on the floor, the virus burning through her body. She whimpered and cried for it to stop but he just watched with a grin. At one point the pain was so unbearable she blacked out. She woke up feeling cold. Her heart was silent, no longer broken, but worse, it was dead. Fangs like his poked out from the top row of her teeth. A tortured need deep in the pit of her stomach made her groan pathetically. He chuckled and reached out to brush her cheek but the contact made her snap at him. She just acted, unable to think. Her teeth met flesh and her nails dug into him. They fought, hisses and roars exchanged along with blows, but he came out the winner once again. She was too weak, too hungry, and now the need was worse.
She wanted to kill him. She wanted to bath in his blood. In fact, it was her new goal. More so after he left to feed and then dragged back someone for her. She refused and turned away, but the minute he slit the human's throat she couldn't resist. She clamped her mouth over the gushing, hot, thick liquid spilling from the wound and moaned her approval as it coated her tongue. Her teeth dug in for more but she already drained the body dry in minutes. She tossed it aside, pushed him out of her way, and left in search of more. Her blood lust was a shameful haze of red and terror that haunted her well after it was over. She hated what she had become. She hated that her existence was only to kill. She cried for hours and let her anger out on other creatures like herself. She vowed that she would kill the man responsible for making her this way. She would find him and rip his head off with her bare hands. Brendon Reinhardt would pay.
Jade gasped and sat up swiftly, letting the vivid dream blow away like ashes in the wind. She was reliving her memories again. That particular part of her past was something she never wanted to face again. It was the motivation behind what she did now. She made it her reason to exist. She would forever protect humans instead of kill them like she was made to do. She had never been one to do as she was told; instinct be damned. She growled low with agitation, slipped out of bed, and left her room. She padded silently out to the kitchen and dug in the fridge for a stored away container of the blend made specially to keep her thirst at bay. She chugged the bottle, licked her lips, and then tossed it in the sink to be cleaned for a refill. She leaned her elbows on the island counter and held her head in her hands, waiting for her stomach to relent. The persistent desire to feed had grown worse since Tori joined them. Jade didn't like to admit it but she became interested in the young half Latina.
She really did have potential and learned quickly over the past several months. Jade often caught herself staring, watching the way her lithe body performed the moves and techniques they taught her. Jade had started off watching but soon tired of it. She would randomly give Tori hints and pointers, advice that the others might have forgotten. That soon turned into taking over for them sometimes, personally teaching Tori herself. They even went out to scout and patrol a few times without the others. That made Tori skittish and a little distrustful at first but those long drives gave them a chance to get some small talk in, despite it mostly revolving around Jade teasing Tori for the heck of it. To be honest, Jade liked her little pout. By the looks Beck gave her she knew that he was aware of her interest in Tori. She didn't like any of it, and on her worst days, she contemplated just tossing Tori out on her own.
It wasn't like she was defenseless now so she would be fine. Jade could never go through with it though, which made her furious. On her good days she wanted to kick herself every time she unintentionally flirted with Tori. She couldn't help it. The girl had a dorky but adorable personality that she would never have liked. Adorkable, some called it. She couldn't comprehend it but that didn't make it any less true. Tori was also so caring and looked out for everyone constantly. She was a great listener and tried her best concerning anything she was told to complete or carry out. And here she was thinking about her again! Jade dropped her hands to the counter in mild frustration but stiffened when she sensed someone coming. She knew it was Beck before he was even visible. He walked in with a hand combing through his messy hair and offered her a smile. Jade's frown only worsened but it didn't seem to affect him.
"What are you doing up?" he asked, leaning on the opposite side of the island.
"I couldn't sleep," she murmured.
"You sleep so heavily. It must have really bothered you if you're up when the sun is barely just going down. You even beat us out of waking you up," he commented. Jade thought of Tori coming in, as was routine, to carry out her duty as Jade's personal alarm. It was annoying at first, having to see and hear her peppiness so early, but then she started to get used to it and expected Tori to be there first thing in the 'morning'. She fought the small smile from appearing on her face and sighed heavily instead.
"It was just the…memories," she whispered, wanting to say dreams. They weren't though. They were real; from a past she would never escape from. He nodded in understanding and rounded the island to drape an arm over her shoulders. He led her to the couch where they sat down, Jade leaning into him for a rare request of support. He didn't point it out, knowing that she didn't like to show weakness or need anyone. She didn't even want it to be brought up. If he wanted to see this side of her more often then he had to stay quiet.
"Hey, why do you look like you've been sleeping? Isn't it a little too early for that? And where's everyone else?" she questioned.
"They're eating out today. I didn't go because I felt like taking a nap instead," he replied.
"And to keep an eye on me," she added, seeing right through him. He smiled but shook his head.
"Of course not," he said with an air of forced innocence. Jade smacked his shoulder but a smile finally came through on her face.
"I don't need babysitting and it's not like I would freak if I woke up and no one was home," she told him. He shrugged.
"I know, but still," he insisted. Jade rolled her eyes and then got up. She stretched out, feeling her spine pop, and then began walking back to her room to take a quick shower before getting dressed.
"Jade?" Beck suddenly spoke up, stopping her.
"What?" she replied in a sharp tone, her soft voice and the vulnerability it displayed minutes before, was now gone. He drummed his fingers on the seat next to him before replying.
"I know you don't want to hear this…" he began, prompting Jade to groan.
"Oh geez," she complained, but Beck forged on.
"But I've seen the way you and Tori interact with each other. She has a good impact on you and you guys get along so well. Better than anyone else actually," he continued.
"Vega? Yeah right. I tolerate her at best. Someone has to teach her something useful, and if you guys are gonna skimp, then I have no choice but to pick up the slack," she countered.
"Jade, you practically shoved us out of the way and took our place," he pointed out.
"You were doing it all wrong," she retorted.
"Ok look, that isn't the point. What I'm trying to say is she's good for you," he stated, deciding to just be straightforward. Her brows furrowed in a scowl mixed with an expression of contemplation.
"What are you really trying to say, Beck?" she growled.
"That if you won't let us in, if you won't let me in...then you should let her in," he further explained.
"No. It doesn't matter how 'good' she is for me. I'm not good for anyone," she disagreed, turning away.
"Yes, Jade. You are. Please, you can't keep beating yourself up over the past. You need to move on and accept what happened. You need to put faith in someone other than yourself or you're going to forever have to suffer with all that guilt alone!" he exclaimed, standing to stride over and grip her shoulders. She snarled and shoved him away.
"Don't touch me," she barked at him, too agitated for contact.
"Just think about it. Who could you trust more than her? You see how she is. I mean, who wouldn't trust her?" he tempted.
"I can't let anyone in," she grumbled under her breath. Beck reached out to her but she swiftly smacked his hand away before he could even make contact. She paced away from him to stop on the other side of the low coffee table.
"Jade," he implored quietly. She let out a frustrated, animalistic sound, and then slammed her foot into the table dividing them. It crashed against the wall and splintered into pieces. Beck jumped back in surprise at the unexpected burst of anger but he wasn't surprised that she would react that way.
"I'm done with you trying to set me up with her. Don't think I haven't noticed," she muttered, fists clenched. He opened his mouth to explain but Jade just shook her head.
"Leave me alone, Beckett," she warned him before striding to her room. She slammed the door, locked it, and crawled into bed. As soon as silence wrapped her in its numbing embrace she let the tears fall for the first time since she had been turned. She let the outburst of emotions flow and then put a cork in it when she was through crying her eyes out over a human. She didn't know how long she was crying but it must have been long enough because the others were back. She knew because the sudden knock on her door wouldn't have been Beck. He knew better than to bother her so soon after a disagreement. Jade rolled over so that her back was to the door. The soft knock came again and the voice that spoke made her freeze.
"Jade?" Tori called through the wood. She lightly bit her lip and hesitated but knocked again. The second they stepped into HQ Beck had warned them that Jade was in a bad mood. No one asked why, simply accepting that she got like that once in a while. No one could really tell what pissed her off sometimes. Tori was the only one to ask. A knowing smile curled Beck's lips when she did but she ignored it. He told her he was the one to upset Jade. He said something that she didn't agree with and she stormed off to her room. He asked if maybe she could try to coax her out, and when Tori asked him why she had to do it, he merely said that he believed she was the only one that could. It was a simple answer but brought many other questions to Tori's mind. She pushed it all away in favor of checking up on the irritable vampire. Now she was knocking on her door she was pretty sure Jade wouldn't answer. And why would she? She sighed and knocked again, clearing her throat for one last try, when the door's lock clicked and it opened just enough for half of Jade's face to be shown.
"What do you want, Vega?" she asked in a ragged, monotonous voice. Tori fumbled with her words, making Jade roll her eyes and prepare to shut the door, but Tori stopped it with a hand thrown out.
"No! Wait, I just…I wanted to- uh, um, h-how are you?" she stuttered, smiling sheepishly. Jade stared at her blankly before a single brow rose and a smile ghosted her lips, bringing about the crooked smile Tori adored. She found it weird that she had grown fond of a vampire, but it was Jade, and Jade was just…Jade. She was so unique and honest even if it was harsh, and Tori liked every aspect of her.
"I'm fine," Jade answered, moving to shut the door again. Tori kept it open with her foot this time and even took a bold step forward.
"Wait," she spoke up.
"What now?" Jade groused. Tori wrung her hands and shifted her eyes everywhere but at Jade. It was no secret that she made people nervous. Even the people she considered allies didn't entirely trust her.
"I-you-well, you know it's really hard trying to come up with something to say to you. Why do you have to be so intimidating? I mean, it's so easy to go up to someone and say, 'Hey, wanna go get something to eat?' or 'Wanna get a coffee and we can talk?' But with you, you'd probably take that as an invitation to eat the person instead. Not that you would of course. I'm not accusing you of anything, but it's just that you don't eat food," Tori rambled, clearly having a hard time coming up with an icebreaker. Jade watched on in amusement, leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms. She was stupidly adorable it hurt. Tori bashfully glanced at Jade and offered her a smile. She was trying so hard. No one tried this hard to befriend her. That was her downfall. The loneliness.
"You wanna come in?" she inquired, voice giving away nothing. She held the door wider so that the dark room beyond was open for Tori to step into. Any other person would take one look in and turn down the offer, but Tori saw it as acceptance on Jade's part so she happily walked in, surprised that Jade actually let her. She shut the door behind Tori and turned to address her when the clumsy human, having not a single idea where she was in the dark, crashed into her. Jade chuckled, steadying Tori by the waist while she gripped Jade's arms.
"Whoa. I'm sorry. I just can't see. You can of course, so you might not need one, but please tell me you have a light in here," she said, no trace of fear in her voice. She should be afraid but she wasn't. She trusted Jade and the vampire came to that conclusion rather quickly. She silently reached behind Tori and pulled the string of the old style lamp at her bedside, bringing her face close to Tori's neck. She inhaled her scent and groaned internally, her mouth salivating. The light gave off a dim glow that suited her taste for the dark. The second it came on Tori jumped a little at their proximity. She had felt Jade's cold form close by but she didn't know she was that close. Jade's vivid eyes roamed her face, dropping to her lips before flicking up to meet soothing browns. Her hand came up slowly, like she would scare Tori away if she moved any faster, and brushed the smooth skin of her neck. Tori shivered and closed her eyes. Jade hastily pulled away and put distance between them.
"Why are you here?" she asked now that she wasn't facing Tori anymore. She was such a distraction. It took Tori a while before she could respond.
"I wanted to make sure you were ok," she answered truthfully.
"Why?" Jade questioned again. Tori shrugged even though Jade couldn't see the motion.
"Because I care about you," she answered, honest once again. Jade tensed and clenched her hands as well as her jaw.
"You shouldn't," she mumbled, to herself or to Tori she didn't really know. Tori didn't say anything. She just approached Jade, who listened to her movements but stayed absolutely still. Tori walked around so that she was in front of her again. Her eyes were closed with her head tilted down in concentration so Tori was able to reach up and place her hand on Jade's cold skin. Her expression turned from a light frown into a grimace but she didn't pull away. Tori took that as a good sign and stepped closer while lifting her other hand to cup Jade's face. She lifted her head and Jade's eyes fluttered open to gaze into hers again.
"I know," Tori stated simply with a nod, understanding in her eyes. Her thumbs ran over soft pale skin before she leaned in and captured Jade's lips with her own. She kept them pressed gently together and waited patiently for Jade to respond. Eventually she did, right when Tori thought she wouldn't. Jade's arms wrapped around Tori to pull their bodies together while her lips began to move against her compliant ones. Tori's tongue brushed Jade's bottom lip and Jade reacted by pulling away with a gasp, not because she didn't like it, but because she liked it way too much. The feeling that coursed through her was electrifying but burned all at the same time. She wanted more and she didn't want to stop. It scared her. She carefully pushed Tori back and shook her head. No words would pass through her heavy breathing so she couldn't explain. Tori took it as rejection and nodded her acceptance. She turned away to leave but stopped at the door.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Her hand reached for the handle and Jade panicked for the first time. Tori couldn't leave. She liked it, but she was just being cowardly, right? No, it was the right thing to do, letting her leave. This thing between them couldn't go anywhere, but she really wanted it to, and so did Tori. With some quick reasoning and ignoring the more negative side of her thoughts, Jade strode over to Tori and slipped her arms around her middle so that she couldn't go anywhere. She took a few steps back to remove Tori from the door. Jade's left arm stayed wrapped around her while her right slid up to brush Tori's jaw tenderly. Her nose nuzzled the crook of Tori's neck and she pulled in a shuddering breath at the contact.
"Do you trust me?" Jade whispered, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. Tori's body reacted to the cool breath on her skin and she nodded an affirmative. Jade felt lighter with the confirmation. She ignored all her thoughts that screamed at her to stop. Her lips began pressing kisses to Tori's neck all the way up until she reached her ear. She nipped at the shell of her ear before blowing gently. A shudder ran down Tori's body this time. Her right hand came up to rest over the hand Jade pressed to her stomach while her other hand reached up to place behind Jade's head, encouraging her. Her whole body rested on Jade and her head fell to the side. Jade's eyes instantly went to her neck, groaning huskily at the sight of her pulse. She licked her lips and then swooped down to lick at her skin. Tori whimpered and bit her lip. The sound pulled a growl from Jade. Her grip on Tori tightened and her fangs briefly came in contact with Tori's tan skin.
"Jade," Tori groaned, unafraid of the sharp points at her throat. In the current moment it felt almost erotic.
"Victoria," Jade responded, backing up so that she could take her back to the bed. She swiftly scooped Tori up and placed her on the bed, crawling over her. Now that Tori could see her eyes she took in the icy blue glow. Desire was thick in her gaze but there was also uncertainty. Tori wanted that gone so she wasted no time pulling Jade in to kiss her hard. Her lips met Jade's ardently, unknowingly working the vampire into a frenzy. She took a break to suck in a lungful of air right as Jade took advantage of her open mouth to deepen the kiss. Her dexterous tongue slipped inside and tangled with Tori's sensually. Tori moaned her approval and gripped the front of Jade's shirt. With Jade straddling her waist, Tori arranged her legs to fold over the back of Jade's, rubbing her foot slowly along Jade's calf.
Jade's reaction would have been comical with the way she froze and her eyes widened if she hadn't accidentally bit Tori's lip in the process. Tori pulled back with a gasp but Jade quickly recovered in time to suck her lip into her mouth. Her tongue cleaned up the blood and tended to the split skin. Once it was healed she hastily untangled herself from Tori. The hunger was calling to her with full force, awakened by the taste of blood. Tori tasted so good Jade would have been drooling if she hadn't swallowed the saliva that quickly built up. She began to pace back and forth, hoping it would go away, while Tori stayed on the bed trying to catch her breath. She was sitting up now with her legs hanging off the side but she was still panting heavily. She let Jade try and relax while she checked out her lip in the wide mirror above Jade's dresser. She leaned in close and ran a finger over it to see that is really was healed.
"Tori, you need to leave," Jade cautioned, her voice thick with something Tori had never heard from her before. It sounded like unobstructed desire. She glanced at Jade but jumped when she was suddenly right behind her. She looked at Jade's reflection positioned behind her own and noted the way her eyes devoured her. She pressed her body flush against Tori's and rested her hands on the dresser in front of them.
"Please, leave," she begged now, her voice trembling under the force weighing down on her. Tori pressed back into her and rested her head on Jade's shoulder, stretching out her neck. Jade didn't know if it was intentional or not but it didn't matter. It still incited the uncontrollable need to sink her teeth in flesh. She bared her lengthening fangs while they were still clenched together, sucking in and letting out rapid breaths. Her now sharp nails dragged across the wood under her fingers, carving out thick gouges. Tori looked at Jade's feral features, made her decision, and then closed her eyes in submission. Jade's reaction was almost instantaneous. She wrapped Tori's torso in her arm to yank her tight to her body and her free hand gripped at her chin to hold her head to the side. Tori's heart was going crazy and almost stopped when she opened her eyes and saw Jade's cruel and hungry gaze staring back at her from the mirror. Her fangs were a little bit longer, the four teeth looking very lethal. She brought her mouth closer and opened wide so that they hovered over Tori's neck.
Jade snarled and pulled away at the last minute. She held on to enough clarity to remember not to go for her neck, where she might do irreversible damage. Instead, she released Tori's body long enough to tear away her shirt in her haste to expose her shoulder. She didn't even give Tori time to prepare before her fangs cut into tan flesh and her hot blood ran free, yanking a shocked gasp from Tori. Jade's arm went back to holding Tori against her while her other hand held her jaw with a little more care. She was cradling her face now as she drank. Tori couldn't explain the feelings that pulsed through her at the sight of Jade feeding from her. There were too many emotions to keep track of, both good and bad. A trickle of blood slid down from the bite when Jade clenched harder and shifted so that more skin sliced open. Tori cried out at the sudden brutality and cringed at the nails now digging into her jaw. Her hands gripped at Jade's arm around her. Her blunt nails did nothing to the pale flesh even when her grip continued to tighten from the pain.
"Jade," she whimpered weakly, her vision blurring for a second. She could feel her body start to give out but Jade just held on, a rumbling growl as her answer.
"S-stop…Jade," she tried again, black spots clouding her vision now. Her knees finally gave out after trying unsuccessfully to shakily remain standing. Jade held her up just before she fell, the limp body in her arms bringing her lucidity like a slap to the face. She unlatched her jaw and pulled away, subconsciously licking her lips of the blood that coated them. The haze of blood lust was long gone now and she was back to panicking. She closed the gaping wound she made and then gathered Tori in her arms to carry her to the bed. She was pale and unresponsive, her breaths shallow.
"Tori…fuck, please say something. Show me you're still fighting," Jade pleaded, caressing her face. Tori whined quietly and forced her heavy eyelids open. She saw Jade's worried face, blood staining her porcelain skin, and smiled as best as she could, which was barely a lift of the corner of her mouth. Jade took what she could. She sucked in a painful breath and continued to stroke Tori's cheek.
"You're so stupid, Vega. You're so stupid…" she began to sob, leaning in to rest her forehead on Tori's, their noses brushing. Tori chuckled weakly and brought their lips together in a soft kiss.
"You stopped. I knew you could do it," Tori whispered.
"Shut up, Vega. Save your strength. I'm going to call in a few favors and you'll be up and annoying again in no time, ok? I promise," Jade stated, concern and worry still plain in her tone.
"You really do care," Tori pointed out, her weak smile gaining some strength. Jade looked into her hazy brown eyes and then kissed her gently.
"Yeah, tell anyone and I'll really kill you," she threatened jokingly. Tori let out a short laugh before falling unconscious. Jade stroked her cheek one last time before arranging her comfortably and then rushing from the room. In the next five minutes she single-handedly deflected everyone except Cat. She ordered her to get a good friend on the phone who could do an at home blood transfer. He agreed to their request and said he would be over shortly. Once that was done Cat turned to Jade who actually looked broken in a way she hadn't seen in a long time. She returned to the room with Jade who would only let her enter. Her concern and panic already hit its peak. Her naturally possessive reaction towards things she held dear surfaced so that she ended up throwing out anyone who she didn't want in the room, growling and hissing her distaste. They quickly learned that now was not the time and they would simply have to wait for their questions to be answered.