Chapter 13
"Don't worry, they'll be left alive." 'Taker assured her coldly, tossing her into the backseat of the car, Paul Bearer in the driver's seat and slid in after her. "Barely."
She tried to open the door, only for it to be locked, beginning to hit the window. "STEVE!" She cried out, burying her face in her hands, shaking her head back and forth. She had been in the fight of her life tonight and lost.
Though the hope flared in her heart when Undertaker said they'd be left alive, knowing this definitely wasn't over. She'd sacrificed herself for nothing and felt the tears fall as the car sped away from the arena, ripping her arm out of Undertaker's grasp, not wanting him to touch her. She pressed her forehead to the glass, her nails running down it as it made a squeaking sound, her lips still burning from Steve's kiss.
He could hardly believe she had actually thought he would keep his word. How many times had he told her he was a cruel, heartless creature? Cold, vindictive and manipulative. "You must enjoy being punished." He said gravely, watching her with no emotion on his face. "You should have known better then to believe that. Do you like being the helpless, sacrificial maiden, Jaxine? Is that what gets you turned on?"
The words echoed in her mind as she shook her head back and forth, gripping her black hair in her fingers, suddenly looking up at him through heartbroken amber eyes. "You can say whatever you want to me, Undertaker. I don't care anymore." She meant it too, knowing damn well that wasn't true. She wasn't going to let him poison her mind again like last time and force her to talk about her past or anything. "You and I both know I would've came with you regardless so you can stop with the fucking mind games and shut your fucking mouth because I'm not interested in hearing it." She growled before staring back out the window, wrapping her arms around herself, already planning on how to escape him.
"Yes, you would have come with me regardless." He agreed quietly, withdrawing her necklace from the inside of his robe, dangling it before his face, having lifted it from her all too easily in the arena. "Because whether you like it or not, on some level you harbor feelings for me that don't associate with my head being separated from my shoulders."
Her eyes widened as she snatched the necklace from him, tears falling down her cheeks, staring down at it. She squeezed it in her hand, wanting to throw it away and felt powerless as she simply slipped it back in her jean pocket. "I once harbored feelings for you." She admitted quietly, looking away from him with pure disdain. "But those feelings are dead and gone." She hated admitting that to him, hated the fact that she'd just lied because she did still have feelings for him. Strong, deep feelings. He'd hurt her though. He hurt her with his words and his actions, becoming a completely different person overnight it seemed.
"Neither of us believe that so quit trying to convince both me and yourself of it." He said sounding bored, watching out the window as Paul drove them further and further away from the city. "I warned you of my nature, Jaxine. I see no reason for you to be angered with my deceit. If anything, you should have been expecting it."
"I did. I knew something bad was happening the moment I seen you with the leech." She directed that at Paul, who was driving, smirking wickedly when his entire face went completely red. "And you don't know me. You don't know what I want so stop trying to act like it." She crossed one leg over the other, arms folded, and leaned against the seat.
Thoughts went to Steve and longed for his warm embrace, closing her eyes as she seen those beautiful blue eyes. Remembering the first night they slept together in the same bed, when she refused to let him sleep on the couch. During the night he had pulled her into his arms and when she woke up, she'd seen their fingers entwined together. He was a real man who wanted to protect her and be with her. She smiled and opened her eyes, knowing she couldn't give up hope, and touched her lips with her fingertips before staring out the window again.
He had seen her touch her lips, for the second fucking time and could only seethe. He had been a silent witness to that kiss and seeing her reliving it, in HIS presence, was beginning to seriously piss him off. Finally, he reached across the seat, pulling Jaxine onto his lap and stared down into her face. "Forget him." He ordered. "Because he is no longer apart of your life and I will not share you."
"Get off of me!" She shoved away from him, narrowing her eyes and tried getting out of his lap, but he pulled her right back, locking her arms at her sides with his own. "Undertaker, let me go!" She ordered, struggling against him, glaring as his words registered in her mind. "What I do and who I'm with is no business of yours. I'll never forget Steve and I'll never be yours!" She struggled further and when he went to kiss her, she head butted him, groaning before falling into the darkness, her head spinning.
Paul snorted, having been watching from the rearview mirror like the sick pervert he was, shaking his head. Honestly, the woman might act thick headed, but did she really believe she was literally?
The Undertaker met his eyes in the mirror. "Just drive." He ordered sternly, looking down at Jaxine. He reached down to brush a strand of her hair away, his fingers slipping behind her neck to trace her scar, letting out a soft growl.
~!~
A loud groan came from her lips as Jaxine's eyes slowly fluttered open, immediately holding her head, wincing slightly just by touching it. She slowly sat up in what felt like a bed, wincing more and looked to her left, frowning when she didn't see Steve. Suddenly, like a tidal wave, everything that happened came back to her and tears were flowing down her cheeks as she thought about Steve and Kane getting beat to bloody pulps. "Oh my god..." She whispered, suddenly bolting out of bed, holding her head and wondered where she was. She looked around the room, blinking, already knowing it wasn't a hotel.
This was a bedroom. She looked down and blanched at the black nightgown that clung to her every curve and went to her knees, immediately wrapping her arms around herself, and touched her neck, fingering the necklace that hung around it now. She turned around and stared in the mirror, seeing the symbol, her amber eyes widened and instantly ripped it off, tossing it to the ground.
A portly, elder woman walked in, wearing a black gabardine dress, her stout face widening in shock when she seen the necklace on the floor. "No, no." She whispered, rushing forward to retrieve it, holding it out to Jaxine. "Wear it." She said urgently, looking around like the room like she was expecting the Undertaker to just step out of thin air. "Put it on, put it on. It's a gift."
Was this lady on crack? Jaxine shook her head, glaring and shoved the woman when she went to put it back on her. "Don't you dare touch me!" She growled, refusing to wear it, and felt naked as the elder woman quickly vacated. Good. She didn't want any visitors and quickly ran to the window, trying to open it, trying to see where they were. She was high up and what looked like a huge property with wooded area surrounding them. Jaxine groaned as her head throbbed more and looked in the mirror again, seeing the bruise, and suddenly remembered head butting Undertaker in the car. "I hope I broke something." She muttered before continuing to stare out the window, looking for some means of escape.
"Hope is a boring concept." The Undertaker said from behind her, having walked in after she had all, but sent poor Viola running for the hills. He rested his hands on her shoulders, feeling her tense. "Isn't it beautiful? The quiet loneliness of it all." He stared out the window over her head. His words meant to both convey his admiration for the place as well inform her she was quite a distance from civilization.
"Don't touch me!" Jaxine hissed, backing away from him instantly, feeling like she'd just been burned and not in a good way either. She ignored the pain tearing through her forehead as she picked up his symbol and threw it at him, the anger flashing in her eyes. "I won't wear it." She stated angrily and wrapped her arms around herself, wondering how she was going to get out of here and hoped Steve came for her.
For once in her life, she wanted to be the one who was saved and protected. She missed Steve and wanted to be in his arms, away from this dark, evil man and his cold surroundings. She wanted warmth and love, not manipulation and deceit.
"You don't have too." He said mildly, his voice deceptively gentle. In another heartbeat, Taker had spun Jaxine around, pulling her back to his chest, pulling her hair off her neck almost viciously. "You already have it burned in you." He whispered, bending down to press a kiss to her scar.
"Let go of me!" She cried out, shaking her head back and forth, closing her eyes tightly shut as she willed the tears to stay in her eyes. "It's not your symbol, it's my own personal hell that I have to live with for the rest of my life! It's a vicious reminder of what happened to me, it has NOTHING to do with you!" She broke away from him and backed away, pressing her hand over her scar, willing it to go away, to disappear and vanish as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
"Don't you find it strange that you have a scar that is almost identical to my personal seal?" He demanded, remembering a similar conversation like this from the past. "It is odd, isn't it? Out of the millions of people in this world, you are the one who comes to the WWF, you and your scar. Of the millions, you meet the one person who claims this symbol. And that means nothing to you?"
"You've GOT to be kidding me!" She actually shouted, the anger building up inside of her and suddenly shoved him as hard as she could, forcing him to land back on the bed. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" She shrieked, trembling from head to toe. "You stupid arrogant, egotistical bastard! I TRIED telling you that last time! I TRIED telling you that I belonged in the WWF, but you rushed me off by saying some really cruel and hurtful things to me to FORCE me to go away! And you have the AUDACITY to sit there and say the EXACT same thing to me? YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE!" She backed away from him, the anger flashing in her amber eyes, her fists clenched at her sides.
"The situation was different then." He said calmly, resting his hands on his knees, apparently not bothered in the slightest by the fact that she had pushed him. 'Taker merely looked at her, green eyes mild. "If I had known then, that you would be returning to become a thorn in my side, I would have never said what I did."
"I came back because Vince asked me too and told me what to do out there. I agreed because I wanted to hurt you like you'd hurt me..." She didn't like the look that came over Undertaker's eyes and actually swallowed hard, blinking. What had she said? "You forced me away, calling me a child, telling me how much I loved being abused when all I was trying to do was tell you that you DID have a heart, that you WERE a good person because you saved me. But that all changed and it's different now too. You can say and do whatever you want to me, but I will NEVER trust you or have the same feelings for you again. I fell in love with someone else." She knew that would put a nail in the coffin and turned around, closing her eyes. "I'm in love with Steve, a real man who knows how to treat a woman right."
A dangerous change over took him as he slowly stood up, appearing taller then his six foot eleven height. "I sent you away for this very reason, Jaxine." He gestured around them. "Whether I have feelings for you or not, I would eventually hurt you. It is who I am. It is my nature and in a moment of weakness, I did what I believed best for you." He cracked his knuckles. "You have my word it will NOT happen again."
"You can't keep me here, Undertaker and sooner or later, I will get out of here. I'm not yours, I never was." She stated, her back still to him, seeing his shadow in the room as he slowly came up behind her. She didn't want to look at him and closed her eyes, pursing her lips tightly together, refusing to believe he actually had feelings for her. The man didn't feel. Instead, he destroyed and it seared her heart painfully. 'I miss you Steve.' She thought, silent tears spilling down her cheeks and closed her eyes, almost feeling his arms around her.
It wasn't enough, she wanted all of him and prayed she found a way out of here soon.
"You're right. Feel free to leave at any time. I feel obligated to warn you that these forests surrounding my home are populated with timber wolves though." He said cordially, the edge barely visible in his tone, standing so close to her she could feel his body heat. "We are at least two days away from a town by foot, which is all you have. I've sent everyone away but us."
"I'll take my chances with the wolves." She stated and walked past him, gasping when he grabbed her arm, pulling back against his chest and stared up into his acid filled eyes. "What do you want? Damn it, Undertaker you just told me I could leave!" She didn't understand this man and stopped trying long ago, furrowing her eyebrows at the flicker of emotion in those eyes, trying to get away from him. "God you are so confused, do you even know why you brought me here?" She demanded, trying to fight him off, but it was no use.
"Because if I even approached you outside of an arena you would flee in the other direction." He whispered, his tongue flickering out to lick his dry lips. He stared down at her, his intense green eyes searching her pale face, finally locking with her own butterscotch orbs. Without saying another word, he pulled her firmly against his body, his arms wrapping around her waist, holding her pinned there against his hard chest, bending his head down to capture her mouth in a searing kiss, completely unlike Steve's. There was no gentleness in his kiss, it was pure passion.
Jaxine gasped when she felt his lips on hers and pressed her hands against his chest, ready to shove him away, but instead she trailed them up to wrap around his neck, pressing herself against him more. Her heart thundered against her chest, his kiss lighting a fire inside of her that had been long extinguished. Tears ran down her cheeks as her fingers buried themselves in his black tresses, loving the feeling against them. Deepening the kiss when she opened her mouth for him, Jaxine allowed their tongues to duel in a dance of seduction. Growling, his hands moved down to cup her ass, pulling her against him even more if it were possible, angling his head to the side to deepen the kiss, feeling her wet tears against his own face.
In the space of mere seconds, the bedroom door had come flying open, Kane bursting in. He didn't stop to stare just ripped his brother away by the roots of his hair, sending 'Taker flying into the wall headfirst. He took quick inventory of Jaxine before grabbing her in his arms, hurriedly carrying her out of the house and into Austin's waiting truck. He looked back as they drove away, seeing the house burst into flames. He knew Taker wouldn't die, but it would slow him down and give them time to get away.