Unfortunately for me, my nightmares returned, worse than they had been the night before. Over and over again, I found new horrifying ways to kill myself. Jumping from the open window of my apartment, running out into on-coming traffic, each event played through my dreams in startling detail. I was relieved when I finally managed to wake up.
My heart was pounding like a drum in my chest as I gazed around the living room. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the sight of something scrambling around my balcony. Without giving it much thought, I sprang off my couch and rushed to the glass door. I didn't expect to find someone out there, so I was completely taken off guard when I saw a man standing there.
I let out a yelp, backing up for a minute, before I realized that I've seen this man before. It was Jacob, the reaper that Edward had just hired to his new guard. He stood there, towering over me. His expression stayed neutral, but I could see a hint of amusement clouding his eyes.
"Didn't sound like a very good nap," He commented as I tried to recollect myself.
I glared at him for a second. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"My job," Was his only reply.
"You can't just stand out here on my balcony, you're being really creepy. You scared me to death." I jabbed my finger in his direction. I was only now catching my breath.
"Until master Edward arrives, I'll be right here, watching over you." He folded his arms across his chest.
"Great, just wonderful. Can't I get a little peace here?"
"Believe me, I'd rather be anywhere else in the world right now. So, you are just going to have to deal with it princess." His tone was full of dry humor.
I'm not sure if I liked this guy much.
"Well, if you're stuck here anyway, do you want to come in?"
"No, I'd rather just stay out here, your apartment is disgusting." He snorted, casting his eyes out over the balcony, to the setting sun.
Nope, I don't like this guy one bit. Arrogant asshole.
"Fine," I hissed, stomping back inside to slam the door shut behind me. I would do my best to just ignore the guy. I had enough things to do around this place to keep me busy. I wanted to do some light cleaning today, but after Jacob's comment about my disgusting apartment, I wouldn't, purely out of spite. Instead, I would gather up some of my dirty laundry and head to the laundromat. It was just across the street. Shouldn't be too much trouble. I'd probably be back before it got too dark.
It's been a while since I've done laundry, but I didn't have a lot of clothes. That would have to change, when I get my first day check, maybe I'll be able to buy some new clothes. I was limited to just that black dress. The rest of the week, I would be wearing my jeans and old worn out t-shirts.
I had everything crammed into a single clothes basket as I went towards the front door. But before I could shift around to grab the handle, the door came open on its own. I jumped in surprise to see Jacob standing there.
With a quick glance out towards the balcony, where he once stood, a chill ran down my spine to see that he was no longer there.
"How did you do that?" I turned back to stare at the creep.
He leaned against my door frame, with a bored look on his face. "Don't worry about it. And don't think for one minute that I'm letting you out of this apartment."
"Excuse me, I can go wherever I want." I glared at him.
"No, not while I'm on duty. I'm in charge here. Master Edward said for me to guard you, so I'll guard you."
"He didn't say to keep me on lock down."
"True, but it makes my job much easier."
This guy was infuriating. "Look, I'm just going across the street. I need to do some laundry. Unless you want me to start showing up to work in just my underwear."
Jacob smirked. "You won't hear me complain," But as soon as those words slipped off his lips, regret instantly clouded his eyes. He turned away, letting out a silent curse. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh, what a nice thing to say, I bet Edward would love to hear that." I couldn't hold back my smug smile.
Jacob sighed warily. "Fine, I'll make a deal with you. We can go straight to the laundromat and straight back here. Just don't tell Edward what I said."
"Deal, let's get going then."
Jacob moved out of the way, keeping a bitter look on his face as he followed closely behind me. His eyes kept scanning the area. His body was tense. He was a good looking guy, but his attitude wasn't much to be impressed with. I didn't have much hope that we would ever be friends.
Once we got outside of the apartment building, I was overcome by the heat. The air was humid, sweat started dripping down my neck. The sun was beaming down over the top of my head. I didn't want to waste any time outside. I made a beeline down the street. It was in the opposite direction to Bubba's bar, but just about the same distance away. I've made the walk plenty of times. But today it just felt like torture. The clothes basket felt like a million pounds and with the harsh weather conditions, it made it hard to catch my breath.
Jacob noticed and snagged the clothes basket out of my hands before I could protest. He just eyed me, with a look of annoyance. "As amusing as it is to watch you struggle with such a simple task, I'd rather get this done and over with as soon as possible," He quickened his speed.
I tried to catch my breath, refusing to keep pace with him. If he wanted to jog to the laundromat and start washing my clothes for me, so be it. I wasn't going to race him. But his constant insults were really starting to get to me.
"You're a real asshole, has anyone ever mentioned that to you?" I shot in his direction.
He rolled his eyes. "No, most people find me pretty charming. You are the strange one."
"See, I don't think I believe you. What woman would want to be insulted all day? Charming is the last word I'd consider using in regards to you." I grumbled, following behind him at a good distance.
"Well then, it sounds like I'm doing my job,"
I wasn't sure what he meant by that and I didn't care. It was hot and I was annoyed. It was a huge relief when we made it to the laundromat. The air conditioner was blasting a nice refreshing cold breeze. It was a small building, there were only four washers, all a normal size, one you might see in a house. While the two dryers looked to be industrial sized. It was extremely dated, just like my apartment. Old linoleum tile floors, with bare cement walls. There was a stagnant air looming around us. Something old and dusty, with just a hint of a floral scented laundry soap.
I ripped the clothes basket from his hands and started separating my clothes. Whites, darks and delicates. My mother's voice popped in my head. Ladies separate their clothes, they won't get clean right, if you do it any other way. Who knows if what my mother had said was true. I would never find out. I always did my laundry this way. If one dark sock was put in my whites pile, I would have a melt down. I wasn't too OCD about much, but washing clothes, I took that seriously.
Jacob took a seat by the entrance, folding his arms across his chest. He kept his head down. I would have thought he had fallen asleep, if it wasn't for his eyes, constantly flickering around the room. He was on high alert.
I took my time, filled three of the washers. I brought my own laundry soap and a pocket full of quarters. It wouldn't take too long. Once the machines started, I snagged a magazine from one of the little stands and took a seat across from Shane. I figured that he would, at the very least, want me within sight of him. I did my best to pretend that he didn't exist.
"I noticed you were having a pretty intense nightmare, care to share the details?" He asked after a brief silence.
I didn't look up from my magazine. "Nope,"
He snorted, before leaving out a sigh. "Seriously, dreams sometimes hold deeper meaning. I'm a bit of a specialist when it comes to nightmares."
Yeah right. He was just nosey and bored. He probably wanted to find a new way to insult me. He must be running out of ideas. I wouldn't get him the ammo.
"I don't want to talk about it," Again, I refused to look up.
Jacob sighed heavily. "Look, I don't hate you, if that's what you think. This is just part of my job."
"And what the hell does that even mean?" I finally glanced up, noticing his strange green eyes watching me. There was an unreadable expression on his face.
"Edward's main orders were for me to watch over you. But there was something else that he made clear. He didn't want the two of us to be friendly. He doesn't want you to fall in love with me."
Now it was my turn to snort. I didn't know what made this hilarious, but I couldn't contain my laughter. "You gotta be kidding me."
His face remained emotionless. "I'm telling you the truth. Every woman that I've ever had the pleasure of guarding… they fell madly in love with me. It's a curse."
I raised a brow, once I was able to calm myself. "You aren't a bit full of yourself, are you?" You couldn't mistake the sarcasm in my tone.
"My ego has nothing to do with this. I could seduce any woman, with just a look." He smirked at me, his eyes turning darker.
"I'm sure you are quite the heart-breaker. But I highly doubt I could ever change my initial opinion of you. Don't get me wrong, you are nice to look at, but that's as far as it goes."
Suddenly his eyes flashed, turning a strange shade of pink. His stare was intent, I felt a rush of hormones stir in my chest. My muscles relaxed, my head turned cloudy. I could feel my resolve wavering. As if suddenly striking a match, arousal ignited within me. I peeled my eyes off him, looking down at Edward's marking. That seemed to help. I focused on my breathing. I wouldn't allow this invisible power to control my feelings.
Jacob growled quietly, bringing my attention back to him. His face twisted as he concentrated, but it was too late, I had shaken off his alluring pull. "You're a difficult one, probably because of that eternal marking."
"Or maybe, you just aren't as charming as you think."
His eyes returned to normal, but he kept a scowl on his face as he watched me. "If Edward wouldn't have marked you, I'd have you pinned against one of these washers so fast your head would spin. No one can resist my abilities. Never have and never will."
It sounded like more of a warning than a threat.
"And why exactly would you want to do something like that…" I frowned at him.
"Just to say that I could. It's not like I'm actually interested in you. I just would want the honor of saying I've managed to fuck the boss' girlfriend." He shrugged his shoulders easily.
"You are disgusting," I grumbled at him.
"Relax princess, I have no intentions of really using my powers on you. I'm just here to watch over you. You can trust that. I do value my existence. If I laid a finger on you, Edward would literally kill me." He sighed, ruffling his hair for a moment.
"Well, that's comforting," I said, looking away from him.
I was getting really tired of this conversation. I didn't like Jacob. And now that I knew he had some kind of ability that messed with my emotions, I didn't trust him. It took everything I had to keep myself calm. Why would Edward pick this guy, to protect me?
A/N: Enjoying the read so far? Leave some love. What do you all think of Jacob?