Forever and Always

Forever and Always: Chapter 13

Violet's POV

I woke up in an unfamiliar place.
The bed beneath me was soft, almost too soft and the pillows under my cheek felt just a little bit too plush. The walls around me were painted a mind-numbing shade of green, or at least I thought they were. It was hard to see anything when all around me was lonely, threatening darkness.

Something moved in the air. Thick, rippling tendrils that reeked of something evil- I realised after a few moments that it was the stench of death.

My breath caught in my throat as the tendrils came closer. I didn't dare move. I was frozen in fear. What did the ugly, palpable black threads want with me?

They floated closer and my heart began to race, almost hammering its way out of my chest onto the pure white sheets of the bed that held me captive. A single tendril broke away from the rest, and something unbelievable happened that had I not been watching, I would've never fallen for.

When the one tendril broke away, the others appeared to... Bow down to it. They even took a few steps backwards, but the lone tendril never faltered. It was transfixed on me as it hungrily closed the distance between us.

Suddenly, it stopped. Turned slightly. My mouth opened in shock, the gasp that escaped echoing through the room.
Oh my God. No. This was a dream. It had to be a dream. Because there was no rational way that the inkling of darkness could have... Eyes.

And there was no rational reason why those eyes would be Jasper's.

Except somehow, in this sick, twisted parody of reality, rationality meant nothing. In this reality, it made sense that the dark, ribbon-like shape would have my mate's eyes. It even made perfect sense when it started whispering in a deep, musical voice that awakened things inside me I never even knew could be awakened.

If you don't love me... Then reject me... If you don't love me... Then reject me... If you don't love me... Then reject me...

Over and over it repeated this eight-word mantra, slowly turning itself with each pause. Its voice was changing, no longer Jasper's melodic euphony but instead, a choky, raspy sound that caused shivers to run down my spine.

And then the thing turned and let out a bone -chilling roar of pain and despair, and I screamed at the sudden noise. Something inside me seemed to snap, and then everything went black.

There was still some sound though. Something saying Violet...wake up. Violet...wake up.
"Violet, wake up!"

I sat upright on the bed hurriedly, my heart dropping into my stomach when I realised there was a dark figure standing above me. It reached down, but in this reality, I wasn't paralysed. Scared, perhaps, but not paralysed.

Deflecting the figure's arm, I screamed at the top of my lungs, but not to any effect. A hand closed over my mouth, pressing my lower lip painfully into my teeth. I bit the hand and it was quickly pulled away with a gasp. Jumping at the opportunity, I screamed again, almost expecting the glass of the nearby window to shatter. Instead, a voice bit into the silence.

"Shit! Stop screaming, Violet. Its me!"
I did stop screaming, but I couldn't stop shaking.
"...Jasper?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.
"Yes, Violet. I'm sorry if I scared you but I needed to wake you from the nightmare. I felt everything as if it was in my own head." My mate's voice sounded melancholy.

Reaching over, he switched on the bedside lamp and sat on the edge of the bed. I couldn't stop shaking, both from the surreal dream and from the fear of waking up with a dark figure standing above me.

Jasper took a single look at my pathetic state and pulled me into his arms. I shook against him, the warmth of his bare chest spreading through me like a comforting fire. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me so close to him that I didn't know where I ended and he began. We were one, as the fates desired it to be. As we wanted it to be.