Forever Mine

Part Twelve

My head is pounding when I wake up. Jez's body is sprawled out on top of me, but that's not what wakes me. What wakes me is the door bell ringing and the constant pound on the door downstairs. Trying not to wake Jez, I slide out from under her and pull on a pair of boxers before shuffling downstairs.
"I know you're in there! Open the door!" Andria yells.
A smile grows on my lips. It isn't the most ideal way to wake up, but as always, it's quite amusing.
"What?" I snap after I throw open the door.
She freezes when her eyes meet mine. I watch them slowly travel downward. Saying I'm not a little proud of my body will be an understatement. The hunger in her eyes sends a thrill through me.
"You came here for something?"
She cleares her throat before making eye contact. "Yes, I wanted to know why you thought it was suitable to skip school. We have a lot to talk about."
"Well, for one thing, thank you for noticing I was missing."
She blushes as she narrows her eyes.
"Second, I'm not skipping. I'm sick." I fake a cough.
She scoffs.
"And we don't have anything else to talk about."
"How about you and my nana? She's suspicious of a lot of people, but what happened between the both of you wasn't normal."
I glance behind me up the stairs to make sure Jezebel doesn't hear her. "Look, just go back to school, OK? I'm not going. Get over it."
I hope my coarse behavior will get her to leave, but I forget who I'm dealing with.
"You can be a pain in my butt when you think your threats scare me. I see through you, Matthew. Now as I was saying before-"
"You were saying something? I've noticed that all you do is run your mouth, but no words ever come out, just noise." Jez appears behind me.
I force myself to relax when her hands snake around my waist.
Andria looks to her hands to my face. "I see."
Her expression reminds me of the first time she heard about Andria and I. I wish I could convey that things are a lot complicated than me being caught in my boxers with our substitute in a robe, but I think better of it. Why would I need to explain myself to her? This has always been my flaw when I was around her too long. I begin to feel human again and as appealing it is, I'm not human anymore. I'm a creature reborn to live forever as a slave to the woman he doesn't desire.
"I guess I'll talk to you another time...when you're alone." Andria cuts her eyes at Jez.
"As long as I'm in town, he'll never be alone."
"Funny, I wouldn't have pegged you as a desperate cougar. I guess I overestimated you."
"Listen here you self absorbed-"
"I will talk with you at school." I shut the door before Jez can have a go at her.
"I should teach her a lesson she'd never regret."
I kiss her to make her forget about Andria. Why did the girl have to be such a firecracker? Jez gives into my affection and wraps her arms around my neck. I pull her closer.
"I've missed these moments." Jez smiles.
Without replying, I go into the kitchen to make me something to eat.
"You know, Matty. I think you should deserve a treat for being a good boy." Jez watches me from the doorway.
I want to tune her out, but she isn't one to give "treats" and even if she did, they're never normal.
"Well, aren't you going to ask me what it is?"
"What did you get me?"
"Come with me." She grabs my hand and drags me down to the basement.
I following her blindly, I try to figure out what she has in store for me. The lights cut on after she claps her hands. Sitting the chair Victoria once sat, is another woman. Her chocolate colored skin seems familiar to me. She's tied to the chair with a handkerchief muffling her sobs. Her head hangs in sorrow.
"I got you a girl to play with! I hadn't seen you play with anyone in a while so I figured that's why you've been so uptight."
The girl raises her head and looks at me with wide eyes.
"Bianca?"
"So you do know her? She has been calling her nonstop so I figure why not invite her over. She told me that you guys had dinner, but it ended abruptly when you started acting weird."
I can tell where this is going.
"She was basically telling me that you let her live." She states through clenched teeth.
I did let her live and now that I know people don't know if there will be anymore bodies.
"Why did you let her go?"
Bianca looks at me as she tries pleading. I don't know why I didn't kill her. I practically rushed out the door and killed someone else. I'm just as confused as to why I didn't just treat her like I had done any of my prey before.
"I asked you a question!"
"I don't know." I swallow hard.
Jezebel chuckles lightly as she goes to the table with different silver instruments. "Well, I have a theory. Actually, I had quite a few at first. The first one was she was the witch you've been conspiring against me with." Jez takes a bucket full of water and places it in front of Bianca before she unties the handkerchief around her face.
"Please, Matthew. Just let me go." Bianca pleads.
"I'm sorry, love. He doesn't get to make that choice." She makes Bianca look at her. "I do." Jez ties a pillow case over Bianca's head.
I watch speechlessly.
"As I was saying, I thought she was a witch, but once I met her in person, she was too weak to be one." Jez tips Bianca's chair forward so she hangs over the bucket.
I try to understand what's about to happen.
"So then I figured, maybe my Matty has gone soft, but then I've seen you return to your rage and after all you had to kill the woman that lived here before."
"Please let me go. Help! Please someone help me!"
"Oh, yes, someone please come help! What about you, Matty? Are you her savior?" Jez raises a brow.
I cast my eyes down into submission.
"I didn't think so. Now, Bianca sweetie that was the last time you interrupt me. What was I saying before?" She taps her lips thoughtfully. "Ah! My next theory!" She waves her hand before stepping away.
It's looks as if someone invisible has assume her place. Bianca is still leaning forward on the front two legs of the chair.
"So then I wondered, what could make Matthew change his mind about killing someone? Then it hit me." The look she gives me runs my blood cold.
She stand next to me with her arms folded. "She's here isn't she?"
"Who?" I ask shakily.
"Don't insult my intelligence, Matthew. Alexandria is here, is she not?" She looks at me.
I remain quiet.
"I figured that would be your reply." She snaps her fingers.
Bianca's chair dunks her face under the water. She wiggles furiously. I clench my fists. The seconds seem to tick by like hours before Jez snaps her fingers again. Bianca is lifted out of the bucket gasping heavily. Her choking sobs echo through the room.
"Please! Please please please." She gags.
"Now, Matt, you know I'm a jealous girl. Just tell me the truth. I'm not a mind reader after all."
I can only imagine how this is all will play out if it was really Andria. I try to keep my anger repressed. Maybe I can make her think Bianca is Andria and if she was to kill her, then I won't worry for the real Andria's protection while Jez is here.
"Matthew."
"Let her go."
"Not until you tell me why you let her live." She snaps.
I clench my jaw and stare at the suffering Bianca.
'You don't have to kill to feel better, Matthew. She corrupts you so you think you do.'
"Very well." Jez snaps her fingers again.
"No!" Bianca screams before going back under.
"I really hoped to spend a day in bed, Matthew, but if I have to, I will spend it torturing this girl." She looks at her nails indifferently.
"Stop!" I shout.
Jez sends me a heated look. Her hair risies. "You don't command me! It's her isn't it?"
"Leave her alone! You want me, well, you have me. She doesn't mean anything to you!"
"But she means so much to you, Matthew. How can I be your all if she's still around?" Jez snaps her fingers and storms to the gasping Bianca.
Jez snatches the fabric off of Bianca's face. She takes deeper breaths.
"Take one last look as your good bye to her, Matthew."
"Jez, don't do it. Please!"
She smirks as she snaps Bianca's neck. Bianca's head slumps forward silencing any further cry she may have had left. There's this weird heaviness in my chest. I feel worse than cursed. I feel guilty. I get a girl killed because I cared about someone else more than I did her own life. Looking at Jez with angry eyes, I'm hit with more emotions than ever. I actually feel guilt that someone died because of me.
"Get out of my house." I growl, pissed that I feel such emotions.
Jez laughs. "You don't command me."
I rush over to her and press my hand around her throat. "Get out of my house."
Her eyes turn stormy as the room buzzes with electricity. The light bulb above us flickers.
"You are mine, do you understand that? I made you. I gave you a new life and I can take it away."
My grip on her loosens as my own throat has pressure around it.
"I am your God. Do you understand me? I will stay as long as I want!"
"I will try to kill you in your sleep." I wheeze.
I've never dared say such things to her.
"I would love to see you try."
The pressure closes my throat. I begin to see black spots.
"Let him go, Jezebel."
"Shianne?" Jez drops me to focus on her sister.
I nearly cough up a lung as I try to regain steady breaths.
"Hello, sister." Shianne smiles from the stairs.
"How did you get here?"
"I have friends in high places too."
"Get out..." Jez snarls.
"Not without, Matthew."
"How did you find me?" I croak.
"What...you know who she is?" Jez yells. "You lied to me!"
"I didn't lie. I didn't know she was your sister until after she told me."
"He's right. I used him to get to you. Sorry, Matt, but I couldn't resist the opportunity. I knew if I got her temper just right, she'd make it easy for me to track her."
"You're a witch?" I ask.
"No, I just have friends in high places, right, Jezzy."
Jezebel waves her had at Shianne, but nothing happens.
"Got to love those friends, huh? Come on, Matt."
"You can't have him!" Jezebel steps in her way.
"You've always been selfish. Sharing it caring." Shy smiles.
"I won't let you take him. I will kill him before you can have him!"
"No, you won't." Shy touches Jezebel's forehead.
She makes a toe curling scream before she crumples to the floor.
"What did you do to her?"
"I don't know. They told me to do that if she was being difficult. Come on." She helps me up. "Who was that?" She nods toward Bianca.
"No one we can help now, but there is someone we can."
"Well, let's go before she wakes. I don't know how long she'll be out. We both know how cranky she gets when she wakes from an unexpected nap."
We both go upstairs out to a car parked behind my truck. It's still running when we climb in.
"So who are we saving?" She pulls out the driveway.
"Head into town." I order.
I look at the dashboard to see school has already let everyone out. I tell Shy the directions to Andria's house. I need to make sure she's out of Jez's wrath.
"I'll be back." I rush out the door before the car fully stops.
"But you're practically naked!"
I run up to the door.
"You've done it now." Andria's nana opens the door before I can knock.
"Then you know I need to get her to safety."
"She's safe right here."
"You and I both know that isn't true."
"Nana, who is it?" Andria peers around her grandmother with Marne beside her. "Matt, your clothes!"
"Look, I'll explain later, but I need the three of you to come with me now. There isn't a lot of time." I urge.
"What? We're not-"
"Hush child. You and Marne get into the car right now. Do you understand?"
"Nana?"
"I don't want to leave you." I speak to the old woman.
"I'll be fine. I can handle her plus someone needs to protect the town."
I nod in understanding. "Come on." I usher Marne to the car.
Andria wouldn't budge.
"Alexandria, you go on child." The woman pushes toward me.
"I won't leave you."
"Yes, you will. I promised our ancestors I'd keep you safe and this is how you'll be safe."
"It's bad, isn't?" She whispers.
"Your life is about to get a whole lot complicated. I love you." Andria's nana hugs her.
"I love you too, Nana." She lets go and follows me out to the car.
"And I thought I was the only girl in the world for you. Well, besides my sister." Shianne starts the car.
"Who is she?" Andria questions.
"I'm the sister to the woman you're running from. Welcome to the resistance, cupcake."

Note from Rosemarie:

Thank God for the undo button.