----------- Chapter 27 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Haden's POV)
Jess' eyes are closed, completely exhausted. Her body must be aching even more than the cuts Moira gave her last night.
Her skirt and blouse lies in a pile near her feet. Jess is in nothing but her tight white camisole and knickers. Her long, lean limbs are covered by numerous little cuts and bruises.
She kept screaming and crying as Moira made each little cut, smiling sadistically.
And all I could do was stand there...frozen, merely watching.
Finally regaining control over my limbs, I sink to the ground, utterly exhausted and spent.
I crawl over to Jess, shakily getting to my feet. "Jess?" I whisper, brushing the hair from her face. She opens her eyes unsurely and gives me a small half smile.
"Hey," she croaks her voice raw from all the screaming and crying last night.
"Wrap your legs around my waist, sweetie. It'll take some of the pressure of your arms,” I instruct, taking a step closer.
"Haden, you look like you can barely keep yourself standing," she murmurs softly.
"Just do it, Jess," I command as I lift her up slightly by her waist. She gingerly wraps her long, bloody legs around me, her cheeks reddening slightly.
“Okay, hang on, alright? I’m going to get you down,” I whisper, stretching up to get to the hanging bracket. We’re so close that I can feel Jessy’s warm breath playing on my face. Our eyes are almost at the same level, and I consciously shift my gaze upwards to prevent myself from staring at her.
Jessy’s hands are duck-tapped together, but I manage to unhook it from the hanging bracket. I quickly wrap my hands around her back to make sure she doesn’t fall backwards, and once again, I’m overwhelmed by how close she is.
With supreme self-restraint, I gently release her, and she unwraps her legs slowly, stiffly. She winces slightly and stands unsteadily. I grab her around the waist moments before her legs give way beneath her.
She feels so fragile in my arms. I lead her over to the corner of the room, and the both of us sit down, completely and utterly spent.
***
(Jess’ POV)
I open my eyes, and faint rays of sunshine assault me. I sit up, gingerly, my entire body aching. I’m sitting on Haden’s lap and he has me cradled against his chest. His eyes are closed and his breathing even and deep; he must be asleep.
My hands and legs are all bloody and unbelievably sore.
Moira spent the better part of last night torturing me as well as Haden. Me with actual physical cuts and Haden by restraining him and making him watch as I suffer. I honestly don’t know which one of us had it worse. The look of pure self-loathing in Haden’s eyes as he watched me writhe in pain and scream out was more than I could handle. I wish I was strong enough to withstand all the pain! I wish I didn’t scream and cry and beg.
Worst of all, I screamed Haden’s name. Not because I blamed him or anything. It just came out! Despite my efforts to not say his name; I did. And every time I did, it was like a little piece of him died.
I gaze across the room, and see my skirt and blouse lying on the ground. And then realisation that I’m practically undressed hits me like a train! I feel my cheeks burn from embarrassment!
I slowly get off Haden’s lap and walk awkwardly towards my clothes. I pull on my skirt and blouse and sink back onto the ground, completely exhausted. My joints are screaming out in pain and it’s all I can do not to roll up into a ball and sob.
“Jess?” Haden calls softly across the room, his voice thick from sleep.
“Here,” I whisper back, deathly afraid that Moira will come back in with more torture.
“Come here,” he instructs and I reluctantly crawl towards him. “We have to get out of here. Can you walk? Do you need me to carry you?” he asks softly, dropping his gaze. That’s weird. Haden’s the take charge kind of guy...what’s going on?
“I can walk,” I mumble, a mental image of Haden carrying me suddenly pops into my mind. And worse than that is the fact that my stomach actually clenched in excitement! God, how sick is that?! Haden’s like my older brother!
“Okay! Follow my lead. And Jess? You trust me right?” he asks abruptly.
“Yes? Why?” I answer unsurely.
“Good! Just remember that there really isn’t any other choice, okay?” he whispers, standing up, unbuttoning his shirt.
“Hade-” I begin but abruptly stop the moment he whips his shirt off. Damn!
God damn it, Jessy! He’s basically your brother!
Who says one can’t admire their brother. And it isn’t like I’m peeking as he undresses. He’s whipping his shirt off! Completely not my fault.
Haden says something, but the silent argument in my head stops me from hearing him.
“Jess?” he asks, waving his fingers in front of my face. I snap out of my reverie and stand up.
Haden wraps his shirts around his fist and takes a deep breath. “The moment I break the glass, you jump down, okay? It’s only two storeys and there’s a bush and everything. I’ll be right behind you,” he whispers.
He takes another deep breath before pulling his fist back and suddenly releasing it. The glass window cracks and shatters noisily. Haden pushes me towards the window and I look out, immediately regretting it. It’s really far down!
I can’t do it.
“Jump Jessy!” Haden murmurs, his hands on my back, pushing me towards the window.
“I can’t,” I whimper like a coward.
The door suddenly flies open and Moira stands in the doorway, looking bewildered.
“Shit,” Haden cusses softly. He picks me up around the waist and drops me down. I scream and scream and scream, completely hysterical. But I hit the ground a couple of moments later, landing on my ankle, definitely breaking it. I clutch at my ankle, shrieking in agony.
A moment later, Haden lands beside me falling onto his shoulder. He winces in pain but stands up quickly. He holds his hand out for me and I take his hand. He pulls me along, but my ankle hurts too much that I’m on the ground after a couple of steps.
“You can run Haden! I’ll find you and Jessy again,” Moira calls gleefully from the open window.
Haden ignores her and kneels down in front of me. “Are you okay?” he asks idiotically. Hello?! Can he not see the state I’m in?
The tears roll down my cheek and I shake my head, trying my best to keep my composure.
Haden wraps an arm around my waist and easily supports more than half my weight. All I have to do is shuffle along beside him.
“F*ck!” Haden suddenly exclaims, letting me go and turning around.
Jones stands a couple of feet away, his eyes cold.
“Jones, you need not obey Moira! You can leave. Just walk away. Don’t make me hurt you,” Haden pleads.
Jones smirks and takes a menacing step forward. I watch Haden exhale in irritation as he closes his eyes. The next time he opens his eyes, there’s something different about him. I can’t quite out my finger on it, but he seems more...formidable?
He raises one hand and Jones goes flying and smashes against the wall. He remains suspended about two feet in the air, back against the wall as if an invisible hand was listing him up and crushing him.
“Do you not realise that I’m a reaper?!” Haden shouts incredulously.
He closes his eyes again and he reopens them, once again, something different about him. He lifts his other hand.
Jones’ hands fly up to his neck as if someone were choking him. He struggles futilely and within a couple of seconds passes out and sinks to the floor.
Haden staggers back towards me and once again pulls me up.
“Haden? If you could do that...why didn’t you do that to Moira?” I ask, completely confused.
“Because she can mirror what I do. What if she used something like that on you?” he asks, his tone tortured. “Okay, we’re apparating back to the mansion, hold on to me tight, Jess,” he orders.
I grab onto him an close my eyes tight, a little frightened.
“Emily!” Haden hollers and then I realise we’re back in the mansion.