I am Jade

by Victoria Danes

  My lungs were giving way to the abuse they had endured, and I was gasping for air. “C-can’t…b-brea-the.” I choked.

  “Stay with me, all right? They’re coming.” The voice was fading.

  My eyes gave up the fight against the heaviness that threatened them. I allowed them to close. I let myself fall into that peaceful darkness that promised me sweet silence. I surrendered.

  I didn’t want to feel anymore, but the person trying to save me had different ideas. They reached into the car through the shattered window and pulled me out.

  I fell into a hard embrace and my power flared to life. I instantly felt an insatiable thirst and hunger beyond human capacity.

  “Donnn’t…t-toucchh me.” I cried, but he held me tight. Held me against his massive chest and hushed me.

  There on the glistening road, my broken body lay in his arms, and he held me like a lover would.

  But he was not my lover. He was a cop.

  He moaned. I could feel his agony as he fought for control over whether or not he should eat me.

  He wasn’t a vampire, he felt…animal.

  Slowly, he started sniffing the air and baring his teeth like there was a threat nearby. He pulled my body closer, and in my weakened state the armor around my clairvoyance snapped altogether, casting me violently into his body.

  I gasped.

  My breaths were heavy.

  The turmoil inside of him was excruciating. He fought so hard for control. For his humanity. But that wasn’t what completely ruined me.

  It was the face before me.

  Seth’s face.

  He was glaring and his lips were curled over bared teeth.

  “Mine…” Seth whispered, as his hand suddenly plunged forward into officer’s chest.

  Seth, no!

  Everything stopped, including the cop’s heart that Seth now had clutched in his fist.

  There was nothing in the night but the hum of our breaths.

  Flashes of Seth and me together flared to life before my very eyes. Every touch. Every kiss. Every whispered memory.

  A few seconds later, Seth vanished and the heart resumed beating. The sound obnoxious. Boom. Boom. Boom.

  It beat with purpose, with power, with love for…me.

  With the last strength I could muster, I forced my shields back into place and began trembling uncontrollably as I kicked and clawed at the officer’s face.

  “Be still, my Jade,” he whispered calmly as his mouth covered mine.

  “No!”

  That was the last word I could scream aloud before he bit down, and the darkness swallowed me.

  I shouldn’t have agreed to take the call, but I was the closest to scene. Most nights, I can control myself without effort, but it’s a full moon tonight. It sings to me and strokes my beast. The air was laced with her blood. The beast sat up and licked his lips as every muscle in my body coiled. He wants out…

  I approached the mangled car with caution. I knew she was inside. Her scent was familiar. It was the infuriating beauty from before. I didn’t like the way her heart sounded. It was weak. Too weak.

  I reached in and yanked her out, and that was normal until a light surrounded us and I saw his angry face and felt my chest being violated. I felt my heart in my throat and then not at all. I couldn’t hear. Couldn’t feel. Seconds later, when the beats resumed, I was overwhelmed by love. Love for the female dying in my arms. I knew the cinnamon scent of her hair and the taste of her lips. I gasped and wanted to flee, but I couldn’t let her die. She was mine. She was everything! I did the only thing I could think of…I bit her.

  Adrian

  Chapter Five

  Ouch!

  I knew I was in a small, firm bed, and I knew that above me bright lights threatened to blind me.

  I could smell sanitizer, medicine, and industrial laundry detergent.

  Hospital?

  I heard an annoying noise – like a beeper – to my left, and the gentle hum of a heater to my right.

  Small, circular pads stuck to my chest were irritating, the needle in the crook of my arm felt uncomfortable.

  My mouth felt swollen.

  I wanted to get up because I had a sense someone was watching me, but I remained still instead.

  I heard his sigh. He was standing near enough that I could smell his soap.

  Gentle fingers caressed the back of my hand before moving to my cheeks and the outline of my mouth.

  This gave me an opportunity to let my power out.

  Maybe that was a mistake.

  I was bulldozed by feelings that I couldn’t understand.

  Love too strong for words, or maybe even actions.

  I was heartbroken over the fact that the person I loved was hurt and I was powerless. It broke me.

  Crippled me.

  Yet under the surface of those feelings was a sense of anger. He didn’t want this love. He didn’t know me, yet the sight of me made him weak at the knees. He hated the fact that he wanted me. Wanted me like mad. He knew even the taste of my lips even though his had never truly been pressed up against them.

  “I wasn’t aware she was in need of police supervision,” a familiar male voice said.

  The connection to my subject was broken and I felt relief.

  The voice sounded like Stephan – my alarmingly beautiful and tragically unavailable best friend.

  “She isn’t,” another male voice said with a sigh.

  The air felt tense.

  “I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I’m Officer Adrian Kincaid.”

  “Stephan Brooks. I thank you for your service, Officer Kincaid, but I’m here now, and I think she will appreciate a familiar face when she wakes.”

  “Of course. Keep her safe.”

  “You can be certain I will after tonight.” Stephan agreed. “Have a good night, officer.”

  I didn’t hear a response but heard a door softly open and close.

  Stephan sighed deeply as his warm lips kissed my forehead.

  “Oh, Duchess…” he whispered.

  The sound of furniture scraping across the floor of the room echoed in my ears and made me wince. Moments later, soft hands wrapped around mine, and I felt his head lean on my stomach.

  I wanted to tell him I was fine, but I couldn’t talk. Not yet.

  He kissed my hands and then he started humming, low and gentle, until I slipped back into the numbing darkness.

  ***

  Hours later when I awoke, it wasn’t the overwhelming smell of the lilies in the room or the smell of dripping IVs that threw me – it was hunger.

  It was rising and raging with persistence from the core of my stomach.

  My mouth watered for a bite of meat yet I was a vegetarian. I craved the potent flavor of bloody meat because somehow I felt it would satisfy the unyielding desire sweeping over me.

  I licked my lips and groaned.

  “Easy, Duchess.” Stephan’s voice urged calmly.

  I never heard it so clear or smelled him so intensely. His scent was exotic, like a summer night after the rain.

  I wanted to see his face. That beautiful honey-bronzed face with high brows over intense steel blue eyes, and a glorious crooked smile.

  He kissed my temple and ran a smooth finger over my cheek.

  I smiled.

  “Stephan,” I managed a whisper through my arid throat.

  Had there been a tube down it?

  Maybe.

  Probably.

  I decided I didn’t want to know.

  “I’m here, Duchess.” Stephan’s sweet voice assured me. “Can you open your eyes, love?”

  I shook my head, and the gesture hurt sharply all the way down my spine.

  “Give me a moment,” Stephan said.

  I heard him move around the room, pulling the curtains and then hitting the light switch.

  “All right, Duchess. It’s safe now.”

  The rim of my left eye felt raw while the right felt tender and swollen.


  Gently, I peeled them both open and Stephan’s handsome face blurred before me.

  I think he smiled and then leaned down and kissed my forehead.

  Tears rolled down my cheeks.

  “Don’t cry, Duchess.” He slid into bed with me and folded me into his arms.

  I sank into the comfort of his chest and he held me close – closer than ever before.

  I could feel the thud of his heart against my cheek. He held me while I cried, while I hurt and fell apart. He held me and hummed my favorite tune “In the Still of the Night”.

  “You really scared me, Jade,” he whispered in my ear after he was done humming.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” I said with a voice as steady as I could manage it. My throat was still raw and thick with tears and loss.

  Seth…

  Oh, Seth…

  Had there been any news about him since I’ve been in the hospital?

  I was fearful to ask, so I didn’t.

  Not yet.

  “I thought you might not come back to me and I was so afraid…” His voice broke.

  I pulled him tighter around me.

  “You’re all I have, Jade,” he said against my temple.

  I pushed myself up to see his face, and although it hurt like hell, I brought my hands to his eyes and wiped his budding tears.

  “I know,” I whispered. “But I’m here and I’m fine, Stephan.”

  I kissed him on the lips.

  Stephan smiled briefly and then rested his chin on top of my head as I fell back into his arms again.

  “You’re lucky I’m gay.” He joked.

  “Are you sure about that?” I countered playfully.

  Stephan squeezed me tighter and chortled. “I think you and I have already tested that theory.”

  I smiled remembering the night we tested it at a basement party during our high school sophomore year.

  It was after his confession, and the first time in my life I was drunk. He was drunk with me, and I wanted to test his control.

  The night was disastrous, and I ended up in the emergency room with a sprained ankle after Stephan ran away and I ran after him.

  “Yea, I guess we did,” I said. “If you’re not gay, then I am not your type.”

  “Oh, Duchess.” He sighed. “If I were straight, you would most definitely be my type.” He gave me a kiss on the head and then we both drifted off to sleep. For now, the pain masked my hunger, but it was there – growing.

  All I want to do is hold her and take away her pain.

  Adrian

  Chapter Six

  Dream

  Fog crept lazily in thick waves over bright green vegetation. Malformed trees grew awkwardly from the ground. The smell of pine and earth mixed with something else made my senses tingle.

  Smoke?

  Fire?

  All of a sudden, I was heading toward blazing flames that scalded my face. All around were girls dressed in lacy gowns.

  Some were crying. Some were singing and there, in the middle of it all behind the blaze with flames licking his face, he stared at me.

  He was lost.

  He was hurting.

  Fire engulfed him, and I screamed as loud as I could.

  “Seth!”

  I woke up trembling and gasping for air. Arms immediately met me and held me close. “It’s all right, Duchess.” Stephan cooed. “I’m here,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m here.”

  “I want Seth.” I whimpered.

  “I know,” Stephan said.

  “Where is he? Has there been any word on him? Or on the girls Faust was searching for?”

  Stephan let me go. “You want to talk about this now?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  I needed to talk about this now.

  Stephan knows how stubborn I can be and that there is no point in arguing with me when my mind is made up.

  “Faust said to get in touch when you wake up. He is at a dead end,” he said softly.

  “What?” I felt sick to my stomach. “What about? Cross? Maybe we could––”

  “They found him dead.” Stephan cut in.

  I took in a big heavy breath. Did I want to know how? Did it matter?

  “In the alley behind the club. His neck was broken,” Stephan answered without me asking. “The vamp squad is searching for the culprit. They think it was a rogue shifter.”

  Now was the time to ask the most important question. The one that was going to determine my sanity.

  “And Seth?” My voice was barely audible.

  Before speaking Stephan stood up and paced about the room.

  I knew the news wouldn’t be good and the anticipation was killing me.

  “Stephan.” I prompted.

  “Okay, Seth and––”

  “Good morning, Miss Sinclair.” A young woman wearing green scrubs and a smile walked into my room. “So wonderful to see you awake.”

  Fuck. Not now.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked checking my IV fluids.

  “Super.”

  She chuckled. “Well, for what you’ve been through, you look super.”

  I didn’t know if I should take the compliment and thank her or ignore it. I chose to ignore it.

  Stephan took the opportunity to make his way out. “I’m gonna grab a cup of coffee. You want something?” he asked.

  As if on cue, my stomach rumbled ferociously. “Meat. Like…a burger or something.” The thought of it in my mouth made me salivate.

  Stephan raised a brow. “But…”

  I raised my hand to stop him. “I know, just please get it.”

  He gave me a quick nod. “I’ll be back.”

  As he made his way out of the room, a short man with graying hair, round glasses, and wearing a white coat made his way in.

  “Good morning.” He greeted. “I’m Dr. Cranston. How’s my patient?”

  “She’s seen better days,” I answered, truthfully.

  “You are healing remarkably well considering your injuries, Miss Sinclair,” he said looking down at my chart. His tone implied something.

  “And that’s not normal?” I suggested to him.

  He gave me a smile. “Everyone is different, but I guess it’s normal for a lycan.”

  My heart sank into the empty pit that was my stomach. “A what?” I asked sitting up straighter.

  He looked at me with surprise and then checked the chart in his hands. “Err…a lycan, Miss Sinclair.”

  I shook my head. “Look, I may be a lot of things, but a lycan is not one of them. You made a mistake.” I hissed.

  “Actually, the bloodwork was pretty clear.”

  “Test again.” I ordered. “That’s a mistake.”

  He cleared his throat. “Okay. I’ll have Jessica repeat the labs.”

  I clenched my teeth and let out a breath. The test had to be wrong. “What other injuries do I have?” I asked.

  He looked down at the chart again. “You suffered four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken wrist. Dislocated both knees, tore several ligaments in your legs and fractured a hip.”

  I felt my eyes grow wide, and then I swallowed back the memory of the pain I had endured that night. “Is that all?” I asked.

  “No.” He handed the chart to the nurse and walked over to examine my head. “You also suffered a massive head injury that required fifteen stitches. Your CT scan was good. EKG was normal. You’re lucky to be alive.”

  My body hurt just listening to him, but I had feeling luck had nothing to do with it. “What about my mouth?” I asked feeling the sting on my tongue.

  He gave me inquisitive gray eyes. “Your mouth?”

  “My tongue hurts, and it feels swollen.”

  He made me open my mouth and he shined a small flashlight into it. “Hmm, you might have bitten yourself on impact.”

  Did I?

  “Miss Sinclair…”

  “Jade.” I corrected.

  He smiled patiently. “Jade.
You are healing in a way that I have never seen before. Even for a…well, it’s incredible.”

  “And that’s bad?” I shifted my weight on the bed because I felt uncomfortable. Like I was a subject he wanted to study intensely.

  “No. Not at all. I am very pleased to see that you will make a full recovery.”

  I gave him a nod and relaxed against the pillow.

  “We’ll hang on to you for another night just to be safe and then in the morning, if all is well, I’ll get started on your discharge papers.”

  “One more night? Exactly how many nights have I been here?”

  “Three,” he answered.

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  He walked out of the room after giving the nurse instructions to retest me.

  She put on a pair of blue gloves and tied a yellow band around my bicep. The constriction caused my arm to tingle. She opened a small packet and wiped my free arm. “Little pinch.” She warned before sticking the needle in.

  Dark red blood immediately filled the vial.

  I swallowed hard.

  “Your boyfriend is very protective of you.” She blushed. I wanted to correct her, but she didn’t give me a chance. “He chased off the reporters who came to try and snap pictures of you or get an interview from one of the staff.” She took out the full vial and replaced it with an empty one. I couldn’t figure out what exactly she wanted, but I assumed the conversation was going somewhere. “He wasn’t the only one that worried about you like that. I mean there have been lots of people to see you and bring you flowers, but I have never seen an officer sit and watch a patient if they weren’t under arrest.”

  That caught my attention, and I was suddenly very interested in what she had to say. “Which officer was that?” I asked.

  “Adrian Kincaid,” she said and her full cheeks turned pink again.

  Ah, yes. I remembered now that there was an officer in my room when I woke up. Was he the one touching me with all those conflicted feelings?

  “I’ve never seen him display any interest in a patient unless he hauled them in here in handcuffs.” She giggled.

  Another vial was replaced with an empty one. My arm was starting to burn.

  “How long did he stay with me?” I asked keeping my voice neutral.