by Gina Manis
Taking to my wings, I hide among the trees waiting for my prey. Sure enough, it isn’t long before I see Jared running down the mountain at a deadly pace. He has obviously forgotten his friends.
Taking off, I fly directly to him and plow him down with my force before I land on the ground in front of him. He looks up as I draw my sword.
“I didn’t take her,” he says, shaking his head in fear as he stands up and backs away from me.
“And I suppose she took her clothes off herself, leaping over the cliff?” I grit out between my clenched teeth.
“I didn’t know she would jump,” he tells me as I step forward, and he steps back. “She is crazy.”
“Why did you follow us, Jared?” I ask him, advancing on him until he is backed against the cliff with nowhere else to go.
“Jenna is mine!” he shouts. “She has always been mine, and you had no right to interfere.”
“She left Star Kingdom because of you.”
“Dammit, Arrow,” he shouts at me, pulling his sword. “Can’t we talk about this? She is already spoiled goods.”
“Why?” I shout at him.
“Because I need her!” he shouted at me. “She has fight and can handle me. I’ve wanted to fuck her like they did. If she survived them, she can me.”
“What…”
“I watched them take her, and she was so wild for them,” he says, and I can’t believe what I am hearing. “When they left, I jumped down from the loft and tried to get her up, but she wouldn’t move. She just moaned a little as I rode her. I have longed to see that animal in her again, and it has driven me crazy all these cycles.”
“You raped her?” I am stunned to hear he had been a part of this so long ago.
“She doesn’t even remember me,” he says, laughing. “But I would have reminded her once I got her in bed. No decent woman would have allowed me to do what I want, but it is all Jenna knows. I will make sure she grows to like it, and then I will marry her just to fuck her every night.”
“You fucking…” I don’t even know what to call him. All I can see is blood, knowing that he has touched her like that. I should never have let him live, no matter the cost. I raise my sword, ready to end it now, and charge at him. He blocks me as we battle along the edge of the cliff when suddenly he shoots at me with a fireball, and I lose my balance, falling over the edge of the cliff.
Quickly, my wings shoot out and catch me in the air. I fly back around and see his stunned expression as he sees me flying and takes off running. I charge right after him and plow him down, punching him in the face as I pin him to the ground. “You son of a bitch. You’re going to pay for what you did to her. Everything!”
His hands come up, and he plants them on my chest, and as I feel the burn on my skin, I have to let him go before I am burned alive.
Rising to my feet, the pain in my chest almost puts me down, but he stands, and there is no time to ponder the damage as he shoots more fire at me. I blow it back on him, knowing it will not hurt him, but it gives me the chance to get closer. I leap in the air and hover as I kick Jared in the face, which is already bloody. It sends him a good ten yards, and I land on the ground running towards him again. He is barely on his feet as I attack. I feel the knife he had strapped to his side bury deep in my side.
He smiles at me as I don’t fight him, pulls it out, and stabs me again. But this time, I have my hands around his head and snap his neck.
He falls to the ground, lifeless in front of me, and though I feel the pain, it is nothing to what I had wanted to cause him. He was stronger than I expected, and if we had continued to fight, he could have gotten the upper hand. Ending it sooner rather than later was best, but I wanted to torture him. I still do.
Instead, I levitate his lifeless body and throw it over the cliff. I watch it fall to the ground below and crash at a weird angle.
I kneel on the ground, holding my side, knowing I need to get back, but the urge to let out the pain and anguish I feel is too great.
I watched Jenna jump off the cliff, and though I saved her, would she ever live again? This monster defiled her just as the other men had long ago. Maybe he did today.
Would she be able to get over this? I don’t see how she can.
“No, no, no!” I shout into the wind and let it carry off into the breeze. “No!”
I feel like I have lost my soul mate. Forever.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jenna
I hear Beth’s soft voice singing, but it is a song I have never heard before. My head is throbbing so intently and is hot. I try to open my eyes, but only one seems to work. Through that one, I see Beth sitting beside me. I feel like I am in a dream, remembering the past. Her hands are gentle as they wash my neck and shoulders. To know she is doing this again makes me cry.
“Shhh, Jenna, Love,” She says, brushing my hair from my face. “You're safe now. I am going to take care of you.”
I can’t see her through my tears, but I don’t want to because of the shame I feel. I don’t fight her even though I am not too fond of being touched even by her. She is cleaning me, and I want to be clean; I need it. I am in so much pain that I can barely move to do it myself. “I hate them, Beth. I hate them all.”
“Oh, sweetie. Come, sit up for me, and drink this. It will help you sleep,” she says, helping me. I wince as I feel my tender backside against the bed and remember the strap coming down on me. I bear the pain and drink the sour liquid, wanting sleep to take me. I just wish the darkness would swallow me up, once and for all.
“Here, let's slip this on before you lay down,” she says, and I feel the soft material as she brings it over my head. She helps me lie down, and I take her hand. “Don’t leave me, Beth. I don’t want to be alone.”
“I will not leave you,” she says, kissing my forehead. “Rest now.”
I nod as I hold her hand. I am grateful my sister found her way to me. I relax, knowing she is here, and sleep.
◊ ◊ ◊
I am standing in the prairie lands, and a storm is raging around me. Lightning flashes in the sky as thunder trembles the ground. My hair whips in my face, and I pull it away. Standing a distance away, I see Bran and know that I am dreaming.
He looks up at the storm in the sky and then at me, and I can see the sadness in his face. He doesn’t move, just stands there and brings his arms up, holding them out to me.
I run to him, seeking the comfort he offers, knowing I am safe with him in my dreams. He wraps his arms around me as I cry into his chest. I can’t stand as my legs give out, and he brings me up into his arms and cradles me to him.
“My sweet goddess. Not again,” he whispers as he holds me close. “I’m sorry.”
He sits down in the grass and holds me. I let the pain flow out of me, not holding back from him. There is no need to hide from Bran. He is my comfort from the nightmares of my life. He is my haven in the darkness.
The storm continues to rage around us, full of energy, but it doesn’t rain. That one piece of the storm is held back, but I cry enough tears to flood rivers.
“I’m scared,” I sob as I hold to him tightly. “I don’t want to leave here.”
“This is only a dream, Jenna,” he tells me. “You cannot stay forever.”
“Please don’t say that.” My voice cracks as I look up at him. “I can’t go back. I don’t want to live in that world anymore.”
“This is not another world.” He brushes my hair back. “This is your mind.”
“Then I will live within it,” I declare, not able to face the real world any longer. “I am not going back.”
“Oh, Jenna,” he whispers as he kisses my head. “I would love for you to stay with me, but this is not how it works.”
It might not be how, but it is my only way. I pull back from him and wipe at my tears. “If I go back, I will surely die. I chose it when I leap off the cliff.”
“You took your life?” he asks me, a
nd I nod. “Jenna. You couldn’t have. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be dreaming of me.”
“I feel like I am still falling,” I whisper. I wish I were stronger than this, but I have never been strong. I have never been able to forget and let it go. “My sister was speaking to me. There were wings… and Arrow. I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t you think you should know?”
“What if I am falling still?” I ask him. “I don’t want to face death. Staying here is more peaceful than seeing the ground. If I die, I’d rather die in your arms.”
He pulls me close to him again and holds tight as I cry. My mind made up; I am not leaving him.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Jenna, you must wake,” Bran calls with his whisper in the wind. Our own world is still dark and raging in storms, just as my soul is. “I can’t stay here forever with you.”
“Don’t leave me,” I plead, holding him tighter. I don’t know how long he has held me but realize it is a long time even in a dream.
“I don’t want to, but I can’t stay in this state forever,” he whispers. “Please, Jenna, think of Arrow. He can’t be handling this well. He loves you.”
“He left me,” I cry, thinking of what happened before. If I hadn’t panicked, he would have been with me. Jared would never have gotten his hands on me. “I pushed him away. I didn’t mean to, but… I panicked when he touched me.”
“You must learn to let yourself go and to trust again. I started you on that path, but it is up to you to finish.”
I sit up and look down at him. “I was trying. We kissed, and it felt nice. I enjoyed being in his arms, and I felt much of what I do when I am with you. But he touched me, and the past came rushing back, and I pushed away. I let the memories consume me, and I didn’t even know it was him anymore.”
“He is real. We share a connection in the dream world based on what we shared that night,” he tells me, sitting up too. “I take the dreams away, but I can’t take it all. Only love can do that, and Arrow has the heart you need most of all. He can help move you past your fears now.”
I don’t know how to let Arrow touch me, but I can with Bran here. I want to feel that passion again and so reach for Bran’s head to pull him into a kiss. He kisses me back, as he knows what I need. He is gentle with me as always, and I crawl on his lap, wanting more of him. To escape it all and be with just him.
His hands roam over my back and pull me closer to him. I adjust my body around him as I reach for the buttons on his shirt. I have never touched him before, and I want to now. I want to do with him what I can’t do in real life, with Arrow.
I push his shirt off his shoulders and sit back to look at his body. He is well toned and muscular but not alarmingly so. Well-shaped shoulders and ripples play across his stomach. I am pleased with the way he looks, though he is much softer than Arrow.
I push him back in the grass, and he willingly lays down. Instead of kissing his lips, I kiss his chest, planting kisses along it. His hands massage at my legs on each side of him as he groans. I raise up and lift the hem of my shirt, removing it from my body.
His eyes dance over me, but my breast wrap and underthings still hide me. His hands run up my stomach, and he takes my breasts in his hands. It amazes me how I can allow him to touch me where I couldn’t let Arrow.
His hand travels up into my hair and grasps the back of my neck as he pulls me down on him and kisses me. This may be a dream, but it feels so real. I can trust Bran with my body to be gentle and not hurt me. I shift on his body, and I feel his hardness under me and rub myself against him.
He groans as he rolls us in the grass, and I am under him then. His weight is welcoming, his lips travelling down across my neck, and I arch my body as I bring my legs around to cradle his.
“I want you, Jenna.” He whispers as he touches my breast again, and I feel him press slightly into me. It doesn’t frighten me but makes me curious to explore more of him. I don’t want to fight this anymore. I want to give in to the pleasures he causes within me. I want to forget my past once and for all.
I kiss him harder as I reach between us to touch him there. That place on a man that has scared me for so long. My trust in Bran gives me the courage I need to allow myself to move forward.
He breaks our kiss as my hand slides over him and gasps for air. I want to touch him more and reach for the buttons.
“No, Jenna. Don’t.” He hisses and pulls away from me entirely and stands up. His rejection hurts and I sit in the grass not sure what to do. We have always been honest with each other and I have never tried to hide anything from Bran. I don’t understand why we can’t express ourselves more with touch.
“But I want to.” I raise my knees to my chest and cover myself. I shouldn’t have touched him without his permission. I know I have crossed a line, but Bran is the only person I can get close to. I need to feel the warmth of him next to me.
“I can’t allow it,” he whispers, dropping to his knees in front of me. “I want to so badly, but we can’t.”
“Why not?” I ask him. “Do you not want me?”
“Yes, I want you, Jenna, but I told you before, our dreams can only go as far as we did that night. I can’t touch you beyond those cherishes, nor can you.”
He lies in the grass again away from me and breathes in deeply. I watch him close his eyes and think of his words, remembering that night. He had kissed my lips, my neck, he had touched me along my back and down. His hands had massaged my breast, but only for a moment. We had been pressed together, but mainly all we had done was kiss.
I sigh and lie back, looking up at the sky. There is light in the sky now for the first time. It is dim but there. The storm is lifting, and not one droplet of rain has fallen.
“Are they real for you like they are for me?” I ask, speaking of my dreams.
“They can be when I want it,” he whispers. “When I lay myself down, all I have to think of is you, and they come to me.”
“You… make love to other women in their dreams, do you?” I ask shyly.
“Yes, but I don’t think of them as I do you,” he tells me. “You are the first, the only one I never… made love to.”
“Why do you make love to them?” I ask, wanting to know. I look over at him, wanting to see his reaction to my question.
Bran is silent for some time as he sits beside me. I trust him to be truthful with me but sharing this may be too much. He gives so much to me but I see he holds something back. It is a piece of him, of his soul. “Their pain calls to me, and I can heal it. I will never allow myself to deny their needs. I can’t stand to leave them in pain.”
“What about… if you fall in love? Will you continue to heal other women?” I ask him.
“I don’t know how love will affect my gift. I hope she will understand what I do,” he says, caressing my cheek. “That she wouldn’t deny me the chance of another to heal.”
I smile at him, kind of glad he says that. I would hate to know someone who has suffered as I have would continue living in fear. Not when there is someone as unique as Bran. He has helped me so much, and my dreams are a comfort now instead of a nightmare.
“I want to see you again,” I tell him softly. I would like the chance for us to explore each other outside of our dreams.
“Then, you must wake,” he says, rolling closer to me and wrapping an arm around my middle. “I will find you, and when I do, I intend to make love to you. If you allow it.”
“Really?” I ask him, looking deeply into his eyes. “You will find me?”
“Yes.” He kisses me softly, and I lean into him, but he pulls back. “I want you to face the world, Jenna, so I can find you again.”
“I'm afraid,” I mumble, looking down between us. “I don’t know what to expect when I do.”
“You still have Arrow. He will protect you,” he whispers.
“But I hurt him,” I say again. “I don’t know if I can be with Arrow as you s
ay. I trust him as I do you but… something is holding me back.”
“You have to try again.” He smiles at me. “I don’t just heal women, Jenna. Sometimes men in this world need help too. Arrow has a past, and he has done well to heal himself. But he still needs love. He needs someone like you.”
I reach over and hug him and breathe him in deep. “Thank you, Bran, for everything.”
“Be strong, Jenna. I want to see you healed when I return.”
I pull back and ask him, “Will you stay with me just a little longer?”
“Sure,” He says, laying down and pulling me into his arms. I sigh as I rest against him, knowing I will return and try again. Bran gives me hope for the future as he always has done.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Arrow
It has been four days, and Jenna still sleeps. She opens her eyes and stares sometimes into nothing. I am scared for her and don’t know what to do.
Katy has taken care of her, but we can’t continue to stay here. I have decided to take Jenna home and care for her myself. She doesn’t even know I am here. She is lost somewhere in her mind. I only hope it is not filled with pain.
“Arrow, you can’t take her like this,” Katy says as I lift her out of bed. “She has been abused and needs a woman with her.”
“She doesn’t even know it is you, Kate. What difference does it make if it is me?” I say, walking out of her house with the woman I love in my arms. Her head rests against my chest, but she doesn’t move. It breaks my heart to see no life in her.
“Arrow, I know you love her, but I fear this is going to rip you apart,” she cries. “Please, let me help with her.”
“You have your own family to care for. Jenna is mine.” I let my wings emerge, as I left my shirt off for just this. “You can come anytime and check on us if you like. You are always welcome. But I will not let Jenna, nor I, be a burden.”
She reaches out and touches Jenna on the face and kisses her cheek. She then rises and kisses me. “I will be by in a few days then. To bathe her, at least, and cook you a good meal.”