Chapter 9 (updated)

CHAPTER NINE

Lyla laid in her bed staring at the ceiling. She tried countless times to lull herself to sleep, but her heart was screaming in panic and delight.

Panic because she knew that there was something coming. Something coming specifically for her.

Delight because she finally knew that she wasn't crazy. That Jesse too knew they had something between them that defied the laws of nature. Something as indispensable as the blood circling through their body.

Once it reached six in the morning she gave up. There was no way she could force her eyes to close and her mind to steady.

She tugged on a black pair of leggings and a long shirt that reached her thighs.

As she opened the door she bit back a scream that crawled up her throat.

Jesse was leaning against the frame with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She hissed.

Jesse's lip curled. There was a certain predatory gleam in his eyes that made her have to catch her breath.

His eyes examined her, he made no attempt to hide his fascination.

"Your hair looks magnificent." He said tugging on a strand of her messy locks.

"Yeah well thanks to you I couldn't sleep." She snarled.

Apparently the young man found her snappy attitude amusing. She heard a deep rumble come off of his lips.

"Your about as threatening as a kitten." He baited.

Lyla muttered to herself and pushed past him. She could hear him chuckle behind her.

They sat next to each other in the cafeteria. Lyla wanted to hide herself beneath the table, fold herself into a portal that would transfer her to a different world.

Everyone's inquisitive orbs were locked on to them. For once Dee wasn't exaggerating that she hadn't seen him give any girl the time of day. She could see envy in the faces of several young women.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come to my room after breakfast." Jesse said moving her hair behind her ear like it was the most natural response he had.

She wondered how he seemed so put together. Every time he touched her she felt it deeper than in her skin, she felt it in the marrow of her bones.

"Yes." She turned to smile at him.

As they reached Jesse's room Lyla felt her heart galloping. She smiled when she noticed his room number was the backward version of hers.

Number "43".

Jesse turned to face her with his hand on the handle of his doorknob.

"It's messy."

His cheeks darkened with red, black onyx stands curled against them, pronouncing the color.

Lyla felt herself smile. For someone so edgy, it was endearing to see his soft sides.

He opened the door and let her walk through.

There were pictures of mystical world's all over his room.

She thought of the small frame on Regina's desk that was filled with the same alien beauty.

"Did you paint these?"

He nodded then leaned against the wall and watched her observe his room.

Everything was so pristine, not a single thing out of place. She rolled her eyes, she's never been in a teenage-boy's room. But she had assumed it would look like a hurricane had went through it.

He considered this messy? She wondered what he would think of Dee's side of the room.

Lyla was envious that Jesse didn't seem to have a room-mate. She liked Dee, but she missed the privacy of her own space. She sat on his bed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knee's and her chin propped on her fist.

"So.. I want to know more about this bond thing. Also, you said you weren't human but you didn't exactly specify." She arched a brow.

Jesse nodded.

He grabbed the chair tucked beneath his desk and moved it directly in front of her.

He sat down resting his forearms on both knee's and clasping his hands.

He looked down and nibbled on his lower lip. His brows creased and his jaw contracted. He seemed uncomfortable.

She didn't want him to feel that way. She wanted him to trust her. What else could he possibly be hiding?

"Priscilla told you the story of my people. She's a record keeper of sorts. And as for the bond, It's easier to show you." He said.

Lyla rose an incredulous brow.

He reached for her hands and heaved her forward so that they were face to face.

He kissed her cheek, then raised both hands to press his fingers against her temples.

Lyla's vision blackened around the edges, like the lights in a movie theatre tapering off.

Then... she was no longer in Jesse's room.

It was almost like she was out of her body. She was floating above the school as if she were seeing the world from the eyes of a spirit. Then her body flew through a whirling portal.

Suddenly, she started hurling toward the ground, falling like a star being cast from the night sky.

Her whole body felt like it was exploding, and then she was sucked into someone elses body.

She imagined the feeling resembled a syringe absorbing medicine. The pressure beating against every inch of her skull.

She looked around and was surprised to see she was not only in a foreign body, but also in a foreign time.

The streets were old and run down, dull and without color. It reminded her of a black and white film of the 50's.

Everyone was wearing strange attire.

As the body she was in passed by the windows of a small country store, she realized she was not in just any body, she was in Jesse's.

He entered an old coffee shop. Regina was seated on a wooden chair beside a small window that overlooked a narrow street.

"So, what will be the lesson for the day." Jesse said, flopping into the chair.

It wasn't hard to see that he didn't want to be there. He wanted to be prowling the streets, slitting the throats of ravenous demons lurking in the hollow corners of abandoned streets, waiting for an innocent to walk by.

"It is important. I've told you some about your people. Until we can find Priscilla, it will be hard to give you proper knowledge." Regina said.

She was scowling at him, the way her mother would scowl at her if she didn't pay attention to what she said.

She wondered what exactly Regina was to him. Judging by his memory, she has been his companion for many years.

"The sooner we get this over with the sooner I can make the world a hair line fracture worth safer." He muttered, crossing his arms.

Regina pursed her lips.

"The Ahriman's have always copied any counterpart the light realm develops. They are cunning and deceiving. One thing they have not been able to imitate is the bond that is shared between Your people. Their mates that stick by their side throughout eternity."

Jesse pulled his face in to a distasteful glower.

"Are we really going to talk about love?" His eyes narrow. This obviously wasn't a topic he was too keen on listening to.

"Have you forgotten? I am the last of my kind. No such thing will exist for me." He scoffed.

But there was a small glimmer in his eyes, a flash of sadness that shadowed his features. But it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Never the less. You want to know about your bloodline. This was a big part of it." She continued.

Jesse propped his chin on his fist and leaned a little closer.

"Proceed." He mused.

"A sacred bond existed between your people. To humans it is a lot like what they considered soul mates. But for your kind it is a much greater and a much deeper experience than any other being that ever existed."

"Before you were even brought together in existence. Each of your kind found a soul and fell in love with it. The souls would promise each other to stand by each others side for all of eternity. They would knit together, and when each soul was born and they found their mate… a sort of transformation took place." She said thoughtfully.

Jesse's brows furrowed.

"What do you mean transformation?" He inquired.

Regina tapped her finger to her chin. Letting only a fraction of a second pass before answering.

"The souls would instantly recognize each other. They would get symptoms of a sort. This almost painful yearning to be with each so painful they would physically be in agony. Once the connection was established, a process of a bond would form on each beings body. It was a symbol of their union, an unbreakable oath. One that ran deeper than blood, deeper than the marrow in their bones. They would be become one in a way that is mystical and pure. They could feel each others emotions as if it was their own. If one was to be physically harmed, so would the other." Regina smiled.

Jesse seemed to blanch.

He couldn't fathom why such a wicked curse would exist.

"They call that sacred? It's considered an honor?" He puffed in disbelief.

He knew nothing about life then, only the lonely walk of his life. He shrugged it off, it would never happen to him.

So why worry with something so impossible?

"Well, thank you for the insight. I have things to do. I will see you in the morning."

Jesse said standing up. He laid a gentle kiss on Regina's forehead and then went on his way.

Jesse removed his hand's from Lyla's temples and waited for her to come back to her senses.

When she opened her eyes, her face was flushed.

She was a part of something truly incredible. Who could of thought a love like that could exist? Especially for two people that never wanted it.

She looked at Jesse and was surprised to see that he was rigid. His skin was bleached and he looked like he was about to throw up.

"What's wrong?" She asked, alarmed.

He took a deep jagged breath. He was afraid of telling her, but he couldn't keep it from her.

"There's something else you should know." He breathed.

He wore a grave expression that made a heavy cold feeling settle at the base of her spine.

"What is it?" She almost hissed. She wasn't sure how much more bad news she could take.

"Your mother's death. It was my fault."

Lyla suddenly felt dizzy. The room began to spin with a forceful momentum.

"What do you mean?" She croaked.

Her throat began to swell. How could he have anything to do with her death? Why tell her all of this and then drop a bomb like that on her chest, waiting for the countdown before she explodes.

"They wanted you to be here. They want our bond to be sealed. That couldn't happen unless you were here." A tight little voice seeped off of his lips.

Lyla felt her stomach clench with nausea.

she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

Everything that's happened to her.. Everything that was pushing her to the brink of self destruction was because of him. Even the death of her mother.

"They killed her.. because of you?" She choked.

This information was not what she had expected. She felt sick, she felt wounded in a way that she didn't think could be possible.

"Hear me out please.." Jesse said reaching for her hand.

She yanked her hand back and almost wished she didn't. He looked as if she had just struck him, like she had ripped his heart out and crushed it between her fingers.

Half of her heart wanted to shake herself violently and tell her to stop being so foolish, it wasn't his fault. But the other half that was beaten and wounded by the death of her mother won.

She jumped off of his bed, backing away from him as if he were going to latch on to her. Jesse stood up as well, walking toward her with caution. The look in his eyes nearly made her burst into tears. it was a pleading that reached in to her body and stroked her soul.

She couldn't care, she couldn't look at him. She needed to get away from him. She needed to feel the sturdy ground beneath her feet, the familiar feeling of normalcy.

She ran out of his room, ignoring the sound of his voice calling out her name behind her.

Lyla reached the spiral staircase and sat on the last step.

Her eyes were burning with tears and her throat ached. Why was her luck so rotten? Why was she tied to something so beautiful that caused her so much destruction.

She took a deep jagged breath and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the rail of the steps.

"You ok Lyla?" She heard Miles ask.

She opened her eyes and was filled with relief to see his face. She needed someone to keep her company, she needed to put space between her and Jesse.

She needed a distraction.

"I'm okay. Just a little overwhelmed." She confessed. She wiped the tears from under her eyes off with the backs of her hands.

"Why don't you come with me tonight. It looks like you could blow off a little steam." Miles offered his award winning smile.

Lyla tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head. The voice that told her this was a terrible idea.

She wasn't safe. Not here, not anywhere.

But she refused to stop living her life in the fear of the inevitable.

"That actually sounds fantastic." she replied.

"I'll meet you here at seven." He said with a triumphant smile.

Lyla rummaged through her drawers. For once she wished that Dee was here to take over her apparel for the night.

She settled for a black laced dress with laced long sleeves and a v-neck cut. She silently wished that she filled the dress out, she lacked the curves to make it appealing.

She raked her fingers through her hair and lined her eyes with liner and mascara.

That was as far as she was prepared to go in the looks department.

Miles met her outside of her building at exactly seven o'clock .

There was no denying that Miles was a good looking boy. He was well built, his sparkling amber eyes were distracting and his smile was commercial perfect.

There was one problem though.

He didn't make her blood sing like Jesse did.

"You look beautiful." Miles said with a quirky smile. Lyla rubbed her arm awkwardly and felt her cheeks turn red.

She didn't like complements. It wasn't that she was insecure, it was only because it always made her feel weird and vulnerable.

Like she had to be told she was good looking, reassured that she didn't need to wear a paper bag on her head.

"Er.. thanks." She muttered.

Her reaction made his smile grow wider.

"Where are we going?" Lyla asked.

"A bonfire. Jay decided to have one last minute."

Lyla's stomach felt like she had swallowed a boulder.

If it was Jay's party, Jesse would most likely be there. The one thing she was trying to avoid seemed to be unavoidable.

They walked deep into the woods along a path that was created.

Ten minutes later they approached a decent sized bonfire with logs circling around it for seating.

It was in a large opening surrounded by oak trees.

There was a group of people mingling by a table filled with alcoholic beverages, and a smaller group that seemed to be made of couples that stood by the fire.

Dee saw Lyla from across the fire and raced toward her, slinging her arms around her.

Lyla had to plant her feet firmly, Dee's greeting nearly made her fall.

"Sorry dreads, Lyla is coming with me." She grinned.

Miles muttered under his breath.

"Their braids."

Lyla couldn't help but laugh. She shot miles an apologetic look before Dee whisked her away.

Dee was uncharacteristically bubbly. Lyla had gotten use to her spit-fire tongue and felt the loss of it. The same way you would feel the loss of your hair after a hair cut.

"So, all of us are going to play hide and seek in the woods." Dee said singing. She clapped her hands and grinned.

Lyla scrunched her face. The idea of getting lost in the woods waiting for someone to rescue her didn't seem appealing.

"I think I'm just going to hang out by the fire."

Dee rolled her eyes.

"Okay buzzkill. See you tomorrow night." She grabbed lyla's face and pecked her cheek.

The smell of alcohol made her wiggle her nose. She couldn't understand what the fuss was about when it came to drinking. Then again most things about her age group disturbed her.

She also felt like scrubbing her face clean. Dee was a little too affectionate at times. Her face felt dirty, there was probably a million germs in that little kiss that her friend had so graciously assaulted her cheek with.

She took a seat on one of the logs and began to stare into the flames.

She picked out the different shades of red, orange and yellow that nibbled at the wood.

She felt her wrist itch and fought the unquenchable urge to scratch it. The thought of what Jesse had told her seems so out of this world.

But she's seen what he could do. Why would he need to lie about something like that?

She shook her head exasperated.

She told herself she could go for more than a couple of hours without thinking about him. Yet here she was, drowning in her thoughts of him. Struggling against the powerful current of nothing but him.

She caught a subtle movement in the corner of her eye.

As if she needed another reason to be on edge, her heart raced and her body roared to life, letting her know that it was Jesse sitting on the log beside her.

He pushed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and fixed his eyes on her.

She felt like she had been put under a microscope for a thorough evaluation.

For a few moments she forgot how to breath. An invisible rope lassoed around her lungs, squeezing them together.

She began bouncing her leg anxiously.

Usually the crackling of the fire would sooth her, but because Jesse was merely inches away from her, she was tightly wound. Minutes away from coming undone.

Every breath became drastically harder to breath in, and every thought became more distorted.

"I wish you would let me explain." Jesse said.

His expression was unreadable and the light off of the campfire reflected off of his noir hair.

The Shadows clung to his hollowed cheeks. His lips were flattened in a hard line.

His eyes were half lidded, his lashes kissing the top of his cheek bones.

She sucked in a breath and ignored her hearts desire, the desire of being secured in his arms and feeling like nothing could hurt her.

But how could she still want that. How could she be with him if it was going to cost her life?

"I'm enjoying the fire. Could you please go bother some other love sick teenage girl" She said crossing her arms over her chest.

A devilish grin surfaced on his face creating a breath taking dimple in his cheek.

There was an engaging gleam to his eyes that she couldn't decipher.

It made her heart pulse in an unorthodox pattern.

"Love sick? I thought it was a little soon to exchange the L word."

Lyla turned her head, narrowing her eyes. Of course he would turn anything she said against her, but she was caught of guard by the gentleness of his gaze.

"It's not like the feeling isn't mutual." He stared back at her, then he quickly furrowed his brows as if he had just realized exactly what he had just said.

Lyla's internal organs melted on the inside.

He seemed almost as confused as she was. Nether the less the thought of him wanting her in any way shape or form made her quiver with delight.

She swallowed and turned her view back to the fire, ignoring his comments.

"If your going to ignore me, at least go back to the campus." He added.

This time their was a sharpness in his voice that almost physically cut her.

Lyla jerked her head back toward him and her mouth hung open.

Was he seriously telling her to leave? Regardless of his need to protect her or not, he had no right to tell her what to do.

She glared at him and she was rewarded with an assertive smile that made her bones crumble.

"Try not to get into too much trouble, princess."

Even though he had left only a millisecond ago, she missed his closeness.

She sighed. She was totally and completely doomed.