Jade

Chapter 75

“Jade,” an unfamiliar voice says my name softly.  I lazily open my eyes.  I raise myself up and look behind me at Aris.  He is resting peacefully.  I turn and look ahead of me.  There is an unfamiliar man standing at the foot of the bed.  I startle, pull the blanket up to cover my breasts and try to scoot farther away.  Why isn't Aris waking up?  What is going on?

“Jade,” he says again.  I look up at him.  Shoulder length, straight black hair and peculiar eyes.  One blue eye and one green.  I can't stop staring.  He, on the other hand, can't stop staring below my eyes.  I look down.  The blanket had fallen again.  I pull it back up.  “Who are you?  What do you want?” I ask.  “My rightful place as second,” he answers.  Before I can ask another question, “I will be seeing you soon.”  He snaps his fingers and a black cloud engulfs him.  When the cloud dissipates, he is gone.

I wake with a start.  “It is about time.  I was starting to wonder if you would ever want a cigarette,” Aris said.  I sat up and turned to face him.  “Do not tempt me like that.  You are still recov…..” he stopped what he was saying, noticing that something is wrong.  “Someone that I don't know is coming to claim his rightful place as second,” I told him, “it was in my dream.”  “What did he look like?”  “Straight black hair, one blue eye and one green eye,” I answered.  “I wondered when he would surface,” Aris stated, not surprised, also not worried.  “Who is he?” I asked.  “His name is Nathan,” he answered, “his people were already here when we arrived.  He is a friend.”

“What do we do?” I asked.  “Nothing,” Aris answered.  “Shouldn't we do something?” I asked.  “What do you propose we do?  He is not even here yet,” Aris answered, “It will not hurt Ripley to have a little competition anyway.”  I didn't say anything.  I don't like being treated like a toy or a trophy.  I’m sure that Ripley wouldn't like it either.  “But I've already chosen Ripley,” I implored him, “I love Ripley.”  He must have heard the anguish I feel in my voice.  “Come here,” he patted the bed next to him.  I scooted to sit beside him and he wrapped his arms around me.  “It will be fine.  I think that you will like Nathan.  Just wait until you meet him,” he told me, “technically you can have them both.  You could offer Nathan as your third.”  Oh no!  Another one!  “It would be a way of preventing conflict,” he suggested.

I just stayed quiet.  I didn't know what to say.  “Jade,” he lifted my chin to look at him.  “So, to keep Ripley, I have to offer Nathan the third spot?” I asked.  “You do not have to do anything,” he answered, “it is just a diplomatic way of making them both happy and preventing fights.”  He gave me a quick kiss and let go of my chin.  “Just think about it,” Aris told me, “It will be a while before he arrives anyway.”

He uncovered himself and got up, “Are you ready for a cigarette?”  He put on swim shorts and a robe.  I stood up, put on a bikini and a robe.  “Do I need to carry you?” he asked.  “No,” I answered, “I'm just a little sore.  I can walk.”  “It is still not done yet,” he told me, “it will be soon.”  “Will I stop hurting when it's done?” I asked.  “I think so,” he answered, “I am not sure.  You are the only person I have ever marked before.”  I was surprised, “But you were married before.”  “Yes,” he confirmed, not giving anything away.  “Why weren't they marked?” I pried.  “They were human,” he answered, “the mark would not take.”  “So, you lived on Earth before?” I asked.  “Hundreds of years ago,” he answered, opening the door for me.  I paused before exiting.  I had forgotten that he is hundreds of years old.  He followed me down the stairs.  “Watching you walk is painful,” he picked me up and carried me to the hot tub room.  Ripley met us at the doors to hold them open for us.

Aris sat down in a chair and I stayed on his lap.  Ripley lit us both cigarettes, then took the other seat and lit himself one.  “How do you feel, Jade?” Ripley asked.  “I’m okay,” I answered, not offering anything.  “Okay…..Was it that bad?” he asked.  Aris snorted, “She is not upset about that.”  “Then what is wrong?” Ripley asked.  “Your good friend, Nathan, came to me in a dream and said that he is coming soon to claim his rightful spot as second,” I answered.  “Oh,” Ripley's face was unreadable.  “Aris said that to keep the peace, I should offer him the third spot,” I told him.  “Okay,” Ripley, still unreadable.  “I was just getting used to two, now I have to get used to three,” I told him.  “You do not have to,” Ripley told me, “I can just concede to him.”  What!  “No you can't!” I grumbled, “I already chose you.”  He smiled at me, “so you will pick him as your third?”  “I just need some time,” I told him.  “I know,” Ripley agreed.

We finished our cigarettes in silence.  “Are you hungry, Jade?” Ripley took my burnt out cigarette butt and put it in the ashtray.  “I don't know,” I answered.  He took my hands, “you worry too much.  Nathan is a great guy.  He will not mistreat you.  Should you decide to go that route.”  “I don't have much of a choice,” I whispered.  “It will be fine,” he reassured me, “I promise.”  He paused for a minute, then, “I will go along with whatever you decide.  Now, we have food waiting.  Show me that beautiful smile.”  I made a halfhearted attempt at a smile.  “You can do better than that.  Am I going to have to tickle you?”  “How did you know I’m ticklish?” I smiled at him.  “That is better,” he stood up.  So did we.  Aris picked me up and Ripley opened doors for us.

Aris sat me down at the kitchen table then helped Ripley bring the food.  It smelled so good.  I guess I was hungry.  French toast, sausage, bacon and hash browns were brought to the table.  I put grape jelly on my French toast and dug in.  It was so good.  I finished my plate and had two more pieces of French toast, this time with strawberry jam.  I finished then pushed my plate away and waited for them to finish.

I started thinking about my situation again and my stomach started churning.  “I think I’m going to be sick,” I announced.  Ripley sprang into action and brought me the garbage can.  Aris reached over and put his hand on my stomach.  It went away.  “Is this from the mark?” Ripley asked.  “No,” Aris answered, “It is nerves.”  He moved his hand and it started again.  He put his hand back on my stomach.  “Jade, stop thinking about it,” Aris told me.  “I don't know if I can,” I told him.  “You can and you will,” he said in a commanding tone.  Just like that, the thoughts disappeared.  “How did you do that?” I looked at him, amazed.  He just smiled.  He removed his hand.  My stomach was much better.  “I feel so much better,” I told them.  “Can I finish eating now?” Ripley asked.  I had the skin put my hair up in a bun just in case.  “Yes,” I told him.  He put the garbage can back and sat down to eat.

Aris got up and started clearing the table while Ripley finished eating.  They put everything up and cleaned.  Then we went to the hot tub room.  Ripley handed me a lit cigarette, lit his own then gave the pack to Aris.  “Ripley, are you joining us in the hot tub?” I asked.  “Not today,” he answered, “I need to help Lia and Max and the others.  They are cleaning while you are otherwise disposed.”  “Oh, okay,” I was surprised.  “You did not know, did you?” he asked.  “No.  Aris didn't tell me,” I answered.  “Sorry,” Aris apologized, “I just did not think to tell you.”  “Thank you for cleaning and cooking, Ripley,” I said, “could you thank them for me too?”  Ripley smiled, “You do not have to thank us, but you are welcome.”  “Yes I do,” I disagreed, “It is bad manners not to and I really do appreciate it.”

We finished our cigarettes and Ripley took his leave of us.  Aris and I took our robes off and he carried me into the hot tub.  I felt relief almost immediately.  I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

“Jade,” Aris said softly.  I jumped, awake instantly.  I must've fallen asleep.  “It is time to get out,” he told me, standing up.  “Already?” I asked, disappointed.  “Sorry,” he looked at me apologetically.  I scooted forward on my seat and stood up.  I was still sore, but felt better.  I got out, by myself, put on my robe and sat in one of the chairs.  Aris took the other seat.  He handed me a lit cigarette.  “Do you think that, after this, we can go back to bed?” I asked him sleepily.  “Yes,” he answered, “they are done with our room.”  “Why am I so tired?” I asked.  “You had a long night, then that dream, the mark,” he answered, “You just need some time to recover.”

We finished our cigarettes then he carried me to the bedroom.  He peeled back the covers and we climbed in.  I took up my perch laying half on him with my head on his chest.  He pulled me up higher to where my head was more on his shoulder, “I do not want you trying to fix me while you are recovering.”  I was so tired that I didn't argue.  He smoothed my hair back from my forehead and kissed it.

My sleep was fitful.  I kept waking from bad dreams.  Aris woke me a couple of times to ask if I was okay.  He ended up letting me sleep with my head on his chest.  Then I slept until he woke me for lunch.  “What were you dreaming about?” he asked me.  “Nathan and Ripley fighting and Ripley ending up seriously injured,” I answered.  “It is more likely to be the other way around,” Aris told me.  “Really?” I asked.  “Yes,” he answered, “Ripley is quite the fighter.”  “Okay,” I felt a little better.  “Nathan is not going to challenge Ripley to a fight,” Aris explained, “he is going to try to romance you away.”  “Oh,” that made me feel even better.  That's not going to happen.  Good luck to him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked me.  “A lot better now,” I answered.  “That is good.  Your mark is starting to show,” he told me.  “Really?” I sat up and felt for the bite mark.  It was gone.  “Go look in the mirror,” he told me.  I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror above the vanity.  It was a three dimensional geometric shape with Yaris written in calligraphy inside of it.   No bigger than the mark I had left on him.  I walked back in the bedroom.  “Why did I hurt so much?  It's the same size as the mark that I left on you,” I asked him.  “Because you are going to have a similar mark on every body part,” he answered.  “Why do I have a mark on every body part?” I asked.  “So that if you are dismembered, all of your parts will find their way back to me and I can reassemble you,” he answered.  Ewww!  Gross!  “You’re joking right?” He wasn't smiling.  “Why don't you have a mark on every part?” I asked.  “You will not need to reassemble me.  I do it myself,” he answered.  I keep expecting him to laugh, but he doesn't.  I couldn't do anything but stare at him.  He's not joking.  What do you say to that?

I got a mental image of me in bloody pieces, Aris trying to put my leg and torso back together.  “It is not like that,” he reassured me, “We do not bleed like the others.  We can also grow new body parts.  It is just faster to reassemble existing parts.”  I was still speechless.  “No one else knows that,” he told me, “I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible.”  “My face?” I asked.  “I reassembled your jaw,” he answered, knowing what I meant.  “Your jaw is easy to break in case the need to punish you arises,” he explained, “I will never punish you that way.”  “In that alley, did he intend to punish me like that?” I asked.  “Yes,” Aris answered, “I got there just in time.”