Unkillable (Monsters Series #1) (Wattys2014)

Chapter 19: Scars

I was standing underneath a colossal tree, isolated in a field of tall grass. Jesse was right beside me, and I couldn’t have been happier. His chest and back were bare, so the scar on the back of his neck was completely bare, revealing the scar’s true length and multitude.

It was all the way down his back like millions upon millions of tangled vines. They were all shining with gold flecks. In the midst of them, a star was etched onto his lower back. I had touched that very spot many times before, but when I did, I felt nothing but the rush of electricity coursing through my veins I always feel when I touch him.

Jesse turned to face me. His chest was covered in ancient markings that cover every part of his chest. His face was pleading.

“Save me.” Jesse begged, “Kill her. Save me.”

~

I awoke next to Jesse as I have done every morning for the last few months. His back was to me, his shoulders moving with every breath. I lifted the back of his shirt carefully, just to check to see if my dream was at all accurate.

And it was. The scar was exactly like the dream showed me. I quickly moved my hand away when he squirmed and rolled to his other side facing me.

I should have known that Jesse was adopted. He had the same hair color as the Salvatier, but that’s where the resemblance ends. His lips were full and a pale pink hue, while their lips look as if someone took a knife and drew them a mouth. His skin was fair with a yellow tint, while their skin was orange like the fruit. Jesse’s cheeks were round and rosy, while the Salvatier’ faces were sucked in so much you could see their skull. His eyes were once as blue as the metal walls of the tunnels after a cleaning, while their eyes were a harsh green, harsher than mine ever were.

I gently caressed his cheek, careful not to wake him from his slumber. Despite my great care, Jesse’s sparkling black eyes fluttered open at my touch. His pale lips curled into a sleepy, closed-mouthed grin.

“Good morning.” I whispered, “Sleep well, ma vie?”

“I had another dream, Angel.” he said urgently.

“About what?” I asked curiously.

Drrr, Drrr, Drrr, Drrr. Drrr, Drrr, Drrr, Drrr.

Before he could answer, the alarm rang, signaling an impending attack.

“I have to go, Jess.” I said melancholy, holding his cheek in my palm.

“Be careful, my Angel.” Jesse commanded, squeezing my hand.

“I always am.” I answered, brushing my nose against his.

I kissed him with as much love and promise as I could, and I left for battle with Jesse’s kiss to help me through.

The next thing I knew, I was marching in line up the hatch onto the battlefield. We marched for miles toward the Border. When we got to our destination, we marched into one long line. A small band of Holy Men, led by my future father-in-law, Deacon, waited for us by the Border.

“Come forth and state your intent.” Britter commanded with the blunt, unemotional strictness of a true soldier.

“My business is not with you, Officer Rowland.” Deacon responded coldly, “My business is with Colonel Harper.”

I walked up to stand beside Britter. I tried to seem friendly; Deacon only scowled.

“Hello, father.” I greeted him politely, bowing before him.

“Why do you address me so, scum?” Deacon replied coldly.

“Well, I figured that now that Jesse and I are going to be together indefinitely, I should learn to at least respect you, if not like you.” I explained kindly.

“What do you want with him, bloodsucker?” Deacon commanded.

“First of all, as I said to Damien, the bloodsucking is a myth.” I stated truthfully, “Secondly, I love your son, Deacon. He has shown me his true nature, and Beth and I couldn’t care less.”

“What do you know of Jesse’s nature?” Deacon demanded, “What has he told you?! That devil child will be the death of me! I knew we shouldn’t have taken him in! I should have let him starve.”

Despite my instinct to lunge at his throat and choke him to death for the awful things he said about the man that is now my life, I let Deacon rant, to show a small amount of mercy. As he did so, I gently stroked the etchings, similar to the ones on Jesse’s engagement ring, on the mahogany box that Jesse had given me with my thumb. Deacon asked me a question after a while that probably should have offended me.

“What does my son see in you?”

“I’ve been asking that question since I met him, sir.” I responded honestly.

Deacon let out a long, heavy breath.

“Look, you seem very...determined to spend your life with Jesse.” Deacon forced from his mouth, as if talking about an annoying pet instead of the most wonderful person to walk on the earth, “You seem like an honest man, and you seem to have...a very strong connection with him.”

“He’s my whole life.” I responded.

Deacon’s troops looked me over, studying me like a criminal. Their lips were pursed in concentration. How their harsh eyes judged me so!

“You are quite the actor, you know that?” one of the troops concluded after examining me, “Your pupils didn’t even dilate.”

“That’s because I wasn’t acting.” I responded, insulted.

“You’re quite a good liar, too.” he continued, pointing his sword at me, “Prepare to die, scoundrel.”

“Go ahead.” I said invitingly, smirking.

His sword was then thrust into my chest. He pulled to out slowly when he was absolutely sure I was dead, and I was. It wasn’t for long though.

Mere seconds after he was positive I had died, I did a front flip into the air, landed on my feet, and shot a bullet into his back, killing him instantly. He never saw it coming; they never do. Deacon stared at me in shock.

“How? Why? When? Grrrr!” he rumbled in surprise.

“How can I move the stars?” A familiar voice asked matter-of-factly, “He’s gifted.”

Jesse walked over to stand by me. Our arms linked together, and I stood tall. Jesse gave me a quick wink. My heart convulsed.

“Dad,” he continued, “I would like you to officially meet my fiancé, Colonel Unkillable.”

Deacon stood there, staring at us in anger. His eyes were twitching, and the corners of his mouth were spasming. Soon, his entire body was twitching. His harsh green eyes flashed yellow for a single second. He jumped right over us onto the other side of the Border. He burst from his form, and in his place was the biggest house cat I had ever seen in my life.