Jake

Chapter 21 - Power

I hadn't expected anything remotely threatening to come out of such a beautiful place while I had been with Julian, but apparently my usually perfect goodluck was doing a distinct 180. Every time something beautiful was in my sights, it was torn away with something callous.

"She'll be okay" Imelda's sweet soft voice broke through my dark thoughts

"Just keep Julian away from me" Jake's rough tone threatened, not changing my exhaustion of his attitude

"He had no idea they would show up Jake, you need to stop blaming other people for what Hudson is doing" Imelda shot, sighing to create an emphasized point of exhaustion like my own

Jake didn't respond, probably because my eyes were starting to come to, hazy and foggy, but coming through to the sight of Imelda standing behind Jake as he knelled in front of whatever I was lying on.

"Haven?" Jake spoke, his voice once again changing, this time to a softer tone

My eyes began to clear and I could see the worry in their faces as I met their gazes, I wasn't sure what exactly had happened to me, I remembered being at the lake with Julian, two men approaching and then somehow I'd ended up in the water, fighting for my life as someone attempted to push me down

"What happened?" I croakily asked as my head began to pound and my side ached angrily

"You don't remember?" Imelda asked furrowing her brows as she stepped forward

My hand reached down to my side, my fingertips finding a bandage taped to my left hand side, my brows crossed as I looked back towards Imelda and Jake with various questions now swarming, the most desperate escaping my lips first

"Are they dead?"

"Yes" Imelda answered quickly with a nod

"And everyone is okay?"

"Yes" Imelda spoke again as Jake stared

I sat up on my elbows, Imelda taking another step forward in warning

"I'm fine" I told them as they watched cautiously

"You have stitches, just be easy" Jake said as he stood and moved back to sit on the edge of the coffee table

I could feel pain shooting through my stomach as I sat upright

"I'll get you some pain killers" Imelda sighed as she saw through my tough façade easily

I managed to wriggle myself up to a normal sitting position, the simple movement proving to be more painful than imaginable

"You aren't going to yell at me?" I asked Jake as he sat silent in front of me

"Why would I?"

I was confused. I knew the moment I had agreed to go with Julian he would be mad.

"I left without telling you"

"You trusted Julian, he's my brother, and he can be just as persuasive as I can be, as any of my kind can be, he used his charm, that isn't your fault, it's his" He explained

"He didn't charm me, I can make my own decisions" I defended, Julian had only wanted to get me out of the house knowing how suffocated I was feeling

"If Julian hadn't of encouraged you to leave, you wouldn't have, it was his idea and.." He trailed off, his expression watching mine as I grew impatient and defensive

"Who were those men?" I changed the subject

"Mackay and Dean, Hudson's friends" He chose his words carefully