Release - Septiplier

Chapter Twenty Three

"Mark!" Jack yelped after I sat up straight, coming out of the dream I was stuck in with Felix. Jack hugged me tightly and I put an arm around him, swaying him slightly like I usually do to help calm him. "Don't scare me like that! Why would you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Agree to anything with Dark! As much as I want to help Felix, that's such a stupid, dangerous, reckless thing of you to do! What were you thinking?" He hugged tighter. "Please don't do that again. What would've happened if things went wrong and I lost you? I wouldn't be able to recover from that." 

"Hey, it's okay. What time is it anyway? You should get some rest, let that arm of yours heal," I said, gesturing to his cast. He rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Thanks for caring and all, but that's not important. I don't know what you saw, but it couldn't have been good. You were crying in your sleep," He frowned and hugged me again. 

"Jack, I'm okay, but Felix isn't," I let go of Jack and turned to Dark. "You. Leave Felix alone, he's been through enough shit."

"He hasn't gone through anything compared to what I'm going to do once I can," He smiled and sent a wink Jack's way, who's face fell at the action.

"Leave him alone, he has nothing to do with any of this," I insisted, tugging Jack close, as if Dark could get ahold of him any second. 

"Um, yes he does. I already told you, we are partially each other, therefore Jack is my soulmate as well as yours and I his," Dark reminded me, but I simply shook my head fiercely.

"No, Dark. I don't give two shits about what you say. Jack is mine and mine alone, not your-"

"Excuse me," Jack intervened before I could finish yelling at Dark. "Um... What does he mean by soulmate?" 

"Oh, Jack," Dark flashed a toothy grin and his eyes a few shades darker, staring at Jack as though he were a piece of meat. "Mark and I share a piece of the same soul. I have a bit of his, he has a bit of mine, yada, yada, yada... That means that not only do you belong to him, you belong to me as well, my little pet."

"I don't belong to anyone, I'm a person!" Jack snapped and sighed. "I mean, if I were to belong to someone, it would be Mark. I don't have anything to do with you."

"Call Madame Ida Azzara if you don't believe me. She'll tell you," He insisted and smiled. "But that means my true soulmate is also yours, which I'm not pleased about, but it is what it is and I get Jack as well, so there's a plus."

"You have a soulmate?" I asked, doubt lacing my voice.

"Just like everything else with a soul," He grinned. "But you'll never meet them, until you die, that is. I don't want you taking them away from me."

"Trust me, I don't want to," I rolled my eyes and grabbed Jack's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to remind him I was here to protect him. "So you're not going to try and put your soulmate in Jack's body... right? I figured that's why you're so interested in him."

"Nope, not in this story. My soulmate can wait for me for centuries if we wanted, we're both heading for demon status," He shrugged. "Why do you care anyway? What's it matter to you?"

"I'd like to know what I'm dealing with and make sure you aren't going to hurt Jack."

"I don't want to hurt him. As I've said a few times now, he's my soulmate as well. It's rare for anyone to want to slaughter their soulmate. I would just to hurt you, because he's yours more than mine, but I'd rather keep him as a toy than turn him into a rotting corpse," Dark chuckled, then sighed. "Your asshole friend won't stop screaming in my head."

"Let him take control of his body then!" I snapped, Jack remaining as silent as he has been for a while. 

"Fine," Dark rolled his eyes, then they changed and went back to normal, the harsh demeanor of Felix's figure changing back to what it normally was. 

"Felix?" Jack finally spoke up and went up to him, extending a hand out to touch his arm, letting go of my hand. The body suddenly snapped through the ropes and jumped Jack, sending him tumbling onto the floor, sitting on his waist and pinning his hands above his head. 

"Jack!" I yelled and started towards them, when Dark grabbed Jack's head with his other hand.

"One more step and I'll snap his neck," He threatened and I paused. He smiled, Felix's eyes flashing back to Dark's, then got off Jack, tugging him into his lap, having a hand around his throat.

"What do you want? You're getting a body soon, why do this?" I asked, looking into Jack's fearful, blue eyes. 

"The ropes were getting annoying and I was beginning to grow bored," He smiled and let go of Jack's throat to run a hand through his hair, making Jack cringe.

"Let him go," I said firmly, hoping I sounded intimidating enough to get him to let Jack go, but how could I possibly sound threatening to a spirit who's almost a demon?

"Tell me to do that again and I'll break his other arm," Dark threatened, taking hold of Jack's cast and tightening around it, cracking it slightly making Jack yelp.

"Okay! Fuck, stop hurting him," I swore and he let go of Jack's arm, continuing to pet his hair.

"I'll let Jackaboy go once the body is here, just so I have some entertainment for the time being," He smiled and went to kiss Jack on the cheek, but he flinched away. I bit down on my anger, briefly only seeing Felix trying to kiss Jack and not Dark. 

"Just don't hurt him," I said firmly and he nodded, eyes still on Jack. This was going to be a rough night.