Deprived

Chapter 23 - ... a new one begins.

Tortured screams left his lips before he was awake, freeing him from the brutal hold of his nightmares. He scrambled back on the bed, chest heaving and eyes flitting frantically around in an attempt to pinpoint his attacker.

Yet there was no-one else in the room besides Jesse. His heart slowly stilled even with the frantic energy still coursing through his veins, urging him to get up and flee. His fingers slid into his long hair and tugged sharply as he drew his knees up against his chest, muffling a whimper against his skin before biting down on his own flesh.

It was the only way he could cope with the hands he still felt lingering on his body, the ghostly impressions they had made and the phantom pain that throbbed through his thighs, lower back and heart.

Jesse knew the nightmares were caused due to the trauma he and the other Deprived had gone through but that didn't make it any better, nor easier to cope with it. Every night he was haunted by nightmares, reliving the torment he had gone through at the hands of those monsters.

And every waking moment was filled with moments of anxiety, stress and panic to the point where he felt sick. Outwardly he looked fine but on the inside, Jesse was screaming and thrashing, feeling out of breath as his heart raced in his chest.

Bile rose up and he bit his lips, swallowing against the burning sensation before squinting his eyes, feeling a wet trail flowing down his cheeks.

James.

I want James.

A clap of thunder sounded outside, rain clattering against the roof in vicious torrents. Jesse rocked on his bed, unaware of the footsteps fast approaching before a group of guards filled his doorway, looking at him with pity.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as his magic crackled through the air. Jesse struggled to contain it as it was weak one moment, only to gain power and traction in the next, threatening to consume him entirely.

I want my mate.

GIVE ME BACK MY MATE! I BEG YOU!

Jesse gasped for air, squeezing his eyes shut as he struggled to breathe. Even with his airways open and cool wind blowing gently through the opened doorway, Jesse struggled to draw any oxygen from the air around him.

Panic filled his body as his breathing grew labored and panicked, short gasps slipping from his mouth as his heart throbbed harshly in his chest. His ears barely picked up the murmurs of the guards trying to break through his panic or the muffled curse that spat through the air before the bed jolted.

Tearful eyes opened as shock filled his body. Soft, pliable lips pressed tenderly against his forehead as warm air ruffled through his hair. Jesse's heart clenched as his eyes filled up before spilling, a hiccup breaking through his breathing pattern because of the familiarity of that gesture.

It reminded him so achingly much of James. How the vampire had held him in his sleep, how, whenever Jesse had a bad dream, his mate would wake him up with tender kisses and cooed at him.

Jesse would always relax and fall back asleep in James' loving embrace, while the vampire breathed against his hairs, lips firmly anchored against his forehead.

Another harsh hiccup jolted Jesse's body before his eyes clenched shut on the first sob that escaped. A gentle hand guided his head to rest against a strong shoulder, pulling Jesse in a comforting embrace.

It was enough to break the floodgates that held back his emotions.

Tormented cries spilled from Jesse's lips as he clutched at the man's clothing, inhaling his scent and desperately wishing it was James' hold. The weather outside grew in proportion with his emotions, lashing out violently in a terrible show of nature's anger.