Reborn: Chapter Forty Four "INVINCIBLE!"

Book Cover created in acrylic by the extremely talented @therealpaul

Series Summary

If you're just joining the adventure and would like to start at the beginning, click here

Chapter Forty Four

From the airport in Bute Montana the drive to Jack's cabin seemed to take an eternity. Especially when the phantom fingers made their next appearance. She was able to keep it under control as Jack went into a country store for necessities. She watched him come back out carrying grocery bags and it struck her as odd to see him doing something so normal and mundane, especially when hot flashes were curling around her thighs and wrapping around her belly.

She watched the sun go down from the window of the car and it was as if a switch had been flipped. Her coherent mind was left behind in the all consuming NEED her body was feeling. She was vaguely aware of Jack speaking to her, but couldn't begin to conceive of the words.

She felt the car ease to the side of the road and he gently directed her own hand down to her sensitive place. All of the normal embarrassment or shyness disappeared with the strength of her insatiable hunger.

When they reached the cabin the moon was high in the sky and Jack carried her inside and straight to a bed. For the next several hours he gave her release in every conceivable way without removing an item of his own clothes. Somewhere in the night this fact seemed to make it into her lust soaked brain, and she commanded him to take them off. When he attempted to deny her she became frantic, and he was no match for her wild strength.

It went on and on this way, night bleeding into morning, and even when the sun was up it continued. Several times she tried to insist he push inside of her but he resisted, always distracting her with his fingers or mouth.

He managed to remove himself from her to get sustenance and tried to coax her to eat as well, but she turned away from the offered food.

For three nights she could think of nothing but her insatiable desire, barely sleeping, drinking only from the vein of her companion. She didn't know who she was, it was as if she'd become an animal in its most basal form.

Around dawn on the third morning she drifted off to sleep, and when she awoke her mind had returned. Jack lay next to her sleeping heavily, his large muscular body moving in rhythm to his deep breathing. She stared at him uncomprehending for awhile then eased quietly from the bed and located clothing. She spotted a pack of cigarettes on an end table and picked them up, heading out the door onto the porch.

She lit one with trembling hands and settled into the porch swing. Her thoughts were scattered and she was having trouble conceiving a way to go on from here with any semblance of normality. How could she ever look at the man lying inside without recalling in vivid detail all of the intimate things they had done? She cringed as she remembered how she'd tried to entice him to take her innocence, and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for his resistance. There was a slight feeling of rejection there as well, which she shoved away forcefully.

She decided to shove all thoughts of the past few days away and realized she was looking out at the most beautiful panorama she had ever seen. His backyard was wild and unkempt, summer flowers still hanging on in places though most had dried, but it was the trees that caught and held her in awe. There were so many different varieties stretching out into the woods beyond his property line and the vibrant colors of the leaves gave evidence to autumn's arrival. Everywhere she looked leaves had begun to dress in gowns of purples and pinks and yellows, and the breeze flowing through them made it appear as if they were dancing. She could almost hear them laughing.

A brisk wind lifted her hair and she breathed in deeply. Before she knew what she was doing she leapt from the porch and ran towards the tree line to join in the party.

She stopped at the edge of the woods and peered in. Sunlight was shining through in spots making it look like an enchanted forest straight from a fairy tale. She skipped inside feeling a sheer childlike delight and was overcome with the need to run. As her legs pumped the wind hit her in the face faster and harder…and for the first time ever, she blurred.

Her body stopped her right at the edge of a steep ravine. She glanced around in wonder, trying to understand the mechanics of what had just happened, how she'd navigated through the woods without running into anything.

She looked down into the cavern and watched the river rushing by a couple of hundred feet below. The scenery reminded her of a movie she'd seen starring Brad Pitt when he was young. It was so beautiful she was held captive by it. She sat down on the edge with her feet dangling over the side, musing that if she happened to fall she would survive. It made her feel giddy. As she watched the water swirling and heading away she began imagining what it would be like to jump in and let the water take her. She could see herself landing in the cold liquid then popping out and swimming down the stream.

I bet it would feel like flying, she thought, picturing herself leaping over the side. She stood up slowly and stared. Why couldn't she? A shiver of excitement ran through her.

"What do I have to lose?" she said aloud and the words were carried away from her, adding to the feeling of enchantment. Excitement grew and she leaned forward a little. This time she shouted.

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE?"

The words echoed back to her and her heart sped up.

After a brief mental tug of war she backed up from the edge and ran forward. She grinned widely as she leapt out into the air. It was glorious, she was flying.....and then abruptly she realized she was falling.

Her feet hit the water and she felt bones breaking, her arms came down next, and her elbows snapped, then her face hit and her nose was shoved inside her skull. It felt as if she'd landed on concrete, but then the water came up around her and swallowed her whole. The pain was excruciating, her shattered bones felt like jagged splinters all through her body, and water was filling up her lungs rapidly as she was dragged down and pushed forward. As fast as the water came in it went out again, her body expelling it in an attempt to survive. This process, which continually repeated, was as painful as her shattered limbs.

A few moments later she slammed against a rock and was wedged into a small crevice. She had to pull her head out of the water before her chest exploded from the effort of expelling, and somehow she did it, using her screaming arms to pull herself up onto the rock.

Unconsciousness swallowed her.

When she opened her eyes again the sun had lowered in the sky to the west. Her mind told her it would hurt to move so she slowly flexed her hands and stretched out her arms. No pain. She put her hands underneath her and pushed herself into a kneeling position and still there was no pain. Thinking that maybe her body was in shock or suffering from hypothermia she turned to a sitting position and reasoned. Do vampires get hypothermia? After a few more minutes she decided the answer was no. She had completely healed as if nothing had happened.

She stood up on the rock staring at the water rushing around her in amazement. A human would have died several times over, the impact alone would have done it, let alone the multiple drownings and the slamming into a rock. And here she stood, hale and whole.

She grinned foolishly and raised her arms in the air. "I'M INVINCIBLE!" She shouted into the air then danced a little jig.

She leapt from the rock onto the shore still grinning. Not that she would be tempted to try it again anytime soon. For all she was fine, it had fucking HURT. She decided she should try learning her limitations in a less dramatic fashion.

Then she noticed the light was beginning to fade from the sky. "Oh shit," she thought, “Jack.”

She stared up at the steep cliff puzzling over how to get back up. There weren’t many hand holds and she’d certainly discovered it was too far of a jump. She really didn't want the inconvenience of falling and having to re-mend. Or any more pain, that she definitely wanted to avoid.

She walked alongside it and finally found a place that had plenty of spots to grab hold. She was more cautious than she probably needed to be and fifteen minutes later she was standing at the top feeling mighty good about herself. Until she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was, or how she managed to blur there in the first place.

The boys had said something about vampires being able to track a person after they’d taken their blood, but she had no idea how it worked. She took in a great breath of air and was assaulted with a thousand different scents.

Come on Anna, concentrate. She closed her eyes and pictured Jack’s handsome face. Recalling his taste and scent she began to run.

She came to a halt, nearly tripping over him.

"Anna!" His voice was a bit high, "Jesus, where did you come from?” He blinked rapidly and then his eyes narrowed. “More importantly, where the HELL have you been?"

She opened her mouth and shut it again, watching as his expression grew darker and darker. He was furious.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "I've been going out of my FUCKING mind, I thought one of them came and took you, and all I could do was wait here with my thumb up my ass!"

By “them” she could only assume he meant bloodsucking fiends like her. Now how to explain without further pissing him off.

"I....I blurred for the first time and I....got lost."

"Got lost," he repeated staring at her.

She nodded. "When I stopped I had no idea where I was."

"And it took you all day to get back." His voice was flat and full of doubt.

She nodded again, trying to make her expression earnest.

"You're lying," he stated.

She bit her lip and her hands fidgeted under his scrutiny. "Well I did blur for the first time and I didn't know where I was."

He stared at her harder, waiting.

"And then...." she trailed off, biting down on her lip harder.

"What. Anna. Then. What." His words were clipped and she could feel his eyes boring holes into her. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look up at him.

She looked away and mumbled, "I stopped at the edge of a ravine and got it in my head that I could jump into the river."

He released her. "How high up?" His voice was quietly menacing.

"Not that high."

"Anna."

"A couple hundred feet."

He took that in and seemed to look her over for injuries.

"I healed," she offered.

"How bad was it?"

"Pretty bad I guess. Not sure exactly, I managed to pull myself onto a rock and pass out. When I woke up I was all better." She heard him take in a ragged breath and cringed, waiting for him to yell, but instead he walked away.

The door to the cabin slammed and she winced.

He came back out a few minutes later and flopped onto the swing, lighting a cigarette. He said nothing and didn't look at her.

She walked onto the porch and stopped in front of him. "I'm sorry Jack," she said quietly.

He glared at her and let out a stream of smoke.

"I didn't know that would happen."

He continued to glare at her the way he had in the days preceding her "come out". She grew exasperated with the feeling that she was a little girl being reprimanded by her father…and made the mistake of telling him that.

The cigarette flew off the porch and she found herself lying on the grass on her back, an enraged Jack looming over her. His teeth were clenched when he spoke. "I should drag you over my knees and spank the living daylights out of you, unfortunately you're stronger than me and I probably couldn't hold you there." He pushed away from her and stood glaring down.

His eyes were so full of accusation and condemnation she couldn't help but feel like she was a child, and reacted like any child would. She burst into tears.

A female's tears were the undoing of all good men and Jack was no exception. He leaned down and pulled her up into his arms.
"You scared the hell out of me," he whispered into her hair. "For better or worse you were tossed into my life, and I care about what happens to you."

Her tears ebbed and she looked up at him. In a trembling voice she said, "It hurt so bad Jack, I will never do anything so stupid again. Nothing could be more effective in dissuading me then bones shattering and multiple drownings."

His expression tightened and he clenched his teeth again. She buried her head into his chest and felt him relax and sigh.

He gave her one last squeeze then led her up to the porch and they sat.

"So, you're back to yourself again?" He looked at her in a way that told her he wasn’t referring to her fall.

She nodded, flushing.

He put his hand on her cheek. "No need to feel like that. What happened was not in your control."

She nodded slightly and suddenly she was exhausted. Emotionally and physically wiped out.

"I'll make us something to eat," Jack stated and they went inside.

He prepared breakfast food and after they’d eaten Anna asked him if he knew how often she'd have to deal with heat.

"From what I've learned, females go into it about three times a year if they're unmated, more often if they are." He settled in an armchair and indicated that she sit across from him on the couch. "I called Will today and he filled me in on the details of your transition. I've run into vampires like those in the past and they are dangerous. More dangerous than demons because they’re extremely difficult to kill and supernaturally strong, though their inability to go out in sunlight does give us some advantage. It's widely believed in our circle of hunters that there are few vampires left who have not either turned to the practice of draining humans or been hunted and killed by those who have. Particularly females, in fact the last known breeding female was murdered over a century ago. Those that remain are evil to the core. At one point we thought that maybe these vampires were possessed but have since learned it isn't possible. They just chose to either ally with demons or call a truce with them."

Anna felt a bit deflated hearing this even though Will and Josh had alluded to some of the same things. But they hadn’t been sure and Jack seemed to be more knowledgeable.

Noting her expression he added, "I didn't say all of them. There are still some that do the job they were created to do. Some males anyway." He seemed to be contemplating something, struggling with it in fact.

"What is it?" Anna asked.

He took a breath. "I think we should get some sleep and head back to Nevada in the morning. I don't want to give you misinformation, and I'd like to check on a few things before we continue this discussion."

Anna was agreeable to that, having been tired since before they'd eaten.

She climbed under the covers and looked over at Jack who had settled in on the small sofa. She bit down on her lip then gathered the courage to ask, "Will you sleep with me tonight, just hold me?" Her voice sounded pitiful and she felt a blush climb her cheeks.

Jack unfolded from the couch and crawled in beside her, pulling her in to his chest from behind. The warmth of his body coupled with the strength of his character made her feel secure and she was out in minutes.

Generously created for me by @son-of-satire