They Claim They're Immortal

“I'll do it,” Jake grumbled. I could tell that this was probably the last thing he wanted to do, his exhaustion taking a toll on him. I could also tell he was fed up with the situation and he was undeniably worried. Knowing all of this, my thoughts were probably unwanted by him at the moment. “Blade. I have some news.”

Being an angel, I could hear every word Blade was saying as if he was standing right beside me, “Always a pleasure to hear from you Jake. What's this news exactly?” The grin was evident in his tone of voice. Blade loved bothering Jake and it seemed that this hadn't changed over the years of not seeing him.

Jake growled low in his throat but pushed feelings aside quickly. “This is serious, Blade. You're gonna be staying with us for a while to help take care of Jessica.”

“Okay,” was Blade's simple answer. That shocked all of us. My eyebrows furrowed. We had all expected him to fight us tooth and nail but he was oddly... compliant.

“Okay?” Jake echoed with disbelief.

“Yeah? Should I say no?” Blade asked barely holding back his laughter.

“Well, yeah.”

“If you must know, Jake, I enjoy her company I wouldn't mind spending more time with her. If you know what I mean.” He was baiting Jake. I smiled and sat down, relaxing after a long stressful night. I smiled and sighed with content. Everything was currently alright.

Jake's guttural growl came more from his demon than himself. It seemed Lucifer was also protective of Jessica. Odd, I mused with a small smile. “Stop teasing him, Blade,” I interjected. Jake shot me a scalding look before handing me the phone and stomping out the front door.

Blade chuckled as he heard the door slam shut and the unmistakable shaking of the door frame. “Boy, oh boy, is he just a bundle of fun.”

“You should've seen him earlier,” Tyler said with a chuckle of his own. “She's got him wrapped around her finger but he just doesn't want to admit the fact that he has feelings for her.”

“That sounds a lot like an invitation to make him jealous, Tyler.” I could barely hear the mischief in his voice. Just barely.

“If you're not gonna do it, then I will,” Kyle said rubbing his palms together.

By the end of the week, Jake would absolutely detest the lot of us.

-

I was being shaken awake by someone so I groaned and rolled over onto my other side, facing away from my tormentor. This was probably the best sleep I've had in months and there's no way that I was gonna let someone ruin it for me.

“Now, now. None of that. I'll let you sleep in a proper bed as soon as we get inside.” It was William I could tell by the permanent laughter in his voice.

“Fuck off,” I mumbled sleepily. He tsked before slipping an arm around my waist and another under the bend of my knees. I let out a yelp at the prospect of being picked up but that didn't deter him. “What are you doing?! Put me down right now!” I yelled when I found myself dangling in his arms bridal style. “William,” I warned when he didn't immediately put me on the ground.

He sighed before adjusting me so I was now dangling over his shoulder. “William, stop it!” I screeched. I started kicking his chest and pounding on his back. I yelped at the feel of his palm coming down hard on my rear end which in turn made me even more furious. “As soon as my feet touch the ground, you are a dead man,” I seethed through clenched teeth.

“Is that any way to talk to your new found friend?” He asked obviously finding humor in my misery.

“'Friends' don't let friends get held against their will by complete strangers!” I yelled pounding on his back again as he climbed the stone steps that led to my doom. You are being incredibly melodramatic.

No I am not! I protested then scolded myself for being crazy and talking to my 'imaginary friend' in my head again.

I am not imaginary! 'Taryn' sounded insulted and I couldn't help but grin. He was like the older brother I- I cut my thoughts off quickly. I wasn't ready to think about brothers. Especially since mine was currently six feet under and never coming back.

I was pulled abruptly from my thoughts as his hand again came down hard on my rear. I let out another yelp and glared at the ground. “You need to stop zoning out on me. It's probably not good for you.”

“You need to stop smacking my ass, you pompous jerk, I muttered quietly. That earned me another slap. “Will you quit it?!” My butt was stinging and I did not like it one bit. Especially since his hand was still resting casually on it.

“Behave and maybe I will.” There's that laughter again. Suddenly I was dropped onto a bed and I glared up at William. I opened my mouth to bitch at him but he held up a hand, silencing me. “Wait for it,” he mumbled before the door burst open and almost flew off its hinges.

“What is this I hear about you spanking her?!” Jake yelled as he stomped into the room and came dangerously close to William. Suddenly I found myself fearing for William's well-being.

As I stared up at the two of them—Jake seething and William grinning—I noticed Jake's eyes and let out a small gasp. The whites of his eyes were no longer visible as his eyes were completely black. It was as if he was just pulled out of a horror movie about demonic possessions. Now I was never classified as a coward or easily scared, mind you. But horror movies always—and I do mean always—got to me. I would sit in my room with my phone in hand and a flashlight in the other and jumping at the slightest noise.

Jake glared down at me and I shuffled backwards on the bed in stark fear. His eyes softened and the black leaked from them, letting the whites of his eyes become visible again. “Jessica...”

I could only imagine how I looked right now. I knew my eyes were wide and my muscles were braced for pain. I could feel the sweat forming on my brow and my hands shaking. “I'm not going to hurt you,” he tried assuring me and reached a hand towards me.

I recoiled in fear and scolded myself when I found that although my mind was telling me to make a run for it, my body wouldn't let me. It was if it wanted me to be as close to Jake as possible, even if he scared the living crap out of me. He retracted his hand and set his jaw before stepping around William and closer to me. I gulped quietly and stared up at him. “Please,” he said through clenched teeth. The anger was radiating off of him and I heard a whimper escape my lips.

What the hell? You will not be intimidated by this man, I told myself. But I already knew it was too late. He knew. He closed his eyes and sighed, his warm breath fanning over my face. “Just come with me,” he said holding out his hand again.

I felt a sudden sense of calm and longing fill me. You need this, just listen to the man and go with him. I lost all sense of control and found myself placing my hand in his larger one.

Taryn, stop right now! I mentally yelled at him but he ignored me and let myself get pulled up by Jake. I found him pulling me out of the room and down the hall and I almost had to jog to keep up with his fast pace. He slowed down when he noticed and I found myself trailing behind him on wobbly legs. To say I was scared was an understatement. I was shaking like a leaf! Jake stopped abruptly and I bumped into his back. He turned and gripped my upper arms firmly.

“Jessica,” the sound of my name rolling off his tongue sent little shivers up and down my back. Which he, of course, interpreted as fear. He let out another exhausted sigh and let go of my arms. “When I said I wasn't going to hurt you, I meant it. I'm not entirely an asshole. I would never hit a woman.”

Awe. How cute, Taryn cooed teasingly.

Shut up, I snapped.

“I promise you, Jess. I'd never lay a hand on you in anger,” Jake said softly. Pleadingly. Oh man, he must've taken my silence as a bad thing! He probably thought I was too scared to say anything.

“I know. I trust you,” I blurted out hastily. I mentally smacked myself. You and your big mouth, Hayes. His frown turned into a small smile before he grabbed my hand again and resumed pulling me down the hallway.

“Good,” I heard him mumble quietly.

“Where are we going anyways?” I asked as I followed behind him down the stairs.

“My room,” he answered nonchalantly. I stopped abruptly causing him to stop as well.

“Um, no,” I stated. Jake and I alone, in a room, with a bed. That sounds like a big mistake just waiting to happen. I had no control over my thoughts around him, let alone my own body. You swore off men, remember? Yes, I do remember. After my last failed attempt at a relationship, I'd decided to become celibate—sort of—and live a quiet, testosterone free life. Well, as much as I could considering women also had testosterone.

“I thought you trusted me,” he said in a playful tone and I mentally groaned. I knew right then and there I would not be able to trust my body around this... man. My body was already screaming at me to jump his bones but my mind was telling me to wait. Until we got into a room of course. I was fighting an internal war with myself that I knew I would lose.

Just go, Taryn whispered in a very persuasive tone.

No. I've always been strong-willed. Not even the devil could tempt me but my strong will was starting to crumble. As Jake stared up at me with those beseeching intense grey eyes of his. I was still standing on the stairs, if I just turn around and- My lips parted as he grinned at me. That was it. My will shattered and my thoughts vanished. I opened my mouth to say something but closed it when he started to laugh. Actually, it wasn't exactly a laugh, more of a chuckle then anything. Still, this was Jake. Suddenly I found it hard to breath and my eyes widen.

“You weren't just saying that were you?” He breathed as he climbed up a stair. He was so, so close. If I took even a slight breath- This time I groaned out loud this time. I placed a hand on his chest and closed my eyes momentarily. This is probably all in your head. You're dreaming, Jake is never this sweet. That thought rubbed me the wrong way. Jake's name and the word 'sweet' did not belong in the same sentence at all and I knew that as soon as I opened my eyes, I'd find myself staring up at the ceiling in my spacious home. I'd be in my room and would be snoring lightly in my ear. I would push her away as her alcohol infused breath would just stir up memories of the night before. When we were partying. As we always did on my nights off.

Feeling confident that this was what was going on, I opened my eyes and found myself staring into amused grey ones. I closed them again quickly. Wake up, Jessica!

“You are awake, Jessica.” There's that breathy tone of his again. “Trust me.” Oh how I wanted to. I really, really did. But I couldn't. I could trust him to protect me from every outside force that there was, but could he really protect me from himself? “Please,” he breathed.

Yes. I found myself thinking. Yes, you most definitely can.