Chapter One: Dangerous Thoughts... Conclusion:
Releasing the unfortunate from his compulsion knowing it was
dangerous for his mind to be tampered with when is such an inebriated state he
shook his head yes and followed him without a word. When he approached him, he
smiled slightly to him to put him at ease “where are we going?”
Blinking a few times the mortal just stared blankly at him
the smell of alcohol coming out of his pores was strong enough to make Xavier
nauseous. “Tt... to the bri…bridge” he said his inebriated state returned to
him.
Falling into a companionable silence the two of them walked
the short distance to the bridge turning onto the pedestrian walk and continued.
Stealing sidelong glances at the man Xavier noticed how he seemed be warring
with himself. Knowing the mortal would soon talk he continued to just remain a
strong presence beside him watching as he periodically stopped walking to peer
over the railing of the bridge only to lift back up again shaking his head and
continue walking all the while seeming to maintain some sort of inner dialogue.
They continued on this way for about fifteen minutes before the mortal stopped
faced Xavier leaning against the iron railing for support. He observed him silently
as the mortal lifted the bottle to his lips drained the rest of its contents
and chucked the empty bottle over his shoulder and into the East River.
Speaking in a voice barely above a whisper “you know I have
no idea why I asked you to come this isn’t the sort of thing one wants an
audience for”. Looking down at the pavement, he shuffled his feet a bit “wwhat’s
your name” he asked him completely throwing Xavier off balance.
Looking at the man in complete shock for a minute before he
answered “Xavier” he told him honestly in all the centuries he had been doing
the work of a guardian this was the only unfortunate to have ever asked his
name. He did not bother to ask the mortal’s name in return because he’d already
plucked it from his head earlier and found out it was Jake. Closing the
distance between them, he came and stood beside Jake recognizing that his
uncontrollable shaking just might be early signs of hypothermia he projected
out his body heat to share with him knowing that Elims ran about four times
hotter than mortals did. “how about you tell me why you are here” he asked him
suddenly becoming personally invested in this unfortunate
Turning his head to the left to look at Xavier with
unfocused eyes he smiled bitterly at him “it’s four o’clock in the morning on a
Sunday and I’m on the Brooklyn bridge by myself “holding up his hand with the
gun and waving the empty one “with a gun and… well the scotch is gone but what
do you think I plan to do” he finished his voice becoming extremely soft and
cracking towards the end.
Looking the mortal over again “you’ve had a rough time of
it?” he asked him
Jake’s eyes searched his for a moment the need to find
understanding in another evident in his eyes “yes” he answered simply and
tucked his chin into his bony chest. He was quiet for a long while but the soft whimpering sounds, the soft up and
down movements of his shoulders and from the slight change of scent in the air
told Xavier the mortal was crying. “They’ve all left me you know” the mortal
began speaking again abruptly “I can’t go on” he told him burping at the end.
Tilting his head to the side, he resisted the urge to simply
enter the unfortunates mind and speed up this whole ordeal. “I’m here to listen
if you want to talk if you want. I’m not doing anything else right now,” he
told him softening his voice to sound more welcoming.
Looking skeptically at Xavier for a few minutes he nodded
agreement with that his brows creasing in between his eyes as he concentrated
on his words. “well” he began as he slide down to sit on the ground "I
have to tell you first I wasn’t always like this you know”. He stopped talking
to watch Xavier lower himself down beside him before he continued “I had this
sweet job my professor arranged it for me I made more money than even my Mom.
Got a place over in Brooklyn Heights” he told the Elim proudly “who would have
ever thought some Irish kid from Vinegar Hill would go slumming out there huh.
Pretty damn good huh?”
The mortal seemed to be waiting for him to respond he
watched him with an almost smug smile on his face waiting for his praise but
Xavier scratched his head in confusion. Being familiar with both areas, he knew
that was quite a come up and his curiosity getting away from him he spoke
before he thought “it couldn’t have been for very long”
Immediately his whole demeanor changed the crocked smirk on
his face turning into an ugly grimace. “wh..who the hell do you think you are?”
he demanded trying to get up but his intense state of inebriation not allowing
it “ I use to be somebody damn it!” he scream out making his face turn red and
spittle flying out of his mouth
Immediately sensing his error inwardly Xavier sighed ‘I will
never get mortals even in this sad state he now finds himself the man’s ego is
a big as the empire state building’ he thought to himself. Projecting a serene
presence he touched the man’s shoulder pulling out his aggression “Forgive me
Jake I had no right to say that. Tell me what happened,” he told that man
though he could not understand why one would get so upset for hearing the truth
The unfortunate looked into his eyes for a few minutes while
seeming to have some inner struggle. Though Xavier practically vibrated with
the need to speed this entire ordeal along he barely restrained from staying
out of the unfortunates personal thoughts.
Suddenly his whole body seemed to slump “well the company
let go of my whole department. That was the start of it looking back on it now
I know I’d been living above my means and to be honest it was mainly to impress
her,” he told him shuddering a bit at the mention of whoever ‘her’ was. “I told
her we needed to save money but she kept spending and spending and I couldn’t
find a job fast enough” he looked up at Xavier seeming to need reassurance so
he reached over and patted his shoulder intending it as a consolatory gesture.
Smiling softly for a split second “you know repo men are the scum of the earth .
You must be a right bastard to take a job like that they came and took
everything” he told him his voice shaking “ and in front of everyone the whole
building watched as they emptied my place and took my cars hell they took
everything and then the building manger came up and escorted me off of the premises
with a police escort after they retrieved all of my keys and clubhouse fobs”
Looking at the unfortunate Xavier still couldn’t see what
could have happened to make him choose this path all of this was horrible yes
but from what he pulled from the mortal’s mind he had family he could have
stayed with they could have helped him start over he was missing something crucial.
“So that’s what’s wrong your upset about your job?” he asked him trying to
figure out this mess so he could leave the mortal disgusted him.
His face once again contorting in anger Jake stood up “I
loved her I gave her everything! That bitch was nothing before I met her and
the minute things got tough she leaves, she owed me loyalty,” he yelled as he
began to pace back and forth his arms flailing in his anger making his lack of cleanliness
once again apparent. “All of this is her fault she is the reason I’m like this
I can’t get her out of my head” he suddenly stopped all movements turning his
back to Xavier. “She’s with my old boss now I sleep behind the dumpster where
they live so I can see her” looking around he walked up to the railing and
looked over then back at Xavier as he began to take of his tattered coat and
raggedy shirt. “Yesterday I saw her and she was coming home with a wedding
dress” he glanced back at Xavier but quickly turned his attention back to the
water. “She must have just brought it cause it was in one of those fancy bags
but there’s no mistaking a wed... wedding dress,” he said his voice cracking
and tears once again threatening to fall. “I haven’t been able to get close to
her get her to talk to me or I would take her with me. If I can’t have her no
one should be able to” he said his voice turning menacing “not after all the
work and investments I’ve put into that gold digger”
Xavier immediately jumped up off the ground sickened by what
the mortal had said. “So you are doing this because of a woman?” he asked
astonished looking over the railing into the water then returning his attention
back onto the unfortunate and snorted in disgust any compassion he had for the
man instantly vanished.
Jake turned to face him and looked at him as if he was daft
“have you been listening? This is not just over a woman. She’s THE WOMAN!” he
yelled spittle flying out of his mouth forcing the Elim to hastily jump back a
step to avoid getting sprayed. “She’s everything no one else can ever compare
life isn’t worth living” his voice broke again and he turned to the water once
more unbuckling his pants now and letting them carelessly slide down his body
revealing more of his malnourished body. “She’s the only reason I worked so
hard in the first place. I had to have her she was the hottest piece on my
block and every guy knows she only goes with guys that take care of her. Yeah
she dissed me at first but you know what I did? I made sure that she knew that
she couldn’t get anyone else that would take care of her like me baby, that’s
what I did” he said with an air of arrogance that Xavier was astounded he could still possess considering his present
circumstances. “I should have known that good for nothing gold digger would try
to ditch me when things got tough” sneering he seemed to lose more and more
control “but here’s the thing she doesn’t just leave me. It don’t work like
that baby I’m done when I’m done and not a minute before!” he screamed
furiously he rage so encompassing that his words were barely coherent.
Xavier backed away a few more steps shaking his head. Through
his long years, he had encountered many mortals and most once he reasoned with
them realized that they were not thinking soundly and accepted his help readily
but it never failed to shock him when he came across those such as this
unfortunate. Against his better judgment, he went into the mortal’s mind not
bothering to mask his presence. Shuddering he swallowed down the bile that came
up at his first contact with the unfortunate’s murky aura. It took him a few
minutes to make since out of the chaos and confusion, that was his mind but
when he did, it was shocking to discover that the disturbing remarks the mortal
made so far were nothing compared to what was going on in his mind. Unable to
contain his temper any longer “are you for real? This is your oh so devastating
problem?” stepping further away from the unfortunate something in him began to
snap. “I want you to look at me and
listen to me okay because I am positive that no one has ever told you
this before even though you desperately needed to be told” he said to him
baffled by this entire situation and beginning to see the mortal as a waste of
time. He waited patiently until he tore his eyes away from the water and met
his eyes “you are crazy and not just that but you’ve got one of the worst cases
of entitlement issues I’ve ever seen. So you’ve lost your job. Get another,” he
told the jerk steadily losing control of his temper “Your girl left well
newsflash it sounds like it wasn’t a romance made in heaven from the start
anyway. Get another one there billions of women in the world but this obsession
of yours is sick. This view of the world you have is disturbing. Grow up go to
your family get them to help you because what you’re doing isn’t normal”
“Ss... screw you; you know nothing about me there’s nothing
wrong with me how dare you have no idea what it’s been like.” bursting into
tears he began to climb up onto the railing sitting down with his feet dangling
over the side. Losing his balance for a second, he quickly regained it in an
attempt to look back over his shoulder to look at Xavier “You She was the
reason for everything I did nothing to deserve her ungratefulness” he said to
him tears and snot both streaming down his face clouding his vision as he broke
down.
Xavier said nothing as he watched the unfortunate warring
with himself on his next course of action. He knew his position as a guardian
required him to save all mortals if within his power but he was coming to
realize within the last century that not everyone should be and this unfortunate
just firmly solidified his point. Making a decision he dropped his mortal
facade allowing his true self to come forward taking a twisted satisfaction in
the mortal’s shocked realization that he was something more. He watched as Jake
took in his true self his eyes traveling the length of his body a shocked dazed
expression in his eyes as his head tilted back to accommodate his well over
seven feet. He watched as his eyes ate up his heavily muscled chest and biceps.
Tilting his head to the side, he watched the unfortunate study him fascinated
the light from the street lamps brought his attention up to his long hair which
was now back to its true color a shade of silver that was indescribable.
Returning his attention back to his face the mortal took in his large black cat
shaped eyes with dark lashes long enough to make them look almost feminine. His
skin the color of spun gold had the mortal unconsciously reaching out to touch
until a second later when it began to faintly glow.
Recognition suddenly dawned in the mortal’s eyes “You’re an
Elim” he gasped almost losing his precarious balance. His eyes still raking
over him a million different expressions and emotions flying across his face
before he finally settled on confusion.
Deciding to go the straightforward route “I’m here to
prevent you from making a mistake” his voice reverberated with power as he told
him coming to stand beside him and looking over at the water. “Jake” Xavier
used his name as a plea “there is so much anger in you this isn’t’ the way to
be free of it. Let me help you” he asked him softly
Pure rage flashed in his eyes “Stay out of my head you don’t
know anything I don’t care what you are. I know what I’m doing why don’t you
just leave” he spat out to him a second before his body tensed to jump.
In a flash, Xavier had his arms around him trying to pull
the mortals struggling body from dangling over the railing.
“Let me go!” Jake yelled at him while squirming, biting, and
scratching in attempt to force him to let him go. “LET ME G…”
They both froze Xavier holding the unfortunates dangling
body the only thing between him and death. He felt the minute the mortals mind
switched from rage, and hurt, and pain to lust and his body suddenly becoming
aware of Xavier’s. Xavier’s nostrils flared at the offending smell of the
mortal’s arousal and immediately let go wanting only to separate himself from
the unfortunate. The mortal arouse such odious feelings in him that he
unashamedly made no attempt at either catching or going over after him instead,
he watched in what seemed like slow motion as the unfortunate fell towards the
East River.
He watched in shock as just when the unfortunate should have
hit the river he stopped his body freezing in midair. Xavier watched in
fascination
©Joie
Luck
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