Deprived

Chapter 13 - Addiction

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He wasn't sure if he had been healed yet, but Jesse felt exhausted and couldn't move a single limb even if he wanted to. He sighed, feeling the soft bedding underneath and caught glimpses of familiar walls before his heavy eyes closed on their own.

Back in my cell.

He didn't sense Draco's presence... yet. Jesse was sure that Draco would come for him soon enough. Never had he expected to be grateful to see Draco's face but when the Improba had yanked the deranged vampire off of him, Jesse had felt thankful.

Still, he could still feel the internal bruising in his throat, his breath withdrawn and raspy as he struggled to inhale fully. His throat felt raw, burning as each breath struggled to slip through the bruised flesh. Cool fingers gently petted through his hair, making Jesse blink tiredly before managing a lazy glance in Robbie's direction.

The kitsune's eyes were watery as his hand glowed with warmth. Slowly, Jesse's wounds healed but he could tell Robbie was reaching his limit. Blood trickled from Robbie's nose as his hand shook, the light fluttering before it extinguished when the Kitsune sagged back with a forced gasp.

And judging from the ache in his hips and the pain webbing through his thighs and back, Eldo had managed to rip Jesse to shreds before Draco got to them.

He shivered at the memory, jerking on the bed when he heard footsteps approaching. Swallowing weakly, he glanced down at the bed and averted his gaze as soon as they crossed with Draco's furious eyes.

"Robbie, go to the bar and get some fluids in you. You're useless to me when you're stuck in Recharge." The fox shifted with great difficulty before dragging himself off of the bed. Draco sneered as he glanced at Jesse's body, clicking his tongue in disgust.

"Bastard managed to deal some real damage." Jesse flinched and cried out when Draco mercilessly shoved apart his thighs to get a better look at his injuries. Fingers pushed and prodded at the gashes and welts, causing the blood to flow more fluently. He yanked at Jesse's arm, inspecting his mangled fingers before dropping it painfully on the bed.

"Tsk, should've let the bastard slowly drain to death. You're going to be out of commission for a few days." Jesse nearly wept with joy at that, though that also meant he had to endure Draco's presence for that time.

He doubted the Improba was going to leave him be after Eldo's theft. If anything, Jesse's chances of getting out had been reduced to nothing, as Draco would never lose sight of him now. The improba was muttering to himself, scowling as he paced back and forth, hissing and growling.

Feeling extremely lethargic from all the blood loss, Jesse's eyelid fluttered shut, blinking open with great effort when he heard Draco scoff once more. He thanked whatever fortune smiled upon him, as Draco stalked back out of the room, closing the hatch with a reverberating slam that rattled Jesse's teeth.

Ever so slowly, a smile slipped on Jesse's lips. He could remember what Eldo had done to him yes, but he also remembered what he himself had done, all thanks to the sadistic vampire. If Eldo hadn't kidnapped him, he would've never been able to contact authorities.

Sure he had no way of knowing if they ever found the place or if they would ever find all the Deprived but it was enough to create a spark of hope.

Soft nails clicked against the floor before a small motion jolted the bed. Jesse only managed to roll his face against the pillow, giving Robbie a soft smile.

"I thought you were going to die." The kitsune murmured softly, black circles around his eyes while his fingers trembled. "There was so much blood and your throat..., Gods, Jesse." His lip wobbled before he bit back a whimper, ducking his head slightly.