On The Border - Marry Him Or Die

81

Jenny’s POV

After a long steamy shower together, we finally left our room and joined the rest of the family for dinner.

David was the only one missing and it was at that moment that I remembered him taking a bullet for Lucas.

“How’s David?” I asked Lucas warily.

“He’s okay, I tried to get him discharged but the doctor said he had to stay at least for tonight for more observation” said Lucas gently.

I could see it in his eyes even though he didn’t say it. He was very touched by David’s sacrifice.

These two will never grow apart again after today.

“How are you Jenny? We were so scared when we realized what happened” said Diana gravelly.

I could almost hear the hint of reproach in her tone at the move I made behind their backs by sneaking out without telling anyone.

Before I could explain myself, Alex jumped to my rescue “She was in a very tough situation and didn’t have any time to alert anyone mom. Megan’s life was at stake, she didn’t have much of a choice”

Diana nodded and said emotionally “I’m just glad you were able to find her on time. You have no idea how scared I was of losing you Jenny”

My eyes watered as I spoke softly to her “I was scared too”

I didn’t elaborate but I think they knew exactly what I was scared of. I was scared of having a fate that was worse than dying itself, I was scared of being left behind and forgotten, I was scared of getting those I cared about killed because of me, and I was scared of never seeing these amazing people again if I ended up dying before they rescued me.

Alex’s hand on my thigh broke me out of the hole I was slipping into. I looked up at him and saw him looking at me intensely, trying to communicate with me through his eyes.

As if telling me ‘Remember, how much I love you, and you will never fall into the dark hole again’

I put my hand over his and squeezed it tightly.

We gathered around after dinner in the living room as usual.

None of us brought up anything about my kidnapping though and we tried to keep the conversation as neutral as possible for we were all more than through with that particular subject.

Towards the end of the gathering, I noticed Alex sneaking outside for fresh air.

It had become a habit of his that I was getting used to every night.

He would always stand outside by himself before he joined me back in our bedroom.

He said it gave him a sense of calmness and comfort, standing outside, listening to the silence of the night, breathing in the fresh air and breathing out all his troubles and worries, leaving them outside before he walks back into the house.

I never bothered him during those times. I figured that if he needed me, he would have called me to join him. But I think he preferred to be alone so he wouldn’t let me see him troubled and distressed.

This time though, I couldn’t keep my distance. At least not tonight.

Tonight, I knew I was a very big source of his distress.

Tonight, I wanted to share his burden and help ease his worries with my presence.

It was a chilly night. The nights were getting colder everyday and soon, snow was going to cover the whole place.

Snow will be covered with snow.

I tightened the jacket around me as I stepped outside, looking for my handsome husband.

I found him leaning against the hard rock wall, a few feet next to the front door.

He had one leg bent backwards, resting against the wall he was leaning on.

His hands were inside his black jeans pocket.

He was absent mindedly staring up at the sky.

He looked so damn hot with that pose.

Like he was a model posing for photoshoots for one of those fashion style magazines.

It took me a while to join him because I was too busy admiring his beauty. Not just his outer beauty but his inner one, which was so damn beautiful and admirable. I stood there from afar appreciating the great gift god sent my way, the gift I thought was going to be my curse and the future cause for my unending torment.

The gift I thought was going to bring me closer to my death, brought me back to life. Showed me what it’s like to fall in love so deeply, what it’s like to have a true family, what it’s like to feel safe and warm.

“You’re doing it again you know” Alex smirked at me.

“And I am not embarrassed to deny it or hide it anymore” I said softly as I came to stand in front of him.

I shivered a little despite the thick jacket I was wearing and a look of concern crossed his features as he said “It’s freezing, you should go back inside so you don’t catch a cold”

“Only if you come with me” I said warily.

Before he could say anything I said softly to him “If you don’t want me to slip into that dark place again then you should take the same advice. I know you have a lot of burdens on your shoulders and I don’t want you to add to it”

He breathed a heavy sigh and I knew I was right. He was still struggling with what almost happened to me today.

I dreaded asking the next question, but I had to know “Are the… Walkers going to cause problems for you because of Simon?”

His eyes flashed at the mention of his name but he tried to restrain his anger from surfacing as he said tightly “No, Mathew made it clear to Jack that if his son wasn’t killed by Zade’s men, he was going to die at my hands for what he participated in. They’re the ones who broke the peace agreement and they saw the consequence of that with their own eyes”

I winced at the mention of the word consequence as I remembered something.

“Tell me Alex, when you made the offering to my uncle, you said that if any one of them tried to do anything to jeopardize it or break it, I was going to end up paying the price. Did you really mean that back then?” I asked curiously.

“I did” he answered right away, I was caught by surprise that it took me a while to ask tightly “What would you have done to me?”

“I have no idea. I was so serious about my threat back then that I knew I would never need to carry it out because no one will dare to do anything” he said confidently.

“Simon just did” I whispered.

“He did, and he got what he deserved for it” he said in content.

His phone rang, interrupting whatever he was about to add on that subject.

Alex frowned at the screen and answered reluctantly.

“Hello?” he asked warily, which gave me the feeling that he didn’t know who was calling him.

It was a very silent night, that I could clearly hear what the other person was saying through the phone.

“Alex, it’s about time we finally spoke don’t you think? It’s Lord Z” said the voice gruffly.

I saw Alex clenching his jaw at that as he answered him dryly “I think it’s about time we actually meet instead of talking on the phone or sending your lackeys to their deaths”

“One of those lackeys was my brother, Alex. You made a huge mistake by killing him and I want you to be assured that it will be your last one” he threatened darkly.

I felt the blood boil in Alex’s veins while my own blood drained from my face at his threat.

“Your brother made his last mistake by going after my wife to get to me. He deserved what he got” said Alex tightly.

“Just like you deserve what you’re about to get. You underestimate my intelligence Alex. Do you honestly believe that I don't have a plan B? And if that fails, a plan C, then a plan D, and... you know how the alphabet works, don't you? Send my love to your wife. Or maybe have one last kiss under the stars to say goodbye to each other because where you’re going Alex, I don’t think it will be heaven and you probably will never see each other again”

My eyes widened at his words and it took us less than one second to catch up to his words and understand their meaning.

But one second was all it took.

All it took to bring about the death I felt was coming for me sooner rather than later.

See? I told you I had a feeling about that marriage. I told you that I sealed my fate when I said the words I do at that church.

I knew it was going to be the death of me.

How did I know that though?

I don’t know.

All I knew was, if I had to do it all over again knowing what I know was about to happen now, would I have still done everything the same way?

Damn right I would.

***

Alex’s POV

Jenny was standing in the way of the bullet that was supposed to kill me.

She had her back to the front yard and the moment I realized what that bastard meant by his words, it was too fucking late.

I tried though, at that bloody second that turned my life upside down again for the second time in my life. I remembered how helpless I felt when I was standing next to my old man, watching as the bullet hit his heart and I couldn’t move a damn muscle to stop it from happening then, from pushing him out of the way.

And I tried to move her out of my way now, but a second was no time at all.

At that same damn cursed second, I looked at her and I saw it in her eyes then.

Isn’t it ironic how a second makes you realize so many things at the same time, but when it comes to physically moving it doesn’t suffice?

I saw both the realization of what was about to happen to her because of me, and the fortitude for that doom.

I tried to move her but the bullet still claimed her life.

This time it was different though.

This time the bullets kept coming and the sound of the trigger filled the silent night with a piercing sound as it kept firing in our direction.

The first bullet hit her in the back and she recoiled into me with the force of the bullet penetrating her body.

I was running on pure adrenaline and I had no time to freeze, panic, or scream out in grief at her possible death.

All I knew was, if she was going to die I will die with her, and if she was going to live, then I have to live with her.

I lifted her up in my arms and turned to run back inside the house.

Before I took my first step, I felt the hot searing pain of a bullet lodging itself into the side of my stomach.

But I didn’t falter, I kept going.

My mind registered that if I head towards the closed front door with Jenny in my arms, it would be impossible to open it in time to save us from the descending rain of bullets directed at us.

My next option was the space underneath the outer staircase, and that’s where I kept moving towards when another bullet hit my upper arm.

My hold on Jenny weakened a bit but I didn’t let it stop me.

By the time I reached my destination another bullet hit my thigh and that’s when I went down with her.

I pushed her inside the dark obscured gap, crawled behind her, and with the strength I had left, I pulled her towards me, circled her in my arms and wept silently as the bullets kept hitting the front of our house.

I didn’t have the energy nor the courage to check her pulse to see if she was dead or not.

I was drowning in dread at the possibility of not finding a pulse on her.

I was also beginning to drown in unconsciousness myself and I welcomed it.

One last prayer on my mind remained.

God please, don’t let me live without her, don’t let me exist with her gone because that would destroy my very soul more than ending up in hell itself.