Chapter 31

Jace:

Bright light ripped through the darkness. I was trying to make sense of what was what. This was new compared to the past time I'd spent in that dark locker, wondering and praying if someone would find me.

"Jace?" A panicked voice called me out. Could it be?

"Jace?" Again. I fought to breathe under the cloak of heavy darkness. I wanted to reach the end of this damp tunnel and hold that light. I felt like I was clawing through the thickest of mud and my brain was numbing through every stab it felt.

I'm coming. My voice echoed through me.

I didnt even know what was moving me. I was just reaching for the light until it held me. The light held me and pulled me into it.

I gasped as if I was drowning.

"Jace!" The voice grew louder and I tried making sense of my surroundings. I found a white ceiling in my view and scent of medicine filled my nostrils. I could barely keep up with the lights. It was quiet and through that fog, I heard beeps.

"Hey." A soft greeting met my ears when a beautiful face graced my vision. She was here. Her face was pale and cheeks wet.

"Are you..." I tried speaking but the dryness in my throat shot me like it was clogged by a thousand needles. I choked on a cough and she came near me. Her lavender scent blessed my nostrils and after what felt like decades of filth smell, I felt tears roll down my cheeks at the sudden overwhelming happiness.

Was I really out?

"Baby?" She finally spoke and a cold object touched my lips. A gentle touch lifted my head and I drank the water. It was heaven. I was in heaven.

Wait, was I dead?

"Better?" She whispered and met my eyes.

"Am I de-" I paused at the word, it was the most sensitive topic between us, even in a dream I couldnt hurt us with it, "...dreaming?" I finished and she broke into a sobbing chuckle.

"No, baby. I got you." She bent over and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead. I vibrated with a cry and she kissed me again.

"I'm right here." She muttered near my head and matched my face again.

"How..." I was still not caught up.

"Dad and Carlisle traced you."

"But my phone... I didnt have it." I muttered.

"Someone reported seeing you here with a friend, couple days ago." She gulped loudly, "Um, social media upload, y'know."

"I'm sorry." I muttered and she shook her head.

"Are you kidding me? We've been looking everywhere for you. I'm just happy you're okay." She ran a finger on my cheek and I blinked in delight.

"Selene, I know who was with me but-"

"Aaron?" She suggested and I went quiet.

"Jacob was informed. Aaron's been missing too." She gulped and I sighed.

"I'm sorry." I tried find her hand and she lifted one that was already holding one of hers. She chuckled and pressed a kiss on it.

"Guess, you're the bases of this hardware." I winked and she threw her head back laughing.

"You lost too much blood, didn't you?" She tried standing up some power hit me and I was able to keep my hand in hers.

"Don't go." I muttered and she sighed before sitting on the bed beside me.

"Listen." She held my face, "You have a lot of issues going on. Bed rest for a couple days. Planned diet. Concussion and need at least a week to get walking around. Alright?" She spoke so fast that I giggled through out.

"Jace, grow up." She smacked my shoulder gently and I laughed some more.

"You are ill. Grow up." She dropped her head on my chest.

"You're smiling. I love that." I muttered inhaling her scent.

***

It had been four days since I came home. Selene insisted on driving me to New York herself. She said that going back to my home there would help her accommodate my life better and take proper care, whereas every single one of us knew that she was shit scared of Aaron popping around. I felt like a wimp, thinking how she felt the need to protect me and I couldnt do the same for her. I know that sounded like me saying that women werent stringer than men but thatwasnt what my point meant.

I wanted to lay my life down for this woman. Even if kidnapped, I ruined her wedding day. We'd worked so hard to make it work and just by the starting line, I messed up. I wanted to be her weapon, care and whenever she was ready, her husband.

It was weird for to walk around my apartment. Everytime I would see her, she seemed like she was finding herself a stranger there. Not once though did she leave my side.

My meals were prepared before I asked for them, my clothes always set for the day, favourite movies and shows set accordingly and my medication was on point. I felt like her boss again. She was working her ass off to make sure I had the proper rest everyday, and all i did was enjoy everything she did.

She was just showering in the guest room bathroom so I decided to cook us a meal. A good old meatball and noodles with some good juice. I knew it would make her night and then she would relax a bit. I was feeling much better. My head figuring things out again, I was taking calls from the office and I hired some investigators to look for Aaron Blane. Of course, under confidence.

The noodles didnt take long to make but the meatballs were taking their sweet time, so I started preparing the sauce I would dip the the steamed chicken balls in. I set the table in the pit and turned the large LED on to one of the shows I was currently hooked on. It was an old show but so intriguing.

"What is that?" I heard her walk in and sniff loudly around.

"Dinner." I pointed at the food in my hands as I walked down in the pit. She followed me with arms in the air. She always did that. Adorable.

"What are you doing?" She tapped my back as I placed the white bowl on the table.

"Cooking you some food." I turned with my hands on my love handles, just like her posture.

"Jace, this isnt funny." She crossed her arms.

"I know." I crossed my arms as well.

"Stop it." She smacked my hands.

"You stop it." I smacked her hand and she snapped. Grunting, she smacked her food and tried to leave. I took the opportunity and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her to the couch with me.

"What?" She struggled.

"Drinks are here. Water is here. Food is here. Plates are here. Forks, knives, spoons, salt and pepper are here as well." I pointed at all the things on the table and she froze for a second.

"Napkins." She started struggling again. I kept my hold on her and lifted my butt, pulling out two cotton napkins from the pocket of my sweats.

"Now, sit." I placed her on my lap. Her legs crossed mine and her head was bowed.

"I'll feed you." I kissed her cheek and her head shot to me.

"No, you need to be taken care of." She tried scooting out of me.

"Taking care of me, means keeping me happy. So let me feed you." I smiled like a goof and she groaned.

"What is it?" I moved the freshly wet hair from her face.

"This happened because of me." She played with her fingers.

Guilt. Now the whole very extra care made sense.

"Why does my kidnapping have anything to do with you?" I turned her face to me with two of my fingers under her chin.

"He told me he loved me before you came in with the ring, Jace." She shrugged and irritation seeped in me. That asshole. Who did he think he was? Playing a card on my woman? On second thought, I was thinking about a nice murder after putting Selene to bed.

"Did you..." I dreaded the question but I had to ask.

"No." She jumped to me.

"Aaron was the only person outside of school who was my friend, so I stayed in touch with him after... you know." She turned to me and I let her straddle me.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"I was just friends with him and I told him that." She pushed hair behind both ears. Small hair fell on her forehead and I smiled at that.

"Hey." I lifted her face to let her eyes meet mine. The blue in them ran in her orbs like a clear ocean.

"Aaron took me because I was going to cancel out deal." I lied.

"What?" She suddenly became curious.

"First, give me a plate of the food." I pointed behind her and she clicked her tongue in irritation. Turning around in my laptop, with her legs still around me, she poured a plate and gave me a fork with it. I cut a meatball and swirled some noodles around the bite. Lifting it to her face, I cocked a brow and she wrapped her lips around the fork, slowly lickin the bite off.

Think of something else, Jace.

My brain pushed me to focus.

"Why were you going to cancel your deal?" She questioned as soon as the food went down her throat. No compliment. That saddened me. She took the fork from me and twirled some noodles around the fork and stabbed a left over meatball. She brought the bite to my lips and I quickly took it, not taking chance on her changing her mind.

The food... was horrible. I almost gagged.

She smirked and I felt disgusted as the over salty, under cooked meatball and semi hard noodles went down my throat.

"I..." I couldnt talk, the taste was still lingering in my mouth. She turned around and came back with a glass of orange juice. She placed the glass near my lips and held the glass for me as I drank it out. When finished, she used the pad of her thumb to clear the juice off my upper lip and instead of giving it to me or cleaning her hand off... she licked if off.

Oh, Lord, give me strength.

My body was crying at the amount of control I was keeping on myself.

"He wanted you." I spoke sternly and her eyes went from playful to serious, "He wanted you and I wouldnt work with a man who had no respect regarding the bond of a marriage." I licked my lips.

"Jace..." she started.

"So, after that... as I recall, he fought me and then I turned up at the locker." I interrupted her and finished my words.

"Why would you do that?" She tilted her head with a sadness looming her face.

"Because. You. Are. Mine." I grit my teeth, firmly setting the words out.

"Jace..." she started again but I took the plate from her and set it on the table behind her. The glass went after it and then my hands were on her thighs.

"I promised to make this work for us. To love you beyond your imagination. So please, dont expect me to not hurt someone who wants to take that away from me. I'm selfish. You should know that." I spoke with sincerity, though it feared me that she would leave me that second.

She looked down at my hands and that's when I noticed how she was in a grey sleeveless tank top that read 'Not For Take' across the chest. Her legs were in a pair of sports booty shorts. Her white legs were under my fingers and I was still holding onto her strongly.

"Jace..." she started and I looked up. Her eyes went from confusion to a softness that I couldn't recognize until she leaned in a placed the most softest kiss on my lips. It felt like cotton melting in my mouth. I took her gently into me and licked th seam of her lips, concentrating the passion in our emotions.

Her fingers caressed my neck and my arms were around her body. She tucked her feet behind my back and I dropped us on the couch beside me. Our kiss didnt part and no words left out mouths. Soon we were moaning at the pleasure of reaching the sensitive region of our relationship.

From her lips, I started down to her neck and she released breezy gasps, sending nervousness trickle down my body. I looked up once from her neck and found her eyes shut and lip bitten. Her fingers were in my hair and I knew it then, that she was mine when nobody knew that we were two parts of the same sin.

She was fire and I was the coal within.