Emblazed (11 page)

“
Mi amante
, it’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re home.”

Home. I opened my eyes. Jace sat beside me on the bed, holding my hands in his. He
looked perfect, no injuries at all.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs, causing my attention to shift to the top of landing.
My dad appeared, looking very weary and anxious as he focused on me.

A relieved smile formed as he came over and hugged me tightly. “I’m so glad that you’re
okay, sweetheart.”

I squeezed him back, fighting tears as memories from the Underworld, including those
of my mother, flooded back. “I saw Mom.”

He stiffened in my embrace before pulling back to look at me. “What?”

“She was in the Underworld. She recognized me, Daddy. She said the Oracle restored
her memories because I would need her help one day,” I explained.

He sat speechless, a stunned expression dominating his features as he took in what
I said. After several silent moments, he asked, “How was she?”

“Fine. I tried to get her to come with us, but she …” I trailed off, not knowing how
to explain to my father what had happened with Cerberus.

“She what, Brielle? Tell me what happened.”

“We were fighting Cerberus. Mom didn’t think we would beat him, so she took off running
to distract him. I didn’t see her again after that,” I explained. I felt so guilty
for leaving my mother in the Underworld. “I’m so sorry, Daddy,” I sobbed.

“Honey, your mother did what she thought was best for you. There was no way that you
would’ve changed her mind. She is just like you in that way—stubborn and determined.
I would’ve done the same thing if I were in her place. You have nothing to be sorry
for.”

“I still feel terrible. I don’t even know whether or not she’s okay, or if she was
able to get away from Cerberus.”

“Your mother is very resourceful. It wouldn’t surprise me if she did. Don’t worry
about her—you need to focus on resting.”

Yeah, that was like telling me not to breathe. I was worried about her. So much so
that I was contemplating returning to the Underworld to make sure she was safe. “I’m
fine, Dad. Jace takes good care of me,” I replied, stealing a glance at Jace.

He looked gorgeous, freshly showered and dressed in a snug gray t-shirt and my favorite
jeans of his sitting low on his hips. His hair was wet and messy, falling onto his
forehead since he hadn’t styled it yet. My heart raced as I drank him in, realizing
how much I had missed him while in the Underworld.

He squeezed my hand as his eyes burned with arousal.
Stop looking at me like that. Your dad is right there
,
Jace said in my mind, snapping me out the sensual trance his proximity had put me
in.

Being away from him for that time and now being back together was wreaking havoc on
my body. All I wanted was to lose myself in him and our bond. My only desire was to
have our love consume me inside and out while erasing the emotional scars left by
my experience in the Underworld.

My dad shook my other hand, regaining my attention. “I’ll be back later, sweetheart.
I have to get back to work. I just came by to check on you. I love you,” he murmured
against my forehead before kissing it.

“Love you, too, Daddy.”

Jace stood to walk him out, returning shortly after I heard the closing of our front
door. He carried some grapes, a sandwich, and a bottle of water on a tray to the nightstand.
“Are you hungry?”

“Not for that,” I replied seductively.

Jace snapped his head towards me, igniting me from within as his gaze burned with
want. I thought I would combust from our combined arousal flowing through me.

I could tell his desires warred inside him as he said, “You need to eat first. Once
I get you under me, I don’t plan on letting you out of this bed for a long time. Plus,
knowing you, you’ll probably want to take a shower first anyway.”

I looked down, horrified to find that I was still in Jace’s bloody shirt from the
Underworld. “Gross, Jace, why didn’t you clean me up?” I shrieked as I threw my pillow
at him.

I hopped out of bed and sped for the bathroom, stripping the ruined, tattered clothing
that covered me. I heard Jace chuckling behind me as I started the shower.

The warm water pouring over me felt amazing, especially since I hadn’t had a shower
in days. That bastard Hades had barely let me use the bathroom, let alone bathe. The
familiar red-tinged water swirled on the tile floor before escaping down the drain.
I thoroughly scrubbed the dirt, grime, and caked blood from my body, wishing that
I could also scour the memories from my mind.

Pushing them back, I suppressed them as I focused on the images Jace had shown me
before the whole nightmare began. Love and happiness replaced the anger and sorrow
that tried to burrow themselves in my heart, attempting to permanently scar me beyond
repair.

I turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping my favorite pink towel around me
before I towel-dried my hair with another. I spritzed some leave-in conditioner on
my locks before combing through them and fashioning my hair in a loose bun.

When I stepped into the bedroom, my eyes immediately found Jace, who was fast asleep
on the bed. I smiled at his resting form, so peaceful in sleep. My stomach grumbled
its hunger, so I sat down on the bed to eat my lunch.

Once I finished, I took the dishes downstairs and placed them in the sink before returning
back up to our loft. I joined Jace on the bed, curling up to his side and placing
my head over my favorite spot. His heart beat steadily under my ear as I draped my
hand over his abdomen. My body hummed its approval, no longer strained by our absence.
The familiar tingle along every inch of my skin soothed me, lulling me to sleep.

Fingers danced along my hairline as soft lips caressed mine. I eagerly responded,
parting my own to taste the deliciousness that was uniquely Jace. His tongue lightly
brushed along the top of my bottom lip, teasing me before entering my mouth. Our tongues
slowly explored each other as Jace’s hands skimmed down my arms to rest on my hips.

My fingers lightly traced the muscles in his chest and stomach before venturing downward
toward his jeans. I missed touching him; missed feeling our connection ignite along
my skin.

Snaking his hands around my hips, he cupped my ass and pulled me into him, pressing
his hardness against me. I grabbed the bottom of his shirt before tugging upward,
wanting to feel his skin along every inch of me. Jace swiftly pulled it off, leaving
my lips for only a second before reconnecting our greedy mouths, which continued to
relentlessly consume each other.

My hands unbuttoned his jeans as Jace effortlessly yanked off the towel I still wore.
In seconds, his pants were off, followed by his underwear, and then he was covering
me with his beautiful body.

I moaned as he entered me, completely filling me as he sank deep inside my core. My
flesh tingled blissfully, no single part left untouched by the other. Jace brought
me to our own personal heaven with every caress, every stroke, and every brush of
his lips. Nothing existed but Jace and the feel of him completing me, of our souls
entwining as one as our bodies melded together.

Jace slid in and out of me slowly, prolonging every divine sensation he elicited so
skillfully. My thighs gripped his hips as I arched my back, pulling him further inside.
He bit my bottom lip before grazing his teeth down my neck, roughly nibbling on the
tender skin, causing me to shudder in response.

Jace continued to pound into me, building the intensity of each thrust until I cried
out his name from the perfect combination of pleasure and pain. “Fuck, baby, I missed
you. Missed being inside you,” Jace groaned.

I was on the brink of coming undone. Jace’s words only pushed me further, increasing
my arousal, and I could only moan my response, unable to verbally express anything
comprehensible. My focus was solely on him being inside me and the extreme ecstasy
he brought, nothing else existing except us in that moment.

I clutched Jace to me by his shoulders as I felt my climax approaching. I tightened
around him, and after a few more deep strokes, he sent me into orgasmic paradise.
The muscles in his body stiffened as his release filled me, and then he slumped against
me.

Propping himself up on his elbow, he gradually eased his weight off me before gazing
at me through half-lidded eyes. “I missed that,” he chuckled.

“I wasn’t gone that long, horn dog,” I teased.

“I know, but being apart was torture. I needed that reconnection, not just the sex.
Jerk,” he playfully retorted as he brushed the hair out of my face.

I stayed silent, not wanting to think about our separation. I didn’t want to be reminded
of what I had felt and experienced down in the Underworld. “You okay,
mi amante
?” Jace asked as he softly rubbed his thumb over my cheek.

“Yeah, I just don’t want to think about it right now,” I replied.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’m here, baby. It’s you and me against the world,” he said
before wrapping me in his arms and pulling me into him.

His touched soothed me, as it always did, and I lost myself in the feel of our bond
caressing me. Jace ran his fingers through my hair as I lightly traced my fingers
all along his back. I was home, in Jace’s arms, safe.

Having Brielle back in my arms, in our bed, was the greatest gift the Gods could have
given me. Almost losing her was something that I never wanted to experience again.
Thankfully, everything that had been plaguing me since Hades kidnapped her had vanished
once we teleported back home safely.

Once she was sleeping peacefully in my arms, I couldn’t help but obsess over how I
could prevent something like that from happening again. Hermes and Hades would definitely
seek retribution because of Brielle’s actions, and there wasn’t much that I could
do to protect her from them.

Damn it, I hate feeling useless!
I’m supposed to protect her from anything, yet I don’t have the means to defend her
against the Gods. Fucking bullshit.

Brielle stirred, her face scrunching in pain as she squirmed in her sleep. I resumed
stroking her hair, trying to soothe her restless slumber. I worried that more nightmares
would haunt her because of what she endured in the Underworld. Her lip quivered as
she whimpered in her sleep, and I debated waking her up. She needed her rest, but
I didn’t want her to be suffering any emotional strain from her nightmares either.

The tear dripping down her temple made my decision. I sat up before gently shaking
her, and her eyes snapped open in fear. She dug her fingernails into my bicep before
she recognized me, but once her eyes settled on mine, she let go and expelled the
breath she held.

Sitting up, she wrapped her trembling arms around my neck and clutched me close to
her. Her tears wet my shoulder as I held her, giving her the physical comfort she
needed to shake the residual feelings from her nightmare.

“It’s okay,
mi amante
. I’m right here. I’m not going to let him take you from me again,” I vowed.

“This one wasn’t about Hades, Jace. It was about Hermes.”

I tensed angrily as I asked, “What about Hermes?”

“He was trying to rape me—it happened almost exactly as it did before you found me.
It felt so real, like I was reliving it again through my nightmare. I could feel his
hands all over me,” she said with a shudder, her face contorted in disgust.

I pulled her into my lap, and she curled up against me. Enveloping her completely
in my arms, I promised, “He’ll never put his hands on you again. I’ll kill him.”

“Do you think they’ll come for me?” she asked.

I nodded before saying, “Don’t worry though, they have nothing on you. Plus, with
Kimber, Zane, and Kiera with us, they don’t stand a chance.”

She laughed, and I felt her fear, sadness, and trepidation begin to dissolve away.
“We should all train together; work on defensive and offensive tactics.”