Firefight in Darkness (33 page)

In a flash, she whipped around, a demon blade suddenly in her hand, and sliced at his face. He cried out in anguish as he felt the skin on the left side of his face bleed and burn at the same time. Despite the blazing pain, he reached out just as she grabbed the tree, managing to touch her hand right as Dante transported them away from Euphora.

♦ ♦ ♦

The next thing Blythe knew, she was gasping for air and fighting for consciousness in the alleyway in Richmond. Her head felt heavy and groggy, and her body felt weak and useless. Frightened, she fought to open her eyes, blinking to clear them. She heard a groan beside her and suddenly realized she was slumped on the ground, and Jax was beside her.

“Jax.” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, and seemed to echo in her head. Rolling towards him, she tried to prop herself up to look at him. “Jax, where did he go? What happened?”

But when she managed to get a good look at him, her heart plummeted in her chest and her eyes bulged. “Dear, God.”

There was a long, thin gash down the left side of his face, running right past his left eye and down to his chin. The skin looked as though it had been cut with a razor, and then burned shut. Her eyes filled as she reached out to gently touch the wound, her body shuddering as he flinched away from her.

“Your face, Jax.” She cried, tears spilling down her cheeks as she pressed her own face into his chest, gripping his shirt tightly with her fists. Sobs wracked her body as she cried, knowing this was somehow her fault. She should have gone to Euphora alone, then he wouldn’t have been hurt so badly.

He reached out to touch her, his hands in her hair. The pain was unbelievable, but at least he was alive. It felt like a million tiny needles were burning into his skin, but it was only pain. Pain disappeared with time.

“Blythe.” He sat up and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “Don’t cry, darlin’.”

She lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes red rimmed and full of miserable hate. “He possessed me, didn’t he? And then he used me to attack you?”

He said nothing, only nodded. She bit back a furious wave of madness as she pushed away from him, her eyes frantic as they scanned the dark alley.

“Did you see where he went?” She demanded, ready to rise to her feet and fight, despite how fragile her body felt.

“He’s gone.” Jax grunted, rising to his feet. He held out his hand for her. “We need to get back to Euphora, tell Thea.”

“How do you know he’s gone? Did you check your device?”

Jax simply shook his head. “Trust me, he was running away. He’s long gone by now.”

“So now what? We just let him go, try again another day?” Frustration mixed with the guilt and grief in her gut. It hurt so terribly that she had to clutch her torso just to keep from falling apart.

“There might not be another day for me, Blythe.” Jax began, knowing just how badly this would hurt her. Hell, it was destroying him inside to even consider the possibility, but she had to know now before it became a reality. “Thea may very likely take me off the case after this. I let him get away.”

“Bullshit, he hurt you, and he possessed me. What could you have done differently?” Blythe demanded.

“Not let my feelings for you get in the way of my job.” He said flatly. Even though he was itching to touch her again, he crossed his arms over his chest, not wanting to make this harder than it had to be. “If I hadn’t hesitated, I might have had the chance to hold you down or keep you away from the tree until Rian could come and force him out of you. But because I couldn’t hurt you, I let him get the better of me. It’s unforgivable in my line of work.”

Blythe couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Thea will listen to you, she has to.”

“Like she listened to your grandmother?” He knew it was a cheap shot, but he had to make her see just how serious this was.

“Damnit.” She cursed with no feeling, hanging her head. He was right, Thea did not have a history of being reasonable when it came to complicated situations. But there was hope. “I’ll convince her. I’ll explain everything to her, that way your story is backed up.”

“I don’t want you getting involved in this, Blythe.” He stepped towards her then, gripping her shoulders tightly and shaking her. “If she takes me off the case, it’s very likely that she will erase my memory. I won’t remember Euphora…or you.”

Shock flashed across her face as she stared at him, eyes wide. “No, no she can’t do that.” She stammered, desperation in her heart. “I won’t let her, Jax. I’ll tell her the truth, and she won’t do this. And if she insists, then I’ll threaten to leave Euphora. I’ll move to El Paso, live near you, get to know you again.”

“I won’t let you give up your life for me, Blythe.”

“It’s my life to do with as I please.” She suddenly gripped his shirt tightly in her fists, her temper flaring. “Damnit, Jax, don’t you see that I would risk everything I have, everything I am, for you?”

He stared at her, finding no words to say. His throat felt tight and the pain from the burned gash on his face seemed so insignificant compared to what was raging in his heart. She was, as he had always known, the type of girl to stick by a man through the bloodiest battle. And now she wanted to stick by him through this. Impossibly moved, he pulled her against him and kissed her, finding no other way to show her what her words had meant.

He turned his face into her hair, his hands pressed into her back to hold her close.

“We should head back now, darlin’.” He murmured, shifting away to look at her. Her eyes were still red from crying, but it relieved him to see them dry.

“I will fight for you. It’s what I do.” Blythe reached up and tenderly touched the scarring cut on his face. He watched her carefully as she traced her finger down the line he knew he would have the rest of his life. Demon blades caused permanent, irreparable damage.

Taking her hand in his, he nodded towards the tree that still sat in the alleyway. Above them, the sky was beginning to lighten, the sun starting its daily ascent.

Together, they placed their joined hands on the tree, and left the alleyway in Richmond for the last time.

♦ ♦ ♦

When they walked through the gates on Euphora, Blythe had to pause and simply take it all in. She bit back a fresh wave of tears at seeing her home tarnished, destroyed. Though the castle was untouched, the gardens were in ruins, the trees and plants burned with more fire still simmering in some areas. Thea had brought on the morning sun early so they could assess the damage and begin the tedious process of restoring what had been.

She spotted Thea, Rohan and Rhiannon repairing the destroyed trees and plants, growing fresh leaves and branches to replace what had been burned, and Lucian and Liam were busy putting out the remaining fires. Sebastian, Clynn and Capri were blowing the ashes and remnants of plant material into piles on the cobblestone pathway, while the Fates were clearing out the ponds of debris. Just outside the entrance doors, ten humans slumped together, blissfully asleep after having their memories altered, ready to be transported back to Richmond. The Muses were bustling around them, tending to what wounds they could.

Jax squeezed her hand, bringing her back. She glanced up at him and tried to smile, though she knew he would see through it. They continued into the courtyard, walking hand in hand down the cobblestone path. Lucian glanced up first, and when he called out the others all turned. He and Liam raced forward, along with Capri and Clynn, rushing Blythe and barraging her with questions. She answered them dully, never releasing Jax’s hand, and waited for Thea to approach. When she did, the others backed away, making room for Mother Earth.

Thea said nothing, but looked from Jax to Blythe, noting their joined hands. Her dark eyes were rich with power, yet reserved with emotion. What she saw before her were two people, as different as can be, standing united. It made her wonder just what it was they were united about.

“We wondered where the two of you had gone.” Thea said softly, her eyes on Jax now. “What happened to your face?”

Before he could respond, Blythe jumped in, all spitfire and furious devotion. “Jax and I chased Dante out into the field, and Dante possessed me, and used me to taunt Jax, to hurt him. He bought a demon blade in Phoenix and he must have had it on him because that was what he used to lash out at Jax. Then he tried to get away, and Jax grabbed him just as he transported us to the alleyway in Richmond, where he fled, leaving us both laying in the alley. I was disoriented, obviously, and Jax had a giant cut on his face that was causing him a lot of pain. I’m sorry, Thea, but Dante got away from us this time. But the second we can, we’re gonna go back out there and find him. I promise you.”

“I see.” Thea mused, keeping her expression carefully blank. The others around her seemed stunned into silence.

“Look, I know what you’re probably thinking. You’re probably thinking that Jax and I failed you, and that you’ll have to send someone else out to find Dante. But that’s not fair, Thea. We got closer to Dante than anyone else could have, and we shouldn’t be taken off the case just because of this one misstep.” She paused then, fighting to keep her voice level despite the urge to shout it, to scream it all in violent anger. Thea’s calm expression was driving her mad. Had she already made her decision? Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Dante gave me my grandmother’s diary, and when I read it, I realized just how mistaken all of us, especially you, were about her. Damnit, you made a huge mistake banishing her, she was a good person who had been taken advantage of. But you didn’t listen to her explanation, did you? In fact, you probably looked at her just the way you’re looking at me now, with goddamn superiority. Well, I’m not having it, Thea. My grandmother was innocent, but she bore the brunt of your harsh judgment. I will not stand by and let you do the same thing to Jax.”

Something flashed in Thea’s eyes as her face tightened, and Blythe knew she’d hit some deep, buried regret. “Standard protocol with an Enforcer or other agent who has failed in his duties would be to erase his memory and disbar him.”

“If you do that, then I go with him.” Blythe said between clenched teeth.

Thea’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You would leave Euphora? Why?”

“Because I love him!” She shouted it, her emotions boiling over, her heart damn near bursting from it. The admission she’d wanted so badly to say aloud, was finally said. And everyone around them gaped, and Thea pressed a hand to her heart in shock, and Jax just watched her with storms in his eyes.

When Thea felt she could speak again, she approached Blythe, laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“I’m not perfect, Blythe, and I have made mistakes, especially in regards to your father and, apparently, to your grandmother. But trust me when I say that I will not make the same mistake with you.”

A single tear fell down Blythe’s cheek as her wild emotions sizzled into dust, replaced swiftly by soothing relief. “So you won’t erase his memory?”

Thea tilted her head to peer up at Jax, humor in her eyes. “Not unless he wants me to.”

He shook his head, his eyes sober and his expression humble. His eyes left Thea’s to glance down at Blythe, who turned to smile up at him.

She let out a shaky laugh, then on impulse jumped into his arms, cupping his face and kissing him deeply. He spun her around once before planting her back on the ground and releasing her, grinning. Lord, that girl made him smile.

♦ ♦ ♦

The minute she had the chance, Blythe slept like the dead for nearly twelve hours. The entire ordeal of the last several weeks had taken everything out of her, drained her not only physically, but emotionally as well. But now, at least temporarily, it was over. She could rest until it was time to continue the search for Dante, which they had little to no leads for now. The Furies would have to use all the Intel they had to get a heading on his location, and then they would make their move.

One day, hopefully sooner than later, she hoped to destroy Dante once and for all. He was the single most destructive force in her life, and he had touched in one way or another every single person she loved. Even though she could respect him for giving her the truth about her grandmother, she still saw him for what he truly was: evil.

The first thing she did when she woke up was go for a run. The old, familiar feeling centered her as she raced through the woods and cruised alongside the cliffs edge, the ocean breeze soothing as her muscles warmed and strained after the hiatus. The only thing that had changed was the music in her iPod. Instead of sprinting along to the manic guitar of Zeppelin, she listened to outlaw country and thought of Jax.

He was resting comfortably in one of the guest rooms in the castle. The Muses had tended to the cut on his face, and had soothed away the worst of the pain and physical damage to his skin. It would heal eventually, but he would have a thin, white scar running down his face for the rest of his life. Blythe had joked that it made him look even more like a badass than he had before, which he supposed was her version of a compliment.

After her run, Blythe showered and dressed, then went immediately to see Jax. Along the way, she was stopped by Brogan and Nova in the hallway.

To her surprise, they wanted to end the feud that had been silently raging between them for years. They said that because Brock had defended their mother so valiantly after her transgression, and that he had managed to convince Thea to not banish Nyxa, they saw how much he loved her, and what he was willing to do to protect her. And when they’d heard how Blythe had done the same with the bounty hunter, they knew she had the same caliber of good in her as well.

At first Blythe wanted to push them away and ignore their request, but she knew it was the wrong thing to do. She’d waited a lifetime to have them accept her, and now they were, so who was she to back away? After awkward hugs and forgiveness all around, Blythe continued on to Jax’s room, feeling lighter and more carefree than she had in days.

She poked her head in, pleased to see he was awake, reading a book in bed.