Jace's heart began to race.
No, No, No, she couldn't go to sleep! He thought frantically.
"Clary, Clary! Come on wake up!" he panicked shaking her lightly.
There was no response. He continued to call for her and try to rouse her from the horror that was now sleeping. She had yet to make a sound which he took as a good sign. He continued fruitlessly to wake her to no avail.
"Please Clary," he begged quietly.
No response. He looked down at her at a loss. He had no idea what to do. He had run out of ideas. Images of the horrible things that could be happening to her flashed through his mind. Flames, blood, scream of pain. Oh by the angel if only he could wake her kiss- Then it came to him. In a last desperate effort he pressed his lips hard to hers silently begging her to find him through the darkness.
Then the most miraculous sound echoed in his ears. He soft sigh that she made as she woke. Her eye lids slowly fluttered open revealing her bright emerald green orbs. She seemed bewildered for a moment before the sight of his face finally seemed to register in her mind. She threw her arms around him.
"Oh thank the angel," he breathed in relief into her abundance of thick red locks.
But then he felt wetness against his chest. He glanced down only to find her clinging desperately to his navy shirt, her face contorted in pain.
Clary clung desperately to her warrior as the nightmare flashed behind her yes with perfect clarity...
Clary looked around. She seemed to be in a clearing in the woods. How had she gotten here?
"Decided not to bring your boyfriend this time?" the hauntingly familiar voice of her brother echoed behind her.
She turned and opened her mouth to retort but found no sound came out. She tried again but again nothing escaped.
"Sorry what was that?" Jonathan said sarcastically cupping his hand to his ear, "Oh yes daddy dearest did teach me some tricks Clarissa. Silence Runes are quite handy are they not?"
He began to circle her slowly, purposefully. She moved with him, never letting him out of her sight.
"I won't stay long. I just could not pass up the chance for a visit you know? Now one more quick thing before I go..."
Suddenly an excruciating pain filled her body unlike any other. It felt as if her veins had been drained of blood and were rubbing together like sandpaper. She screamed soundlessly as the torture continued. She tried to keep as still as possible; not moving a muscle in the hope that it would bring some sort of relief.
She had no such luck. Her veins continued to grind and scrape against each other as if they were puppets on a string.
...then she'd felt a warmth as if someone was pulling her from the depths of the coldest lake to the front of a warm fire where one would lay sit lost in a book on a cold winters night.
Terrified of her thoughts she pulled herself closer to Jace, the need to feel his arms around her, hiding her from the nightmares in her mind, overwhelming her. Then she felt the root covered ground disappear from under her and began to fell into a slow rocking motion.
"I'm going to take us up to your room ok?" Jace whispered soothingly.
She nodded mutely. She didn't care where he took them as long as he didn't let her go. But then she heard footsteps approaching quickly. Clary felt Jace tense somewhat under her.
"What happened?" she heard her mother's hysterical voice wail.
"She fell asleep," was all he gave in answer.
"Bring her into the front room so she can tell us what happened," Jocelyn said in a firm voice.
Clary felt Jace's chin grazed the top of her head as he shook his, "Not now. She needs to calm down and rest. And I wouldn't challenge me on this if I were you. I mean no disrespect but right now I am going to do what's best for her. So if you'd please move?"
Jocelyn spluttered in disbelief at how the teenager before her had just spoken to her. He continued to hold her gaze expectantly. She held her ground. He daughter may be seeing him be she was the adult it this and she wanted respect. Clary was her daughter. She opened her mouth to refuse her request however before she could say a word a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist picking her up and moving her out of the angel-boys path.
Jace nodded thankfully at Luke as he moves Jocelyn out of his way. He knew Clary's mother meant well but she did need to learn the boundaries. Effortlessly he carried his girl up the stairs bridal style. Next he opened the door before depositing himself and her on the bed.
Proceeding cautiously he asked the first question in his mind, "Why didn't you scream?"
He was slightly startled when she answered almost immediately.
"He put a silencing rune on me," her voice was hoarse and gruff from her tears.
Jace constricted his arms around her protectively. She was never going to sleep without him again.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked carefully, mindful of her current mental state.
"Please," was all she said before wrapping herself around him like a tree vine and coiling tight.
She took a deep breath before recounting her encounter with her brother. By the time she was finished Jace was seeing red. He would be the one to kill the half-breed. He felt angry at himself as well for not being there; easing the pain as Magnus said they could do if together.
"Jace, I'm scared," Clary admitted quietly.
"I know sweetheart, I know," he replied gently.
"Why is he doing this though? Why go to all this trouble?" she pressed.
"I don't know but I'm sure we'll find out soon," he confessed uncertainly.
He knew the answers would soon be revealed. The calm before the storm.