Clary kept her fingers interlocked with Jace's as they walked alongside one another down the stairs then she proceeded to take him to the kitchen where she assumed her brother would be, and to her own amusement she was correct.
Jonathan glanced over towards the doorway when he both heard and saw movement from his peripheral vision, immediately catching the gaze of his sister, but not before he noticed that she seemed to be holding hands with Jace. His protective nature flared up within him, causing him to inwardly coax himself to stay in control, and instead use the mannerisms his father had taught him. With a slight smirk upon his lips he pushed himself off from the counter he was leaning on to walk over towards Clary. "You look quite lovely tonight. I'm sorry that our evening didn't go as planned. I hope you could forgive me?" He reached out to pull a strand of her hair gently then released it, watching as it wound back up into a loose curl.
Clary released Jace's hand as discreetly as she could before she brought her hand up to tap her index finger against her chin, feigning that she was thinking his question over. "I don't know, Jonathan... I guess it depends on how you go about making it up to me." She bite her cheek to not laugh and break her composure.
Meanwhile Jace wasn't sure how to feel when Clary had released his hand from her hold as if she were embarrassed to show any type of affection towards him in front of people, and how he was almost forgotten by her as soon as Jonathan had shown up. Which made him dislike him just a little more, but he kept quiet for Clary's sake and followed her lead since it wasn't like they were exclusive or anything. Soon… He thought to himself.
It didn't go unnoticed by Jonathan that Jace seemed to be slightly irritated since he figured he was used to being the center of attention, which only made it more enjoyable for him to mess with Jace. He reached out to caress Clary's cheek, resisting the urge to chuckle when she so easily blushed. "Ah, well, you know I'd do about anything for my darling sister. What do you want?"
Clary's eyes sparkled with excitement as an astute smile graced her lips. "How about going to my favorite restaurant?"
Jonathan's mouth quirked up into a smirk as he nodded his head once in agreement, enjoying the fact that he could make his sister happy. "Alright, it's settled then. I'll go about getting us a table whilst you both freshen up."
Clary willed herself not to squeal as she took hold of Jace's hand once again and led him upstairs to his assigned room. She peeked over at him when it finally dawned on her that he was being so silent, which was quite odd. "Are you alright?"
Jace pretended to be inspecting something on the sleeve of his jacket before flicking his gaze to meet hers, shrugging his shoulder in a casual way. "Nope. I'm good. I was actually thinking about staying here while you guys go out."
Clary frowned when she heard what he said, making her inch closer to him and reach up to trace her fingers along his cheek. "I want you to go with us."
Jace's breathing spiked up just a bit when he felt her dainty fingers trailing along his cheek, almost allowing himself to lean into her touch, but instead he snorted as he arched his brow in an amused manner. "Really? I seemed to notice that you both nearly forgot I was even here. It was wrong for me to have come with you. I wasn't thinking clearly, and that's happened a lot lately since you've showed up."
Clary blinked in astonishment when she had to replay his words in her mind to make sure she was hearing him correctly. "Jace…" His name fell from her lips in a whisper as a wave of emotion hit her when he was giving her that look from earlier once again. Before she could stop herself she acted on instinct, pushing his door to his room open and pulled him inside it as she kicked the door shut behind them. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her to press her lips against his.
Jace was caught off guard by her rather impulsive actions, but that was forgotten as soon as her lips brushed against his, causing a low groan to emit from deep within his chest. His hands grasped her waist, pulling her flush against himself as he managed to part her lips whilst his tongue sought out for hers.
Clary threaded her fingers through his hair, stifling a moan when she felt him grip her waist tightly. She teasingly bit his lip before she allowed his tongue to continue to explore the confines of her mouth as she pressed herself against him as much as she could, gasping softly when she felt something hard press against her, and just as she was thinking about pushing him down onto the bed she heard Jonathan calling out to her once again. With a sigh she broke apart from Jace, trying to catch her breath as she straightened out her dress. "I swear he's the worst cock blocker ever." Clary muttered mostly to herself.
Jace chuckled when he heard what Clary had said, shaking his head as he too was trying to catch his breath. That single kiss had set him ablaze, and it left him craving for more, but he silently chided himself that this time he wanted to take things slow. She was too special, and deserved that. "I don't suppose you have a suit or something nice to wear lying around here?" Jace inquired as he looked over with a coy smirk.
Clary knew there was a slight flush still upon her cheeks, feeling her lips were faintly swollen and how she still felt the warmth his body had given her, making her get lost in the moment they just had before she was pulled out of her thoughts when he started to tell her something, making her purse her lips before she shrugged her shoulder, trying to fight back a smile under his stare. "I'll bring something back for you shortly. You better still be clothed when I return."
"I can't make any promises." Jace told her jokingly as he watched her saunter out of the room.
Not long after Clary found an outfit for Jace to wear and had given it to him before she had gone to her room to touch up on her makeup and put a tiny bit of perfume on, and changed into her favorite platform boots that she thought would be more comfortable before she exited her room and headed downstairs.
Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw Jace at the bottom of the stairs as if he were waiting for her. She couldn't help but notice the black button down shirt allowed her to see his muscular form along with the rest of his attire, consisting of the black slacks and his signature boots, making her nether regions almost ache with her sudden need, but what nearly had her ruining her perfectly new panties was the burning look in his gaze. She forced herself to finish walking down the steps, smiling warmly up at him when he held out his hand for her to take when she reached the final step. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Jace retorted in a rather rough tone when he had seen her walking down the stairs, not believing how her presence always knocked the wind out of him. She was too gorgeous, and seemed to be oblivious about how she affected him.
Their moment was cut short when Jonathan had met them downstairs and was dressed in a nice designer outfit that Clary had gifted him, making her even more happy. They each marked themselves with what they deemed fit for the night, and Clary had to make sure she used as many energy runes as possible since she was going to have to make two more portals tonight. She was grateful for her enhanced abilities that she had been given through the experiment that her father had done to her when Jocelyn was pregnant because now when she drew runes on herself and others she was able to make them stronger, but of course it came with a slight cost. She knew that tonight she was going to be exhausted, but it would be worth it to spend time with her now two favorite men in her life. She proceeded to make the portal for them in the area of the house that her father had her use so many times, and had taken hold of both Jace and Jonathan's hands as she pictured their destination and they immediately stepped through the portal.
This time around Clary was relieved to have landed on her feet along with both of her companions, letting go of Jonathan's hand as soon as she could before she pulled Jace along with her as her brother led the way. She was never more grateful for the fact of the thermis rune she had placed on herself when the streets of Prague were cold, and the brisk breeze was wafting around them as they walked to the restaurant.
Clary had watched with an amused expression when her brother was using his charming ways to make sure they got their usual table, stifling a laugh when the poor girl he was speaking to looked like she was about to faint. Even though he was her brother she wasn't blind to the fact that he was handsome, and she had suffered through many occasions where girls practically threw themselves at him. It was almost annoying, but tonight she would let it slide since he was using his suave ways to get them into one of her favorite restaurants.
Once Jonathan had gotten his way she and Jace followed him to their table and took a seat. Clary already knew what she wanted, so she looked at their list of drinks whilst Jace and Jonathan looked over the dinner menu. She peered up suddenly from the menu when someone had come to stand beside her, and was met with beryl hues, and a good looking waiter, making her almost gape at him before she remembered that she was trying to start something with Jace, so she needed to behave.
Jace had tensed just slightly beside Clary when he couldn't help but notice the look the waiter was giving her, making him place his hand against her thigh as if to stake his claim.
Clary nearly jumped in surprise when she felt the warmth of Jace's hand against her bare thigh, smiling in a prurient manner at him before she put in her order without sparing the waiter another glance, and instead placed her hand over Jace's, thankful that Jonathan wasn't sitting too close to them to see. She noticed almost immediately that her touch had made Jace relax, and they all were able to enjoy their meal, and to her surprise both guys had even started to warm up to one another and even had cracked some jokes. This made her feel a little hopeful that if she did start a relationship with Jace that her brother wouldn't make a big deal about it. She always had disliked that he was so protective. She had lost multiple relationships because of him, and had instead just settled with some meaningless hookups behind his back when she was sent on missions alone that her father had sent her on as some of her training lessons. Because c'mon even she had to give in to her needs.
Clary was now in the middle of eating her dessert when Jonathan had excused himself to go and settle the bill, leaving her alone with Jace. "Do you want a little bite?" Clary inquired as she held out a spoonful in his direction.
"I suppose I could try it." Jace said with a slight shrug before he allowed her to feed him the spoonful she had scooped up for him.
Clary's verdant hues shone with great fervor as she saw watched him savoring the sweet contents before she pulled the spoon away and set it down, only to reach out with her index finger to swipe away the whipped cream that was left upon his mouth. She brought her now coated finger to her lips and licked it clean, trying to not smirk when she heard his sharp intake of breath before his hand on her thigh had inched its way a little higher.
Jace had gasped lowly, not expecting her to do what she had done, but he wasn't going to lie that he was currently straining against his trousers. He hadn't noticed his hand had traveled up her thigh until he felt her shiver under his touch, which made his current predicament all the more unbearable, but thankfully Jonathan had decided to arrive just in time before Jace was so close to acting on his instinct to just ravish her on sight. He stood up from the table, holding his hand out for Clary to take, lacing their fingers together as they walked hand-in-hand together as they exited the restaurant and set off to where Clary was going make a portal for them.
Jonathan's POV
Jonathan had kept his distance as they walked along the streets, attempting to keep his anger masked whilst he couldn't help but see that his darling sister was currently being courted by this blond imbecile.
He didn't like this one bit, feeling something flare within him when he thought of this fool having his hands all over his innocent sister. In the past he had disposed of those 'boyfriends' his sister had with ease, and she had fits of rage when that occurred, but of course their father sided with Jonathan. This time was different. He could tell that his sister was very smitten with this one, so he would have to change his tactics. He couldn't bare the thought of sharing what was his.
Yes, mine. That caused something to stir within him at the mere thought that she was his. She had been since the first day they had met. Within the moment of meeting her, his claim on her was sealed. Anyone who dared to take her away from him had suffered through some rather atrocious scenarios.
A lecherous smirk curved his lips when he had already started to come up with some ideas about how to get his sister to question Jace's trust, motives, and a little something else that he would be up to soon.
He made sure he kept a blank expression once they had arrived at their destination, forcing a subtle smile upon his lips when his sister looked up at him before taking hold of his hand, and stepped through the portal all together.
Clary's POV
Clary had bid her brother goodnight when he had excused himself to finish one more task before bed, making her shake her head in disbelief that he wasn't tired of working. She knew that Jace was trailing behind her, making her slow her walking so he could come to walk beside her. She smiled in a radiant manner when he reached out to grab her hand, holding onto her gently as he walked her to her bedroom door. She peered around him to make sure Jonathan wasn't around before she leaned up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him down to brush her lips against his.
Jace wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest as he returned her gentle and passionate kiss for a few moments before he pulled away, but decided to give her one last kiss but it was placed on her cheek before he grinned down at her when she pouted up at him when he started to release her from his hold. "Goodnight, Clary. Try to get some rest."
Clary tried to stop pouting when she watched Jace leave, but soon she was biting down on her lip when she now had a good look of his behind.
"I know you're checking me out, Clary." Jace said in an amused tone, flashing her a sly smirk before he vanished from her sight and went to his room.
Clary blushed a shade of crimson when she heard what he said, making her fumble with the doorknob of her door since she was now flustered.
After she was finished being embarrassed she had managed to have enough strength left in her to shower and finally change into her comfortable pajamas before she nearly collapsed into bed. She pulled the blankets over herself, trying to get warm since the air conditioning was always set so low at night since Jonathan claimed it was the only way he could sleep. She didn't mind since she always made sure to have her warmest blankets with her or if she got real desperate she would just cave and put a thermis rune on herself. Clary shut her eyes as a soft yawn emitted from her lips, and soon she was able to drift off into what she assumed would be a deep sleep.
Jace's POV
He was tossing and turning in bed, having trouble to will himself to sleep. He knew it had been a few hours now that he had been trying to sleep since he kept glancing at his phone to check the time. He needed to do something, and as if on cue, a mental image had flashed in his mind when he had his eyes closed. It was almost like he was witnessing a distant memory of this certain location, and for some reason he knew deep down that the place he was shown was here in Idris.
Without thinking it through he was already getting out of bed, and placed on his earlier outfit that he had worn when he first had come here before he silently made his way out of his room.
He made his way quietly towards Clary's room, opening the door carefully before he slipped inside and closed it behind him. He reached into his pocket to grab his witchlight stone, which immediately illuminated in his hand, allowing him to see Clary sleeping peacefully in her bed.
The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile as he saw her crimson hair sprawled out against her pillow, and how her lips were pouted just slightly. Her mere presence was nearly too much for him to bear. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
With a calming breath to steady himself he walked towards the bed and spoke in a whisper. "Clary… Wake up, Clary." Then his brows furrowed when he noticed something wasn't right, making him grip her shoulders to gently shake her awake.
Clary's POV
Clary's fingers tugged against his hair as her back arched up off the bed whilst her eyes were pinched shut in response to the amount of pleasure she was receiving. "By the angel… Jace..." She said in a whine in response to his teasing, wanting him to go further. When it appeared that he wouldn't she pried her eyes open to attempt to see the person who was currently busy between her legs.
The person looked up from between her legs after they had been placing delicate kisses along her inner thighs, but instead of where a smirk would have been there was a frown upon his face. "Ouch. There's nothing worse than being called by the wrong name." A familiar voice spoke in a hushed tone.
A look of confusion passed along her features as she held herself up using her elbows to support her before she gasped aloud when she saw that it wasn't Jace with her. A look of horror crossed her features as she spoke in a distraught tone. "Jonathan!?"
She jumped awake immediately, and was about to scream when she saw someone looming over her, but there was a handed placed upon her mouth whilst she was being held down slightly. She blinked a few times to help her fully wake up before she realized who it was, making relief fill her entire body, but the mortification she had felt for having that lucid dream was still making her queasy. She couldn't believe that the dream version of her had reacted that way to her b... Nope, she couldn't even bring herself to say it in her head.
"I'm going to remove my hand now, so please don't scream. It's just me, okay?" Jace's golden hues examined her face to make sure she was okay since a short moment ago it seemed she was having a nightmare before he shook her awake.
Clary nodded her head in answer to his question, trying to calm herself down as he removed his hand, and before she could think through her actions she all but pounced on top of him.
Jace tensed up for just a brief second when she had thrown herself onto his lap before he wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently back and forth. "Shh, you're okay now." He gently rubbed her back to soothe her furthermore. "It was just a bad dream."
A really disgusting/disturbing dream she said to herself as she snuggled against him, allowing him to help soothe her for a while before she pulled back to look at him. "Don't get me wrong… I'm glad you were here when I needed someone, but why exactly did you sneak into my room in the middle of the night?"
Jace almost flushed at how she phrased the current situation, which was entirely accurate. He cleared his throat, stilling his hands as he met her gaze with an almost sheepish grin. "Well, I couldn't sleep, and I was hoping you may have been up too, but once I saw how peaceful you looked, I couldn't bring myself to wake you. That was until I noticed you were having a bad dream… Do you want to talk about it?"
Clary's eyes widened in alarm when he asked if she wanted to discuss the dream that she was wishing she could forget and lock away, making her shake her head. "No, I don't want to talk about it." She reached up to brush her fingers along his face when she noticed he was looking at her with a worried expression. A hint of an amused smile played at her lips when she realized he still didn't fully answer her question. "So… What was the real reason you came in here?"
Jace shook his head as he stifled a laugh when he knew that she wouldn't give up until she got an answer. "Well, I was hoping you would be up for a midnight adventure with me. Just a quick stroll. What do you say?"
That was the last thing she expected him to say, but she was more than happy to go on along with this if it would make him happy. She suddenly perked up when a sudden thought popped up in her mind, making her grin. "Is this a date?" She titled her head to the side as she peered up into his golden hues, her heart hammering in her chest when she awaited his answer.
His eyes gleamed with excitement before he flashed her a charming smile and placed a kiss against the tip of her nose. "Yes, it's a date."
Clary had long forgotten about her earlier scare, and instead found herself so happy as she quickly gotten dressed after Jace excused himself to wait outside her door for her. She almost rolled her eyes, and said some witty comment, but even she had to admit it was rather adorable that he was being such a gentleman. And if she was one hundred percent honest with herself, it was really nice to be treated like a lady by a guy. Instead of just using one another solely for one purpose.
Within minutes after she had stepped out of her room the both of them had applied runes to keep themselves from being caught by her brother as they slipped out of the house. Clary was almost giddy as Jace kept hold of her hand as he led them a little ways past her home until they reached this hidden site that was in between her family manor and another manor that she didn't recognize.
She didn't have time to ask him questions about how he knew where he was taking them when all of the sudden she found herself led into what seemed like a forest and soon it opened up to what looked like a small personal lake that was hidden to everyone unless you were lucky to know where to find this place.
The area around them was beautifully lit by the moonlight, the water glistening under both the illumination of the moon and stars. It was breathtaking and calming with the running water flowing in the background. She had taken a seat against the huge boulder next to Jace, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her to allow her to snuggle against him and bask in his warmth. "This is so pretty. How did you know about this place? I've never seen it before, and I've lived here for so long now." She peered up at him through her lashes, watching at how relaxed and at peace he seemed to appear.
Jace looked down at her when she pulled him out of his thoughts. He had been wondering the same thing. It was weird how now being back in Idris with her at the Morgenstern manor, he had started to remember some things that came to him in flashes. It nearly caused him to panic when he was alone in his bedroom, but as soon as she was in his presence he felt calm. "I don't know. This place just popped up in my head tonight, and I had the urge to come and see if it was real or just my imagination. It was like I've been here before, but I don't remember when."
Clary listened to what he had to say, trying her best not to judge him even though what he was saying sounded crazy. She placed her hand against his face when it looked like he was starting to get worried that he freaked her out. She smiled faintly up at him, speaking in a gentle tone. "It's okay, Jace. Maybe you're remembering something from your childhood, and being back here brought it back up. That would make sense."
Jace simply nodded as he heard her words, but he was still trying to figure things out on the inside. It was bugging him that he was missing bits and pieces of a things while he was here. He found his eyes closing on their own accord as he leaned into her touch before placing a kiss against the palm of her hand.
Clary pulled her hand back, but shifted against him to rest her head onto his chest as she curled against him and looked around their surroundings. Her fingers itching to grab her sketchbook to draw this view, but instead she traced a finger against his chest in an absent-minded manner. "This date was unexpected, but I'm glad you brought me here. It's actually really beautiful here."
Jace shivered slightly when he felt her finger tracing against his chest before he looked down at her, smiling like an idiot because she was making him so happy right now. She didn't think he was crazy. "I don't know if I'd call it beautiful. The only true beautiful one that I see here is you." He leaned down to press a kiss on the top of her head.
Clary felt her cheeks burn, feeling at a loss for words when he was being so sweet to her.
"Clary?" Jace said in a hushed tone, rubbing his hand up and down her arm gently as he awaited her reply.
"Yes?" Clary said in a sheepish manner, wondering just what he was going to tell her.
Jace cleared his throat, hoping he wouldn't stammer over his next words that came out in a mere whisper. "Would you like to take the next step, and be my one and only lady in my life?" He felt his cheeks flush just a tiny bit, hating that he let himself be so vulnerable in this moment.
Clary almost gasped when she heard what he had asked, making her pull away from his hold to look at him in awe whilst her heart was fluttering within her chest.
Jace had to stop himself from fidgeting when she hadn't replied to him, making him feel as if he shouldn't have been so forward so soon. "If that's not what you—"
Clary stopped him mid-sentence by pressing her lips against his whilst she moved to straddle his lap, and wrap her arms around his neck.
Jace smiled against her lips when she silently told him the answer he desperately wanted to know. "I take that as a yes?" He mumbled against her lips.
A laugh elicited from her lips before she began to trail kisses against his jawline until she reached his neck and teasingly bit down at his pulse, inwardly smirking in a wicked manner when she heard him choke back a groan. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend, Jace. Now shush and enjoy this moment with me."
Jace didn't bother to reply to her, and eagerly continued on with what they were doing.
They stayed hidden in their now secret spot for a while longer before they both snuck back inside the manor, and went their separate ways.
I hope this chapter was as enjoyable as the other chapters so far, and I hope you stay along for the ride. I'm slowly building up towards the main event, and I promise it'll be worth the stay. If anyone has any requests for a future scene, I'd be more than happy to see if I can incorporate it into a future chapter. I also want to thank those who have left comments. They don't go unnoticed, and I appreciate every feedback I get.
