Chapter 9: This chapter is from Jace's perspective. We find out what happened between him and Kylie…I mean Kaelie, and get some more information about Sebastian. Of course, more Clace…enjoy!
I do not own any of the characters, only the illustrious Cassandra Clare owns them. I do, however, own this particular story, so please don't be lame and copy/paste it elsewhere.
Previously: "You ripped that mask right off of that little bitch's face and got some of his beard with it…Hopefully that fucker is in the DNA database."
She was still in the shower. Izzy and Simon came out from speaking with Clary. Izzy told Jace to go back to her room, and that Clary wanted to talk in private. Simon had eyeballed him, but didn't say anything. Surprisingly, Izzy hadn't hassled him to stay away from Clary since last night at the party. Maybe she finally trusted him with her now. He had gotten dressed after he left her room earlier, putting on a black tee and sweatpants. He could hear her crying in the shower, but didn't want to intrude. He leaned his forehead against her bathroom door until the sobs subsided. I will help her through this. He then stepped away and slowly explored Clary's room. It was very large with dark plum walls and shiny wood floors. There were many paintings by Jocelyn hanging around her room and a large antique full length mirror opposite her sleeping area. She had a king-sized wrought-iron bed with a thick duvet and many pillows. Her bedding reminded him of a Monet painting. It had shades of purple, blue, and green, melding together like watercolors. Why does she have so many pillows? Jace couldn't help but think of the week before when she had gathered his pillows beneath her right before he took her from behind. Stop it. This was the second time he'd been in her room, the first being very early this morning when he had helped her to bed. After we brought her home from the hospital.
She had been so vulnerable and had groggily asked him not to leave her alone…to sleep in her bed. Izzy had started to protest, but surprisingly, Simon had told her to back off; that if Clary wanted Jace, they needed to respect that. Izzy acquiesced and took her to the bathroom, helped her into pajamas, and braided her hair. Then she hugged her tightly and left her alone with Jace. He wondered if maybe a part of Clary remembered that he had saved her from that psycho. He had nervously taken his clothes off, down to his boxers and helped Clary to bed. He then slipped in beside her. He sat up in the large bed and was careful not to touch her. To Jace's surprise, Clary had crawled over to him, climbed on top of him, and wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed. He had gladly returned her innocent embrace, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He had pulled the covers over them and kissed her head. She asked him to "hold her and keep her safe", as she laid her head down on his chest and fell quickly to sleep. Safe. It had triggered a very male, primal need within him to protect her, he held her tightly against him. My woman.
Jace knew it would take a lot more than him holding her to keep her safe. The criminal that drugged and attacked her was still out there. He had gotten away. He could come for her again. Jace shuddered thinking about how frightened and alone Clary must have felt. She was so little and he had been so big. Her bruises were so big. Who knows what that sick fuck would have done to her, if he'd gotten her out of the club. He and his bodyguard. Jace frowned and clenched his jaw. I shouldn't have been fucking around and playing middle school games to make her jealous. I should have listened to Alec. Jace flexed his fists as he remembered the sordid events from Magnus' Halloween party and how stupid he had been. How he could have lost her forever.
Jace sat back down at the bar and waved at a waitress that had been flirting with him earlier. Game time. He knew Clary was checking someone out when he saw her blush and look over her shoulder. Thanks a lot, Izzy. Who was she looking at? She was so innocently transparent...that blush, though. It always went straight to his dick. If he played his cards right, she would be blushing with him later. He just couldn't get over her…last week had been amazing and the thought of her with someone else made him so… fucking jealous. He wanted her to want him back. The blonde waitress came sauntering over and leaned close to him, dipping down so he could get a good look at her big, fake tits. "I'm Kaelie. What's your name, handsome?" she asked. Jace fake smiled at her appreciatively. He quickly looked past her and saw Clary, Izzy, and fucking Lewis dancing. Clary's hips moved to the music and she ran her hands through her hair. Does she know how beautiful she is? Her costume hugged her body sinfully and Jace almost got up to dance with her. Hold her. But he decided to go with plan A instead. Dumb.
He returned his gaze to the sultry waitress and said very loudly, "Jace! Name's Jace! What's yours? Kylie?" Jace saw Clary stop dancing. Good, he thought, I was loud enough. Kylie looked up at him, "No, Jace. My name is Kaelie." She looked at his nametag and smiled, placing her hand on his thigh. She squeezed it and he jumped.
"Oh, sorry. Kaelie!" he shouted. "It's so loud in here. I love your naughty fairy costume." Kaelie smirked and whispered into his ear, "And I love yours, sex stud…" Jesus, does everyone speak German? Jace thought. He saw Clary begin dancing again and turn around, spotting him with the waitress. Here we go.
He smiled flirtatiously at Kaelie, looked at her chest again, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'm trying to make my girl jealous, so I can get her to come home with me later. The redhead behind you…Black Widow. Play along and I will give you a very big tip, Kaelie." She subtly peeked back at Clary, returned her blue eyes to Jace and nodded with a smirk. She giggled very loudly and squeezed his leg again. He looked up and locked eyes with Clary's bright green ones. She looked pissed. Her eyes dropped down to his nametag and she blushed a deep crimson. Bingo! Hey jealousy! He smiled at her, then looked back at Kaelie.
She leaned in to whisper again and reached into her apron pocket. "Maybe she needs a little something to make her more agreeable, honey. How about a party enhancer? I'll even give you the 'Sexprotz' discount…Maybe all three of us could go somewhere. She's really hot…" She pulled out a tiny baggie of powder. Jace quickly shook off the thought of a threesome. Is this bitch kidding…trying to sell drugs to a cop? Change of plan…
Jace smiled, looked at Kaelie and pursed his lips and said. "On second thought, come with me, baby…let's go somewhere more private." She nodded enthusiastically and giggled. He draped an arm around her shoulders and led her towards one of the curtained, private lounges. He took out his phone with his free hand and quickly thumb-texted Alec. He turned his head to find Clary. She was dancing again, going deeper into the crowd with her middle finger over her head. Jace smiled and chuckled deep in his chest. I think I'm in love.
Jace held the curtain open and Kaelie slipped past him. Brushing her breasts against his arm suggestively, she slid into the booth. Alec appeared beside him, gave him a knowing look and entered the booth, sitting across from Kaelie. Jace slid in next to the waitress, trapping her inside, and closed the curtain. Kaelie narrowed her eyes at Alec and turned to look at Jace. "What the fuck is going on, handsome?" Jace reached within his jacket pocket and slapped his badge down on the table, as did Alec. Kaelie's eyes widened. "Fuck. What now?" She groaned.
Jace looked at her impassively and rolled his eyes. "Indeed, Kaelie. So, why don't you tell me how a sweet, innocent little girl like you, ended up dealing…what is this, ecstasy?" He looked across at Alec, then back at her. "I know for a fact that Magnus has a strict 'no drugs' policy, so I'm guessing he's not your supplier. Give me your boss and we'll let you go. We don't want you…" Kaelie sat back and crossed her arms in a 'no fucking way' manner and tightened her mouth. Jace heard Alec sigh heavily.
Alec ran his hand through his unruly black hair and narrowed his blue eyes at Kaelie. "I don't know Jace. I'm of the opinion that we should just book this criminal. One less drug dealer on the streets…the law is hard, but it's the law. Right?"
Kaelie's tough girl demeanor quickly crumbled and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm not a drug dealer! I mean, I've never done anything like this. Ever! This new waitress, Seelie…brought a bunch of bags with her tonight and said we could make quick money…said she had some rich guy boss…a real BIG boss, you know…important. She's working tonight!" She sniffled.
Jace locked eyes with Alec and smiled. Gotcha. He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Okay, Kaelie. You have just become our brand new, shiny informant. Got it?" She nodded vigorously, her eyes wide. "No more fucking dealing. None. Keep your eyes and ears open and report back to me or Alec. We'll be checking on you. Now, tell me what this 'Seelie' looks like." He and Alec would find her and lean on her to out her boss, just like they had with Kaelie.
He handed her a napkin and she dabbed her eyes and wiped her nose before talking. Her demeanor quickly changed from scared girl to vixen. Alec and Jace looked at each other, annoyed. "I can tell you more than that. First, Seelie's wearing a devil costume, not a fairy one like the rest of us. She is short with long, curly faded red hair. It's a terrible dye job, really." She looked at her nails. "He, um her boss, makes all of his hoes dye their hair red and keep it curly. She said her boss has a thing for some rich bitch redhead artist, or something. She painted the murals here, I guess." Kaelie leaned closer to Jace seductively and whispered, "Seelie said he has a real kink about this girl and she doesn't even know he exists. He actually had Seelie draw pictures at an easel, naked, pretending to be her. Then he pinned her down and fucked her while she screamed his name, 'Sebastian, oh Sebastian…' It kind of makes me hot. You want to get out of here, Jacey?" Jace's blood ran cold and he stopped hearing her. He only knew one rich redhead artist. Clary…she had painted the murals.
Jace stood up suddenly, ignoring Kaelie's sad attempts to charm him. "Alec, I need you to finish the details here with… her, ok? I need to check on Clary. I have a bad feeling." Alec nodded quickly and pointed for him to go, turning back to frown at Kaelie. Jace hurried from the booth to find Clary.
He and Simon looked for Clary for about thirty minutes before they finally found her in a corner booth with that fucker. Jace had gone crazy when he saw that human garbage on top of Clary. His hands on her as she struggled and cried. They had fought and Jace was surprised at how tough the sicko was. He obviously had a lot of training to be able to hang with me. If it hadn't been for that bodyguard… He was so glad he had found her before that piece of shit had gone further or taken her out of the club. If he had, there was little chance any of them would have ever seen Clary again. Jace had seen similar cases in the past. I can't believe he got away.
He had learned at the hospital later that the bastard's name was Sebastian. Kaelie's story about Seelie's boss had come storming back to him. It was definitely not a coincidence that beautiful curly redheaded artist, Clary, was drugged and attacked by someone with the same name as Seelie's boss. Sebastian. That crazy fuck hurt her, tried to rape her…tried to take her away…I will find him. I'll kill him.
Jace continued to explore Clary's room and walked over to her desk where several framed photos sat. He picked up one of Clary, Luke, and Jocelyn…all smiling happily at the camera. His heart lurched. It was from the precinct's annual Christmas party, last year. Jace had been there too. He had watched Clary laugh and circulate around the party. She had worn a dark green strapless dress that flowed around her as she moved. Her hair had been pulled back in a low curly ponytail. She had looked stunning and Jace could barely keep his eyes off of her. Luke would be so disappointed in me. I failed him and Jocelyn. I nearly failed her. It won't happen again, Chief.
Jace walked to French doors that opened to a small art studio off of her room. The walls were covered with sketches and paintings, with and without frames. There were intricate, detailed drawings from her designs for Pandemonium, architecture in New York and Italy, landscapes, and people…so many people. She's so talented. Her work table was a mess. Jace had to fight the urge to straighten it when something caught his eye. Are those my abs? He raised his eyebrows and pulled out a sketch of him, well, his abs. It was almost an exact replica of the picture he had put in her phone at her going away party in May. He turned the drawing over and saw "Jace Fucking Herondale" written on the back. He laughed out loud.
"Having fun, Herondale?" Clary suddenly said behind him. Shit! Jace jumped and spun around, reaching down to his right hip. I didn't hear her shower end. Clary laughed, her eyes crinkling adorably, and put her hands up. "Don't shoot, officer. I'm not armed…".
Jace smiled back, cocked an eyebrow at her and holstered his imaginary sidearm. He looked down at her and clasped his hands behind his back before he impulsively reached for her. Beautiful. Her hair was still wet and pulled up in a messy bun. Some stray curls had escaped and fallen around her freckle-dusted face. Her emerald eyes were red and puffy from crying. She wore a long-sleeved oversized gray sweatshirt that left her right shoulder bare and black leggings. Her feet were bare on the wood floors. Her bruised jaw and neck stood out against her fair skin. He could see some of the bite marks and bruises on the top of her chest, where the shirt didn't cover. He swallowed as rage engulfed him. That fucker will pay for hurting her.
She lowered her hands and her smile faded as she looked him over. Her eyes lingered on his discolored face. She slowly reached her hand over and lightly touched his bruised cheek and slid down, caressing the second one at the edge of his mouth. Jace shivered and his hand shot up and covered hers. He closed his eyes and pulled her hand over his lips, softly kissing it. He heard her take a deep breath and opened his eyes, still holding her hand to his face. His heart began to pound as he looked into her eyes, now filled with tears. She stepped towards him, standing barely inches from him and pulled her hand from his face and clasped it with the other against her chest.
"Jace…" she whispered. "Jace…thank you. I–" She quickly reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. She lightly brushed her lips across his, causing an electrical sensation to erupt across his skin. He swallowed and pressed his forehead to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smelled like coconut. She quietly spoke, "You saved me. Simon told me about the booth and the fighting. I don't remember what happened, but…the bruises and marks. He would have– thank you. Thank you for staying with me last night, for comforting me. I know you didn't try anything and were just doing what I asked you to. Iz told me everything…how I begged you to sleep with me last night…I mean sleep sleep, hold me. I'm so sorry Jace about how I acted this morn–"
He pulled his face quickly back from hers. Okay, time to be real. You almost lost her, you ass. "Clary, please don't apologize for anything and please quit thanking me. You were so brave. I know you don't remember, but you fought him and were able to get critical evidence. We're going to find him, okay. I will find him for you. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect you, Clary." She brushed tears away and nodded up to him and smiled weakly. He continued to hold her close. "I should have told you sooner how I feel, Clary. I shouldn't have been such a– so afraid to tell you… I care about you. I want to be with you, okay? I want you to be with me. As a couple, sweetheart." I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, Clarissa Fray.
Clary's eyes widened. "I want to be with you too, Jace. As a couple. No more stupid games, okay?" Jace nodded and leaned down, crashing his lips to hers. She ran her hands up and into his hair, her nails gently scraped against his scalp. He pulled his arms from her waist and ran his hands up her sides, grabbing her face to deepen their kisses. Clary's body went rigid and she winced, as he accidentally squeezed her bruised jaw.
Jace jumped back from her, his eyes wild. "Oh baby. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to hurt–"
Clary pressed a finger to his lips. "It's okay, Jace. Stop it." She pulled her finger away and kissed him gently. He furrowed his brows and nodded. "We have plenty of time for snogging and more. Let's just take it a little slower until we're both better…healed. Okay, sweetie? Let's go out to the living room. We have to tell Izzy we're…a couple. For that, I'm going to need coffee. A lot of coffee." She grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers and turned to leave her studio. He pulled her hand back, stopping her.
Jace tilted his head at her quizzically. "What's snogging, Red? Is it some kinky artistic sex thing?" He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
Clary sighed facetiously and rolled her eyes. "No, babe. It's a British thing, a Harry Potter thing too. Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know about it. Now come on. Caffeine. Izzy. Then maybe the hot tub."