Their Thief: Redemption

Chapter 11 (Part 1)

Jace's hands tightened on the wheel, twisting against the leather when his phone vibrated again. He ignored it. Just like he had been with all the other calls that had kept us company on the journey back. Only when the vibrating stopped did his hands relax. Until they began to fidget, making the leather wheel creak under their constantly shifting grip. Each time his grip grew loose. I could see the slight shake of his hands. The longer we drove in tense silence that was interrupted only by his phone and the occasional grunt he gave while grabbing for his head, the worse the shaking got.

I sat unmoving and unalarmed at his erratic behaviour. I couldn't help it with the numbness growing in my chest and spreading throughout my body. It had formed when Jace had let me free of the blinding lie of comfort his arms held. The release had allowed reality to hit me with a force that would do more than just bruise, not having gotten a chance to process the events that had occurred before his comforting hold had taken over. The mental scar would be good to remind me that I could never erase the past, or escape it. Seeing my father in Jace's place was just a reminder.

And a warning.

History was bound to repeat itself. The numbness was just preparing me for when it got worse. There was nothing else I could do. There never was. Power was never one to be mine. It always preferred my opponents.

Though my head was pointed forward, looking out the windshield at the road we were speeding down too fast, my attention was pinned on Jace and his tense frame. Between the glances he kept sending my way when he thought I wasn't looking, I couldn't help but strain my eyes to catch the red still painting his knuckles, drying to a darker, flaking colour, and the small streak of white near his cheek that he had missed. It sparkled a rainbow of colours when he turned his head with his bloodshot eyes.

The array of colours helped keep him in my sight while keeping the intruding images in my head from replacing his features. At least he was no longer towering over me with a chest heaving with anger. I wasn't sure if the colours would have been enough if that was the case. Even with the creeping numbness. It seemed to be leaving fear to be consumed last. 

The colours might not have been, but that deep rumbling in his chest definitely was.

I had no control over my body or my mind when it had started. All of it melted away as I was forced under a comforting blanket of citrus warmth as the low vibrations worked their way through my body from his chest. It had immediately stopped once distance had been put between us, but that didn't stop the emotions that followed. Most prominent that I was willing to acknowledge, were fear and shame. Shame for the wetness that had formed between my legs while he carried me pressed up against his; fear that came with the loss of control over one's self. The fear helped the shame fade, but what made matters worse, was that the only other time I had experienced such pure serenity, was also in another set of arms that were just as dangerous, if not more.

My hands tightened on the seat belt I was clutching, causing the edges to dig into the creases of my hands painfully when Jace brought the car to a jerked stop. For the first time since I had gotten into the seat willingly after seeing no other choice, I took my attention away from him.

My eyes looked out the windshield to the gilded cage that stood outside. The one I had wanted to return to earlier with hopes of escape. Now, it stood mocking me, a reminder that I would never escape what fate had intended for me. So far it didn't look very promising.

The only thing that had kept me from even attempting to open the door and take my chances with jumping from a moving car, was the spreading defeat in my chest and the knowledge that Jace had already hit the child lock when my hand tightened on the door handle when he rolled to a stop at a stop sign.