Their Thief: Redemption

Chapter 12 (Part 2)

Alec

My eyes slammed shut, blocking out my brother's paling face. My body was tense, each muscle clenched in an effort to keep me seated on the bed at Aris's side, fighting the violence surging within. I couldn't look at Jace. If I did, his face wouldn't remain recognizable for long.

I mentally shook my head, trying to divert my attention. I didn't have time to waste trying to keep the emotions Jace provoked in control. He didn't deserve the attention he was begging for with the mess he had become.

Deserved or not, he had gotten it from Aris.

And it led to this. He got the attention he wanted from the one he wanted it from the most. Just not the kind of attention he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to force down the blinding fury Jace brought out so easily. He and his problems could be dealt with later. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Like a human mate who had consumed who knows how much pixie dust.

A drug that was poison for her kind. I was surprised she wasn't already foaming at the mouth.

Their minds weren't capable of surviving the effects of Pixie dust. The addictive high was anything but pleasant for humans. They may enjoy a rare moment or two of it in the beginning but no matter how little was consumed, it would always end in a tortured death. Dust heightened the senses to a degree that humans couldn't achieve. It fried their limited abilities and drives them mad. They either ended their own lives to bring an end to the torment, or their hearts gave out before it came to that.

But I had marked her.

The reminder loosened the growing tightness in my chest, allowing me to breathe and think clearer.

My venom ran through her veins. It did more than just claim her as mine. It did everything it could to ensure she remained mine, protecting her any way it could find. That included making her nearly immune to diseases and rendering poison near useless on her. If someone managed to poison her somehow, my venom would burn it from her system, leaving little to no trace of its presence. It should react to the dust she consumed in a similar manner as any other poison, by burning it away before it could do any lasting harm...

Or so I hoped.

My jaw clenched at the doubt.

Opening my eyes, I turned my attention to Aris's pale and clammy features. Her brows were sharply drawn together, forming deep lines that her clenched shut eyes only emphasized in their display of her discomfort. A gleam of light had my eyes rising to a disco ball that hung from Jace's fan. That must have been torture for her to look at as the full effects of the dust hit.

Though I was confident she wouldn't die, I wasn't sure how she would handle the effects. There was only so much my venom could do.

As I said, the effects drove humans to harm themselves to make them stop.

Turning her into the greatest danger to herself.

"I didn't know she would..." Jace began from behind me, sounding lost. He took a step further into the room. "but she doesn't-" his voice cracked. "Is she..."

"Dying?" I finished for him, my voice coming out harsh and blunt. I had to stay detached while sorting everything out. Emotions could be dealt with when I knew she wasn't going to try to kill herself.

Again.

I didn't answer his question despite finishing it for him. He didn't deserve it or the relief I knew it would bring him. The relief he could already have if he had bothered spending any time preparing for Aris's inevitable return.