Emblazed (22 page)

“What happened? I tried to wake you, but you just wouldn’t wake up. Let me see your
wrists,” Brielle choked through tears as she tenderly lifted my hands.

She gasped, tears falling from her eyes as she assessed my injuries. She gently wrapped
her hands around my right wrist to heal the lacerations and broken bones before doing
the same with my left.

“Thank you,” I sighed with relief once the searing pain dwindled to only a slight
soreness.

Brielle’s glistening eyes locked on mine as she softly requested, “Tell me what happened.”

I stiffened. I had no desire to recap what I had just experienced. I shook my head,
my voice breaking as I replied, “I can’t, Brie. I just can’t.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out. You told me not to bottle things up inside—the
same goes for you. I’m here for you, baby.”

My jaw tensed and I swallowed the lump in my throat before I nodded.

She cried through almost the whole account of my nightmare, the images I had witnessed
flashing in both of our minds as I recounted what had happened. I couldn’t imagine
how we would feel if we actually experienced it in real life. So many tumultuous emotions
were ravaging us from just the dream.

Brielle wrapped her arms around my neck as she pulled herself into my lap, a position
that had become a constant of comfort for both of us. She knew how much holding her
meant to me, and I knew she felt safe when she was nestled in my embrace.

I wiped the tears from Brielle’s face with my thumbs before pressing a gentle kiss
on her lips and wrapping my arms around her. Our bond began its magic, calming us
while cleansing the residual emotions from my nightmare as she leaned her forehead
against mine.

“I’m so sorry he brought you into this, all because of me,” Brielle apologized.

“It’s not your fault,
mi amante
. I’d rather him do it to me than to you.”

She expelled a breath of frustration, “I hate him. I’m going to make him suffer for
doing this to us.”

I chuckled softly at her threat. She was so fierce when it came to people she loved,
and I knew she would follow through on her words; it was definitely not an empty threat.

It was still dark outside, but I wasn’t sure if either of us would be able to sleep
again. I lay back on the bed before turning Brielle and I on our sides. I brushed
the hair from her face and pulled her against me, delicately kissing her.

“I love you,” I whispered against her lips.

Her hands came up and threaded through my hair as she murmured back, “I love you,
Jace. Now and forever, until my last heartbeat.”

Her words set off a passionate, greedy need inside me. The nightmare had left me full
of anguish, and I needed to lose myself in our connection, to fully immerse myself
in our love. Only our bond was capable of erasing the scarring images Hermes had branded
in my mind. I needed to solidify the fact that Brielle was mine and only mine.

Crushing my lips against Brielle’s, I tangled my hands in her hair. Her tongue sought
out mine, intertwining when they met inside our joined mouths as her hands trailed
down to my boxer-briefs. She tugged on the sides, eagerly pulling them down as I did
the same with her shorts and panties.

Our lips separated briefly as I removed her thin tank top and tossed it before reconnecting
our mouths. I rolled on top of her, situating myself between her thighs as my hardness
grazed her moist sex.

She moaned in my mouth as I slowly entered her, wanting to savor and prolong every
sensation associated with our lovemaking. I began to stroke in and out as I caressed
every curve on Brielle’s body, enjoying the feel of her silken skin against mine.

Brielle’s nails raked over my shoulder blades as I buried myself deeper inside her
warmth. I loved the feel of her intimate core enveloping my length as our bodies and
souls entwined as one.

Brielle’s legs wrapped around me as I thrust into her. I moved my mouth to feather
soft kisses along her neck and breasts as our emotions compounded together. A flare
of passion ignited inside us, and I groaned from the amazing sensations being inside
Brielle brought me. She gave me everything that I needed and more, and right then
I needed her more than ever.

I felt my peak approaching, and Brielle’s sex tightening around my cock caused the
spill of my release within her walls. Her pussy throbbed around me, clenching me perfectly
as we rode the waves of our orgasms.

Shifting off Brielle, I turned over and rested on my back. Brielle snuggled against
my side as she laid her head on my chest and traced her fingers along my abs. No words
were exchanged; we just silently enjoyed the thrum of our bond and the feel of one
another. Before I knew it, we were both lost in slumber.

The day spilling in through our windows roused me from my sleep, which was surprisingly
undisturbed following our nightmares. I was certain that Hermes would want to continue
to torture us, but maybe Morpheus had better things to do than to infiltrate our subconscious
twice in one night.

Brielle continued to doze as I reached for my phone. I sent a quick text to Zane asking
if they could come over later to discuss what Brielle had seen in her “vision.”

Resuming my position, I framed Brielle’s body with mine as I placed a kiss on her
shoulder. The absence of her touch for the few days that we were apart had made it
that much more special to me once I had her back. Also, experiencing what I had in
the nightmare had made her even more precious to me. I never wanted to take anything
involving Brielle for granted ever again.

I drifted back to sleep as I held her, but she soon woke me with her movements. She
rolled over and faced me, looking at me through drowsy eyes as she lazily smiled.
“Hi.”

“Hi. Did you sleep better?” I asked.

She nodded, “Mmm hmm. You?”

I shook my head, “I didn’t sleep well—couldn’t get those images out of my mind.”

She sighed, “I’m sorry. I hate that they’re fucking with your dreams, too.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

My phone chimed, indicating I had a text. Brielle rolled out of bed and tromped to
the bathroom as I read it:

9:18 AM Zane: Yeah be over soon

I called out to Brielle, “Zane and Kimber are coming over.”

“Okay,” she replied over the sound of water running from the faucet.

Rising out of bed, I joined her in the bathroom. I brushed my teeth as she finished
washing her face and walked back into the bedroom. I rinsed my mouth and returned
to the room to change, where Brielle was in just her panties. No bra, nothing.
Fuck
.

Even though we had just had sex hours prior, my cock began to harden in response to
the sight of her as she pulled on some shorts. She was doing the exact opposite of
what I wanted; the little clothes she had on needed to come off.

Her head snapped up at my thoughts.
We don’t have time, baby. Zane and Kimber will be here soon.

You didn’t care when they were here the other day,
I replied as I approached her, thinking that she looked so sexy in just her shorts
and bare torso.

Yeah, but this could be the last time we have sex for awhile, and I don’t want it
to be rushed
,
she countered as I reached her.

Wow, total mood-killer.
I didn’t want to think about our upcoming journey back to the Underworld. The possibilities
for losing Brielle were numerous down there. The likelihood that she would get hurt
was even greater—basically guaranteed.

What if we don’t have time later?
I questioned.

Oh, we’ll make time,
she responded with a mischievous grin.

She put on her bra and a
The Walking Dead
tank that I had just bought her. We both were fans of the show, and Brie loved how
the sides were cut out as if it had multiple zombie slashes. Not to mention the fact
that Daryl Dixon, her favorite character, was on the front.

I put on some cargo shorts and one of my Famous shirts before we went downstairs to
wait for Kimber and Zane. Brielle baked some blueberry muffins, and paired them with
some fresh fruit for breakfast. The smell awakened Kiera, who stumbled out of her
room shortly after Brielle put the muffins in the oven.

“Brie, I just want to tell you how sorry I am. I didn’t mean what I said last night,”
Kiera said as she approached.

“You don’t have to apologize. You didn’t say anything that wasn’t the truth. Everyone
is always in danger because of me.”

“But it’s not your fault. You can’t do anything about the Prophecy and what Fate has
dealt you. I shouldn’t have said what I said last night. I was upset, and I wasn’t
thinking clearly. Can we just forget about it and move on?”

“Of course. If you want to talk about it, I’m here for you, okay?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’d rather try and forget about it, you know?”

Brielle nodded as she replied, “I completely understand. Are you hungry? I made muffins.”

Kiera shook her head as she responded, “I’m not hungry. Haven’t really had an appetite.”

Brielle nodded sympathetically as she arranged the muffins on a plate and placed them
on the table.

Kimber and Zane arrived while we were eating, and each grabbed a muffin once they
sat at the table. After we all finished, we discussed Hermes’ visit and Brielle’s
vision. Brielle and I decided not to mention my nightmare. Neither one of us wanted
to discuss it, and didn’t feel like it was relevant information for the mission.

After Brielle described what had happened, I asked, “So, what do you think? I told
Brielle that I thought we should try to see if we can get Hermes back here again to
fight him. That way, we don’t have to worry about both him and Hades while we are
in the Underworld.”

“And I pointed out that we don’t have time for that,” Brielle interjected.

“I’m with Brie,” Kiera agreed.

“Time is against us,” Zane admitted. “But fighting two Gods at once is a death wish.”

“There’s no guarantee that Hermes will even show. He was just here last night, and
that didn’t turn out well for him. And if he doesn’t come, we wasted a whole day for
nothing,” Brielle stated adamantly.

“What if Morpheus and his brothers join Hades and Hermes while we’re fighting them
in the Underworld? We’d be fucked, Brie,” Kimber argued.

“There’s a possibility of that even if we somehow lure Hermes here and defeat him.
Any of the Gods down there could help Hades,” Brielle countered.

“Okay, arguing isn’t going to get us anywhere. Let’s come up with various scenarios,
and then we can decide on the best one together,” I suggested.

Both Kimber and Brielle expelled a breath of frustration before nodding their agreement.
We discussed all of our options, until Brielle brought up an idea that made me sick
to my stomach.

“What if we do something similar to last night? I could take another shower by myself,
and when he comes, I could make him think that I’m letting him have me. Then, I could
light him up with my Akasha when he least suspects it.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” I roared angrily. No fucking way was I letting
him near her naked again.

“It could work, Jace. He already showed up once like that. Then, we’d have one less
thing to worry about,” Kiera said.

“What if he overpowers you this time, Brie? What if I don’t make it in time? This
wouldn’t be some dream that I can wake you up from,” I clarified.

“I’ll talk to you in my mind the whole time. If things start to go wrong, you can
rush up here and stop him, just like you did last night,” Brielle said calmly, as
if it were so simple.

She acted as if we weren’t talking about her being touched by another man, a man that
just so happened to be a powerful God set on fucking my flame.

I looked to Zane for help, but he looked uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his
neck. “I hate to say it, but it will probably work. If it were Kimber, I’d feel the
same way, bro, but you know how stubborn they both are.”

Standing abruptly, I sent my chair flying backwards. I couldn’t agree to the plan—especially
not after the nightmare. Rage simmered through my body as I stormed out the back door
of the house. I needed to punch something badly, and my eyes caught sight of the punching
bag Brielle and I had worked on the night before.

I stalked over to it, letting my fury take over as I pummeled the bag repeatedly.
I could hear Brielle calling my name, but I ignored her, needing to get out my anger
before I did or said something I regretted.

Sweat beaded on my forehead and back as I continued, minutes passing before Brielle
stopped me by placing her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how
upset it would make you. All I can think about is how to save my mom without giving
up our soul.”