Tattoos: COMPLETED ✔

Chapter 25

We get to Jace's car, which happens to be a couple rows over from where that man attacked me. Jace has kept a firm grip around my waist and glances over at me every couple of seconds as if to ensure I'm still next to him.

Opening up the passenger door, Jace ubruptly picks me up, bridal style, and places me gently on the seat. He moves a stray peice of hair out of my face, and tucks it behind my ear. Leaning over me, he buckles my seat belt for me, and I'm about to tell him I can do it myself, but I don't know how he will react, so I keep quiet.

His face looms infront of me, and I think he's going to kiss me but something dark passes across his face, and he moves quickly away, shutting the door softly behind him.

When he gets in, he buckles his seat belt quickly and puts his hands on the wheel, but doesn't start the car. "Jace?" I ask, reaching over to touch him.

"Fuck!" he yells out, slamming his against the wheel. My hand drops back onto my lap. Jace grips the steering wheel tightly causing his knuckles to turn white.

"It's all my fault-" Jace starts to say, but I cut him off.

"No it's not," I say firmly, reaching back out and touch his arm gently.

He flinches back from my touch as if it burns him. My chest throbs.

"Yes. It. Is," he says between his teeth, "If I wouldn't have let you go by yourself, then none of this would have ever happened," he continues, staring straight ahead.

"Jace, there was no way you could have know that would happen; neither of us did," I argue.

He shakes his head, his hair flopping onto his forhead, he runs a hand through it. "I should have came with you," he says, determined to take the blame. I want to slap him.

I try a differnt tactic. "Jace, nothing happened. I'm. Fine," I say slowly, and he squeezes his eyes shut at my words, "now let's go."

His eyes pop open at that. He turns to looks at me for the first time since he got in the car, his eyes are blazing. "You're staying with me tonight," he says, and his tone leaves no room for argument.

I nod my head in agreement. "Okay," I say softly. I don't want to sleep alone tonight.

Turning his head and fixing his eyes straight ahead again, he sits unmoving for a couple of seconds before noding his head, like he's answering his own question. He starts up the car. "Are you cold?" he asks without looking me. I say yes, and he turns up the heater to full blast.

The car ride is quite, and I almost go crazy from the slience. Why won't he talk to me? Why won't he look at me?

My mind swirls, making me dizzy as I replay the events of tonight in my head. I can't get the image of Jace beating that guy to a pulp; how his hand moved back swiftly and came down hard, how his hair flew in the wind, making him look angel-like even though what he was doing was anything but, but most of all, I can't get out of my head as I watched him become someone else, a stranger. A stranger I hope I never see again..

"You know I would never hurt you, right?" he asks breaking the silence; his voice pleading me to say yes.

"I know, Jace."

I watch as his face twist into one of anger. "I don't think you do," I start to protest, but he continues on, "I saw the way you flinched away from me, Jasmine. You thought I was going to hit you," he says, his voice cold.

"That's not true, Ja-" I start to say, but he interrupts.

"I would never hurt you like that. I would never lay a finger on you. I need you to know that," he says.