The Shadow of an Angel // JACE WAYLAND (ON HOLD)

II

Azel

Izzy balked at his words, stealing a glance at me for my approval. I nodded, letting her know that she should leave; I didn't need her fighting for me. She shot Jace a warning look before turning on her heel and marching out of the room, mumbling something about how she would slit Jace's throat if he so much as breathed too close to me. I couldn't even find it in me to smirk.

Glancing back up at the blonde fuming before me, I raised my eyebrow a fraction of a amillimeter. My tears had stopped, but I hadn't bothered to wipe the remaining ones off my face.

Jace raised an eyebrow, but I only shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say."

He blinked, his eyes filling with indignation as he glared at me. "A– Are y–" He was suddenly eye level with me, his hands gently yet forcefully grabbing my face and slightly tilting it so my eyes met his. I swallowed when I saw the raw emotion there– the silver lining around those beautiful, golden irises. "You could've died." He choked on the words, as if saying them physically hurt. "Fuck, Azel, I–" He closed his eyes, bringing his forehead to mine. I didn't pull away, instead relishing the feeling of the contact– of him. Relishing the feeling of being cared for, even if my mind was screaming that it was the last thing I wanted right now.

"I saw the way you looked at me that night." I started, opening my eyes to stare into his. Our breaths mingled, and for some reason, I didn't mind the proximity– or lack there of. "When you told me– told me to..." I shook my head, suddenly pulling away from him. "How could you ask me to do that? T–to kill you?"

He sighed, his downcast as he said, "I just wanted you to live– I wanted you to just get out–"

I punched him in the shoulder– hard. "And what about you, you bastard? I– you asked me to kill you, Jace, burn you alive with the rest of them to save myself. You asked me to burn you all. And yet when I try to kill myself to make sure Val was never able to use me? To protect an entire world?"

He scowled, standing to his full height. "That was a huge if, Azel– still is. Valentine still has no way of actually taking your memory."

"And if he found a way?" I seethed. "God, Jace, do you know what I could do to you if I became some minion of his?"

The blonde only snorted. "He'd have to actually have a hold of you to do that."

"Yeah, he did." I pointed out. "What's going to stop him from doing it again?" I gave him a once over, sneering as I demanded, "You?"

But the look he gave me– the pure determination and emotion threaded through that golden gaze– told me that he indeed would. He looked ready to bring the world crashing down into oblivion before letting Valentine get his hands on me again.

But that didn't stop me from being the petty bitch I was and bringing up the fact that he'd been the one to kick me out in the first place. He fixed me with a peeved look in response, absolutely unimpressed.

I only shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest as I finally stood, chest to chest with him. "I was dangerous then; what makes me any less of a threat now." I dropped my voice to a low hiss. "Hell, Jace, I have Demon blood in me. What the hell do you think Maryse will do when she finds out about..." My voice died in my throat at the look that flashed in his eyes. "Sh–She knows?"

He nodded. "She does; we told her."

My breathing became ragged. "B-but what about the Clave? You said they'd–"

"Azel." His voice was calming– reassuring as he braced his calloused hands on my biceps. God, they could wrap all the way around my arms now. "Maryse knows, but she also knows what you tried to do– what you were about to give up for the good of the Down World and the Shadow World. And the second she found out who your mother was– or who raised you at least..." A small chuckle. "By the Angel, you should've seen her face."