Page 113 of Worse Fates

“I wanted to talk about something that’s been on my mind.”

Jace stops—waiting.

“I…well, always thought it was you and me against the world, forever having your back even when no one else did.”

Instead of trying to seduce I aim for something closer to honesty, hoping that’ll work.

Jace exhales and turns back. His eyes are soft when they land on me, and I have to work not to scowl. “I know, and I appreciated it even if I never said. Why do you think I’ve been after you this whole time? Because you’re important to me, Golden. I made mistakes. I can admit that. But suddenly havingall this power…” He trails off, looking away briefly and I realise in that moment, when his features drop, that Jace has probably been lonely.

He was the person I shared everything with and for him, I was that person for him, too.

“I hated myself for hurting you. Then the mess of the night you ran away…”

Whatever niggles of sympathy I had for him shatters.

I want to punch him and scream, ‘You mean when you sexually assaulted me?’ But I hold back, exhaling a shuddering breath, and think about Lucero so hard that, for a second, I almost see his face in the window.

“Why did you hurt me? If you’d just… said what you wanted…” My gaze drops, my voice barely a whisper. I can use his loneliness, but it causes bile to rise from my churning stomach so fast acid burns my throat. The awful lies I need to tell taste like poison, but I spew them out anyway. “I didn’t know you wanted… i-intimacy. You could’ve asked, Jace. I would’ve given you anything.”

Deathly silence meets me, so when my gaze flutters up, I find a severe stare stamped onto his face and I have to look away again.

“And suddenly you want me?” he asks, voice rough with distrust and something else. Maybe hope.

In the movies when they show women seducing men, it’s in sexy clothes or with a come hither attitude. I don’t have any of that, all I have is my memories of the man who wanted to be my hero.

“I’m scared…” My voice is so quiet I’m worried Jace doesn’t hear. But I see his shoes come closer. “I hate all of this, Jace…” gulping, I continue, “I just want things to be like they used to.”

After a breath, where the only noise is my racing blood, Jace hand cups my cheek and I hold back a shiver of disgust. “I never wanted just intimacy from you, goofball. I wanted your heart.”

I nearly vomit at the nickname.

Jace is lying. I can tell from his breathless voice, from his sour sweat soaking into my cheek.

He’s excited.

At my back, Apollo and Kai’s rushed whispers reach me, as does the subtle hint of smoke. When Jace frowns, moving as if to look behind me, I know I have to act now.

Quickly I say, “I love you, I always have.” This grabs the full suffocating weight of his gaze. “And I just wanna feel safe…with you again.”

Jace audibly swallows.

“Not in front of people,” I add quickly.

“C’mon.”

The slide of a key clicking open a lock has never sounded more like being trapped, than freed. So when the gate clangs open, and the uncomfortable weight of Jace’s paw lands on my shoulder, everything in me screams to run.

“Let’s talk more privately, goofball.”

I tense, not caring if the molotov cocktail is ready or not and about to reintroduce my knee to Jace’s balls. So when Jace’s hand drops and he shouts out, “Fire!” Relief floods my system.

Apollo charges forward, half his shirt ripped and a flaming bottle in his hand. “That’s right, motherfucker!”

Apollo then chucks the flaming bottle over his head, and it soars like a shooting star.

“What the fuck!” Jace shouts as Kai tackles him to the ground.

Several things then happen between one second, and the next.