I am Jade

by Victoria Danes

  He shoved Stephan to the side with his massive shoulder. I heard his body crack against the bookshelves, and then Adrian braced himself for my impact.

  I hit him hard in the chest and stomach. He lost his breath for a moment.

  I knew he couldn’t hurt me, wouldn’t hurt me.

  He tucked my body into his, wrapped both arms around me as tight as he could without crushing my ribcage and held me steady.

  I growled ferociously. My nails dug into Adrian’s arms until I drew blood, and that got my full attention.

  I stopped fighting, stopped growling.

  My head was leaning toward that blood. It sang to me so sweetly that my throat went instantly dry. I licked my lips and lowered my head until my mouth was almost over the wounds.

  I attempted to lick a drop of his blood…

  “Jade, no!” Stephan’s furious roar echoed through the apartment like a freight train. “No, Jade!” He was in front of me. He pulled my head back by fisting a hand in my hair and pulling me away from Adrian’s blood.

  The next thing I knew, I went limp and darkness swarmed in.

  Excuse me while I collect myself…

  Adrian

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hungover

  There was a pounding in my head like someone was hammering pieces of my skull from the inside. I winced and put both hands over my eyes. I was in my bed. I knew that. The smell of vanilla and lavender sheets told me that much. Someone’s arm was across my stomach. My…naked stomach! My heart beat in my throat.

  Oh, what had I done?

  The last thing I remembered was nestling closer to Adrian when I felt a presence in the room and his head on my lap.

  Very carefully, I turned my head to see who was beside me. Blond hair peeked out from under my white and purple comforter.

  Stephan?

  “Good morning.” Adrian’s voice boomed from across the room. My head snapped back to the white recliner in the corner of my bedroom. He was sitting there with both elbows pressed into his knees. An icy chill ran down my spine.

  “What…why are you here?” I asked pulling the covers up to my neck.

  Adrian blinked slowly. “You asked me to stay.”

  I frowned and then cleared my throat. It felt raw.

  “Well, yeah, not in my bedroom though. And not…how did I…?” I couldn’t find the words I wanted and so I groaned instead and leaned my head on the headboard.

  “Jade, we need to talk.” Adrian’s tone was more serious now. There was panic in my heart. Talk about what? Had I done something with Adrian last night? But then how did Stephan end up in bed with me?

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk now. Get out so I can get dressed.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t take your clothes off, Jade,” he said, standing up.

  I saw that his shirt was in tatters. His belt was missing and he had deep scratches on his forearms. There was also a bruise, or a hickey, on the left side of his neck. I swallowed hard.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t rip up your own clothes either or give yourself those scratches.” I lowered my gaze from his briefly then found the courage to look at him again.

  There was a smile on his face.

  “No,” he said still smiling. “I did not.”

  A memory passed through me then. A memory of growls and fire and lust and need. A memory of popping buttons and the sound of tearing material. I shuddered and blushed.

  “I’m sure you’ll want to talk about…last night once you’ve dressed and had some coffee.” Adrian quipped as he walked out of the room.

  “Wait…” I protested.

  Adrian turned. He leaned on the door with his arms crossed over that exposed chest.

  “Did I hurt you?” I asked almost in a whisper. Heat crept up my face and stained my cheeks red. Shit.

  “No,” he responded in the same low voice. “You did not.” I thought I saw amusement pass over those green eyes. Maybe his lips twitched at the corners too. I didn’t look at him long enough to see the full smile.

  “Did I hurt Stephan?” I asked fidgeting with the corner of the comforter.

  “You’ll have to ask him that,” Adrian answered in a thicker voice.

  “How did…?” I sighed. “Did you guys fight?” I asked looking up at him now.

  His eyes tensed just for a moment. “No, we’re fine.”

  I felt the lie but decided not to question it anymore.

  Stephan had always been protective of me. He was very cautious with Seth too when I first met him. But eventually, he warmed up to him and they became good friends.

  “Get dressed, Jade,” Adrian said. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you have more questions.” He left the room after that.

  I put on a white camisole, pink panther shorts, and my gray robe. After finding my house slippers and pulling my hair into a clip, I took a deep breath and walked out into the kitchen. The smell of coffee was strong and delightful. Some food would have been great too, but I settled for the coffee.

  Adrian was sitting at my kitchen table with a cup in his hand. He smiled up at me when I entered and something in my chest reacted. A tingle, a caress? I waved it away.

  “You don’t remember much about last night, do you?” he asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

  I frowned as I put two spoonfuls of sugar in my coffee and stirred. “No, but if you decide to tell me, please do it carefully. If I did something…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “Don’t you take milk in your coffee?” Adrian asked.

  I shook my head.

  “My kind of woman.” He winked and again something in my chest reacted – a little more intense this time.

  I leaned against the counter. “Please cut the small talk and tell me about last night.”

  Adrian’s eyes lost their lightness.

  “I mean, I don’t remember. Not really.”

  “Relax, Jade.” Adrian stood and walked over to me. “Nothing happened.”

  “If that were true I wouldn’t have woken up naked.” I contradicted. “And with Stephan.” I took a sip from my coffee. “He’s not…woman-friendly – in that way,” I said trying to control my voice. I felt like screaming and breaking my coffee cup and then screaming some more.

  Adrian cocked an eyebrow. He leaned in closer to the counter where I was standing. “Well regardless of his preference, something tells me it’s not the first time he has had the pleasure of being in your…bed.”

  I wasn’t sure what it was about his comment that caused such a reaction, but I cocked a hand back and slapped him across the cheek.

  Adrian didn’t flinch.

  Not even an inch.

  His eyes never faltered.

  Slowly, he licked the inside of his cheek.

  “That’s twice you bled me, I might not take it in stride a third time.” He reached for his keys, which were behind me, and let his mouth hover momentarily above mine. Then he started for the front door.

  “Wait…I’m sorry,” I yelled after him.

  He stopped with his hand on the door. His face was serious, almost dark. “If something had happened, you would have remembered, Jade, trust me. I’m that good. And if you’re so curious, you know how to find out what you want. If not, ask Stephan,” he replied with coldness to his voice. “Oh, I wanted to tell you…if anything, I think we made the connection worse through that kiss.”

  I gasped. “So what does that mean?”

  “I’m not sure. But I think we are more connected than either one of us think, and I am not convinced it has to do with your Seth.” He slammed the door shut behind him.

  I felt anger mount from my stomach and throb in my throat. I walked over to the table and gripped the edge.

  Cocky bastard.

  My hands dug deeper into the oak until my nails carved into it, and with a protesting snap, it broke and splintered in my hands.

  I moved back a few steps and let the pieces fall to the floor.


  Stephan came out of the bedroom. He wasn’t wearing anything but a pair of gray sweats. His hair was messy. His eyes were lazy with sleep as he rubbed his face and walked toward the coffee machine.

  “Good morning, Duchess,” he said in a lazy voice while he poured a cup.

  I didn’t respond. I watched him as anxiety simmered in my blood.

  What will he think of me?

  The display last night at the bar and then heaven knows what situation he found me in when he came to check on me.

  He walked to the table where I kept the sugar bowl and reached for the little spoon. He stopped in mid-motion. “What the hell happened to the table?” he asked, finally looking at me.

  I blushed and wiped the remaining splinters from my hands on my robe.

  “Did you do that?” Stephan asked looking from me to the table and the wood on the floor by my feet.

  “Stephan, what happened last night?” I asked ignoring his question.

  His blue eyes tightened. “You don’t want to know, Duchess.”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know, Stephan.” I spat.

  He shook his head. “Trust me.”

  I felt the anger boil in my stomach until it began rising and spilling into my veins.

  Soon, I would explode, and I feared what I might do.

  My hands trembled over the cup I held. “Tell me,” I said in a very careful voice. My teeth were pressed together so hard that it rattled my brain.

  “Jade—”

  “Dammit, Stephan!” I roared and tightened my grip on the cup in my hand. It immediately crumbled into a million pieces and coffee splashed all over my face and clothes.

  Stephan took in a deep calming breath. Something in his demeanor changed. “Oh look, you made a mess,” he said, and then he took a step backward, reached for a towel that hung over the kitchen stove, walked back toward me, and began cleaning the spill.

  My breaths were coming in gasps, and my hands were trembling. “Stephan…”

  He looked up at me now.

  “Why aren’t you concerned about my hand?” I asked, gravely. Normally, he would have been fussing all over me trying to cater to my injury.

  He stopped cleaning and stood up.

  His face didn’t display that horror I thought I would see. Instead, he didn’t look like my Stephan. His eyes were serious void of all that innocence and sweetness I had come to know. His mouth was in a hard line and on that perfect face, it looked out of place. Slowly, gracefully, he walked toward me and took my bloodied hand in his.

  “You really made a mess, Jade,” he said in a thick whisper.

  He turned my hand upside down and studied the small cuts. A breath later, he brought it to his mouth.

  My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. “Stephan…” I whispered.

  But he didn’t say anything. He never took his eyes off me while he kissed my palm and then licked the wounds – one by one – smooth strokes of his tongue over the blistering cuts.

  “Stephan…”

  He still didn’t respond. His grip was tight on my hand, and I was too afraid to pull away, to look away. My knees felt too weak to hold my weight, and I stumbled. Stephan caught me with one arm and held me steady.

  “Easy,” he whispered near my face.

  I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach.

  “What’s happening?” I asked in a trembling breath.

  “We will talk,” Stephan said in a smooth voice. “But right now, you have to go.” He looked over at the clock on the wall.

  It was a quarter to nine. He was right. I had to go.

  Today, I was meeting with the families of the missing girls.

  I didn’t want to leave now. We needed to talk.

  “Go, Jade,” he said. “I will be here when you get back.”

  Part of me is glad her loyal pet showed up when he did. I may not have had the restraint to stop. Part of me wanted to put him through a wall for his intrusion. I ached so badly for her, and I don’t think it has anything to do with her fiancé raping my heart but everything to do with her almost tasting my blood.

  Adrian

  Chapter Nineteen

  Innocent

  After realizing that my office would not accommodate all the family members, I called Faust and he gave me the address to Savannah Tate’s house. She was the mother of missing seventeen-year-old Alexia Tate.

  I took a deep breath and turned off the car after parking on the street in front of the house. They lived in a beautiful white and green ranch home on the outskirts of Misery.

  Already, the driveway was full of cars. That meant everyone was waiting for me.

  I still wasn’t sure if I could handle it, but I would try.

  When I got out, I noticed Faust outside smoking a cigarette. He was wearing a long black coat over gray dress pants and an off-white button up shirt. His hair was longer than the last time I saw him and he pushed it out of his blue eyes.

  “Thought you quit,” I said as I approached him.

  “I thought so too.” He threw the cigarette and gave me a smile. “How are you?”

  “I…will give you the proper and polite response to that question instead of boring you with the truth.”

  “Wouldn’t mind some boredom.”

  I laughed. “Next time. For now, I will say I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “Okay, I’ll pretend to believe you.”

  “I appreciate it, thank you.”

  He opened the door but didn’t step inside yet. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you for doing this, Jade.”

  “Don’t thank me yet.”

  He nodded and we stepped inside.

  The house smelled of coffee and maple syrup as we walked into a very busy parlor.

  Instantly, I was met with so many emotions that I staggered. Faust reached for me, but I shook my head.

  “It’s okay. I have to embrace it.”

  Everyone stopped talking and looked at me.

  I felt worse than a fish in a bowl.

  For a while, no one said anything. Then, Mrs. Tate came forward cautiously. Her green eyes already misty.

  I gritted my teeth and tried my best to keep a tight shield. If I failed, I wasn’t sure I would survive the attack of emotions.

  Why did I agree to this?

  “Miss Sinclair.” She smiled. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  I nodded.

  “We are so desperate.” She wept.

  “I know,” I responded. “I will do my best, but I cannot promise anything.”

  She nodded. “We understand. Should I give you a picture or…”

  “Actually,” I said. “Anything of hers will work usually, but I will ask for something a little more personal.”

  Mrs. Tate reached for a picture on the mantle and turned it over. On the back of the frame was a lock of hair tied with yellow ribbon. She took it and played with it gingerly before handing it to me. “It’s from her first haircut.” Her voice broke and her husband’s arms were there to greet her.

  He gave me careful gray eyes.

  “I know what you can do, Miss Sinclair. I’ve read the papers. Will we be watching with you?” His question hung in the air. I was willing to bet most of the parents had the same question.

  I bit my lip and shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, but if that’s what you want,” I answered.

  “That’s what I want.” One of the other moms alerted me.

  “Shay.” Someone cautioned her.

  “I want to see my baby.” She snapped. “That’s why I’m here.” Tears rolled down her full cheeks.

  I nodded. “If that’s what you all want fine, but I should warn you, I cannot control the images. While I may be able to shield the feelings from you, you may not like what you see. So I ask that you leave the room if you do not wish to be included.”

  When no one moved, I began twirling the silky strand of brown hair in my fingers and
closed my eyes.

  The room held its breath as blurry visions of Alexia flared to life.

  She was dancing with Cross, laughing as he whispered lies in her naïve ear.

  The music was too loud, so he coaxed her outside. Under a flickering streetlight, a hooded figure approached. I felt the first pang of fear take hold of her. My knees trembled. I tried to hide behind Cross, but he moved away and let the figure take me. I kicked and screamed for help, but it was futile. Pale hands struck me across the face, and I went limp.

  I squeezed the hair tighter, trying to focus harder.

  Heavy, gray clouds threatened to tear open above. The wind was blistering, biting at my exposed flesh. The smell of snow and burning wood filled my lungs.

  I was panting, struggling over a rocky path. Other girls were walking in front of me. We were all crying and afraid.

  My bare feet blistered as they stepped through the snow. I slipped and fell and someone backhanded me across the mouth.

  My heart instantly reacted, and I lost the image.

  When I opened my eyes, the moms were huddled together, crying and holding hands. The dads had scowls on their faces and tight fists.

  “I’m sorry.” I coughed. “I’ll focus harder.”

  I closed my eyes again. Naked and bruised, I was tossed into what looked like a prison cell with two other nude girls.

  “Jenna!” A voice erupted in the room, and the vision deteriorated.

  I felt my chest caving in until I could no longer breathe. I screamed and fell to the floor on my hands and knees.

  When I opened my eyes, Savannah and the other moms surrounded me.

  One of them had a phone in her hand while the others trembled with their hands over their mouths.

  “Should I call—”

  “No!” I choked out. “No. I’ll be fine.”

  “Jade, are you sure?” Faust asked trying to touch my shoulder, but I pulled away.

  “Please, don’t…” I coughed again. “Don’t touch me right now, please,” I said trying to control my voice. Not to be rude or mean, but I hadn’t replaced the shields yet.