The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Chapter 42 - Pain and Relations

Chapter 42 – Pain and Relations

I felt like I was falling. My body jerked beneath me, yanking me awake. This sometimes happened to me when it had been a particularly restless night. I was breathing heavily and didn't really know why. The heart in my chest was racing. Probably because of the shock my body had just given me. I widened my eyes to escape the darkness, only to be confronted with it again immediately.

The room I was lying in was gloomy except for the dim lights coming in through the opposite window. Someone had drawn the curtain aside and closed the window. Wherever the light was coming from ... When I stared outside, I saw no less darkness than inside. Again, I was lying in the strange bed in the strange room from which I had tried unsuccessfully to escape. Just the thought of this pathetic attempt made my cheeks blush. What delirium must I have been in to act so rashly and thoughtlessly? I had risked my life unnecessarily.

A soft gasp escaped my lips as I shifted my body to the side and my right hand automatically went down to the bandage wrapped around my waist. I barely remembered how Jace had brought me back here. I must have passed out on the way. Maybe it was better that way. All I knew was that they drugged me again. I could feel it in my limbs, albeit a lot weaker than last time.

As my eyes adjusted to the blackness, I scanned the room. I stopped when I made out the shape of a figure on the right side of my bed. My heart gave a startled leap and I moved in the opposite direction. Blood pounded in my veins as my left hand slid to the bedside table, hoping to find the water bottle. My fingers met nothing but unresisting air.

The figure made an abrupt movement and I almost fell backwards out of bed when I realized that it had been leaning on the edge of the mattress the entire time. I could hear the oxygen rushing into my lungs in a sharp draught and I was sure the person heard it too. Before I could even open my mouth, he began to speak.

"Clary, it's me," Jace whispered into the darkness and I couldn't suppress a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, Jace, I was so close to snapping your neck," I cursed, my voice shaking, and shifted back to my old position. The words came out hoarse and weak, suggesting I probably wouldn't have been able to put them into action if I'd wanted to.

Jace's body shook as he laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Must have fallen asleep."

"What are you doing here?" I asked confused, slowly leaning back against the pillows. I tried to make out Jace's shadow, but it was almost impossible with the darkness in the room. He had to sit on a chair next to the bed. The thought that he had sat here all night made my throat tighten.

"After you woke up so unexpectedly from your last anesthetic, the Silent Brothers felt it would be better if someone stayed with you," Jace said in a low voice, as if there was someone else he didn't want to wake. "Also because you reacted very panicked."

"Didn't anyone volunteer or why were you sentenced to do it?" I tried to joke, but couldn't manage to fake the amusement in my tone. I couldn't imagine anyone happily spending the whole night here.

"Actually, I volunteered," Jace admitted, and I could hear him reluctant to reveal that fact.

My brows shot up in question before I realized he couldn't see me in the dark. "How come?"

Jace shrugged and moved his chair over to me. His arms rested on the edge of the bed and he was hunched over as he sat. "I feel obliged to be here."

He shouldn't be here just because he feels obligated, said a voice in my head that sounded almost disappointed. "I wanted to thank you again," I murmured instead, lowering my head to the dark blanket that covered my body. I could feel the warmth of his arms through the fabric. "I don't remember much, but I know that without your efforts I would be dead now."