A Broken Jewel (Jade Book 1)

by Lucy Rains

  At the departure of Jason, Emmett and Ariana lowered their guns. With a sharp hiss through my clenched teeth, I ran a hand up my thigh, smoothly pulled out my hidden knife and whisked it at the floor by her exposed toes. The knife embedded in the wooden floor, only an inch from her foot.

  She gasped and pulled her foot away from the knife. I gave her a look that invited her to come at me, but was pulled away by Pierce.

  Let’s go, before Jason comes back.

  And before I kill her.

  Yes, that too.

  Pierce pulled out his phone once we were outside the building and pushed a single button. After a second he spoke, “We’re leaving.”

  We walked briskly passed other couples that were walking into the building, dressed in their best for the evening, and a feeling of relief filled me that we were done with this operation.

  “She’s fine. We’ll see you soon.” He ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

  “Fine might be a stretch,” I commented.

  “You’re more than fine,” Pierce said as we waited for his truck to be brought around. “You’re quite impressive.”

  “Thanks,” I said reluctantly. “I’m glad you appreciate the fact that I didn’t kill someone tonight.”

  “After everything that happened tonight, you’re most proud of that?”

  “You think it should be something else?”

  “You held your cool in a nerve racking situation that you had never been in before.”

  “I know,” I agreed, knowing it wasn’t Ariana he was referring to. “And she’s still alive to tell the tale.”

  “I think you’re overreacting,” Pierce mumbled.

  Pierce opened the truck door for me and helped me to climb in carefully. Once he made his way around to his seat and closed the door, I continued. “Do you want me to put things in perspective for you? Do you want me to give a reverse role scenario?” I dared Pierce to answer. “Do you want me to paint an image in your mind of another man with his hands on-”

  “Stop!” Pierce roared, his fists close to ripping the leather off the steering wheel. “I get it. You’re right. Thank you for not killing her.”

  I sat back into my seat, and realized we weren’t alone in the truck. My heart rate spiked in fear and my hands raised as I spun around.

  “Alex,” I said in obvious annoyance. My hand went to my forehead and I rested my elbow on the truck door. “What the hell?”

  “I thought this would be a good place to wait for you,” he reasoned. “You guys were taking forever, and Pierce stopped answering his texts.”

  I took a deep breath to try and calm the pulsing in my temple. “You’re lucky I left my knife.”

  “You sound angry,” Alex commented.

  “I’m not angry, I’m being honest.”

  I could hear him grunt from the floor in the back and maneuver his way into the seat. “Did you know he was in here?” I asked Pierce.

  His smile gave me my answer.

  “Where are the other guys?” I asked.

  “In Gavin’s car.” I looked back to see him typing on his phone. “Ready for your next adventure?” Alex asked enthusiastically.

  I groaned and leaned forward on my knees. “I think I need a break.”

  Pierce sighed, “It was a lot to learn in there.”

  “Yeah, we heard.” Alex agreed.

  “You heard?” I asked.

  “Of course. We bugged Pierce.”

  “We follow through on our original plans,” Pierce directed.

  I sat back and closed my eyes, trying to breath deeply. “I’m not ready for this. Our op didn’t go at all as planned tonight. We need time to process this new information. I’m barely holding myself together, and now you want to put me in another tense situation with unforeseeable threats and outcomes?”

  Pierce’s jaw clenched, “We do this tonight. Learn to adapt to all your situations, no matter how stressful they may be.”

  “Oh, go to hell,” I muttered.

  We rode the rest of the way home in silence. By the time we pulled into the driveway, Gavin’s car was already parked and empty.

  I pulled my heels off of my feet and let myself out of the truck on my own, and hightailed it inside the house. I always seemed to be coming home either angry or asleep.

  I marched up the stairs into my bedroom and slammed the door shut, sending a signal to everyone that I needed alone time to decompress and to not approach me. The firm thud of the door gave me a satisfying feeling as I sank down into my bed, closing my eyes, trying to push images of Ariana’s eyes and bloody bodies from my mind.

  CHAPTER 32

  My teeth ground together as I walked into my closet and peeled myself out of my $1000 black dress. Anger locked my jaw together and my fists curled at my sides. Anger at Pierce for pushing me so hard, and hurt that he wouldn’t acknowledge my needs. The expectations that were being shoved down my throat built up a wall of bitterness and I resented anyone in my sight at that moment.

  While I snapped a white bra on, I bit back my tears of anger. Digging deeper into my thoughts and emotions, I tired to understand. Tried to search for a deeper source to my negative emotion. Was it really Pierce? I didn’t like Pierce’s orders, I understood that. But it was more than his commands of action, and it was more than him pushing me. It was my mother. Facing my mother to kill her required full heart and strength from me. It was that demand right there, that expectation of me, that I hated his lack of compassion.

  That was where my true issue was. I wasn’t ready for tonight. I hadn’t been ready for what happened at the dress shop. I did a good job tonight putting on a show at the banquet and now I sure as hell wasn’t ready to face my mother.

  I dug around in a drawer for underwear, slamming the drawer shut. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t spend the evening rehashing what Mr. Bruno had shared with us. We had two sources of opposition here, and had just been handed a helping hand to take out both of them. Wasn’t that worth staying home to consider?

  Exiting the closet, I slammed my bathroom door shut behind me and flipped on the light. My hands went to the counter edge and I leaned forward. On top of everything else, Ariana’s face, her slim figure, her blonde waves, I was working with every amount of energy and effort I had to keep her presence from edging into my mind. Trying not to think about that fact of Pierce’s lips and hands being on her. I had done well so far, my rage had stayed in check which kept my teeth normal and my inner conscious in tack. But oh, how I had wanted to crush her.

  I looked up at my own body, my rounded hips and narrow waist, no longer straight and boyish. They were perfectly proportioned to my C-cup breasts, that were now beginning to spill over my bra line. I rubbed a finger lightly over the curving bulge, confused at the ongoing change, and dismayed knowing I would have to bra shop again soon.

  I continued scanning my body. My muscle tone stood out all over my arms and legs. The lines were more defined through my shoulders, my ab muscles more prominent. I angled my body to look at my rear, noticing the firm curve through my light blue panties. Since coming to the house my powers had increased, my emotions had become unstable, and now my body looked more powerful than ever. What was happening to me?

  My ears perked up at the sound of my bedroom door knob being twisted and clicked open. Hadn’t I locked that? A presence filled my room, the emotions dominating, and powerful.

  “Go away,” I called out to Pierce.

  I reached up and began pulling bobby pins from my hair, dropping them on the counter one at a time.

  “You need to eat,” Pierce said through the door.

  I stopped pulling out my hair for a moment to lock my bathroom door. Pierce’s emotions turned irritated and a grumble came through the wood. I smiled.

  Once I finished with my hair I pulled out a couple of make-up remover wipes to begin scrubbing at my face. As I shut the cabinet door my bathroom door clicked and was suddenly pushed open, with a scowling Pierce
on the other side, a small metal tool in his right hand that rested on the door frame. His formal wear had been switched for his black cargo pants and a navy blue shirt. His eyes roamed over my barely clothed body before coming back up to my face.

  Ignoring him, I stood up and lifted my arms above my head, as I pulled my hair into a ponytail, preparing to wash my face off.

  “You need to come eat something,” Pierce ordered, his bossy tone not matching the lust beginning to fill his body.

  I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “I’m not hungry,” I said tightly. My hands dropped to my sides and I picked up a wipe for my face.

  “Do you really want to do this?” He said in a low tone as he stalked slowly towards me.

  I placed the wet wipe back down on the counter, trying to control my heart as his body came closer to mine. My eyes stayed staring at the sink, unwilling to meet his gaze.

  My voice was low when I spoke. “No actually, I’ve made it clear that I don’t.”

  “You know what I mean,” his tone was hard.

  My eyes stayed down on the gleaming faucet, my fingers digging into the counter ledge. “You expect too much of me,” I said firmly, lifting my head slightly.

  His head dropped closer to mine, “I know what you are capable of.”

  I moved back from the sink to look at him, “You don’t know shit about me,” I hissed.

  Pierce took a step closer to me and I backed up, my calfs hitting the toilet.

  “Jade.” The way he said my name was a warning.

  “I mean it,” I continued.

  “Vera needs to be dealt with!” Pierce barked, breaking his cool composure, “I can’t have her sending more people after you, and risk losing you again.” His eyes filled with intensity. “She’s not going to give up, you are too valuable to her and the lab.”

  “Shouldn’t I have a say in this?!” I yelled back, tilting my head up to glare at him. “Doesn't my opinion count?”

  Pierce clenched his lips shut, the muscles working in his jaw.

  “Because I’m telling you, you’re pushing me too hard. I am not one of them,” I pointed out the door, behind him, “This is my mother you’re asking me to deal with and it's a lot to handle on a normal day!”

  Pierce leaned down, his broad shoulders angled towards me, “We do it tonight.” His words were laced with a toxin that filled my veins. I lost concentration in that moment, in a stupor at what I was feeling. My shoulders stiffened against the pull to bow to him. The domination in his emotions washed over me, pushing my defiance down. He stared into my eyes as he knew it was working on me, pushing my will to align with his own.

  “What are you doing?” My words came out mumbled, and I pushed past him to clear my head, needing to be away from his presence. And I needed clothes. He kept cornering me when I was bare skinned and vulnerable.

  Pierce reached for my wrist and I whipped it away from him before he could latch on. But this didn’t stop him from trying again. His hand latched onto my other wrist on his second try. I yanked it upwards and brought my other hand down on his wrist at the same time to knock him off of me. He growled under his breath in hard frustration, and I continued backing away from him into my bedroom.

  “No,” I said, trying to be firm but unable to keep the tremble out of my voice. I tried reaching for the closet door before he caught me again but an arm wrapped around my waist before I could grasp the doorknob. I was hauled backwards and thrown onto the bed like a doll.

  I looked up to Pierce, backing away, feeling like a caged animal. His eyes held the same determined look, but he wasn’t angry. Pierce’s emotions filled with even more forceful domination. It felt like fuzzy cotton, blocking out my obstinance, pulling at my will. He leaned over me, and I scooted to the other side of my full bed. His eyes locked on mine and I didn’t notice that he reached out to grab my ankle. Suddenly I was being pulled across the bed back towards him.

  Pierce leaned closer, placing a hand on either side of my hips. I blinked up at him, torn in what I should do. My chest heaved slightly from our squabble and I couldn’t help the shaky desire that was beginning to beat through me.

  I attempted to roll underneath his right arm but he brought both hands to my waist and held me firmly in place. He was leaving me no choice. My eyes shot a warning glare as I began to raise my hands in front of me.

  “Don’t,” Pierce growled. “You will submit to me,” he ordered.

  At his words a feeling of submission washed through my mind and over my body. My head dropped back onto the bed, my hands dropping limp to my sides.

  “Ah,” I whimpered, struggling to fight it, but losing horribly. “No,” I pinched my eyes and rocked my head side to side, trying to shake the power of his words from me. Pierce could have asked me to do anything at the moment and I wouldn’t have been able to resist. The feeling wasn’t painful, nor uncomfortable. It was like warm towels wrapping around my mind, my limbs, my lips, all felt controlled by Pierce. It was comforting yet angered me even more.

  When I finally opened my eyes, the blue in Pierce’s eyes had dilated to black pools and he was overflowing with desire, as my barely clothed body laid before him.

  “Better?” he whispered.

  I closed my mouth, worked my jaw and stared in silent indignation. He leaned forward, closing the space between us and thrust his tongue into my mouth. My mouth opened to welcome him in. My chest vibrated wildly, as his lips molded to mine. I wanted to not want him, but my chest sensations overpowered my mind and body. My hands went to his shirt, pulling it over his head.

  As he broke the kiss to shed his shirt, I gazed over his expansive chest, his ripped muscles that covered his entire torso. Pierce leaned back into me, his mouth going back to mine. The skin on skin effect was thrilling, pushing our desire higher. Pierce lifted my waist to scoot me farther onto the bed and he leaned over me, continuing devouring my mouth. His soft lips pushed hard onto mine, his breathing coming fast. His hands trailed up my stomach gently caressing the skin over my stomach.

  Everything around me disappeared. Voices in the hall, footsteps on the stairs. Pierce’s hands, mouth, breathing, everything stopped. My eyes opened and I looked up to see him with closed eyes, a vein in his temple throbbing. The lust pouring from him tapered off slightly and I could hear him swallow. My head fell back on the bed and I let out a heavy sigh.

  He leaned down on top of me and our bodies pressed together firmly. I felt his hard desire, pushing into me and a groan filled my mouth. I bit it back, not wanting the others to hear it. When Pierce’s hand covered one of my breasts I shuddered, the sensations almost too much to handle.

  The voices melted away as Pierce came back down to me and his lips went to my neck. My hips rose and I smiled at the gasp Pierce sucked in. His own body shuddered against mine and my vibrations moved from my chest down my core and lower.

  “Pierce,” I pleaded.

  “Look at me,” he ordered softly. I opened my eyes and looked into his that were so close to mine. His lips were parted, wet with my saliva. He held my gaze as his fingers slipped underneath my bra. A moan escaped me and I went to close my eyes again when he said, “Look at me.”

  Pierce stared into my eyes as his hips rolled forward into mine, bring a delightful feeling I had never experienced, dropping my jaw.

  I gasped in pleasure as he did it again, my hands started straining in his hold, wanting to grab at him, the blankets, something. But he held firm keeping them above my head.

  Pierce rocked forward in a continuous motion, his breathing becoming more labored to match mine. The sensations built, higher and higher, until my body filled with heat that overpowered me, sending me into freefall. My moan came out harshly, my head tilting up and back, my mouth dropping open but with no noise coming out.

  I opened my eyes and looked to Pierce, his lips coming down on mine again. The aftershocks sent waves of pleasure through me and every muscle in my body clenched to hold on to it. He watched my every move, my eve
ry expression, his eyes still dark. When suddenly his eyes closed and a heavy breath of air escaped his trembling chest. His body stuttered as Pierce gasped for air, his movements continuing slowly. He let go of me to hold himself up has he caught his breath. Our breathing slowed as we watched each other.

  My fingers traced up the light sprinkling of hair that was over Pierce’s chest. “What just happened?” I whispered. “Was that what I thought it was?”

  A corner of Pierce’s mouth tilted up slowly, “Was it your first ever?”

  I nodded, bringing a hand to my swollen lips.

  “Even from yourself?” he asked curiously.

  I nodded shly again, looking over his chest, the lines. “And you?” I asked quietly.

  He leaned down on one elbow, his body resting partially on mine, his face closer to me again.

  “Yes, but not from myself.” he admitted. “Was it okay?”

  I nodded quickly, “It was wonderful.”

  Pierce brought a hand up to my face and rubbed a thumb over my lips, then put his thumb between my teeth where I desperately wanted to clamp down. Slowly removing his hand, he traced the skin above my bra line with his damp thumb and I had to keep myself from arching into him.

  “Why am I still feeling like this?” I asked innocently. “After I just…”

  “Because there is still more to explore,” he responded, bringing his hand down to my bare stomach, his fingertips grazing the top of my panty line, “Because it was your first time. Because our chemistry is stronger than any normal person’s.” His hand drifted slowly over my hip and to the top of my thigh, I clenched under his hand, trying to control my breathing.

  “You’re torturing me,” I said through tight lips.

  “As we become more intimate, I’m guessing we will be able to go multiple times in one sitting. Daily.” He pondered while stroking my inner thigh. “But for now, you need to get dressed and come eat.”