Chapter 99

i

I only think of one person as I try to shake the fog from my head. Where am I, and where is

Jace? We were at the carnival with my sister when I remember I had to use the bathroom. I can

remember turning around to see Jace grinning at my little butt shake but then it turned to a look of

horror.

“Jace…”

“I’m here, baby!”

I try saying more but my mouth is so parched. My lids are so heavy at the moment that I leave them

closed for the time being. I open and close my mouth, and then whisper the word water. Feet shuffle

and then I feel something against my lips.

“Take it slow, beautiful, I don’t want you choking.” Jace’s voice is like silk as it hits my ears.

After taking enough water, 1 move my head away, and slowly start to crack my eyes open. The light in

the room is dimmed down, so it doesn’t hurt so much but my eyes still feel so heavy, “Where am I?” My

voice sounds croaky, and my face seems to hurt when I talk but I need to know what’s going on.

“You’re in the hospital, baby. Do you remember being stabbed at the carnival?” He asks.

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Book 2 – Forever Scared

Flashes of images go through my head, and then it’s there. That’s why Jace looked the way he did. I

remember turning around and then a sharp pain going through my side, just be fore a burning

sensation sliced across my cheek. My hand moves to said cheek and I wince. There is a bandage over

it but it, hurts like hell to touch it.

Jace grabs my hand and moves it away, “The doctor need ed to put a few stitches in the cut on your

cheek, but she isn’t that worried about it.”

“How bad is it?” I ask.

“How bad is what?” I can see it in his eyes that he doesn’t want to answer me.

“How bad does my cheek look, Jace. Please don’t lie to me, either.”

“I honestly don’t know. It’s been wrapped the whole time, but does it really matter?” He questions.

“Of course, it matters. I don’t want to be horrifying to look

at!”

“Baby, it doesn’t matter because you are beautiful either way.” He states, but it does nothing for me.

“You’re not the one that’s going to have an ugly scar on your cheek.” | can’t help but be a bit upset over

this. I’ve never

Book 2 – Forever Scarred

been conceited but that doesn’t mean that I want to be ugly either.

“Ella, you will stop talking about it, do you hear me?” Jace uses his Dom voice, which gets my

attention, but doesn’t have the same effect that it usually has, “We need to wait and see until it is

completely healed. The doctor said that she tried to make it as clean as possible, so all we can do is

wait and see.”

“Okay,” it’s all I can say at this point without getting lec tured for it, “What about my side?”

“No vital organs were damaged which is good, and there is no internal bleeding. She wants to keep you

overnight, for ob servation, and then you should be able to go home in the morning.”

“Ella, you’re awake!” Elise comes back from using the re stroom, “You had us all worried!”

“Well, it sounds like I’m going to be fine, so nothing to worry about at all.” I say it dryly, taking a small

dig at Jace for making it seem like it really isn’t anything. I don’t dare look at him because I can already

feel his heated glare going straight through me.

“Mom and Dad are on their way. Daddy’s firm let them take the jet over since they couldn’t get an early

enough flight.” Elise explains.

“They don’t have to come all the way over here for this!” | express. If the doctor thinks I’m going to be

okay, then why make all the fuss?

“Well, they are, so you should probably get some sleep be fore they get here.” Jace’s tone is indifferent

and he’s a bit short when he tells me to get some sleep.

When I finally get up enough nerve to glance at him, he’s got a tick in his jaw and his mouth is set in a

tight line. I’ve made him mad, but so what because he made me mad, too! All I do is nod my head and

then slowly turn to the side that doesn’t have the stab wound, which is away from Jace’s eyes.

When I wake again, I turn to my back and see Jace sleep ing in the chair beside my bed, looking very

uncomfortable. He’s going to have a terrible kink in his neck with the way his head is dropped forward. I

glance over to the more comfort able chair and see that my sister is also asleep, but in a much more

comfortable position. My eyes go back to Jace, and I barely reach his arm to shake him awake. I can’t

stay mad at him because I need him too much. When he jerks awake, I smile and put my finger to my

lips before motioning for him to climb in the bed with me. He shakes his head at first, but then I pout

and scoot over slowly. Since all of my injuries are on my right side, I make room for him on my left.

He hesitates at first but then comes around the bed and climbs up. Automatically, he opens his arms

for me, and I rest

my head on his shoulder. Sighing, because I feel so much bet ter now that I’m in his arms, I close my

eyes and go back to sleep.

The next time I wake, it’s to hear my mother and father coming into my room. They wake all three of us

up and don’t even feel bad about it as mom sits on the edge of my bed and dad leans down to kiss my

head. I’ve held my tears back all this time, but seeing my parents breaks me and they begin to flow,

almost as if knowing that mommy and daddy will make it right again.

“Oh, my sweet girl! How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?” Mom gushes.

“No, the pain meds they are giving me are working great.” || smile trough my tears.

“We are going to get this bastard!” Dad states angrily.

Now that I’m a little more with it, I think back to the inci dent and remember two things, “I don’t think it

was him, Dad. I smelled a floral scent when the person was right in front of me, and they were right

about my height, give or take an inch

or two. I think it was the woman.”

“You’re right, Ella. I don’t think your stalker knows any thing about this.” Jace reaches for his phone and

hands it to me with an open conversation in his text window. I read the messages from the unknown

person and then hand it to my dad.

“She’s jealous.” | state.

“Sounds like it.” Jace nods in agreement.

“So why is she helping him? I don’t understand?”

“Because sweetie,” my dad pipes in, “she wants to please him by doing as he asks, but it doesn’t mean

she has to like it.”

“Why can’t people just leave me alone?” | grumble. I’m so tired of being on the receiving end of

everything, even if it doesn’t have to do with me. This message states that it’s Jace s fault, but I don’t

blame him, I blame the wacko who thinks he needs to come after innocent people just because his

feelings get hurt.

“They’re not right in the head honey,” mom caresses my hair, “but they are not going to get away with

this!” I watch my mother’s eyes go to the bandage on my cheek and then flinch. I know exactly what

she’s thinking but I don’t address it be cause I know it will upset Jace.

“I know we will, Mom. I just hope that we find them soon, because bodyguards or not, they still get to

me. I’m going to be a prisoner in my own home until they are taken into cus tody.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that, Ella.” Jace says softly as he squeezes my hand, “The guards will just

have to be right be side you when in a crowded place is all.”

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Book 2 – Forever Scarred

| shake my head, “I’d rather stay home then have to be guarded that closely. Besides, if I stay home,

then maybe I can draw them back to the apartment and it will be easier to catch them instead of never

knowing where they are going to show up.”

“Well, that is totally up to you, baby. I don’t want you feel ing like a prisoner in our home.” Jace kisses

my hand.

“Let’s see what Kingsly has to say about this.” Dad sug gests, “The nurse says that you will be released

in the morning, so Kingsly is going to meet us at your place around noon.”

“I take it Malik and Owen weren’t able to catch the per son.” I ask disappointedly.

He shakes his head, “They said that whoever it was, dis carded the hoodie, ball cap, and sunglasses in

a garbage can around the corner.”

Jace perks up, “So, they can get DNA or something from the items, right?”

“Possibly,” my dad answers, “Kingsly has already bagged up the items and sent them to the lab that he

always uses.”

| send up a little prayer that they are able to find some thing, because I am so tired of looking over my

shoulder all the time.

Book 2 – Forever Scarred