As they walked back to the fireplace, Lily looked at Jason as he held her hand. He really wanted to help her. Why? She glanced down at their hands. His fingers were intertwined with hers. He held her firmly, but not so hard that it hurt.
"How come you can read minds, but others can't read yours?" She asked.
He looked down at her, "I need to, for your safety."
She looked away, "Why did you choose me, of all people?" She whispered, Why did he choose this weak girl that cries every chance she gets?
He sighed, "How do I get it in that smart brain of yours that you're not weak?"
She stared off in space, "But... Why me? You could've chosen Elle or some other pretty girl with gorgeous hair."
"Lily, I don't know why you don't understand, but you are beautiful too." He leaned forward, attempting to see her face. "You have gorgeous blonde locks, your eyes shine a beautiful blue, your skin is so soft."
Heat burned her cheeks, "Are you just saying that... Because it makes me feel better?"
"Even if I was, doesn't it show that I care about you?"
She stopped walking and stared at the floor.
"Do you understand now?" He asked as he slowed down too.
She gazed at the ground, trying to come up with something to say back. But she couldn't.
"You really do care about me, don't you?" She whispered, "You're not faking?"
He groaned, "What use would I have of pretending to care about you?"
She smiled. Jason could tell she actually wasn't forcing it. "I... I... I really hope you mean that." She stammered.
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
She turned toward him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and pulled him into an embrace.
He stared at her in shock until he let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her too. He was so warm. It felt nice for her to actually hug him without the reason of being sad or just having a nightmare.
She was so cold. Her skin was ice. Jason hugged her tighter, trying to make her skin get at least a little warmer.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, trying to feel his soft skin.
"Now I know what I have to do to you." He grinned.
She pulled back and tried to see his face when he lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. She yelped as she landed on his stiff muscles.
He spun her in circles, and she laughed while she started to get dizzy.
When he finally set her down, she looked into his eyes. They glowed a bright green. He was happier. That was good, right?
He smiled, kneeled down, and placed one arm under her knees and the other under her back.
Not realizing what he was doing, she squealed when he threw her feet out from under her and caught her mid-fall. She landed in his arms, and he lifted her from the ground, grinning.
"Didn't expect that, did you?" He chuckled.
She smiled back, "No. I didn't."
His left arm carried her legs and his right arm propped up her back. He was holding her bridal style. He did this only when she had that nightmare the night before. That was a scary time, she couldn't feel the heat of his love emanating off his body before, but now she could.
She stared into his emerald green eyes. They glowed with happiness. She could still see some dark specks, so he wasn't delighted. She was still glad she made him feel better, though.
She beamed. Her eyes shined a bright blue. She wrapped her arms around Jason's neck and laid her head on his shoulder blade. His shirt was soft. She could smell his cologne and mint toothpaste he had used that morning.
She closed her eyes, taking in the smell and feel of Jason, of her Jason. She could barely feel him start walking. She wondered where he was going, but she still didn't open her eyes. She heard quiet footsteps, and she could feel the slight bumps as he took every step.
In some weird way, she found it soothing, the sound, the smell, the feeling of him. She could feel him walking, she could smell his cologne, she could hear his silent footsteps.
Her lips parted, and her eyebrows relaxed. She released her arms from Jason's neck and just rested her head on his shoulder while he carried her somewhere. Her arms settled on her lap, and she faded into a world of dreams.
*****
Jason knew she fell asleep the moment she released her arms from his neck. He could feel her soft breathing against his chest.
He could open doors and walk out to the car without letting her go or setting her down.
He opened the car door quietly and rested his cheek on her soft, yellow hair. He didn't want to let go, but he knew he should take her back to the hotel and let her rest. So he laid her on the passenger seat and lightly buckled her seatbelt, trying not to wake her.
He softly closed the door and walked over to the driver's side. He opened the driver's door and got in. He closed the door next to him and pulled on his seat belt.
When he buckled, he saw Lily's face. She was so exhausted. Why wouldn't she be? She was in emotional turmoil almost every minute. She cried a lot, and there was nothing wrong with that. She was going through a lot, and he wished he could help her more, but he couldn't.
He sighed and turned the keys in the ignition, the car started, and the vents blasted cold air until they finally started getting warm.
He grabbed the gear shift and pulled it into reverse.
"Jason...?" Lily murmured, "Where are we going?"
He looked at her, his foot still on the brake. "Sorry... Did I wake you?"
She was looking up at him, her eyes squinting from the light, "No. I just had a weird dream."
He pulled the car back into park, the engine still running. "Another nightmare?"
She shook her head, "Occasionally, I have dreams about my mom," She looked up at the building through the windshield. "She warns me about things."
Jason looked at her with eyes full of confusion, "What did she warn you about?" This definitely isn't normal. Her mother died when she was ten, that was six years ago. She's having dreams of her mother warning her now?
"'Avoid the place where people shop in the rain'." She looked back at Jason, "What does that mean?"
Jason stared out the window. "It sounds like some kind of metaphor. There are many places where people shop in the rain, like the grocery store, clothing store, and mall...."
She looked at him with worry, "Where was the distress call coming from?"
He took his hand off the gear shift and placed it on her's, "I told you, it wasn't a distress call, it was just suspicious activity. It's nothing to worry about."
She gripped the seat, "But... Where was it coming from?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Just think of this as a vacation...."
"Jason!" She cried, "Please tell me."
He took his hand off hers and placed it on the gear shift again, "An... abandoned mall."
He saw her eyes widen and her irises shrink.
"Lily, there's no need to get scared. He can't hurt you...."
She started panting heavily, and her skin started glowing.
"Hey, it's okay. Your father can't touch you because I'm here." He said that because he knew that would maybe calm her down, even though she could protect herself more than he could.
She shook her head violently, "That's not what I'm worried about!" She cried, "What if he gets to you again? Then what am I supposed to do?"
He placed his hand on her shoulder and winced as his fingers started burning. He didn't let go. He knew she needed to calm down, so he needed to deal with the pain.
Fire started emanating from her skin, "Lily, deep breaths, remember? In and..."
"No!" She yelled, "I can't let him hurt you again!"
"He won't...." He started.
"He can and he will." Lily looked down at him. Her eyes blazed as the fire grew.
"I know you're scared of Lucifer...."
"He's my father!" She screamed, "Why would my father do these things?"
Jason sighed as he realized she wouldn't let him talk, "Deep breaths...."
"No! No!" She shook her head, "No! I can't let him!" She sobbed, "I can't lose you too!"
"Deep breaths..." He repeated, trying not to feed her anxiety.
She covered her face in her hands, "What if he actually succeeds in killing you?"
Jason unbuckled his seat belt and opened his car door. She jumped as he slammed it shut and watched him as he walked over to her door and threw it open.
"Get out, now." He said sternly.
She looked up at him. Her skin stopped burning, "What did I do?"
"I said, now." He glared down at her.
She unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and stood up. He slammed the door shut and looked at her. His eyes dug into her soul. He looked angry. He was furious. She gulped cold, dry air. She was afraid of him when he was like this.
He walked closer to her when she covered her face with her arms. It was a reflex. She couldn't help it. She could see him standing there through the cracks of her sight.
"Lower your arms." He demanded.
She flinched at his harsh tone. She didn't move, afraid that he would hit or slap her. Her fear of making him angry didn't help as he grabbed her arms.
"I said, lower them."
He forcefully lowered her arms and held them tightly by her sides. She stared at him in fear, trying to get her arms out of his grip so she could step back or protect her face. He gripped her arms tighter, clenching his teeth. His gaze was as hard as a rock. His grip burned her skin. He was gripping her too hard. It hurt. She didn't dare tell him that it hurt though, she didn't want him to get angrier if that was even possible. She tried to move her arms, but they were pinned to her sides. She stared up at him, her blue eyes pleading for him to let her go.
He glared at her, eyes solid, scowling so hard that she decided to give up. If he was going to hurt her, she should just get it over with.
He stepped closer in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her face away, not wanting to know what he was going to do. She felt him let go of her arms. Her skin finally was able to breathe. She didn't move. She felt him get closer. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, clenching her lungs and holding her breath, then his arms wrapped around her waist. She opened her eyes and gasped for air. She realized he was hugging her, his head was over her shoulder, and his arms were attached to her waist.
"I know you're scared for me, and probably of me." He whispered in her ear, his voice softened tremendously. Lily stared off into the distance, her eyes as wide as they could go, her pupils smaller than an ant. "But please don't be scared. I will be fine because I have a strong-willed woman to protect me."
She exhaled, finally realizing what he was doing. He was trying to comfort her. Why did it seem like he was going to hurt her deeply? "I'm not strong...." She started.
"Ah, ah." He interrupted, "Don't start that because you are." He breathed out warm air. She closed her eyes, hoping he wasn't upset with her. "Way stronger than me, incredibly more powerful than your father, and I believe that one day you will actually win against him." She could feel his breath on her ear, she found it calming in a way, but she still couldn't get his sudden lash out gone from her head. "And he will be the one father you always wanted."
"I can't... I'm not...." She stammered. Panting. She took quick breaths as Jason held her tightly. She rubbed her hands on her wrists. They were still burning from where he gripped her.
"Lily," He let go and gripped her shoulders, "You can, and you are." His eyes were solid green. There was a shine as his gaze pleaded for her to listen to him.
He noticed the fear in her eyes. He saw her fear of him. He didn't want her scared of him. He didn't want to feed her fear. He wanted her to trust him. But... He thought, This is the only way to get her to understand.
"I'm not strong enough...." She whimpered.
"Yes, you are." He stated. Annoyed that she doubts herself.
"I can't do this...."
"Yes, you can!" He yelled. He was so inflamed that she didn't believe in herself. She constantly was uncertain of her capabilities. She didn't think he cared about her, which really irritated him. It irritated him so much that he felt a rush of negative energy every time she spoke in a passive tone.
"Lily, why don't you understand?" He boomed, he was done with this bull crap, he tried everything to get her to be less submissive, but she was just not getting it! Why wouldn't she understand? This was painful for him, watching her go through this, not accepting his help.
"You are the most powerful breed there is, you're more intelligent than you think you are, and you're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." He was desperate for her to understand, he wanted her to stop this behavior, and he tried being kind and comforting her. She just wouldn't accept it.
Now was the time for her to stop.
She shook her head, "No! I'm not...."
A rush of heat burned up his body as he got angrier, "Stop it!" He growled. She jumped at his sudden lash out. He bared his teeth, "Stop doubting yourself!" He shook her, "Stop hurting yourself! YOU DON'T DESERVE IT." She saw his rage consume his entire right eye, turning it black. She took a step back, fear swelling in her eyes, turning her eyes stiff as his stance got tenser. He stopped shaking her, realizing he went too far, and he looked away, "I can't watch you hurt yourself." His voice became softer. She stared at him, eyes wide with fear.
She blinked. Her eyes turned sapphire blue. Noticing that his eyes went back to normal, she tried to talk, "Jason...."
He put his index finger up, stopping her from saying anything else. "I don't want to hear it." She stared at him. Her eyes shimmered and gleamed in confusion. He looked at her, "No more self-doubt. No 'I can't'. No 'I'm not'. No more. NO. MORE."
"I'm sorry...."
"No." he said, "No more apologies, or I'm going to flip." He gripped her shoulder tightly, letting her know with his pale green eyes that she should listen to him. "And you don't want that." His eyes didn't have any light reflecting in them. They were just shaded over with dark green. At that look, she knew that he was pissed.
"Please don't be mad at me." She begged him, "I didn't mean to make you angry...."
He glared at her, his eyes narrowing, his lips pressed into a thin line. She sank to the ground, not liking this new Jason. "Lily," His eyes piercing daggers into hers, "For the last time. I'm NOT angry. I'm just worried about you."
She sat up, rereading his expression, "You're not...?"
"NO." He snarled. He put his hand on his forehead in utter exhaustion. "I just..." He sighed.
She looked at him with painful confusion running through her spine. She wanted to know how he really felt. She wasn't sure anymore. "You just what?"
He looked at her. There were tears in his eyes. She shrank back, taken off guard by his sudden expression, "I just want you to be happy. I just want you to live a life that you actually want. I want you to STOP INSULTING YOURSELF. I want you to feel any other emotion than fear. I want you to STOP THINKING that I'm GOING TO HURT YOU. I want you to understand WHY I care about you. I want you to STOP asking me why I do, and I want you to START believing that I do too."
She stared at him. She opened her mouth to protest when she realized that she had no idea what to say. He really cares about me. She thought, He really does.
"Of course I do." He leaned forward, "I love you."
She glanced down at his hand and blinked, wondering how she should respond. Her eyes were agonizingly dry from all the fear she looked at him with, all that time with her eyes wide, horrified that he was going to hurt her. "I love you too."
"If you really do," He said, "Then I want you to work on loving and caring about yourself, to show me you really mean it." He knew he was manipulating her, but he did it for her, not him.
She looked up at him. Her eyes were watery.
"Will you do it?" He asked. "Please?"
She glanced down at his shoes. She should do it. She wanted him to know that she really loved him. At the same time, she also knew he was manipulating her, but she understood he was trying to help her. She took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the oxygen she lacked. She knew he was still looking at her, waiting for her to answer. Finally, she decided and let out her breath, "Yes."
When she looked up at him, he smiled, his dimples forming. Her heart skipped a beat at the look in his eyes, "I'm glad." He said.
Her lips parted, and f gt she stared into his eyes, trying to read his expression. His eyes danced happily in the sunlight. Was he really this happy that she was willing to care about herself?
"Yes. I am." He grabbed her hand, "Now let's go eat dinner."
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