𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 ━━ ISABELLE LIGHTWOOD

33

KADE WAS ABSOLUTELY PISSED. His chest was heaving up and down as he breathed heavily, his fist making contact with the punching bag over and over again. He would never hit a girl— at least, not literally. So that was why he was picturing Clary's face instead. It was much easier.

When he and Isabelle left the basement, she was called to the office by her parents along with Alec and so Kade decided to hit the gym, needing to blow some steam.

Once he was done, he left the place and went straight to his room and took a shower. He stood and let the cold water hit him, his mind going back to the past where he relived the memories of himself with his parents. Clary's words just made him remember what he has been trying to forget for the past years.

He absolutely hated her for it. He hated that her words hit him so hard when they shouldn't have. He was not over them, he would never be— as much as he tried telling himself that he was. He missed them, in all honesty.

Once he stepped out of the shower and got ready, his phone beeped with a message from the inquisitor who told him that the Clave had sent an envoy to the institute. He raised his brows at the message but said nothing before walking out of his room, to the main one.

He saw Alec kneeling down and was speaking to Max so he approached them just in time to hear Alec say to his little brother, "look, somebody very important is coming to visit. All right? You think you can stay out of trouble for just a couple days? If you do, I promise I'll get your stele back."

"Why can't Kade get it back for me? I did him a favour burning that institute down." Max spoke, looking at Kade with a small frown at his lips. The latter rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he mouthed, ‘tomorrow’ at him once Alec's attention drifted towards the door.

The slide doors opened, revealing Valentine who walked into the Institute. Kade frowned at the sight of the man as he instantly took out one of his blades and threw it at him at the same time as Alec fired an arrow. Valentine caught the arrow before it could hit him but he couldn't catch the blade which buried itself in his stomach. He grunted and fell on the ground before weakly managing to activate a rune on his arm. Everyone watched as he transformed into a woman.

"Branwell, it will show you to play with the glamour rune." Kade mused, walking towards the woman who was clutching to the blade inside her stomach. She rolled her eyes at Kade who bent down next to her, looking at her wound which had blood oozing out of it. "Shit, I'm so sorry." His tone was anything but apologetic as he took out the blade from her.

Lydia rolled her eyes, "you've always wanted to stab me, Hawthorne," she handed him her stele and lifted her sleeve to show her iratze while he traced it for her,"I'm sure you're finding pleasure in my pain."

"You're not exactly wrong," he stood up and helped her get up her feet as well while she gritted her teeth at the sensation of her wound healing, her hand gripped his while she waited for it to heal completely. "I assume you know what I'm doing here," she said to Kade who nodded, letting go of her hand while Lydia fixed her hair. 

"That reaction time was abysmal," Lydia's eyes went straight to Alec and then at Kade, "except for you two. I'm Lydia Branwell, envoy from the Clave."

At the same time, Maryse and Izzy entered the place. Lydia noticed her and approached her, "Maryse. The Clave has ordered me to take temporary control of this Institute."

"Wait a minute." Maryse frowned, "Nobody informed us."

"I believe Kade was informed and by the way, the Clave doesn't need to," Lydia replied, "and to repeat myself, it's temporary. Nothing's been decided yet. But I do need full clearance in order to assess how this Institute is running." She activated a command code on a monitor with her stele, "Where is Clary Fairchild? I would hope someone here knows."

"She's in the field, training." Alec replied with a straight face, unsure of what to make of the situation. He wondered how she and Kade knew each other.

"You're telling me she's just—  out and about in the streets of New York?" Lydia raised her brows, "Valentine's daughter?"

"You've always been slow," Kade mocked earning a glare from Lydia which he brushed it off with a smirk of his own.

"Isn't Clary also your cousin?" Isabelle asked, giving Kade a side-glance at the interaction. Lydia shot Isabelle a fake smile, correcting, "distant cousin."

"You guys are related?" Kade asked, his face scrunching up in fake disgust, "no wonder I dislike you both. Guess it runs in the family."

"Shut up," Lydia muttered, rolling her eyes at him all while knowing that he was not being serious. He didn't dislike her, he just enjoyed annoying her. It has always been that way— they went to school together and he'd see her countless times in other institutes when he'd go to visit sometimes.

"Clary's with Jace." Alec spoke making Lydia look at him, "the same Jace Wayland who decided to lead an unsanctioned raid against the Vampires? I've read reports."

"If you've read them then why bother asking?" Kade questioned and saw Maryse's lips twitch upwards slightly before she cleared her throat and kept a straight face, saying, "Jace might be unconventional, but he's our best soldier. If he's with Clary, then she's in good hands."

"I hope so. And for your sake, all of New York. All of your jurisdiction better be well protected." Lydia said seriously while Maryse began showing her around the Institute.

Kade, Isabelle and Alec watched as she did so.

"I don't like her." Isabelle said at the same time. Alec glanced at her, a smirk tugging at his lips as he recalled Lydia's and Kade's interaction, "jealous?"

Instead of answering Alec's question, Isabelle turned to Kade, "how do you know her?"

"I knew her husband—" he bit his lip, remembering his tragic death, "— and we went to school together for some time."

"I see—" Isabelle was cut off when Kade's and Alec's phone chimed with messages. He opened the chat and stared at the pictures Luke sent him, a frown making it's way onto his face. He also sent him a text, asking him to come as soon as possible.

Alec, who also received the same pictures walked over to where Lydia and Maryse were, "I have something you need to see." He pointed to the monitor, "something attacked the Jade Wolf." Alec showed pictures of the Forsaken.

"The werewolves' headquarters? Where did you–" Maryse was cut off by Lydia, "Where did you get these?"

"His sugar daddy," Kade replied as he stood next to Alec. Lydia rolled her eyes again, "be serious for once."

"Leader of the New York wolf pack," Alec replied instead earning a bewildered look from Lydia, "you two are friends with Lucian Graymark? An ex-Circle member?

"Yeah and?" Kade arched his brows at Lydia who was about to say something but Maryse beat her to it, "How about we send Kade, Isabelle and Alec to investigate? I'm sure this is linked to—"

"—Valentine." Lydia cut her off, "I need to see it for myself." She started walking and stopped before looking at Kade and Alec, "are you two coming or what?"

"We're right behind you." Kade replied as Alec began following Lydia while he stayed behind and turned to Isabelle.

"No need to be jealous," he mused at the expression on her face before he decided to say in a dramatic voice, "you know that my heart belongs—"

"— Okay, shut up," she immediately cut him off, ignoring the stare she was receiving from her mother while he laughed and leaned forward, quickly giving her a small peck on the lips and winked at her before walking away.

Maryse looked at her daughter, her jaw dropped and her face holding a shocked expression, "what was that?"

"What was what?" Isabelle faked confusion before she raised her brows in fake recognition, "oh that. Kade and I are dating."

"When—" Maryse breathed out, "—when did that happen?"

"Like a few hours ago," she replied with a smile, "seems like you were wrong about me."