𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 ━━ ISABELLE LIGHTWOOD

57

ISABELLE HAD SPENT THE past two weeks busying herself with work. However, she missed Kade with every passing second, she'd spend every night wondering what he was doing and whether he was fine.

As she lied beside him on the bed, propped on her elbow, her fingers was running through his hair while he slept. He didn't look peaceful even in his sleep, his brows were furrowed and soon enough he was mumbling a few incoherent things. Then his entire body suddenly went rigid and his breathing grew harsher.

"Isabelle," Magnus's voice reached her ears. She looked up to find him standing at the doorway holding a cup of what she assumed was coffee. "Let him be. We need to talk."

"But. . ." she darted her eyes to Kade again, whispering, "he's having a nightmare."

"Let him sleep through it," the Warlock said. "I know it might not sound like it but it's better that way, trust me. Now come on, he's not going anywhere."

Hesitantly, she got off the bed and followed Magnus out of the room. He led her outside to the balcony, then handed her the cup of coffee. "He'll be pissed when he wakes up and find out about Jace."

"First thing he'll want to do is get him out," Isabelle took a sip of the coffee, "I don't think it'll be so easy this time considering the fact that the Clave thinks he played some part in that too."

"Stupid Clave," Magnus sighed, furrowing his brows as he stared blankly at the view of the city ahead. "They never really were brilliant."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Who," Magnus corrected, sparing her a glance before drifting his gaze back to the city, "Kade, precisely."

"What about him?"

"When I was. . ." Magnus trailed off, clearing his throat, "helping him earlier, I noticed a couple of things. For one, his back is filled with fresh scars. Really deep ones. His front is covered in bruises, and there are chain marks coating his wrists."

"So you're telling me that Valentine. . ." Isabelle swallowed the lump in her throat, "kept him in chains and tortured him?"

"I'm afraid so," Magnus nodded, a grim look crossing his features, "for two weeks straight. That mustn't have been easy. Knowing Kade, he'll tell you it was no big deal but nobody comes out the same after being tortured. I don't know what Valentine told him, but he might've tortured him mentally as well. We don't know what he's really been through on that ship and I wouldn't ask him right away if I were you."

____

"YOU'RE AWAKE," Isabelle spoke as she walked back in the room.

Kade had his eyes opened, his back pressed against the headboard. He was both happy and relieved to see her. "Hey, gorgeous."

"I'm so glad you're okay. I missed you," she approached the bed. Her eyes glistened with tears when she added, "I thought about you everyday."

"Me too." His eyes fell on the ring with his family crest on it— the one he gave her which she had put in her ring finger.

He bit his lip, trying to contain a tired smile as he teased, "oh, we're married?"

Her face heated up. "I— no— it's not like that. I just put it there. . . I didn't realise that—"

"I'm just messing with you," his hand reached out to hers and she immediately interlocked their fingers together. He sighed, "fuck, I missed you."