ᴜɴʀᴀᴠᴇʟᴇᴅ |ᴀ.ʟ| ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ {ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴍɪʟʟᴇ ꜰᴀɪʀᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴛʀɪʟᴏɢʏ #2}

{𝕴𝖗𝖎𝖘 𝕽𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊}

This didn't look safe. Not by the longest possible shot.

But here we were at M.D. Internal Medicine, waiting for 'Iris Rouse' to open the door.

Except the woman who opened the door wasn't Iris. Clary had explained her to have red hair and she was supposed to be tall and slim.

This woman, however, wasn't. She was short, dark haired and her rounded stomach had the rotund definition that signified a very late pregnancy.

What in the hell?

"Are you here to see Dr Rouse?"

"Yes. Um..." Clary murmurs, as shocked as I by the pregnant woman. What was a warlock doing with a pregnant woman anyway? "I...I think she's expecting me. My name's Clary."

"I was indeed expecting you" Another woman says, her voice echoing beyond the door, "I only wondered when."

Iris Rouse was indeed tall, slim and red headed but she was also old and tired looking, over middle-aged and she had the strangest air to her, one that made me feel increasingly uncomfortable. She also had the strangest shimmer in her eyes - almost malicious...maybe even greedy.

"And I see you brought guests" She muses, "Siblings?"

"I am" I correct her wearily, "He's not...he's along for the ride."

"Well, whoever you are, leave your weapons outside."

There goes my security blanket.

I had brought a sword with me, just in case. I may have been stupidly following Clary on this quest to eradicate my guilt but I wasn't idiotic enough to believe this would be smooth sailing.

"Any warlock worth a damn can see through a Shadowhunter glamour with ease" Iris remarks in response to Alec's suspicious glare, opening the door wider. "Don't worry. They'll be safe in the alcove."

Alec sighs before de-glamouring his bow and setting it beside the front door. I reluctantly place my sword beside it, glancing back wistfully as we follow Clary and Iris through to the living room.

"Did you bring your mother's..."

"Uh, her hair. Yes" Clary nods rapidly and I fight with my masochistic brain as it protrudes images of my little sister cutting the strand from the corpse of our mother into my mind.

"Nurse Leigh will help you with the paperwork" Iris addresses Clary

"Uh, paperwork?" Alec questions skeptically

"Yes, just a simple pin prick to draw blood for the oath" Iris explains, "For the favour she and I talked about"

"Favour?" Alec frowns, "What kind of favour requires a blood oath?"

"Yeah, I don't know about any favour" I intrude, my concern for Clary overweighing the guilt

"That was the deal we made" Iris defends, her carefully composed mask slipping a tad, her eyes taking on more of that malevolent glint

"It's fine, Cami" Clary cuts in, "I wanna do this."

"Delightful!" Iris chirrups, "Follow me...but your friends can wait here for you in the living room."

"No" I refuse, "I'm not leaving her side."

"And I won't leave hers" Alec adds, sliding closer to me

"Oh, then I can't do this" Iris concedes and my frown deepens - what was with all the secrecy? "Their energies are too turbulent. Especially with you, young lady. I need calm. And neither of you are calm."