The Dark Artifices Spin off

Reunited

I pulled up to the institute, put my Audi in park and set off inside. I was surprised to see an empty institute as I walked in. Institutes are never empty, well except from when Valentine invaded them and created endarkend. But that's not something I like to reflect on. I was lost in thought trying to bring in all my suitcases when a loud, "Surprise!" erupted from the kitchen and bodies poured into my sight. In an instant I had dropped my belongings and pulled out my short swords ready for whatever enemy I had to face. After taking a glace at the shadowhunters around me I quickly hid my short swords.

"Oh my god. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not used to good surprises." I laughed out nervously. 

"Kyler, it's so good to have you back! We've missed you so much!" Christina practically yelled at me. Just then Julian came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. 

"Christina's right. It is good to have you back." Julian whispered in my ear. I wrapped my hands around his and spun out of his grip to face him. I looked directly into the abyss of his blue-green eyes and smiled. 

"You have no idea how much I've missed you." I said quietly. He smiled at me and gave me a look suggesting that we'd catch up later. The Blackthorns had known that Julian and I had a fling when I was here last year. None of them were surprised that I was immediately in Julian's arms, in fact none of them even thought anything of it at all. 

"Kyler, let me show you your room." Livvy said as she pulled me along. We climbed two stories of stairs and reached a room with a white painted door, right next to Julian's. She opened the door and I followed her inside. The room was beautifully plain but has so much potential. With three windows, two overlooking the ocean and one overlooking the sand. The walls were painted a slate gray and a king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room against the back wall. A beautiful Victorian-styled cream chair sat in the corner of the room next to the entrance of the walk-in closet. 

"This isn't even the best part. You get your own bathroom and come look at this." Livvy began to pull me towards the closet. In the far corner of the closet, stood a hidden stair case. I followed Livvy up the stairs until we reached a trapdoor. She opened it and climbed out onto the roof of the institute. 

"You get your own roof-top entrance!" Livvy exhaled. 

"This is incredible. I don't even remember this room since I was last here." I said.

"I'm not surprised. Clary and Jace were staying in here when you came last year. But we made a lot of improvements to it. It was kind of falling apart after they stayed. The bed was falling apart, the shower glass was broken, you know what I mean?" Livvy said with a smile. I laughed. "Do you know how long your staying for?" She asked. 

"Well I'm on a mission that I sadly have to keep confidential but I guess when ever I finish it I will be able to carry on with my normal life." I answered.

"Ah. Well it's good to have you back Kyler. I've missed that badass energy around here." I followed her back down the steps and told her I would see her later. As she left, I began to open one of my suitcases. The portal Arabella gave me sat at the top of my clothes. I gently picked it up and studied it. It was a gold ball encrusted with emeralds and sapphires around the opening. It was similar to a locket in the way it opened. Arabella has given me several gifts before. It was one of the things I loved most about her. Her selflessness and need to express her love for me. She's given me necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and all kinds of trinkets. But this gift had meant the most to me. A few years ago, I had met her in the East Texas Institute when she came to have a brief meeting with my parents before my father became the inquisitor. My parents had run the Institute ever since I could remember and all my childhood memories have been held there. I was outside practicing target shooting with a bow when she had found me. She had told me I was beautiful and offered to show me the world. At that point in time, the only "world" I had seen was the institute and most of Idris. I accepted. She portalled me all over the United States and Europe. That was how I found my passion for travel. That was also when I started to fall in love with her. Of course we kept our relationship a secret. My parents would have been devastated to learn that I was dating a warlock who happened to be the same gender as me. I would just tell my parents I was going to train with some other young shadowhunters around the area. I have always been pretty responsible and mature for my age so my parents easily believed me. 

I heard a familiar knock at the door. Julian walked in with the same grace he had since the last time I saw him. 

"Hey." I said as I continued unpacking my belongings. He picked up the gift Arabella gave me.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Oh, Arabella made that for me. It's like a mini portal that can take me to her place and back here to the institute." 

"I've never seen anything like it," he said with intrigue in his eyes. "So I'm guessing your still with her then?" Julian had known about Arabella when I came last year, just as Arabella had known about Julian once I had come back. She never had a problem with me seeing other people. Actually she encouraged it. She had said she just wanted me to be happy. Julian however, had accepted it but was a little jealous about having to share me with someone else. 

"Yeah, I am." I answered. I could see that little hint of jealously he always tried so hard hide. He nodded. He came forward and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my head in his chest. 

"You have no idea how hard it's been here without you." He said with his head buried in my hair.