in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Fifty-One

A collective groan sounds throughout the room. "Are you always this vain?" Jace quips.

"Most definitely, " Magnus sighs, "It's hard not to be in love with yourself when you're blessed with my beauty, "

"More like your gigantic ego - ow!!" Maya glares at Magnus as a couch cushion lands on her head.

Anyway, after four to five hours of sleep, an insane amount of coffee and Magnus ordering enough custard buns to feed an entire army of Death Eaters, Maya, Luke, Clary & Jace arrive in front of the NYPD headquarters. The sun's rays are harsh on them, and Maya's suddenly glad for her choice of clothes, her loose white tank top and black jean shorts allowing some semblance of relief from the blazing New York heat. Jace, on the other hand, looks distinctly uncomfortable in tight, black ripped jeans and a heavy leather jacket, wiping the sweat off his brow as he fans himself with the collar of his shirt.

"You look like a sweaty stormtrooper, " Maya rolls her eyes, a smirk playing at her lips, "Trying to impress someone?"

"Shut up" Jace's cheeks turn red as he glances at Clary, who's thankfully distracted in conversation with Luke, "I'm just . . . . hot . . . okay?"

"I'd disagree, but I think Carrot Cake over there surely appreciates that, " Maya wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"Who pissed in your cereal this morning?" Jace scoffs, "You're irritating me like you're being paid for it, "

"No one, " Maya smiles sweetly, "Annoying you is just my favorite pastime, "

"All right, " Luke sighs, interrupting them, "Cards are on my desk. This shouldn't take long. It'll be easier to avoid unnecessary attention if I do this alone. I'd rather not drag a bunch of teenagers into a room full of cops, "

"We are not -" Jace starts but Clary interrupts him.

"Don't worry, Luke. We'll wait here, " She gives the werewolf a sweet smile.

"How can you even trust him?" Jace whispers to Clary, as Luke walks away, "He's so . . . cryptic, "

"Luke's a man of his word, " Clary rolls her eyes, "Besides, I've known him for years. What could go wrong?"

Unfortunately, half an hour later, their question is answered.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, " Clary paces, nervously, as Maya and Jace sit on a nearby bench, "What's taking him so long?"

"I know a way we could find out, " Jace presses, "Just go in and see for ourselves."

"You know that's not possible, Jace, " Maya sighs, trying to calm her own nerves.

"Luke told us to stay put, so that's what we're gonna do, " Clary's face brightens as her phone rings, "That's probably him"

"I doubt it, " Jace sighs, cocking his head in the direction of the building. Maya's heart drops into her stomach as she sees Luke walking through a transparent passage connecting two of the buildings, surrounded by uniformed men she can't place, "Just so I'm clear, he did mention something about trying to avoid attention, right? From the looks of it, he's doing a terrible job, "

"Circle members?" Clary quips, declining the call ringing up her phone; Maya can tell it's Simon from the brief flash of the caller ID.

"No, mundanes, " Jace squints, peering closer, "Internal affairs officers."

"Department politics?" Maya guesses.

"You can tell all that just by looking at them?" Clary has a confused expression on her face.