𝑶𝑭 𝑩𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑩𝑬𝑻𝑹𝑨𝒀𝑨𝑳

Ꮨ ᎠᏘRK RᏋFLᏋᏨTIᎧᏁ

"Oh, she's gonna hate a lot more than that when Max tells her what you just told him." Alyssa said, as Max was leaving. Jace, Clary, and Antonio walked into the office just as Max walked out.

"Whoa, Allie, I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress for as long as I've known you." Antonio said, making Alyssa roll her eyes. Clary's eyes widened and she smiled as she took in the appearance of the shadowhunter hybrid.

"Yeah, he's right. I've only ever seen you in jeans and a leather jacket." Clary added. "You look great."

"Thank you, but how about we focus less on my choice of outfits and more on the matter at hand? Jonathan." Alyssa said. The atmosphere became serious at the mention of the demonic Morgenstern.

"Any sign of him?" Alec asked. Clary shook her head.

"No. We tracked the box itself, but it was a dead end." Jace said.

"I'm not surprised since the box was never in his possession. Jocelyn's the one who had it, so any signature you tried tracking would lead back to her, and since she's no longer with us, I think you have your explanation as to why it was a dead end. No pun intended." Alyssa pointed out.

She then caught sight of an eavesdropper at the door. Alec noticed him too and refrained from speaking, giving him a look. The others looked where he was looking and also noticed the presence of the youngest Lightwood.

"Max, what have I said about eavesdropping?" Alyssa said, making her way towards him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and led him away, closing the door behind her.

"I know you don't like it, but..."

"No buts, Max. You have a habit of wanting to know things that aren't meant for you. One day you might hear something that you might not like."

"Like what?"

"Oh trust me, darling. There's a lot of stuff that even without eavesdropping I wish I could have unheard."

Back in the office, Alec had just informed the remaining shadowhunters about the missing Soul-Sword and explained to Clary with the help of Antonio and Jace what it could be used for, leading to a horrifying revelation. They were about to leave the office when Alec called them back.

"One more thing. No one can know about this, not even our Downworlder friends. And more importantly, Alyssa can't know about this." This made Jace and Antonio uneasy.

"Whoa, Alec, that is not a good idea. Keeping this from Allie is not very wise." Antonio said.

"Listen, I know, but if she knows, then you can be sure Luke and Magnus will find out, and once they do, so does every Downworlder." Alec said.

"I don't think Luke would tell if..." Clary tried to say, but Alec cut her off..

"Maybe he would or maybe he wouldn't. Listen, if the Downworld finds out that the Clave's been lying this whole time about the Soul-Sword, we may have an uprising on our hands." Alec said. Clary nodded in understanding but Antonio still looked uneasy. "Look, I don't like lying to Lyssa either, but in this situation, I have to do this."

"I understand what you're saying, Alec, but I can't do that." Jace said.

"Jace, you have to understand what Alec is saying." Clary said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't keep this from her." Jace said.

"You can't or you won't?" Alec asked.

"Both, but more of the former. Did you forget that Alyssa and I are bonded, in soul and in mind?" Alec's face fell at this. He'd forgotten. "I can't keep this from her even if I wanted to, and I don't. We respect each other's privacy, but the bond won't allow any secrets between us. We can block each other all we want, all day, but at the end of the day, when we go to sleep, all shields and blocks go down."