In the Eyes

Nineteen

"We owe him." Magnus corrected me. "What he did was nothing short of heroic. Hey, look, maybe we can slow things down? Why don't we start with that date you owe me?"

"Yeah, let's do that." I smiled at the idea.

"I know this great Ethiopian place on 44th..." Magnus began as we reached my dad's office.

"Joseph! Lydia!" My eyes went wide as we walked into the office, finding both of the blondes laying on the ground, furniture destroyed. Magnus and I rushed into the room, Magnus going to Lydia while I knelt down beside Joseph. I pressed my fingers to his neck instantly, feeling relief flood me as I felt his pulse. I looked over at Magnus to see him give me a small nod, assuring me that Lydia was alive too. "Go get help."

"I'll be back." Magnus promised as he hurried out of the room to get help. Once he was gone I looked back down at Joseph. I saw his eyes flutter slightly. "You're gonna be okay."

"Hodge..." He whispered weakly.

*~*~*~*

"How're Lydia and Joseph?" Clary asked me as I joined her and the others at the monitors.

"Better. Magnus is doing what he can to help her, but it's bad." I told them. "And the Cup is definitely missing."

"So is Hodge." Alec added.

"Maybe he was attacked, too." Isabelle suggested.

"Maybe he's the one who attacked her." Clary glanced around at all of us.

"Hodge? No way. We've known him our entire lives. He would never do that to us." Isabelle shot the idea down instantly as she pulled up camera footage on the computer. I pressed my lips into a thin line as I watched the screen. Sure enough, the footage showed Hodge attacking Lydia and Joseph, taking the cup from them.

"I led him right to the Cup." Jace practically hissed.

"We treated him like family." Alec frowned at the betrayal as we continued to watch the footage. "How could he do this to us?"

"That's how." I pointed at the screen as we watched Hodge slip something onto his finger, seeming to be talking to someone as he stood over Jocelyn's unconscious body.

"What is that ring?" Alec frowned.

"Looks like he's talking to someone." Clary observed.

"And I can bet who it is." Jace glared at the screen. "Valentine."

"Well, that explains how he deactivated the Punishment rune, but it doesn't explain where he got the ring." Alec said.

"You think someone smuggled it past the wards?" Clary suggested.

"Maybe." Jace crossed his arms over his chest, glancing over at my siblings and I. "Hodge wasn't the only ex-Circle member around here."

"Look, I know I don't always see eye to eye with my parents, but I know they're not traitors." Isabelle defended our parents.

"Really? Isn't that what you just said about Hodge?" Jace reminded her. "It'd have to be someone we trusted, but if there was an intruder inside the Institute, we would have found them by now."

"Hey, I'm probably as against my parents as someone can get, but I have to agree with Isabelle." I shook my head, not able to picture my parents helping Hodge get the Cup to Valentine. "Our parents used to be part of the Circle, but they're not anymore. They wouldn't help Hodge like this."

"What about the Forsaken attack?" Clary cut in.

"No. We killed that thing, and I didn't see a ring." Alec shook his head.