Brothers by Blood (Alec Lightwood twin)

Chapter 39

BEN'S POV

I was looking down at my younger sister's peaceful face with a mixed expression on my face. No emotion really outweighed the others. I've never seen Izzy more calm or at peace than she is when she is sleeping. Dreams take us to a world that is entirely our own, but they can only last so long before we are made to face the harsh claws of reality.
I wish with all my heart that Izzy had told us sooner and not had to carry the weight of this by herself. Isabelle is one of the strongest Shadowhunters I know, but everyone has their breaking points. Learning that our father, someone who she has looked up to, worshipped even, for as long as I can remember, hurt our mother the way he did is most definitely Izzy's. I hate whenever anyone I love gets hurt in any way. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but I will throw myself in front of anything to protect my siblings. That was part of the reason I asked Jace to torture me when I was with Valentine. I couldn't stand the thought of the same thing happening to him because he set me free or didn't follow Valentine's orders, so I would rather take the pain and protect him. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Izzy groaned slightly and started moving in my arms.
"Iz?" I asked softly. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked up at me.
"Ben." She said, nuzzling her head into my shoulder. My face immediately morphed into one of sadness. I knew she didn't want to talk about it, but was glad that we all now knew.
"It's ok to cry Izzy. Don't hold it in." I said calmly. I held my sister close as she burst into tears.

JACE'S POV

I was currently training Clary, since she still needed training and it is important for a Shadowhunter to train. She is doing pretty well so far. I mean, there is still a long way to go before she is fully trained, but she is doing very well.
"So how am I doing?" Clary asked me.
"Pretty well considering how little training you have had and how new you are to this." I complimented her. She smiled at my compliment. "You still have a long way to go though." I added. She nodded at this, knowing I was right.
"How is Izzy? Do you know?" She asked suddenly, clearly concerned about her friend and my adoptive sister.
"I think you should focus on training for now. I know you can take care of yourself, but in the Shadow World, no plan and no training won't just get you killed, but could also get your team hurt or killed as well." I told her. She nodded, understanding better now that we had Jocelyn, even though she had moved to Idris.

*Later – after training*

Once we had finished training, I will admit that Clary is improving in her skills.
"I think we're done for today. I know you can take care of yourself, and you are improving, but as I have said before, in the Shadow World, no plan and no training gets you, and possibly your team, killed." I told her. She nodded, understanding much better now that she had been exposed to the Shadow World.
"Are we finished for now though?" She asked.
"Yeah, we're finished for the day. It is almost sunset anyway." I replied.
"Can we go and check on Izzy? She's one of my best friends, and I want to make sure she's ok." Clary asked.
"If they are awake, yes, you can see her. If not, we should leave them be." I replied honestly.
"They?" She asked, frowning slightly.
"Yeah, Ben is with her now." I explained. She nodded in understanding and we walked over to the weapons stand to put the things we had used away before we went to check up on Isabelle.
As we were putting our things away, I noticed Alec walk into the training room.
"Just finished?" He asked. I turned to him.
"Yeah. Have you seen Iz yet?" I asked.
"I checked on her on the way to find you. Ben was hugging her and stroking her hair. It seemed like the crying had stopped but she was still awake. I think we should leave them be for now." Alec told us. Clary and I looked at each other, knowing that it was best to do as Alec suggested.