Not by Blood - BEING REWRITTEN IN SEPARATE STORY

Chapter Forty Three

Catarina hesitated before nodding. "I'm going to run and grab some IV fluids and antibiotics. You haven't eaten in five days, so we are going to try and get your appetite up. We want to take care of this quickly, infected burns can cause sepsis or TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome)"

"Which can kill me." Alec said.

"Right." Catarina sighed. "Magnus will clean the burns and put more salve on while I go get the meds. Okay?"

Alec nodded and Catarina shot him a small smile before leaving the room, ushering Simon out with her. Magnus stepped up to the bed, a basket of supplies in hand which he set on the bedside table before sitting on the bed next to Alec.

"I'm sorry." Alec whispered.

"Whatever for?" Magnus asked as he poured a liquid onto wash cloth and pressed it to the wound that used to be his deflect rune.

Alec hissed, realizing it was some kind of disinfectant. "Simon told me about the couple times I woke up. How I didn't recognize you."

"You don't need to be sorry about that, Sayang." Magnus told him, smearing the salve on the wound before bandaging it again. "You were delirious with a fever, vomiting in your sleep. We were relieved every time you woke, it meant you were getting better. Sometimes you'd wake speaking another language. Russian, French, Norwegian, Spanish. I am not offended that you didn't recognize me. It was rather sweet how you kept fending me off like I was trying to steal your virtue. All you cared about was finding your husband. It was flattering." Magnus moved on to the wound that used to be his wedded union rune.

"Isabelle called me." He said gently.

"Yeah?"

"Wesley has gone to collect your belongings from her, but she informed me of some developments. Some of which I was already privy to." Magnus looked up to make sure Alec was listening. "The Downworld has dissolved all alliances with the Clave as a result of your exile. Andrew Underhill has stepped down as Head of Security and at least one hundred Shadowhunters in New York and the surrounding states alone have stepped down and at least attempted to turn in their steles. No one will take the job of Head of the New York Institute. The heads of the Minnesota, Texas, North Carolina, Barcelona, Paris, and Athens Institutes have all stepped down. You are a very well respected and beloved leader in the Shadow World. People are outraged."

"Really?" Alec asked, shocked as Magnus moved on to yet another former rune.

"The Clave is looking at a possible uprising. Not only from Downworlders, but from their own people. Some of the Nephilim are even going so far to say that the only way they will come back is if Jia is replaced as Consul by you." Magnus informed his husband.

Alec shook his head. "That's not possible." The pain was starting to lessen greatly, the disinfectant and salve doing its work.

"It is." Magnus said. "If the Clave is put under enough pressure, or gets scared enough, it is entirely possible that they will revoke their decision, grant you your runes back and make you Consul."

Alec looked at him blankly, Magnus hadn't been looking at him as he spoke, completely focused on the wounds that were causing his husband so much pain and discomfort. He moved quickly but precisely, disinfecting, soothing and bandaging Alec's wounds.

"What if I say I don't want it?" Alec asked quietly.

"Being Consul was your dream." Magnus reminded him. "You wanted to change the world."

"You're my dream." Alec countered. "You and our children, our friends."

"You can still have a career, Alexander." Magnus said softly. "If the Nephilim take you back, you don't have to worry about me being angry, being Consul is an incredible opportunity."