Chapter Nine
Aiden:
He was quiet, but not surprised. "You've only known him for all of two seconds, Aiden."
"And the same goes for you and Clary." His face got serious.
"She wasn't knocked out for almost a week." We had a small stared down. I won.
"Don't fight me on this, Jace." His jaw ticked. "Like Clary said, we both got a lot of things in common... and knowing who we want and going after them.. even if it kills us, is one of them." I crossed my arms and waited.
He nodded his head. "You're right. You're too right." I smirked.
"Now" I leaned closer. "What's the plan Shadowhunter?" I got a smirk back.
"I'm stealing the vamp's bike and you're gonna drive the van to meet Izzy and Alec."
I looked Clary. "She's going with you?" He nodded. "Alright. I'll get going then." I patted him on the shoulder and walked out to the van.
It wasn't until I was minutes away from Hotel DuMort that I realized that I had neither Izzy's nor Alec's number and I highly doubt we're gonna go in through the front door. I pulled over and rested my head on the staring wheel. I'm getting mad frustrating. Where are they?!
"I will reveal to you.... another gift...that no other child of mine has."
I sighed. I really do hope I'm not going crazy. That the voice in my head isn't a coping mechanism.
"Lift up your head. Open your eyes my child."
I did as it said, shut my eyes immediately and choked on my spit. I could see everyone I knew, where they were, what they were doing and I could feel where they were, even if it was just for a split second. This is surreal.
I slowly opened my eyes once more and focused on where Isabelle was. Immediately, I felt the tug in my gut, drawing me to her. I pulled back on the road and followed my instinct... all while internal freaking the fuck out.
I walked up the stairs of angel knows where and looked around. I know she was here but how the hell could I not see her? Immediately, the hairs on my neck rose and I heard the faint whisper of wind. I leaned to my right and watched Izzy's signature weapon, the whip, lash out at where my neck used to be.
"The fuck Izzy?!" I turned around and caught her stunned.
"I-I'm so sorry. I just... I never gave you the address and Alec didn't tell me you were coming so I wasn't expecting anyone else.
I huffed and leaned against the fencing. "Understandable. Alec doesn't know I was coming either." I was still pissed tho. My head would've been separated from my fucking body if it weren't for the gut feeling I had.
She sighed and came next to me. "So if we didn't tell you the address and the others don't know.... how did you get here?"
I looked away. "That's a topic for another time." I smirked and looked back at her. "How was your visit to your Seelie friends?"
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Steamy and... eventful. How was your time with the others?"
"Honestly, I more than fucking frustrated." I pinched my index and thumb close together and whispered. "I'm this close, to tying your brother to my fucking bedpost."
She burst out in laughter. "What did they have you do?"
"It's more like what your brother does to me to make me behave like this." I crossed my arms and sighed.
"Are you normally this obsessive? Should I be worried for my brother?"
"I'm never the obsessive one... so the fact that I'm losing my shit over Alec..." I rested my head against the fence and closed my eyes. "Maybe you should be worried about him. I'm worried what I might do to him."
She pulled me in for a hug. "Maybe he's the one for you." I embraced her with my whole body and let out a sigh. "Maybe you can feel it in your bones what he's supposed to be for you... but you don't know how to deal with the sudden realization"
"Izzy. It felt like I was hit with a fucking brick wall when I looked into his eyes for the first time." I snorted. "I sound like a whole book. So damn cliche." I pulled away to look her in the face. "I got here because I could feel it in my gut that you were here. I'm not normal, and I hate rules and I'm really not normal." I ranted.
"Normal or not, you can't do anything about it." She lightly tapped my shoulder. "And the next time I hear you, wanting to change yourself for a man, I will make sure my whip catches you." I chuckled
"Thanks." I kissed her on the cheek and we waited in relaxed silence.
We heard footsteps. Someone was coming up the stairs. "Izzy!" We saw Alec's head pop up. "I got your text. Where are we exactly."
"It's an old meatpacker's service entrance." She walked up to him and pointed. "If we go back there, we come up into the basement of the Hotel DuMort." He took a look around the place while I silently followed behind. "Perfect right? We distract the vamps, Clary and Jace have time to find Simon."
"Okay." I almost laughed. His answer was so dry.
"Okay?" Izzy sounded hurt. "It was hard work interrogating Meliorn to get this intel."
He smiled slyly and I quietly studied him. Capturing this look on him. "Great job, Izzy. You have faerie dust on your dress." He continued walking ahead. I smiled. "And I hate being the distraction."
"I don't. You know, you'd be a lot happier if you weren't so freaking repressed?" She threw me a wink over her shoulder. "Alec?" He ignored her. "Hello?"
"I'd be a lot happier if I knew what hell was happening to m—" He cut off his sentence as he turned and caught sight of me. His ears went extremely red. "Aiden, you're here." He turned to Izzy. "You didn't tell me that Aiden was coming along?"
I walked in front of him and slipped my hands into his back pockets. "Woah there Alec, when did I get on your shit list?"
He didn't back down. He smirked and slid his hands ever so slowly in my back pockets, almost giving me a heart attack. I kept my expression blank and stepped even further into his person space. He bent down to my ear.
This is the second time this is happening to me tonight, but this time, my breaths came out shallow, my heart accelerated faster than a damn Tesla and my knees threatened to buckle underneath me. I could feel his warm breath on the small exposed area of my neck.
"I'll have you know that you are on many of my lists but the shit list isn't one." His lips brushed against my ear. "You're on my To Do list Aiden." I shivered. "And I really want to cross you off." His nose travelled across my jawline and I sucked in a breath. His nose continued to journey up my cheek until our mouths were just and inch apart. We were sharing each other's air.
I slipped my hands from his pockets and pushed him against the wall. "I know I started this one, but mark my works Alec. We will finish this... but not here... not now." His pupils dilated and I pulled away from him like he was on fire.
If my hands are on him while he kept looking at me like that... Simon would have to wait another day to be saved.
"Damn, and I thought I was the insanely sexual one. If I sold a video of the two of you doing just that on a porn site.. I'd be rich." Izzy was leaning against the wall, smirking at our situation.
Alec glared at her and walked away, frustrated. I shook my head and followed, low key amused.
We walked in silence for a minute.
"You're really not gonna talk to me, are you?" She looked up at him.
"That's because you have no idea what you're talking about." All traces of horny Alec was gone. Good. I don't think I'd survive if his face was still flushed and his gaze, still heated.
"But I do. You're hiding from yourself, not me." She smiled. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what they're talking about. "You have feelings, whether you like 'em or not, Alec."
"This is not the time or the place, Izzy." He began climbing a ladder, but it was obvious he didn't wanna talk because I was right there.
She put her hands on her hips. "I don't know. Looks pretty smooth so far." He kept climbing.
My brain clicked. "Wait Alec!" He looked down. "Aren't I gonna need some extra runes to do this?" I gestured to the collection that Izzy had on display.
He climbed back down. "You're right." He looked me over like he could see beneath my clothes. He took out his stele and grabbed my arm. "I'm going to give you a deflect rune." He glanced at his sister. "Izzy can do the rest."
He pulled me closer, titled my head to the left and pulled down the turtle neck as far as it could go. I flinched. Was this shit supposed to hurt this much? I won't lie tho. This felt right. Izzy stepped up and rolled up my shirt.
"I'm gonna give you a protected rune and a soundless rune." She began tracing on the left side of my ribs, just below my bra band. I gutted my teeth. This was worse than a damn tattoo. She finished up the soundless rune and pulled down right side of my pants to reveal my hip.
Were they choosing the most painful places to do this shit on purpose? She drew the protected rune directly on the right side of my pelvic bone. "Now, am I supposed to pull my pants down every time I wanna activate the rune?" I glared at her.
She smirked and fixed my clothes. "Don't hate the player." Alec patted my shoulder and climbed up the ladder once more. I followed in agitation of how the fabrics were pressing against the newly burned-in runes.
We walked through a small room with low ceilings and pipes going every which way.
"This must be the way." Izzy pulled open a metal door and my stomach dropped.
One... two.... five vamps were baring their teeth at us. Izzy hurried to lock the door and we all braced ourselves against it.
"Well, not that smooth." She stated ironically.
"No shit Sherlock." I whisper-yelled as a particular vampire nearly succeeded in pushing the door off its hinges.
She glared at me then looked at Alec. "Any day now." We struggled to keep the door closed. What are the fucking odds? Five vampires, with superhuman strength might I add, against three Shadowhunters. I don't know and I don't care, but all three of us right here, are gonna make it outta this shit alive.
"Yeah, if you hold the door still, it might be a lot easier." Alec turned on his side and tried runing the door but it kept fading. "It's not taking."
Izzy drew Alec's blade, stepped away from the door and sliced off a piece of metal pipe. I took it from her and slipped it through the door handle and another pipe running from a power box beside it.
"Whoever said, 'the pen is mightier than the sword', was an idiot." She breathed heavily.
I nodded my head and Alec grabbed my hand before turning to her. "When you're right, you're right." We walked a couple meters away and drew our weapons.
"Do you think they know where we are?" Izzy smiled.
"That's the idea, right?" Alec glanced at us and smirked.
"This is gonna be fun." I blew a piece of hair out of my face as I watched them begin to break through the barrier.
"How long do you think we have to distract them for?" He questioned.
"Ten more minutes." She was grinning from ear to ear.
His head whipped around to face her. "Ten minutes? Are you kidding?" He pulled out an arrow and cocked it in the bow. "We're liquid lunch in five."
I snorted. "Not on my watch." I gripped my seraph blade, ready for the fight.
"So let's distract them." She winked at us.
"So let's distract them." Alec mimicked and smiled wryly.