My fists fly forward into the punching pad that my father is holding. He grins at me as I strike and I laugh loudly. He encourages me to keep going, but after a moment I'm lowering my hands. We are both panting from the workout. Training with dad is always tough, but it's something I love doing.
"Maelys, you've gotten better," dad says proudly and I feel my smile grow.
"Because of you, dad," I say back. His hand lifts to my neck and he squeezes it gently in comfort. I laugh again as we stare at one another, happiness radiating off us both. He squeezes my neck again before his eye twitches. My smile slips from my face. I blink and my dad's appearance transforms from Michael Wayland and into Valentine.
I gasp and try and pull back. Valentine's grip tightens, holding me in place.
"You need to be fixed," Valentine hisses. He shoves a needle into my neck and I feel the pain all over again.
-----
My eyes open as I cry out. My hand lifts to my neck instantly and I pant so hard I think I'm about to throw up. A dream. It was just a dream. I blink a couple of times. A dream based off the sick reality that is my life.
I'm not sure at what time last night Alec sent me to get some rest. We had been searching for Jace so late last night yet we found nothing. No lead. No signal. Nothing. And I hate it. I don't want to leave Jace in Valentine's hands, I don't like it.
I climb out of bed and that's when I see the sweat covering my sheets and skin. I run my hands over my face, cringing when I feel the sweat for myself. At least I'm sweating the Yin Fen cravings away. I make my way to the en suite and take a quick shower. I need to get over everything that's been thrown at me these past days. I need to focus on what's important. All that matters is finding Jace. My issues, my problems, I have to just bury them.
After my shower, I get changed and head out of my room. My mind is focused for the first time in a while and I can't help but feel confident in myself. It's what I need right now. I turn the corner and find myself in the ops centre, instantly scanning the floor for Alec. As soon as my eyes land on him speaking with Izzy, Magnus and Lydia, I am moving again, catching their conversation as I get closer.
"I'm worried. I can't sense Jace through our Parabatai bond," Alec stresses.
"We'll find him, Alexander," Magnus says trying to calm him, but I know nothing will calm him right now.
I jog to them and the four turn to me. I scan their faces to see if they can tell me anything, but as soon as my eyes meet Alec's, he shakes his head. I sigh and run my hands over my face before migrating to my boyfriend's side of the table.
"Did you get any sleep?" He asks me and I shrug.
"I did, not well though," I reply and then turn to the others. "What do we know?" I ask them.
"When we arrested Hodge, he said Valentine was on a ship. They must still be over water if you can't feel him," Izzy says looking from me to her brother.
"Pull up the waterways around New York," Lydia says and Izzy follows her instruction, bringing up a map of New York in the middle of the table. I catch movement in the corner of my eye and I turn to see Magnus using his magic to try and track Jace with his jacket.
"Can you feel him?" I ask the Warlock. He turns to me, giving me a look of sympathy.
"Sorry," He replies.
"There's got to be something!" Alec yells. My eyes snap to Alec and I frown deeply at him.
"I don't see him," Magnus says. I lift my hand to Alec's arm forcing him to look to me again. I squeeze him gently, but it doesn't work, not that I thought it would. He shrugs my hands off him and walks away from us to address the ops floor.
"All right, listen up!" He says loudly. " I want 24/7 monitoring of the Hudson and East Rivers. If you see anything unusual, you come to me first." I sigh when I see the annoyance on Lydia's face as she approaches Alec. I know Alec is stressed, we all are, but I'm worried he's going to take things too far.
"I've got this, Alec," Lydia mutters.
"Then why haven't you found Jace yet?" He asks with a snap.
"Don't forget who you're talking to. I'm still head of this Institute." Oh, shit. I rush to Alec's side and take his arm in my grip again, pulling him away from Lydia to ease tensions.
"Alec, maybe we should back up a bit," I say gently.
"Yeah, why don't you just take a break?" Izzy suggests. Alec tries to shrug me off again, but I tighten my grip, not letting him get any closer.
"Not now," Alec huffs.
"No, they're right, and it's not a request. You're dismissed." Alec stares at her and silence fills the air, but soon I can feel the anger radiating off Alec and he groans, successfully managing to pull away from me.
"Fine!" He snaps before storming off. I walk after him, reaching for him again, but he stops me. "Everybody, just back off!" He turns and leaves, and as he does I sigh rubbing my face with my hands. I turn back to the others. Lydia walks away from us too, leaving me with my Parabatai and Magnus.
"Has he been like that all night?" I ask and they both nod.
"Yeah, not that I can blame him. Can you imagine not being able to feel each other?" Iz says. My hand unconsciously moves to hover over my Parabatai rune. I can't imagine what Alec must be going through right now. I need Izzy, just like Alec needs Jace. And he's gone. My chest hurts at that.
"No, I can't imagine it," I reply after a moment.
"He'll be okay. How are you feeling with everything?" Magnus asks, continuing to use magic on Jace's jacket.
"I'm fine," I reply.
"Have you spoken with-" He begins to ask, but I stop him knowing exactly who he is talking about. Jocelyn.
"No, I haven't, and I don't plan to," I say and Magnus gives me a look.
"You sure? Because now would be a good time to have that conversation seeing as she's coming this way." He looks past me and I see Jocelyn walking straight for us. Her eyes meet with mine and I know instantly that she is wanting to speak with me. I can't deal with this now.
"Crap," I breathe. I look to Izzy and Magnus again, shooting them a smile each before rushing away.
I weave down every hallway and corridor I pass until I make it to the stairs leading to the roof. I know that I have lost Jocelyn, but hiding out on the roof means that I won't accidentally bump into her.
I open the door, closing it behind me before walking towards the edge to look over the city. I stop moving as soon as I look up. Alec stands, leaning against the small wall. I watch his head dip and his shoulders sink as he sighs.
"I'm sorry for how I reacted before. It's not personal," He says. My eyes widen slightly when I realise that he thinks that I'm here to lecture him. I feel bad that I've intruded on him right now. I know that he needs some time to sort through his thoughts, and me imposing doesn't help.
"I know. The plan was to give you some space, but then Jocelyn made a B-line towards me so," I start to ramble, but I catch myself before I go too far. Alec continues to stare straight ahead and I give him a moment before I decide to approach. I join his side and gaze over the city. It's nice out, but I didn't realise that it was this late. I thought I had slept during the night, but I guess by the time Alec had sent me to bed, dawn had very much broken.
"I'm not going to say that I understand how you feel right now, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't feel Iz. But everyone in there are on your side. We have to do things the right way, the Clave way. You know that," I say gently after a long moment of silence.
He lets out another soft sigh before placing his hand on mine. My eyes drop to them and I smile softly. I cover his hand with my other one and turn to him fully. Alec slowly looks to me as I stroke his skin.
"Alec, we are going to find Jace because I'm not going to stop until he is back. But we can't piss off people in the process," I say. He nods and he turns to me.
"I know you're right, it's just," he sighs again. "It hurts being this far from him. I don't like it."
"I don't either."
We both look out over the city again, the two of us closer than we were before. So close that our arms touch as we lean against the wall. I release his hand, so that he can lean against the bricks in comfort, but he soon scoops it up again. I lean against his side and his grip tightens.
"So, you were running away from Jocelyn?" He asks.
"Don't," I mutter, "we have bigger things to worry about." I look to him. "Had enough time to brood?" I ask. Alec frowns as he turns to face me.
"Not funny," he replies with a soft glare. I nod, giving him a small apologetic smile before I tug him away from the wall.
"Good, then why don't we see if we can find Jace," I suggest. He resists slightly, but he doesn't put a lot of effort into it.
"Lydia dismissed me." I look at him over my shoulder, my brow lifting. I know that he is one to follow Clave rules no matter how brutal they are, but I thought with Jace being missing he would lighten up a bit. I guess I was wrong.
"She never said that you couldn't lurk behind me whilst I searched for him," I say. His eyes seem to widen at the suggestion and I soon notice the corner of his mouth turn up at the idea. I pull on his hand again and he puts up no fight.
We walk through the corridors towards the ops centre. The plan is to work from a corner so that Lydia doesn't notice that Alec is back on the floor, but that plan is soon forgotten. As soon as we walk in Alec and I are stopping, momentarily frozen by the shock of seeing the entire Institute here. But I soon see Izzy among everyone and I'm on the move again, dragging Alec towards his sister.
"Iz, what's going on?" I ask her. She looks to me, but I read nothing from the expression she is wearing.
"I honestly have no clue," She replies. I release Alec's hand and cross my arms over my chest as I look up to see Maryse walking to address us all. Behind her stand people I have never seen before, yet I know the instant I see their uptight posture and smart uniforms that they are from the Clave. Whatever is happening is serious, and it's something I decide is bad when I notice Lydia moving through the crowd to join us, a deep frown etched into her face. She is obviously as clueless as the rest of us, which doesn't bode well with me.
"We are at war," Maryse says, "Valentine now has the Mortal Cup, with which he is, no doubt, raising a new army. And one of our own has joined him." I clench my jaw, glaring straight ahead at the woman.
"Like hell Jace has joined them," I seethe under my breath.
"Looks like the queen's taking back her kingdom," Izzy mutters, shooting Lydia a small look.
"As a result, the Clave has declared a state of emergency at the Institute. Their first priority is to replace the current leadership, who they have deemed wholly ineffectual," Maryse continues. I look up to Alec and we share a look before returning out attention to his mother as she carries on. "It is an honour to introduce the newly appointed head of the New York Institute, Clave representative, Victor Aldertree."
I feel Alec move behind me, and he is soon leaning down to his sister.
"Did you know about this?" He asks her.
"No. But maybe this is why dad went back to Idris," Iz replies. My eyes are locked on the man, Aldertree, as he walks forward. He smiles, an annoying smile that makes me want to punch him in the face. Or maybe it's not the smile that is driving that urge but rather the smugness that radiates off him.
"Maryse went behind my back," Lydia says and I can hear how hurt she is by it. I feel bad for her, and that's why I reach for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looks to me and I offer her a small smile, but she is unable to give one in response. Not that I can really blame her for that.
"My fellow Shadowhunters. It's an honour to be here with you all. We have to find Jace Wayland. He's a Shadowhunter and we don't leave our people behind. The answer to his location may very well lie in this room. So, I want to speak with everyone who went on a mission where Jace disappeared," Aldertree says. I swallow, hard, and it's then I feel Lydia giving my hand a squeeze just like I had for her.
"One last thing," he continues, "Effective immediately, the Institute is on lockdown. But it's only temporary. Let's turn this Institute around."
I let go of Lydia's hand and turn to Izzy who is already looking at me, the same concerned expression on her face.
"I don't like this," I say, and I know I'm voicing her thoughts as well.
"Wait, if we're on lockdown, who's out there looking for Jace?" Clary asks. I jump at her voice, not realising that she was here. I clutch at my chest and glare at her.
"By the Angel, Red. When the hell did you get here?" I say. Clary frowns at me and I find my gaze drifting behind her where I see Jocelyn looking straight at me.
"I've been here all along," she mutters quietly.
"We'll think of something. Don't worry," Izzy says gently, moving past me to place a hand on her shoulder. Jocelyn clears her throat and side steps around her daughter, her eyes still clinging onto me in a way that makes me shudder involuntarily.
"Maelys," she seemingly breathes. I can't read her expression. I don't know whether she is looking at me as if she's being reunited with her child or if she's preparing herself to let me down. And I really don't want to find out which of those is true.
"Jocelyn," I reply, my tone holding no emotion at all. Alec, Izzy, and Clary watch the interaction closely and I feel Alec's body right behind mine, as if he is about to jump in at any second to stop this conversation from happening. But he doesn't need to, not when another voice sounds.
"Maelys." My head turns to see Aldertree walking towards us wearing a fake smile. "I think a good place to start these interviews would be with Jace's sister, no?"
I think that if he hadn't just saved me from a conversation with Jocelyn I would have said something witty, maybe even something that I really shouldn't say to a Clave representative. But instead, I find myself smiling at him and saying, "lead the way."
My eyes drift over to Alec and he gives me a look, one I respond to with a slight nod. It seems clear that both of us know that Aldertree is only conducting these interviews to see if he can pin dirt on Jace. And that, neither of us can let happen.
Aldertree places a hand on the small of my back and ushers me away from everyone, and at that action, I can feel Alec's gaze burn into me. But I don't move out of his touch, I let him walk me towards the office that once belonged to the Lightwood's.
"Take a seat," Aldertree says as we enter the office.
I do as I'm told, sitting in the leather chair opposite the desk. I find myself biting my cheek as the door closes behind us and he moves to the seat opposite me. He smiles again, one to make it seem that he is being friendly, which might be true. He hasn't given me any reason to believe that he is anything but friendly yet, but there is no way to be sure with Clave representatives. There is always something to look out for with them, hence the key word. Yet.
"I hope that you don't mind there being a camera, this is for official documentation," Aldertree says nodding his head towards the tripod in the corner. I let my eyes flicker towards it before returning to the man before me.
"I'm fine with it. It's capturing my good side," I say, a fake smile tugging at my lips. I lean back in my chair trying to make myself look comfortable, and it must work seeing as he lets out a small laugh.
"Maelys, you don't have a bad side." His voice is soft and my smile falters for a second at his words. But before I can dwell, he clears his throat and moves the conversation along. Weird.
"Can you talk me through last night? How is it that Jace came to leave with Valentine?" He asks. I hold his gaze for a moment, figuring out what I need to leave out and what I can say before I nod.
"Well, I guess I could start at the part where we went to Camille's apartment to find the Book of the White," I say with a small shrug to make it seem that my moment of hesitation was about where to start, not what to say.
"Why were you looking for the Book of the White?" Aldertree asks.
"To wake Jocelyn," I answer. He nods and leans forward, bringing his elbows to the desk.
"Okay, then what happened?"
"Alec, Izzy and I looked through one half of her apartment, whilst the others looked through the other and-"
"Who are the others?" His question cuts me off. I frown at the interruption but say nothing about it.
"Magnus, Simon and Red."
"Red?"
"Sorry, Clary." I wait for him to say something, but he signals for me to continue, so I do. "Anyway, we were searching, and after a while I turned and Alec and Iz were gone. I looked for them and as I left the room, I saw Valentine's people holding each of them a Seraph Blade to their throats."
"And Jace was there at this point?" Aldertree asks, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. I can practically see the cogs turning in his brain.
"I think so," I say with a shrug and Aldertree's brows furrow.
"You think so? You either know or you don't."
"I'll be honest, I was a bit distracted by the fact Valentine was standing in front of me," I huff feeling annoyed. This whole interrogation is wasting time, I want to be out searching for Jace right now. Recounting what happened is a stupid formality which ultimately will lead to nothing.
"Okay, then what?"
"Then Valentine and I fought for a bit. I got some hits in, he got some hits in, but in the end, Valentine was dragging Jace through the portal and they were gone."
"You say that you fought Valentine. But if that was the case, then how did he force Jace to leave with him?" Aldertree asks and I am almost positive is only asking to annoying me. I bare my teeth at him in anger, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Obviously, I lost. You think I would have just let him take Jace?" I growl. Aldertree's expression softens and his hand lowers from his face to rest it against the desk.
"You don't seem very injured for someone who lost a fight against Valentine," he mutters and I can tell that he doesn't believe me. I should be flattered, but it just makes me feel more humiliated for losing to him in the first place.
"What do you want from me? Are you just trying to rub it in my face further that I lost? You think that I liked that I had to be carried back to the Institute by Alec and healed by Magnus? Do you seriously think I like that Jace is gone because he stopped Valentine from taking me?" The words spit out of me too fast to keep track. My blood is boiling from anger now and I don't really know when it actually started bubbling within me.
"Maelys, I didn't mean to upset you," Aldertree says gently, not that I believe him at all. I turn away from him, not wanting to look at his stupid face for a second longer. He sighs and I can tell by the way it muffles slightly that he is rubbing his face.
"As if you could upset me," I scoff stubbornly. There is a moment of silence before I hear him sigh again.
"Why did Valentine want to take you?" Aldertree asks and I feel my scowl freeze, but only momentarily. Shit. I can't mention that Valentine injected me with something. He'll assume the worst and it will make things very inconvenient.
"You think I know?" I say turning back to him. "I was on the floor after our fight and he said he was going to take me with him. Everyone but Clary and Jace were being restrained, and if Jace hadn't have said anything, I wouldn't be here. I-" I stop talking.
It's only now I'm actually saying the words that I realise what Jace has done for me. If he hadn't have stopped Valentine, I would have been experimented on more than I already have. I could still be going through that burning pain. I shake my head and lower my gaze to the floor. If there is supposedly something wrong with me, then maybe there is with Jace. What if Valentine is hurting him like he hurt me?
"Jace saved me," I say quietly. I lift my head to look at Aldertree again and his lips part when he takes in my expression. "You are going to find him and bring him home."
"That's the plan, Maelys." I watch him purse his lips before reaching into a draw. He pulls out a small remote and presses a button, and as soon as he does, the small green light on the camera disappears. I try to stop my muscles from reacting to what he's doing, but I feel my brow raise ever so slightly. Though I force it back into place as Aldertree clears his throat and leans against the desk again.
"Maelys, off the record," he mumbles and he pauses, as if he is contemplating whether he should be doing this or not. But he soon carries on. "Is there anything that happened, anything that could hint to Jace's location?" He asks.
"If I knew where Jace could be, I would be there by now. I wouldn't be waiting around for orders or permission to go," I reply with a frown. I uncross my arms and sit forward, just like he is.
"You'd go after Jace with no back up and no idea of numbers?" He scoffs. I rest my elbows on the desk, closing the distance between us. He doesn't react to my movement, but his eyes follow me closely.
"For my brother? I'd do just about anything." It's strange to say it, especially after the past months of suffering from Jace's actions. But it's true. Right now, I would do anything if it meant that he was back by my side.
Aldertree leans in further, so close that I feel his breath skim my lips when he says, "then let us hope you won't have to do something unforgiving." We stare at each other and my brows furrow.
"Don't use this as an opportunity to twist my words, Aldertree," I warn him and he lets out a soft laugh, one that makes me feel uneasy.
"Now why would I do that?" He murmurs his response. We stare at each other for a moment and as soon as I notice his eyes dart to my lips I draw back to the edge of my seat. He watches me closely and immediately I feel uncomfortable. I hadn't realised how close him and I had become and I don't like it, and I especially don't like how he continues to look at me.
"Is there anything else, or can I go?" I ask clearing my throat. He runs his tongue over his lower lip quickly before pulling them into a tight line, his eyes drifting over me for another second before he nods.
"You can go. Thank you, Maelys." I stand immediately and head to the door, and I hear him stand behind me, following me out of the room. I don't look though, I continue walking, past Raj who stands by the door, and towards the ops centre. I know as I walk that Raj is keeping pace behind me, probably to collect the next person for interview. Though all cares leave when my eyes land on Alec. He stands talking with Izzy by a small table in the corner of the room.
As soon as I get closer to them, Izzy looks up and gives me a soft smile. I return it before turning my attention to Alec. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at me as if he is trying to read my mind to figure out how it went.
"How'd it go?" Izzy asks the question Alec doesn't seem to want to ask. I sigh and move to Alec, unfolding his arms from over his chest so that I can hug him. He tenses beneath my grip and I look up to him, worrying that I might have upset him. But he soon wraps his own arms around me, moving my cheek to his chest again.
"He was trying to make a mockery of me," I spit out in annoyance as I look to Izzy. "It was like he was trying to rub my loss to Valentine in my face."
"You told him about your fight?" Alec asks and I can hear the panic in his voice. He pulls away from me to meet my eye.
"I told him everything he needed to know," I reply with a pointed look, one which tells him everything that he needs to know.
"Alec," Raj's voice sounds behind us. He turns to the man and I can sense him tense once again by my side. "Aldertree wishes to speak with you."
My eyes lift to Alec and he nods before moving to leave. I quickly reach for his hand before he can get further away and I give him a short kiss on the lips. His eyes widen as he looks down at me and I smile.
"I'll see you later," I say. He stands frozen in place for a second before nodding.
"Y-yeah, I'll come find you later," he mutters. He keeps his eyes on me for a second longer, but he is soon following Raj to Aldertree's office.
I let out soft sigh, stepping back so that I'm stood beside my Parabatai. She laughs and nudges my arm, causing my head to turn to her.
"I think you broke him," she says with a grin on her face.
"I'm sure he forgets that we're actually together now," I hum which makes her laugh again.
"You can't really blame him though. You guys act the same as you did before," she says. My lips part as I stare at her, and I'm about to deny what she said but she is stopping me before I can even begin. "Come on, let's go do some training seeing as we're not allowed to do anything else yet."
-----
Izzy's Seraph Blade hits against mine as we dance across the training room floor. I grin viciously at her assault, enjoying being tested like this. Usually, we don't battle this eagerly, but I think we both need this to release our frustrations and upset from what's happening. And I think most of all, we needed time for just us. I know I have been seriously lacking time with my Parabatai.
Her blade strikes mine again and I react instantly, twisting and turning away from each of her swipes. The exercise is doing me good, and each time I feel a bead of sweat fall onto my forehead I can't help but feel a weight lift from my shoulders. I'm surprised that I'm not craving Yin Fen at the moment. I'm worried about Jace, and the interview with Aldertree did nothing to calm me, but for the first time since Simon's death I'm not wanting to have another hit.
My movements stop at the realisation and I feel a smile tug at my lips. I was starting to get worried that I was never going to shake the cravings. Before I can begin to think about anything else, Izzy's boot slams into my stomach, sending me straight to the floor. I groan as the breath from my lungs leaves me.
"I swear, if I got a hit on you because you're overthinking about your interview with Aldertree, I'm going to smack you," Izzy says as she walks towards me. I watch her shoulder's rise and lower as she pants and all I can do is smile up at her.
"I realised that I'm not craving Yin Fen," I tell her and she slows to a stop in front of me. "It's the first time since Simon's death that it's happened."
"So does that mean you're okay now?" Iz asks giving me her hand. I take it and let her pull me off the ground.
"If it was like before, not quite, but it's only up from here." She pulls me into a tight hug which I return instantly.
"That's amazing, Mae," Iz says as she pulls back to look me in the eye. "You know, you never explained what happened." I keep my eyes on her for a moment before I nod, letting out a soft sigh. She's my Parabatai, she deserves to know.
"I got bitten on a mission a year ago and I liked how strong it made me feel. Well, until it started to make me feel weak instead," I say with a small laugh.
"A year? Mae-" Izzy begins, but she soon stops and her gaze moves past me. "Hey, Clary. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just didn't want to sit around by myself." I turn to see Clary walking towards us. "I'm sorry if I've interrupted."
"If I say that you did interrupt, would you leave?" I ask with a scoff, walking over to the side to collect a towel.
"Mae, don't be an asshole," Izzy scolds me. I chuck her a towel as I wipe my neck and I sigh.
"Sorry, Red," I mutter, knowing that Izzy's glare won't leave me without saying it. I don't look at Clary though, instead I keep my eyes on Izzy. She gives me a pointed look, one to tell me to watch my behaviour before smiling to Clary.
"It's okay, I know things are tough considering," Clary says. I finally look at her and she gives me a small smile. The towel against my neck slows as my movements do and I raise a brow to her. I don't know why she's being so forgiving and considerate now after everything. It doesn't really sit well with me.
"Well, at least someone can be mature," Izzy says sending me a mocking look.
"You don't like me mature, dear Isabelle," I say with a grin.
"Whatever you say, my sweet Parabatai," she hums. "Come sit with me."
I sit next to her on the floor of the training room, leaning my back against the wall. Clary soon sits with us and she plays with her fingers on her lap. I can tell that she's wanting to say something, but it's as if she's trying to stop herself, or maybe she's deciding whether it's something she should be saying or not. Either way, I have to say I'm impressed that she's holding some restraint. I look to Iz and I can tell by her expression that she can also see that she has something on her mind. And so, I do the mature thing and ask her about it.
"No point keeping it in, Red. Just say what's on your mind," I say which causes Clary's head to lift. She looks at me for a moment longer before sighing.
"Have you spoken to mum yet?" She asks me. My eyes narrow and I turn away instantly.
"She's not my mother," I spit out in anger. Clary sighs and she shifts uncomfortably.
"If you spoke to her, then you might get the answers you're after," she says gently.
"No." I ball my hand into a fist as a silence falls upon us. I know that Clary is wanting to push the idea that I speak to Jocelyn, but she is holding back. I don't really care whether she tries to convince me or not. There's nothing she could say to get me to speak with Jocelyn.
"Why, Mae? It couldn't hurt," Izzy says and my eyes lower to our hands as she grips mine in hers. I don't want to explain how wrong she is. Finding my answers will hurt me more than I can imagine. Jace is my brother, that's all that matters. I don't want anyone to tell me differently.
"Leave it be," I warn them. Izzy squeezes my hand.
"Mae, are you sure-" Iz tries again. I take my hand from hers and stand.
"Leave it be, Izzy," I say not trying to hide my agitation. I step past them and walk towards the exit, ignoring Izzy's sigh as she calls me back. I don't go back because I don't need to defend myself, nor do I want to explain any of it. I reach the doorway, yet I stop almost instantly when Alec and Raj walk enter. Alec gives me a small smile as he joins my side.
"Izzy," Raj starts, but Izzy is already moving towards him before he can finish his sentence.
"Yeah, I know, I know," she mutters. Izzy doesn't look at any of us as she walks out of the room and I feel slight guilt about it, but I take a small breath. I'll talk to her later.
"Am I going to be questioned?" Clary asks from across the room.
"If you were there, then yes," Raj replies. Clary stands and walks towards us.
"Might as well just wait outside now then, right?" She mutters with a shrug. They both leave and I turn to look up at Alec who is watching them go. His jaw is clenched and I can see the tension in his posture.
"How'd the interview go?" I ask and he meets my eye. His jaw ticks and he walks towards the rack of weapons.
"Want to train?" He asks. I watch him closely as he retrieves a bo for each of us and he turns to me.
"That bad, huh?" I say as a smirk tugs at my lips. I approach him, chucking the towel into the corner, freeing my hands so that I can take bo from him.
"He was twisting everything I said to him, trying to make Jace look like the bad guy," he huffs. He creates a distance between us before turning and raising his bo, readying himself. I give him a sad smile as I face him, raising my own bo.
"He did the same for me. I honestly think he was trying to see if we'd slip somewhere," I say. Alec strikes with his bo and I stumble back slightly, not expecting such an aggressive strike. But I recover quickly, sending a harsh one back.
"What can we slip up on? Jace is gone because he saved us. He isn't a traitor." Alec strikes at my bo again, and again, each hit growing more frantic and less controlled.
"Aldertree will figure that out," I say letting out a grunt as I block each of his attacks. Alec spins the end of his bo, twisting it around mine. And he does this with enough force that the wood goes flying out of my hand. I growl, feeling frustrated that I'm losing this battle, even though when it comes to a battle of strength, Alec will always win.
Alec doesn't slow now that the bo is out of my hands. He throws his weapon to the side of the room and strides towards me with raised fists. I strike first, though he easily blocks it, throwing another to my side.
"He asked about your fight against Valentine," Alec says through a pant as I strike his shoulder.
"What did you say?" I ask dodging a punch.
"I told him that you lost. I didn't say why." I'm grateful that he never told him why I lost. If Aldertree found out that I was injected with something, I can only imagine how badly he would take it.
I'm about to reply to him, but before I can Alec swipes his feet across the ground, knocking me to the floor. I groan at the impact and I soon find Alec straddling me, his arm pinning my chest down. My eyes widen as I look up to him, watching him pant heavily. By the Angels, he is one beautiful man. I try to move my hand so that I can tame the strand of hair that's sticking up, but his thighs tighten to stop me.
"You look insanely attractive right now," I say before I can think about why I shouldn't say it. There isn't a reason. This man is my boyfriend and therefore I have the right to complement him whenever I want to. It's just strange for me to be able to say whatever comes to mind now.
Alec blinks at me, his cheeks warming with blush in a way that makes my heart beat faster. He loosens his grip with his arm, and as soon as it's gone, I sit up. Alec's eyes widen, but I don't give myself a second to focus on it before I'm kissing him. I can't get enough of kissing him. His taste is one I can never get enough of.
I draw back, sooner than I wanted due to the lack of response Alec is giving me. I look up at him to see the blush completely taking over his face, a look of shock etched into the red.
"You know that you're allowed to kiss me now, right?" I whisper to him. He blinks before his features soften and he lets out a chuckle.
"Sorry," he says. He then leans down and takes my lips with his, kissing me firmly and taking my breath away. He pushes against me and I find myself leaning back until I'm lying down again, his lips never leaving mine. I don't think I could have ever imagined what a kiss with Alec would truly be like. The feeling I get when his lips move against mine, when his tongue mingles and explores with mine, it's something that doesn't belong to this world.
Alec parts our lips and I pant gently. Our eyes are locked onto one another.
"You look insanely attractive right now, too," Alec breathes, his breath brushing against my lips. I grin to him, but before I can do or say anything, a siren goes off. Alec jumps up the instant it sounds, pulling me to my feet with him. Red lights fill the room and I swear under my breath.
"I swear to fuck if Clary said something in her interview," I hiss. Alec and I run out of the training room, straight for the ops centre, though I stop as soon as my eyes land on a wanted image of Jace.
"Who sounded the alarm?" Alec demands as he walks further into the room. Izzy runs in with Clary by her side, both of them stopping when their eyes land on the picture of Jace.
"What's going on?" Izzy asks, her eyes moving across the room to meet mine. She drags Clary across to join my side, and after a moment I feel more people gather behind us.
"Oh, no," Clary breathes. "Aldertree said he wanted to rescue Jace."
"Actually, Clary, I said I wanted to find him," Aldertree says walking through the crowd that's formed. I turn to watch him walk in, heading straight for us. "And you," he continues, "gave me the clue I needed to do just that."
"What did you tell him?" Alec seethes, taking a threatening step towards Clary.
"Alec, it-" Clary stammers, though she gets cut off.
"Is this everyone?" Aldertree asks as soon as he reaches the front of the room, turning to address us all. "Fantastic. First up, all Downworlders are forbidden from entering the Institute without my prior approval. For those still present, good day."
My eyes move across the crowd and they widen when I catch sight of Simon. My head twists to the window and I can see the early morning light starting to creep over the horizon. It's not too late for Simon to leave, but with no where to go, it's suicide for him to leave now.
"Mr Graymark..." Aldertree says.
"I'm not leaving Jocelyn. Besides, my badge gives access resources that you don't have. I can help you find Jace," Luke tries, but I know that Aldertree is not going to back down. And that thought alone is making me nervous for Simon.
"That's generous of you, but I'm going to have to insist." Luke gives him a final look before making his way through the crowd, and as he moves, Aldertree shifts his attention onto Simon.
"You, too, Simon."
"It's almost dawn. I don't' have anywhere to go," Simon mutters back, panic in his eyes.
"Hey, you're a smart guy. I'm sure you'll figure something out."
"You're going to get him killed," I seethe, unable to hold back my anger towards the man. Aldertree turns to face me, and his once smug look turns to anger.
"I'm not trying to get anyone killed, I'm trying to keep everyone safe, which brings me onto my next order of business," Aldertree looks to the side, nodding to Raj and another large man, who both head towards us. "Maelys Morgenstern, you are being detained for the safety of this Institute."
"What?" I snap as Raj and the man grab my arms, pinning them behind me.
"You can't do that?" Izzy hisses, stepping towards me.
"I can't?" Aldertree challenges. "In your recounts of what happened, most of you failed to inform me that Maelys is Valentine's daughter, and that she was injected with an unknown substance."
"Clary, what the hell did you say?" Alec growls to her.
"Nothing happened, I'm fine," I say as I struggle against the men's grip, but they tighten their hold in a painful way.
"We shall see. Take her," Aldertree says.
They shove me through the crowd and I think that I should be caring about the looks boring into me as I pass past each Shadowhunter, but all I can think about is the threat behind Aldertree's words. Dread fills my stomach and the sound of my friends calling my name gets drowned out in the panicked thoughts that race through my mind. I have no idea what Aldertree is going to do to me, but I just know it's not going to be anything good.