"Raphael!"
If a logical part of me was paying attention at the moment, I would have realized how stupid it was to run towards a vampire covered in blood and looking ready to throw up or make Alec and I his next victims. But this was Raphael, the only other person that had experienced the same hell that I had, the one who helped me get to safety with my life intact, and the one that had stood by my side while I was gaining my strength when he could have done anything else. He was the one that made me brave enough to jump off of buildings, to enjoy the wind running through my hair rather than fearing the fall; he made me laugh when I wanted to hide in the dark and let the Downworlders kill me. And now he was here.
I think it surprised both of us when I wrapped my arms around him because he stumbled back before regaining his footing. But just as quickly I felt his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. My face was buried into his chest, the only part of his shirt that wasn't covered in blood. I don't know how long we stood there, but to me it felt like mere seconds before he pulled me away, only to take me in.
"I didn't think I'd see you again." I told him. "You went through the portal and I..."
He smiled at me, his eyes holding genuine happiness. "I told you I live in New York."
"I know, I just..." It was like my mouth was full of sand; I couldn't find any words. "You don't have to think of home when you go through a Portal."
His eyes roamed my face. "You look..." He paused, looking like he was keeping himself from saying something. "You look a lot better."
I smiled. "Don't worry. You won't have to worry about me throwing up on your shoes again anytime soon."
He opened his mouth to say something, but someone cleared their throat behind us. I spun around to find Alec standing ten feet from us, his arms crossed over his chest, looking like he was watching his sister make out with a guy. I had forgotten he was here.
"Alec." I said. "This is--"
"Raphael." Alec finished for me.
"We've met before." Raphael explained, answering my unasked question.
"When?" I wondered, looking from him to Alec.
"He Turned Clary's best friend, Simon, into a vampire right before he disappeared with you." Alec said, his eyes locked on Raphael behind me. I couldn't help but notice the way his voice became taut. After he said it, he looked back at me. "I hadn't realized this was the cell mate you were talking about."
I faced Raphael. "What's he talking about? You Turned a mundane?"
But Raphael wasn't looking at me. His was staring down Alec. "I saved his life. If it weren't for me, his soul would be trapped in the state of in between for the rest of eternity."
Alec rolled his eyes. "You damned him."
"What is wrong with you Shadowhunters, never accepting a Downworlders help?" Raphael questioned. "Next time I won't be so generous."
Alec opened his mouth to argue, but I stopped him. "Both of you shut up!"
That got their attention. I could feel their gazes on me, but I wasn't staring at them. I was looking up. On the rooftop of the comic book store was a person. I could only see the outline of their figure, but I knew they were looking down at us, watching and listening. I slowly pointed up at the figure, hoping Alec and Raphael would understand.
"How long has he been up there?" Alec whispered.
Before I could answer, I heard Raphael sniff. Then he muttered, "Vampire."
"How do you know?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes on the stranger.
"No heartbeat, no smell." He explained. "I'll be back." And before either one of us could stop him, he was in the air and landing on the roof. Raphael disappeared with the other vampire.
"Can you explain that to me?" Alec asked, suddenly not bothering to be quiet.
I looked over at him. "Explain what?"
"You just hugged a Downworlder." He said.
"And you have a crush on one." I pointed out.
His eyes widened. "Are you saying--?"
"No!" I exclaimed, not wanting him to finish. "That came out wrong. I just meant... if you're mad at me then--"
"I'm not mad. I just don't particularly agree with your choice in men." Alec explained with a shrug.
"It's not like that." I told him. "Raphael... once you experience a life or death situation like we did, it's hard not to feel like you're connected somehow."
Alec's expression was suddenly cold. "You lied."
"What? When?" I wondered.
"You said you didn't have feelings for him." He answered.
"I don't!"
"Ev, you talk about him like he put the stars in the sky, like he's the reason the moon shines. You even say his name differently."
My face heated up. I hadn't realized that's how I sounded... This was so embarrassing. I hope Raphael didn't get the wrong idea. I wasn't hitting I him I just... I don't know what I was doing. Maybe Alec was right. Maybe I was acting like an idiot. After all, Raphael was a vampire. The Night Children aren't to be trusted--even if they wore a pretty face and had a trusting disposition. Especially then.
"C'mon Alec, we better--" I had been turning around to leave the ally and walk back to the institute and leave Raphael to deal with his own kind, when Raphael appeared in front of me, making me jump.
"She wants to talk to you." He said, his hands clenched into fists and his teeth clenched.
Before I could ask what he meant, the wind whipped at my back. I turned to see a beautiful woman--tall, thin, light-skinned, with curling blonde hair and blue eyes to match and full red lips--standing two feet in front of me, looking me up and down. She licked her lips. "My, my, Eveline Carstairs. I forgot how delicious you smell."
My eyes widened. I felt Raphael grab my hand and pull me closer to him, putting himself between me and the vampire.
"You touch her, and you won't make it back to Germany." He threatened.
Germany?
"Who are you?" Alec asked before I had a chance to. The lady spun gracefully to take in the sight of the other Shadowhunter.
"You'd be a tasty treat as well." She commented.
Even from a distance, I could tell the moment Alec snapped into fighting mode--he moved his right hand back absentmindedly, reaching for an arrow, his face becoming focused but otherwise expressionless. It was strange to think that I knew him well enough--and that I had fought with him enough times--to know what he looked like when he was in fight mode.
"Bernadina." The name sounded like a growl from Raphael--an obvious threat.
"Relax, youngling." She said with a short laugh. "I was only joking. I know the rules."
Shadowhunter blood was off limits to vampires. I had forgotten that part of the Accords. It was part of the agreement between our kind and theirs when we made the peace treaty--we'll only form an alliance if we know we're safe from them.
"You may go, Shadowhunter." Bernadina said in a more serious tone. "This is between me and Eveline Carstairs."
"I'm not leaving her." Alec said stubbornly.
"Alec." It was Raphael, his hand still clasped around my wrist, holding me close to him. He didn't take his eyes off the vampire. "You have my word that I will protect her. Go back to the institute."
"I'm not leaving her--" Alec began, but I stopped him.
"Alec." I think we were all surprised to hear the pleading in my voice. "If I'm not back by midnight, you can look for me."
"You've got captured once," he said, "I'm not letting that happen again."
"Exactly. I've been captured before. I know how to ward off predators." I told him. "Please."
He must have been surprised to hear me say that because he didn't argue again. He passed us slowly, giving Bernadina a threatening look and throwing me a worried glance before disappearing into the night.
No one spoke until Alec was long gone.
"I see you're adjusting well to New York." Bernadina said finally.
"Don't--" Raphael began, but I gave his hand an assuring squeeze.
"It's okay." I whispered, even though I knew she could hear me.
Bernadina raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. You've created ties with the beings you loath."
"How do you know that?" I questioned.
"I've been watching you for a long time, Eveline." She answered. "I know your character, but I did not take you for a hypocrite."
I ignored the stab. "Why are you watching me?"
She shrugged carelessly, looking half bored. "Immortality becomes boring quickly. If you don't find any hobbies to busy yourself with, you'll go insane."
"And your hobbies consist of stalking young Shadowhunters?" I questioned.
She smiled a small smile. "Your sarcasm is to be admired, Eveline."
"Don't call me that."
"Well that's your name, is it not?"
I stayed silent. If she was watching me for as long as she claimed, then she knew why I didn't go by my full name. I just didn't want her to tell the story of my life in front of Raphael. I don't think I was ready for him to know about that part of me yet.
"What do you want?" Raphael questioned.
"I bring word from the Wershing family." She explained.
My heart stumbled in my chest. Terrible thoughts ran through my mind--one of them had died, or they're in the hospital. It had to be something extreme if a vampire was coming across the sea to share the news.
"What is it?" I asked in a shaky whisper.
Bernadina looked back at me. "Your care for them is admirable. I have seen many things in my long life, but I have never seen an Elite-in-training care so deeply for a mundane. It almost gives me hope for your kind."
"Is it Kai?" I asked, a knot forming at the back of my throat.
She shook her head. "No. It's his younger sister, Elizabeth. She went missing a few days ago. There are multiple search parties looking for her, but none have succeeded. The chances of finding her alive are practically impossible at this point."
It was like the earth was opening up beneath my feet. I felt like I was falling in empty space, with nothing below me to ever stop me. Lizzie. She was gone, possibly hurt, possibly dead.
I was faintly aware of Raphael saying something to Bernadina and Bernadina leaving, but I didn't care. My mind was a thousand miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean and wandering the streets of a small German neighborhood.
I felt Raphael's hands on my arms. "Eveline..."
"I have to go back." I mumbled.
"What?"
"I have to go back." I repeated, looking up at him. "I have to go home. If Lizzie's hurt, I have to find her--"
"Eveline!" He exclaimed, shushing me. "I can't imagine what you're thinking or feeling right now, but you have as much control over it as everyone else. If she's alive, someone will find her. Hopefully that someone will be a good person--someone who will return her home."
"She's only ten..." I whispered, my vision going blurry. Raphael pulled me closer to him, his arms wrapping around me, until my face was pressed into his chest. I didn't like crying in front of people--I could count the number of times I had shed a tear in front of Kai on one hand--but I couldn't stop myself from making a few tears fall out. My stomach was in knots. I hoped I didn't throw up on Raphael's shoes again. I pulled away from him finally, looking up at him. He brought his hand up to my face and brushed away the few tears on my face. "Who would take her?"
"She might have just--"
"No. Lizzie isn't the type of rebellious child to run away. She's scared of her own shadow. Besides, she wouldn't go anywhere without her brother. So someone must have taken her." I concluded. "But why?"
He stared at me for a long time. Finally he said, "I can find out."
I raised my eyebrows.
"I'll go to Germany. Vampires are good trackers. I won't stop searching until I find her."
"Raphael..." I began, and then paused. The polite thing to do would be to say that he didn't have to waste his time searching for a girl he doesn't even know, but right now I wasn't feeling polite. I was scared and anxious and worried and therefore selfish enough to jump at the idea of him searching for her. "I can't--"
"Don't say you can't ask me to do that." He finished for me. "Because you can ask anything of me and I'd do it, but that's not the point. You didn't ask me to do this. I offered. So let me look for her."
For the second time tonight, I hugged him. It was strange to hold onto something that had died so long ago but could still make me feel so alive. In that one moment I was sure of one thing if nothing else: Raphael had a soul that was deeper and more complex than any other I'd ever met.
...
It was near to midnight when Raphael left me at the foot of the institute steps. When I walked through the entryway, I found Alec waiting for me. He had been pacing the corridor, stopping only when he saw me.
"What did the vampire want?" He asked, looking defensive.
I shrugged, doing my best to look casual. "She came with news about Germany. Nothing big."
He didn't look convinced. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but you don't have to lie to me either."
"What makes you think I'm lying?"
"Why would a vampire travel overseas just to spread some gossip?"
"Fine." I sighed. "You're right. She came with news."
He seemed to be waiting for me to continue.
"But I don't want to talk about it. I can't bring my life in Germany here with me."
He looked like he wanted to protest, but he clenched his jaw. "Fine. I'm going to bed."
"Alec!" I called after him.
He stopped, turning his head to look at me.
"Thanks." I said. "For tonight."
He paused, seeming surprised. "I guess it helped both of us."