"Alec, what are you doing? You can stare at this monitor all you want, they need angel blood to get past the wards." Jace said, giving his parabatai a look. Alec ignored him and held Axel's clenched fist. Although Axel had been asked on a date by Alec, he was still angry at Jace for kissing his little sister. "You know that. No Downworlder can come into the Institute. Not without an invite by a Shadowhunter."
Axel shot a glare at the approaching Jace which made the latter back up. Alec hit Axels arm lightly in warning which made his glare soften into a sheepish look. Axel crossed his arms and looked at the monitor while Alec responded.
"Last I checked, Valentine is a Shadowhunter. The Cup is not safe here. We have to give it back to the Clave." Alec replied, looking over at Axel who was watching the monitor intently as if it was Jace. He wouldn't be surprised if the monitor exploded by the intensity of his glare.
"Give it back to the Clave? No. Not after everything we went through to get it." Clary protested, looking at her brother for back up. She walked towards him with the cup which made Axel hiss lightly in pain. Fortunately for Axel, no one noticed.
Axel didn't turn around once as he said, "Put the cup back in the card and keep it away from me. It controls demon and if you have paid attention these days then you'll know that I'm a demon. So keep that fucking cup away!"
"My brother is right. The Cup is extremely important." Isabelle agreed with Alec and sauntered towards her otp. She took place between the two and grinned when Alec wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Axel wrapped his arm around her waist. Her grin turned into a pout because of the big difference in height between the boys and her.
"Are you agreeing with me?" Alec asked making sure it wasn't a joke or that he heard wrong.
"I'm full of surprises." She smirked mischievously at him. Alec gave her a small smile and his eyes flickered over at Axel who was already looking at him. The two boys gazed at each other until Clary spoke.
"This Cup is the one chance I have at getting my mom back." Clary argued, crossing her arm on her chest.
She looked at Izzy who was comfortably leaning on the two boys and then her gaze went to Axel and Alec. Alec had a small tint of pink on his cheeks while Axel was grinning at him. Isabelle was giggling lightly at them while Alec tried covering his blush with his free arm.
"I agree with Clary." Jace said, taking her side. "We can't give the Cup to the Clave, not now. We need it. It's our only bargaining chip."
"Look, I know how powerful this Cup is. It has the power to create new Shadowhunters, control demons and even kill a mundane if they drank from it. But I promise you, I will not let that monster get his hands on it." She promised them with a determined look.
"There you go. You have her word." Jace said reassuring the Lightwood sibling and the Knight.
Alec sighed and took back his arm that was wrapped around his sister's shoulders. He walked away from them and said, "Follow me."
Alec expected Axel to follow but when he didn't, he frowned and asked, "You're not coming?"
Axel gave him a sheepish look and scratched his neck with his free hand. He looked at the card in Clary's hand and said, "Being in the presence cup makes me uncomfortable. Sorry, sweetheart."
Axel hated lying but in this case, he had to. At least it wasn't a complete lie. Alec nodded in understanding and left the room with Clary following.
Axel's sheepish look turned into a glare. Jace swallowed forcefully in fear when he saw that the glare was on him. Axel took three strides towards him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The demon slammed the Shadowhunter on the wall. Axel's eyes flickered into a glowing turquoise making him look more menacing.
"It seems that you like Clary and it goes the same for her so I won't be the brother that makes the girls life miserable by separating them. I swear to god if you hurt her or she cries because of you, I'll be there laughing at you while I torture you until you forget your own name and die. Okay, blondie?"
Jace nodded and thanked the angels when Alec and Clary came back. Axel immediately stopped glaring and took a step away from him. Isabelle was quietly laughing at Jace's fearful face. She had no worries about the threat since Axel liked her brother and if he killed Jace, Alec would never be with him.
"What happened her - Huh?" Clary stopped, hearing the loud beeping. Her face scrunched up in confusion. The Lightwood sibling and the Knight rushed towards the monitor. Seeing the red on it, Axel deduced that a demon was in the perimeter. Alec's hand immediately found Axels.
Jace fixed his shirt and cleared his throat before saying, "There's something outside the perimeter."
"No shit, dumbass." Axel said in frustration. Alec rubbed his arm, hoping it would calm him.
"I told you-"
"Don't say it." Jace cut his parabatai off and walked towards the weapons.
"Don't cut him off, blondie." Axel snarled at him and waited for the Shadowhunters to get the weapons. Alec rolled his eyes and whispered that it was okay in his ear. Alec ignored the blush creeping up Axel's neck but couldn't help but smile in accomplishment.
"What's happening?" Clary asked in confusion. Isabelle sighed but answered her question.
"Someone's trying to break in. Could be the Circle."
"Told you so." Alec said with humour lacing his words. Axel smiled at him and help him get his bow and his quivers.
"Too soon." Jace sighed. The Shadowhunters all walked out with the demon following them. Axel easily felt who was there and his tense figure relaxed. He knew that it was Simon who was now a fledging and the vampire he threatened before. Axel whistled a soft tune and waited for them to realize who it was.
"Don't move. Drop what you're holding. Put your hands up." Jace ordered, seeing a silhouette. The dark figure turned and when the moonlight hit their faces, Clary gasped in recognition. Tears came to her eyes as she realized what maybe happened to her best friend.
"Oh, my God, Simon!" Clary shouted, breathing heavily. Her hands covered her mouth. She walked towards them mumbling no all over again under her breath. She could hardly believe her eyes. Axel stopped his whistling and knew it was time to comfort her little sister.
Axel liked Simon but he was used to seeing people around him die. Axel wrapped his arm around his sister and let her squeeze the life out of him, knowing that she needed something to hold her together.
•••
"People will be wondering what we found outside the perimeter." Jace stated, placing a book under Simon's head. Clary looked at Simon's limp body and stroked his head with guilt eating at her soul. It was all her fault.
"I'll go." Alec offered and left, knowing that Axel had to be there for his sister. "I'll tell 'em we didn't find anything. Nobody will come down here."
"I might be a vampire but I was raised a good Catholic." The vampire, Raphael, said. Axel had finally figured out his name. Axel leaned on the wall, looking at Simon and Clary.
"The vampires breached the Accords. Killing Simon is grounds for war." Izzy said, giving Raphael a stern look. Jace crossed his arms and looked at Simon.
"The vampires were not behind this. Just Camille. She attacked Simon on her own." Raphael defended, blaming Camille.
"Camille attacked him but you could've protected him or maybe not kidnap him. You're lucky that I didn't kill you or Camille." Axel snarled at him and gave him a good view of his sharpened claws and canines. "And how do we know you're telling the truth?"
"I could have gotten rid of him, but instead I brought him here. I don't want trouble with the Shadowhunters."
"Smart decision. The first one you ever had." Axel responded making Isabelle and Jace laugh under their breath. Raphael rolled his eyes and sat down on a chair.
"I warned the mundane to stay away but Camille gave him a taste of her own blood, and like an addict he came back wanting more."
"The only reason Simon ever tasted Camille's blood is because of you. You kidnapped him! You drug him to Hotel DuMort. You delivered him to Camille!" Clary shouted at him, blaming him for this. She lunged at him but Axel grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. He did not want his little sister to get hurt.
"I never meant for this to happen." Raphael said looking at the limp body.
Simon. Axel could see the remorse he felt by his expression.
"Simon, please come back, please." Clary whispered. Not wanting to see her pain, Axel thought of a solution that would bring him back. He clenched his jaw when he found a solution but Axel did not want the poor boy to become that.
"There is a way." Axel said, biting his lip. A sad smile came on his face. "But the consequence isn't good. It's not somethings you want, Clare bear."
"A way to bring Simon back? You can do that? How?" Clary asked, looking at Axel. The latter shared a look with Raphael, both of them thinking the same thing. Axel didn't want this for Simon but it was the only way.
"He's a fledgling. It's a state of transition. Your friend can be resurrected." Raphael said, making Isabelle tense up.
"No. Clary, no." Isabelle protested. She looked at Axel and gave him a disgusted look because of the suggestion. Axel looked at his shoes in shame. He just wanted Simon to be back Clary could be happy again.
"So I could have Simon back? Alive and breathing?" Clary asked, looking at the two downworlders.
"That's just it. He won't return alive or breathing. He'll be a -"
"A vampire. He'll become a vampire." Axel finished. Understanding dawned on her face and tears fell on her face. Axel hugged her tight when she wrapped her arms around his waist. He could feel the wetness on his shirt but he didn't mind.
"And not the sexed up, romantic kind. The ugly, bloodsucking, coffin-dwelling kind." Jace clarified, making Axel glare at him when Clary sobbed louder.
"That's offensive. Coffin implies wooden box. We have caskets now. They're made of 14-karat gold." Raphael told him, making Jace roll his eyes and give him a sarcastic look.
"My bad." He said, clicking his tongue.
Axel stroked Clary's hair and calmed her down. Clary pulled away but still held on her brother's shirt.
"It's almost sunrise. Simon must be turned into a vampire tonight or staked through the heart." Axel said gently, not wanting her to cry anymore. Clary looked at him with tearful eyes.
"And if I do neither?" Clary asked, her eyes going to her best friend. She did not want his to become a vampire. She wanted the same old Simon that she loved.
"His soul will be trapped for eternity. You have till sunset to decide. The clock is ticking."
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I AM SO SORRY.
I had exams, projects to give back and I just stopped updating. My summer just started a few days ago and I've been busy but I'm back. I'm pretty sure a lot of you stopped reading my book and it's okay because I suck and I didn't even give a warning. I also rewrote some of the first chapters and I have everything for the next chapters planned. Since it's summer, I will update more frequently (like a lot more) and end the book with bonus chapters. Expect a lot of Knightwood in the next few chapters. ;)
I'm sorry for the wait and thank you for sticking with me and this book.
I LOVE YOU GUYS A LOT.
ADIOS