CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE HUNTER'S MOON
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"Do you know where he could be?" were the first words said after Isabelle gave them the news, spoken by a very concerned Alec. Isabelle and Alec were both tense, Alec sitting on the edge of Adrian's bed while Isabelle seemed determined to wear the carpet down by pacing. Adrian, however, was as comfortable as ever, back against his headboard and long legs stretched out in front of him. At Alec's question, Isabelle shot her brother an irritated look, a scowl twisting her mouth. Adrian just continued to pick at his comforter.
"If I knew where he could be," she said slowly, "would I still be pacing, Alec?" Alec threw his hands up in the air, letting out a small sound of frustration. Adrian watched them from under his eyelashes, leaning his head back against the headboard.
"Well, you haven't said anything for five minutes," Alec pointed out. Isabelle motioned toward Adrian, who just raised an eyebrow at her.
"Neither has Adrian!" Isabelle turned toward him then, and Adrian straightened his head out, leaning it away from the wood. "You've been oddly silent."
"Because I know Jace is fine," he said. Alec twisted to look at him.
"How?"
"Jace does the same thing I do when I'm upset. He runs away. Which means your mother must have said something to him to make him upset." Frowning, he pushed away from the headboard and folded his legs beneath him. "I'm more concerned about that at the moment." It was like his words had summoned her, because a moment later, Maryse came into the room, not even bothering to knock on his door. Adrian shot her an annoyed look, not appreciating the lack of consideration. He didn't care if Maryse knew Alec and Isabelle were already in his room. Barging in without asking for permission first was rude regardless. It reminded him that Maryse had taken it upon herself to clean his room for him, to touch his things, and the memory only served to make him feel angrier.
"What did you say to Jace?" he demanded as soon as he saw her, blood boiling beneath his skin. There must have been something in his voice, because Maryse gave him a cold, stern glare that made his skin crawl. Still, the look did nothing to calm his rising temper, and he just glared harder. Isabelle and Alec, sensing his sudden change of mood, shifted uncomfortably, and Isabelle even stopped pacing. They had always hated when Adrian got confrontational with their parents.
"That's none of your concern," Maryse finally said when she realized Adrian wasn't going to back down as easily as Isabelle, Alec, or Jace would have. Adrian arched an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. Maryse's jaw clenched at the action. The small act of defiance—at not backing down when the tone of her voice had clearly told him to—bothered her more than she would ever admit.
"Like hell it's not my concern," Adrian snapped. He would have continued if Alec hadn't touched his arm. His touch, however small, did the same thing it usually did—it made the calculated thoughts in his head become scrambled, turned his thought process into dust. The only thoughts that were clear were the ones pertaining to the touch itself, the fact that Alec's thumb had swept once against his arm to calm him, the fact that Alec had calmed him with just a hand on his arm. It was odd. Alec had touched him before just as casually, but something about this specific touch was different. Maybe it was because of the intimate moment they had shared before Isabelle came into the room. Maybe Adrian truly had needed Alec's comfort without even realizing it. Either way, he suddenly wanted to lean into Alec, close his eyes, and pretend like all of their problems weren't there anymore.
"Mom," Isabelle started, taking advantage of Adrian's sudden silence. "Jace is gone. We deserve to know why he left." Maryse was silent for a long time. Her eyes were glued to Alec's hand, which was still on Adrian's arm. Alec didn't remove his hand even when he saw his mother looking, almost like he thought his hand alone could protect Adrian from Maryse's cold looks and emotionless words. Something twisted in Maryse's face, a mix between disapproval and disgust. Whether she was disgusted with Alec learning to be defiant of her because of Adrian, or because of the implications of the touch itself, Adrian would never know, because Maryse suddenly relented and started answering their questions.
"Jonathan no longer lives here," Maryse said bluntly, not even blinking when the three of them reacted to the news. Alec and Isabelle both gave almost identical cries of disbelief, while Adrian's gaze went as cold as ice.
"You kicked Jace out?" Adrian whispered, voice so hard and cold that Alec started to slide his hand off of his arm. Before he could, Adrian placed his hand over his, keeping it in place. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions for him, but Adrian didn't think he'd be able to control his already flaring temper if he couldn't feel Alec on him. Once he was sure Alec wasn't going to lift his hand, Adrian dropped his own. The muscles in his forearm had started to ache, anyway.
"Mom, you can't do that," Alec argued, surprising even Adrian, since Alec had been so careful not to defy Maryse in fear of disappointing her. "This is Jace's home—"
"No, this is the New York Institute," Maryse cut him off coldly, jaw clenching. Her eyes had briefly flickered down to Alec's hand on Adrian's arm again. "I cannot allow Valentine Morgenstern's son—or his daughter, for that matter—to have access to a place connected directly to the Clave." She was talking about the communication systems in the offices and the Portal in the library. Adrian scowled at her. She continued as if she couldn't feel his glare. "Jonathan can find somewhere else to stay."
"His name is Jace," Adrian said. He wasn't sure where the words came from. He had a lot other, more relevant, things to say. Yet that was what had ended up coming out. Maybe it was Maryse's continued refusal to call Jace by the name he chose, and instead called him by the name his father had given him. It made Adrian's skin crawl. He had heard stories of Jace's childhood. Had heard about the beatings, the lack of love, the falcon story, how Jace's father had taken him out hunting at only eight-years-old, an age where most Shadowhunters were still learning how to identify runes. Valentine had called him Jonathan then, too. Jace wanted to distance himself from those memories as much as possible, and being called Jonathan repeatedly despite his wishes did nothing to help him.
The fact that Maryse was the one who gave Jace his nickname made it even worse.
"Have you read your father's letter, Adrian?" Maryse asked, bringing Adrian out of his thoughts. He stared at her, wondering why she would ask such a thing. It didn't take him long to figure it out. She was reminding him where his loyalties were supposed to lie. With the Clave, with the Consul. Unfortunately for all of them, he cared more about Jace than he did a bunch of outdated laws.
"Yes, I have." Adrian quickly changed the subject. That was the only response Maryse would get from him where his father was concerned. "Jace is my family. I'm not turning my back on him just because the Clave wants me to. Unlike you, I don't turn my back on my family or friends as soon as things become a little inconvenient." Alec's hand tightened around his arm in warning, but the damage had already been done. Maryse's jaw clenched so hard that he was sure some of her teeth cracked under the pressure, and her face flushed in anger.
"This conversation is over," Maryse snapped. Adrian pursed his lips and glared hard at the wall, swallowing all of the words he wanted to say but couldn't. "None of you are to leave this Institute without my permission. Is that clear?" No one responded, not that Maryse waited to hear what they had to say even if they had. The door slammed so hard behind her that the walls shook. Adrian, Alec, and Isabelle all stared at the door in silence, the Lightwood siblings in disbelief, Adrian in anger.
When he was sure Maryse was out of hearing distance, he turned toward Alec and Isabelle.
"We need to find Jace," he told them, a sense of urgency rising in his chest. He wanted to leave at that very moment, search the entirety of New York City until he found Jace and made sure he was safe. Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look he found hard to read.
"I thought you said he was fine," she pointed out. Adrian didn't bother trying to hide his annoyance.
"That was before I knew Maryse—who Jace saw as a mother—kicked him out of the only home he's ever known," Adrian pointed out, watching Isabelle wince and drop her arms. Isabelle, with pursed lips, turned on her heel and left the room. Adrian sighed, running a hand through his hair, turning to face Alec. "He's probably starting a fight in some random bar somewhere." Alec went to respond, but broke off when Isabelle came back in. Both of the boys gave her puzzled looks, and all she did was hold up her phone.
"I called Clary," she explained, slipping the phone back into her pocket. "She's out looking right now. So is Luke, for that matter." Adrian let out a breath of relief. The fact that a werewolf was out searching made him relax, if only slightly. He went to put his head in his hands, only to jump when a pop song started blaring from his phone, which remained on his bedside table. Adrian quickly went to it, hoping by some miracle that it was Jace. He should have known it wasn't.
"Is that Jace?" Isabelle asked, excited. Adrian shook his head.
"No, it's Oliver." Raising a finger to tell them to give him a second, he answered the call. He didn't let Oliver greet him first. "Hey, Ollie. This isn't a very good time. Jace is—"
"—at the Hunter's Moon," Oliver quickly cut in, finishing his sentence for him. Adrian blinked, briefly wondering what in the world Oliver was talking about, before he remembered that the Hunter's Moon was a werewolf dominated bar where Oliver worked and where his pack frequented often, only about a block or two from Oliver's house. He had offered to take Adrian with him many times, but Adrian had declined, knowing that not many Downworlders were as open-minded about Shadowhunters as Oliver seemed to be. He didn't want to invade their space.
"Jace is there? Is he safe?" he asked, earning startled looks from both Isabelle and Alec. Isabelle took a step toward him, while Alec stood from his bed. Adrian ignored them both. Oliver made a small sound that Adrian couldn't place. He sounded oddly upset.
"Yeah, he's safe," Oliver practically spit out. "Antagonizing my pack, but safe." Adrian closed his eyes and actually let himself feel relieved.
"God, thank you so much," he breathed. "I'm on my way." He was about to hang up when Oliver said his name so sharply that Adrian actually flinched.
"Wait, there's something else," Oliver rushed to say. It sounded like he was telling people to move on the other line, and then suddenly the background noise wasn't so loud anymore.
"What did Jace do?" Adrian asked warily, already feeling himself start to get a headache. Oliver actually growled at that, making Adrian grow still. This wasn't like Oliver at all.
"This doesn't have anything to do with Jace," Oliver snapped, irritated. A flash of pain shot through Adrian's chest, and he bit his bottom lip to keep from asking what he had done to make Oliver snap at him. He got his answer without having to ask. "A body was found in the alley beside the bar. A werewolf. A...a child." Oliver's voice cracked, and Adrian sucked in a sharp breath. "He was just a baby, Adrian."
"Oh my God," Adrian choked out, hand coming up to cover his mouth. He had never dealt with a dead child before. He was sure there had been many in his years of hunting, but none of them had ever been assigned those cases. "Fuck, okay. I'm...I'll be there as soon as I can. Ollie..." He hesitated, then lowered his voice and turned away from Isabelle and Alec. "Are you alright?" There was a beat of silence.
"Just get here," Oliver said. A second later, he had ended the call. Adrian stared at his phone, took a few seconds to compose himself, and then turned back toward Isabelle and Alec, who both looked concerned. Adrian swallowed.
"What's going on? Are you okay?" Alec demanded, stepping closer and reaching out as if to touch his arm. A moment later, he seemed to think better of it, because his hand dropped back to his side.
"Good news or bad news first?" was all he asked. When neither responded, he sighed. "Good news is that I know where Jace is. He's at the Hunter's Moon." Isabelle frowned.
"That wolf bar?"
"The very one. The bad news? A werewolf child's body was found in the alley beside the bar." Their reaction was immediate. Alec's was horror, his eyes widening, while Isabelle's narrowed in anger. If there was one thing Shadowhunters and Downworlders agreed on, it was that children needed to be protected. Well, most Shadowhunters agreed, anyway. Some Shadowhunters were as evil as the demons they hunted.
"Let me go get dressed," Isabelle said, voice hard.
"No," Adrian said quickly, making her pause. "Izzy, you stay here. We're gonna need someone to cover for us if Maryse notices we're gone, and you're a better liar than Alec is." Isabelle arched an eyebrow.
"Alec's coming with you?" she asked, shooting a small glare at her brother. Alec crossed his arms over his chest.
"Of course I am," he argued. "Jace is my parabatai."
"Sure," Isabelle said flatly, not sounding impressed with Alec's argument. "That's why you're going." Alec's face flushed scarlet at her jab, while Adrian just rolled his eyes.
"Isabelle," Adrian said, voice dry. She looked at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes at him.
"Whatever." Isabelle waved her hand in the air before pointing a stern finger at Adrian. "Call me if you need backup." Adrian flashed her a grin.
"I always do."
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When they arrived at the werewolf bar, no one was waiting for them outside. It didn't matter. Adrian knew where the body was, and promptly motioned for Alec to follow him into the alley. They circled a long line of motorcycles, and the purple light of a neon sign in the window cast a purple glare on Alec's hair as he passed Adrian to go into the alley ahead of him. Adrian rolled his eyes at the action, biting his tongue to keep from saying that he could take care of himself. There was a time and a place for such banter, and the place where a dead child was found wasn't it.
The body was small. The werewolf child couldn't have been older than ten, and Adrian felt a ball lodge itself into his throat. He told himself that this was his job, that he had to examine the body, but his feet seemed to have stopped moving, and he couldn't force himself to get closer. Alec, who was crouched down beside the body, glanced up at him. He looked as sick as Adrian felt. He looked at Adrian for a moment, eyes searching his face, before he let out a small sigh.
"I got this, Dri," he said quietly, so gently that Adrian's stomach twisted. "Why don't you just keep watch, alright?" Adrian gave a shaky nod. Part of him felt guilty for leaving Alec to examine the body alone. Another part of him was very quick to twist on his heel and go back to the mouth of the alley, relieved beyond comprehension that he didn't have to be around the body anymore. It was while he was trying to stop himself from feeling nauseous that he noticed someone coming toward him. He only relaxed when he realized that it was Oliver.
"So what are the Shadowhunters going to do about this?" were the first words out of Oliver's mouth. He looked exhausted, face pale and eyes bloodshot, like he had been crying. Adrian wanted to reach out and comfort him, but he wasn't sure if the action would have been welcome, so he kept his hands stuffed inside his jacket pockets.
"I...I don't know," Adrian admitted, feeling even worse when Oliver's eyes narrowed. "It's not up to me—"
"A child is dead," Oliver said sharply, cutting him off. Logically, Adrian knew Oliver wasn't actually angry with him. He was mourning the child currently in the alley. He was lashing out, and that was completely understandable. That didn't mean it hurt any less. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Adrian flinched. Dimly, he heard Alec approach him from behind, stopping a few feet away.
"Of course it does," Adrian argued. "You know it does. But we don't have authority at the Institute anymore. We had to sneak out just to come here." He paused, and when Oliver didn't say anything, he warily added, "You'll have to file an official report with the Institute." He knew how Oliver would react to that, so it didn't surprise him when Oliver scoffed.
"What, so it can sit on a desk and collect dust while the people in charge search for demons to take care of instead? Are you seriously telling me to trust the Clave, Adrian?" Adrian opened his mouth to argue, but Oliver was already rushing on. "The Clave doesn't give a damn about us. They hate us. I bet they'd rejoice about how there's one less Downworlder to deal with when they hear about this." His voice cracked as he motioned toward the mouth of the alley. Alec had gotten closer during his rant, but he was smart enough not to step in.
"That isn't true," Alec said quietly, making Oliver scoff again.
"Isn't it?" Oliver looked at Adrian. "Why did you think I called you to begin with? I thought you'd actually find a way to help somehow. Guess I was wrong." With that, Oliver twisted on his heel and disappeared back inside the bar. Adrian was quick to follow him, not wanting the conversation to end in such a way. He hadn't counted on the bar actually being so crowded. He was only a few feet inside before he had lost track of Oliver completely, and he had to walk blindly before he was finally yanked out of the crowd by someone else. At first, he thought it was Oliver before he realized the person who had grabbed him was a good bit shorter than he was. Glancing down, he saw a pretty girl with brown skin and curly brown hair glaring up at him. She looked his age.
"You here to get your little friend?" she asked, obviously referring to Jace. Adrian remembered Oliver mentioning that Jace had been antagonizing his pack, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to just go to sleep.
"Actually, I was..." He made one last attempt to find Oliver, but then let out a sigh and admitted defeat, shoulders slumping. Knowing Oliver, he had probably escaped out the back of the bar by now, and he knew he wouldn't be welcome to show up at his apartment, at least not tonight. "Never mind. Where is he?" The girl arched an eyebrow, then cocked her head to the side, indicating the back of the bar.
"In the back with Luke."
"Luke probably called Clary, so I guess I'm officially useless here." He was talking to himself more than to her, but that didn't stop her from glaring at him. He shifted on his feet, uncomfortable.
"Why were you chasing after Oliver?" the girl demanded. Adrian blinked, then shrugged.
"I was trying to make something right, that's all."
"He looked pretty upset," the girl said slowly, "so I suggest you keep your distance." Adrian raised an eyebrow. He wasn't particularly surprised by her protectiveness. Most werewolf packs had the same mentality.
"I'm sensing a bit of hostility here," he murmured. The girl just gave him a flat look. He smiled. "You don't like Shadowhunters, do you?"
"That, and, well, I don't trust beautiful boys in general." Adrian cocked his head to the side, intrigued. It seemed like the girl hadn't meant to say those words out loud, because she suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"Even Oliver?" Adrian asked. "He's beautiful, too." The girl's nose immediately crinkled.
"He doesn't count."
"Why not?"
"He's part of the pack, and he's my friend," the girl explained, suddenly regaining her angry and protective expression from earlier. "You upset my friend. Therefore, I'm obviously going to have some hostility for you." She smiled in mock sweetness. "I'm kind of protective."
"Fair enough." She seemed surprised by his agreement, but he had accepted that he wouldn't be able to talk to Oliver again tonight the second she had yanked him out of the crowd. Now, he wanted nothing more than to just go home and sleep for about a week. "Can you find Oliver and tell him I'm sorry? Please?" Something in her expression changed, and she eyed him curiously now.
"Wait, who are you again?" she asked. Adrian smiled.
"I'm Adrian—"
"You're Adrian?" she burst out, eyes widening. She clearly had heard about him before. Suddenly, she didn't look quite so angry, and had even started developing an apologetic expression. Adrian wondered what in the world Oliver had told her about him to warrant such a change in demeanor. What stories he had shared about the two of them, before Adrian realized Oliver deserved someone who could love him like he deserved to be loved. "Oh, hey! Hi. I'm sorry, I thought you were—I mean, hi, I'm Maia! Maia Roberts."
Adrian found himself endeared as Maia stuck out her hand, smiling as he took it. It was oddly sweet, the way her attitude had changed once she realized Adrian wasn't planning on hurting Oliver in any way.
"Lovely to meet you, Maia. Unfortunately, I have to go," he said, taking his hand back. "Um, will you tell him?" Maia blinked, and then nodded.
"Yeah," she confirmed. "Yeah, of course I'll tell him."
"Thank you."
By the time Adrian had made his way out of the bar, he was more than ready to go home. Alec was leaning against the building, waiting for him to come back out. Adrian understood why he hadn't followed him inside. Alec got anxious in places he knew he was't welcome. Adrian immediately went to him, and Alec raised his head when he heard him approach.
"Where's Jace?" he asked. Adrian nodded his head toward the bar.
"He's in the back with Luke. I figured he called Clary. It's probably better if she finds him, anyway. It's not like he can come back home with us." Alec nodded, not responding, just lowering his head again so he could frown at the sidewalk. Adrian frowned as well, placing a hand on Alec's shoulder, thumb digging in slightly. "You alright?"
"Honestly? No, not really." Alec raised his head again. He looked guilt-ridden, jaw clenching hard. "I can't stop thinking about that kid."
"We don't have the authority, Alec," Adrian whispered, knowing it wouldn't help him feel better.
"I know that. It's just...my mom, she'd be more concerned with the fact that we went behind her back than there being a dead kid in an alley. That's what's bothering me." Adrian stayed silent, sensing that there was more Alec wanted to say. "I always got the sense that my parents never cared about these kinds of reports. It was like they saw them as a nuisance. Oliver was right before. The Clave, my parents, the older generation in general, they don't care about the Downworlders. And I...I actually started to think like that. Like them." Alec looked so upset that for a brief moment, Adrian thought he was going to cry, and he just couldn't have that.
"Hey, hey, come here," he said immediately, throwing his arms around Alec's neck. Alec went still in surprise, then his arms slowly went around Adrian's waist, holding him back. Adrian set his chin on Alec's shoulder. "We're not our parents, alright? We're better than them. We can do better than them."
"How can we do better than them if we can't even do anything at all?" Alec asked. Adrian pulled away from him, resting his hands on Alec's shoulders. He didn't even notice that Alec's hands stayed on his hips.
"We found the Mortal Cup, fought a Greater Demon and won, and revealed that Valentine Morgenstern was still alive to the Clave," he said, flashing Alec a grin. "Something tells me solving a murder case is a tad bit easier than that. But first..." Slowly, he pulled away from Alec, and watched as Alec's hands fell back to his sides, suddenly aware of where they had been. "...we need to inform Maryse of the murder. Who knows, maybe she'll surprise us."
"I doubt it," Alec muttered.
"Yeah," Adrian sighed. "Me, too."
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edited: 10.1.19